From Scott …
“Can I draw your attention to some idiocy by Oxfordshire County Council. They have put a bus shelter on the cycle path / pedestrian walkway just past the Morland Garden developments going out of Abingdon. This is very dangerous in my opinion. It forces bikes back onto the road, something the cycle path was put there to stop.”
From Philip …
“… From the people responsible for this infrastructure there seems to be no understanding that an inadequate cycle path is often worse than none at all. When cyclepaths make a route unsafe the obvious response is to use the road. However this often results in ‘punishment passes’. I’ve been the target of aggressive driving on several occasions when choosing to avoid this cycle path …”
A shelter has also been added on the field side where there is room. I remember a few years ago that a bus shelter + seats were not allowed by the Foyer (opposite the war memorial) because there was not enough space.
Absolutely ridiculous, a complete lack of planning and research for the location of this shelter. This is worthy of a bit of national exposure if anyone has connections with the large newspapers to shame those responsible into putting things right.
Wow, and if that is a typical bike path, I wouldn’t want to be a cyclist in your area!
It is highly dangerous, but just part of an ill-conceived development. Do the planners ever visit the sites they mark up on paper with felt-tip pens?
Stefan Jansson – Generally they are better, this section was already narrow meaning if you meet another bike coming the other way it can get ‘interesting’, the Drayton Road isn’t the widest here either plus motorists are keen to get moving as they’ve been held up in the town often and there’s this driver thing of ‘where there’s a cycle-path use it’ which is also understandable but some people lack the full understanding of the localised situation. Sadly it will probably take a death or serious injury to get a proper resolution to this particular problem.
ppjs – I believe planning officers do visit sites to assess and view the location, however in this case my view is that someone who has no real world experience has been involved and indeed here the acronym OCC stands for Obviously Couldn’t Care…
It fills you with hope, doesn’t it…. And there’s 1000+ houses coming to town and wide scale development shortly….
Do we really need to go to the TCs “comment on the town’s development”….or is it this kind of ineptitude that we are expected to comment on?
No flowers at the bus stop, Daniel; you might want to draw TC’s attention to this omission…
ppjs – There probably will be… as a roadside memorial, when the inevitable happens. 🙁
It doesn’t matter, the cyclists don’t use the path because of all the bushes hanging over.
Daniel, I bumped into Hester today and she prompted me. I might go to the Preston Road ‘Town Development Farrago’ next Saturday, though I could just end up shouting at the TC. The political parties which have Abingdon in their grasp just promote the totally incompetent to dangerous ineptitude. The TC and Vale prove .. day in and day out … that democracy is a failure.
I’ve been cycling the Drayon to Abingdon stretch on that road about 50% of most (just post dawn) mornings for the last few months and at that time in the morning most drivers know how to manoeuvre in traffic which includes cyclists and I stick to the road.
Later, when ‘rush hour’ is swinging in, you start getting the self-reichous commuters and white van teenagers who think it’s acceptable to buzz cyclists and etc. The cycle-path along that road is token and has been completely banjaxed at Gridlock North (aka Morland Gardens).
I imagine that to qualify as a Traffic Planner for a Council at any level in these parts you have to have your carer present a certificate proving you’ve had a lobotomy.
God Help Abingdon, as it’s elected officials are clueless.
Well, perhaps I’ll see you there Newcomer…but frankly…whilst it’s always nice to be asked… who’s gonna listen?
Lodge Hill needs opening up – do they not know this already?
AbITS was supposed to deliver a 2nd River crossing but failed to – do they not know this already?
AbITS was implemented (and has ground the traffic to a standstill) on the totally wrong advice of £3.5m consultants but they took the money and run; can’t we sue them – do they not know this already?
The traffic situation is crippling the town – do they not know this already?
The town is crying out for infrastructure improvements in all conceivable areas (doctors, schools, roads etc) to cope with the current community, yet more houses are to come before any improvement, to great concern to that current community – do they not know this already?
The Charter development (phase 1) is a farce, and the phase 2 is a pipe dream yet Scottish Widows rides roughshod over everyone – do they not know this already?
The word on the street is that ‘privately conceived ideas’ for events are often befuddled by ‘politics’ – do they not know this already?
Development for tiny flats and the planning policy to the detriment of the town is already a massive issue – do they not know this already?
Faceless, nameless and totally unaccountable council officers make the decisions and recommendations to council cabinets, with no veracity or comeback or accountability and we are all stuck with that ill decision for generations to come – do they not know this already?
I really don’t know what the expectation is from such a meeting or forum. What’s worse…they are “in charge” and are totally unaware of these issues….or they are in charge and are aware of the issues but continually appear (in my 15 years) to fail to address them?
Unfortunately what Abingdon really needs is far above their remit, but as I started with, it is good to appear to be asked….
The actual issues that need addressing finally resulted in our then MP ‘lobbying’ on our behalf; which turns out to have been a strongly worded email. Now we have a new MP. So what now, a *really* strongly worded email!?
I think we all know what the issues really are; what I really want to hear is how they are going to be addressed – or an honest answer as to why they won’t be.
On the bright side….I do have one good idea that hasn’t been mooted yet…and it could just help us all (for £10 a year on our council tax)…. And it’s nothing to do with flowers – unless you want to push it to £10.50!
It seems to me that both the entrance to moreland gardens and this bus shelter have been designed, approved and installed with no regard for cyclists at all – disgusting. I now use the road in this section when cycling to work which delays motorists and increases my risk of collisions.
When I initially asked about the inevitable increased traffic flow arising from the prospect of Morland Gardens, I was told that it was within easy cycling distance of town.
i did my best to hide my incredulity. No, I didn’t; I told the planner who uttered this banality that he lived in cloud-cuckoo-land.
The B4017 is a badly maintained piece of road. The cycle/foot path is very narrow and affords no protection from motor traffic, the road surface is pitted and scarred, the road signs are obscured by the hedges and trees. When the A34 is closed, it becomes the diversion road.
The salaried officers should not need reminding that it is their duty to check on this sort of thing.
Strictly speaking, ppjs, the circa 1.5 miles from Gridlock North to the centre of town is ‘easy cycling distance’ in the same glib way the last 7.820 feet to the summit of Everest are ‘easy walking distance’.
But, of course, you are right .. it’s the nature of the terrain which makes the journey either difficult, or easy.
Take, for example, the beautiful job they’ve done repairing and re-tarmacing the quiet country roads around Garford, Charney Bassett and The Hanneys. My bike tyres fairly purr as they skim their smooth surfaces.
There must be someone carrying influence with the Vale/local politics who lives in those parts who can get that kind of work done. Would that Abingdon had ever had some such person with influence on The Vale to get Abingdon’s pitted roads, and pavements repaired …
And to think…the people responsible for this crazily inadequate, dangerous and embarrassing situation will also be responsible for the 1000+ houses at North Abingdon.
Fingers crossed everybody !
“there’s this driver thing of ‘where there’s a cycle-path use it’ which is also understandable”
No, it isn’t. Our driver education system should drill into people the rights and needs of other road users, including that people cycling have a perfect right to be on the main carriageway, bike lane or no bike lane; that in fact if they’re going at anything more than a relatively modest pace they’re positively encouraged not to use shared paths.
And more than that, people should just have a bit of basic respect and tolerance for other people on the road.
Instead, when a lot of people get on the road (whatever their mode of transport) they seem to turn into selfish, self-entitled sociopaths. I don’t find that understandable at all.
Daniel, I wish you luck at the meeting, I think you’re going to need it.
Thanks abbeyDon. I know things are often more complicated than they seem, so if I manage to go I look forward to learning a thing or two and gaining a better understanding.
Every day’s a school day!
Of course motorists have an absolute duty of care for other road users. Cyclists also have responsibilities, however.
Wearing dark clothing at dawn, dusk or night tends to make you less visible, with the result that motorists see you with less time and space to respond – especially if the motorist is travelling (quite legally at 50mph) and the cyclist is travelling at 15mph well out from the edge of the carriageway because of the broken surface at the verge. It also helps if you have made sure that your cycle lights are working…
The Highway Code asks cyclists to ride no more than two abreast. It does not say that two abreast is best practice in all circumstances. If a group of cyclists is out for a spin – and why shouldn’t they be? – it is far more difficult for the motorist to be past them and out of their hair if they present a long train (often longer than a lorry and trailer).
I cycle and drive, so I experience both these aspects of road use. Rights are important, so are responsibilities. As an advanced driving trainer, David can be sure that I am extremely hot on how drivers approach cyclists safely.
Of course motorists have an absolute duty of care for other road users. Cyclists also have responsibilities, however.
Wearing dark clothing at dawn, dusk or night tends to make you less visible, with the result that motorists see you with less time and space to respond – especially if the motorist is travelling (quite legally at 50mph) and the cyclist is travelling at 15mph well out from the edge of the carriageway because of the broken surface at the verge. It also helps if you have made sure that your cycle lights are working properly…
The Highway Code asks cyclists to ride no more than two abreast. It does not say that two abreast is best practice in all circumstances. If a group of cyclists is out for a spin – and why shouldn’t they be? – it is far more difficult for the motorist to be past them and out of their hair if they present a long and wide train (often longer than a lorry and trailer). Motorists are supposed to leave a safe distance between themselves and other vehicles. This also applies to cyclists.
I cycle and drive, so I experience both these aspects of road use. Rights are important, but so are responsibilities. I am an advanced driving trainer with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. David can be sure that I am extremely hot on making sure that drivers approach cyclists safely.
I wish all motorists were safe in their road use. I also wish all cyclists were!
All that said, motorists who have an accident are enclosed in a very safe metal box. Pedal cyclists and motor cyclists are not. They come off and get hurt – or worse.
This path is too narrow for cycles anyway. I have had a near miss with a bike walking up that hill. This crazy shared use idea should be binned NOW – we are getting it everywhere and it is dangerous for bikes and even more so for pedestrians. Cyclists should be in no danger if they ride carefully on the road near the kerb and wear helmets.
Hallelujah, bus shelter removed… all a mistake apparently http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/15557803.Council_removes_new_bus_stop_after_putting_it_in_middle_of_a_cycle_path__by_mistake_/