CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Cycle lanes as a speed reducing measure

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  1. tk
    Member

    From Councillor Maureen Childs email with an faq on the 20mph limits

    Myth 7: The city will be covered in speed humps

    The new limit will be introduced without traffic calming measures. However, if monitoring finds speeds remain significantly above 20mph on certain streets despite signage and public awareness of the limit, we will consider speed reducing measures on the roads concerned. On residential streets this is likely to mean road humps, on main roads other methods would be deployed, for example road markings (e.g. cycle lanes) or central islands which tend to reduce speeds by reducing the apparent width of road

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. steveo
    Member

    Yeah, I really hate being used as a rolling road block...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. holisticglint
    Member

    ... or the police could prosecute people who break the law, or is that too radical ?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. drnoble
    Member

    I had the same reaction when I read that too.

    I only hope they meant that by including cycle lanes, the apparent width of the lane for motor vehicles is reduced, thus reducing speeds. In much the same way that removing the centre line creates uncertainty, and can lead to reduced vehicle speeds.

    But I fear it might just be a case of 'bloody cyclists' in the way slowing traffic down!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. earthowned
    Member

    Central islands are where I usually encounter the most problems with impatient drivers.

    If the council are going to build more of them then I hope they also add signs telling drivers not to overtake cyclists at these points.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. acsimpson
    Member

    Yes, it's amazing how many drivers will squeeze past you at a traffic island even if you are riding in primary and indicating right. I thought the normal way to narrow roads was to install a row of parked cars at either side.

    In my design manual every central island would have obligatory segregated cycle bypasses. If there isn't room for both then either install a proper pedestrian crossing or just the segregated cycle lanes protected by a series of these.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    "In my design manual every central island would have obligatory segregated cycle bypasses."

    Makes sense.

    Shame that...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. Chug
    Member

    In my design manual every central island would have obligatory segregated cycle bypasses.

    Like this?

    Pinch point cycle bypass

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. dougal
    Member

    @Chug - nice, does it work?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. steveo
    Member

    Looks very narrow and lets face it, in the UK it would be full of rubbish and leaf jam.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. fimm
    Member

    How do I make a link to google maps? There's an excellent example of useless pinch point cycle bypasses in Auchendinny, but I can't work out how to make a link to it.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. acsimpson
    Member

    That's the sort of thing I had in mind although the segregation should start before the island ideally. On further consideration I should update my manual to
    ... obligatory well maintained segregated cycle bypasses.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Unlike http://goo.gl/maps/88Ztj (Auchendinny bridge), and more like http://goo.gl/maps/pvOox (Macdonald Rd)?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    And certainly not like these at the Jewel

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. slowcoach
    Member

    how to make a link to ... Google PC desktop (rather than mobile) in Classic version, there's a symbol of a chain link, off map/pic to left near top, in New version there is a symbol of a cog (?) on the map/pic just to the right of a '?' on the right near the bottom, to share or embed map.

    I guess that the narrowings at Auchendinny are to protect the bridges (by stopping lorries going over in opposite directions at same time) rather than as speed reduction features. Later advice from Transport Scotland says "Wherever space permits, a cycle bypass should be provided, as shown in Figure 4.3 to prevent the cyclist space being squeezed by adjacent motor vehicles"

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. Chug
    Member

    @Steveo Looks very narrow

    Yip, but each lane is only one-way remember - so for a solo bike it was far better to use than being squeeze-passed at a traffic island by a car. Give me narrow and segregated (and one-way) over shared and conflicty any day of the week.

    And that one at the Jewel looks like at least one of the very wide pavements could be a two-way cycle path....

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. fimm
    Member

    Thank you

    The Auchendinny ones Arellcat links to are the ones I was thinking of. I don't think they ever clean them, and I never use them.

    The Macdonald Road ones look quite good?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The Macdonald roads ones are fine except, bizarrely, not all of the build-outs along the road have them!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. cb
    Member

    The Auchendinny set up should really allow cyclists to proceed even when the lights are at red.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. AKen
    Member

    If there is no solid white line in the cycle lane, then presumably it does?

    Not that you'd ever be able to see such a line.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. slowcoach
    Member

    "The Auchendinny set up should really allow cyclists to proceed even when the lights are at red.""If there is no solid white line in the cycle lane, then presumably it does?"

    The cycle lanes don't start until 20 -40m past the stop lines, so legally cyclists have to stop if the signals are red. At the north end there are also pedestrian lights and an unusual set-up with another set of signals for an access, so putting a gap in for cycles to pass the red wouldn't just be a change in the paintwork.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. Colin
    Member

    I've written to Councillor Childs about this and told her that it in my experience, cycle lanes had very little/no affect on traffic speeds. It might be beneficial if other people who felt the same also contacted their councillors.

    Cheers
    Colin

    PS Anyone in any doubt could ride East along the side of Musselburgh Race Course.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    @ chug, there are three sets of those islands on groathill road north, at some of the speedbumps. A separate channel on the inside for bikes to avoid the bump. alas mostly full of glass, or road signs and also cars in the neighbourhood parked up against them, so you have to go down the middle. but someone was thinking Bike when they installed the bumps. Well half of the bumps, the other half on that road are just standard bumps. Wind was too strong to stop for a picture (also no camera on my phone just a wee torch)

    Posted 9 years ago #

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