London Banter - View Single Post

Martin Rich · August 24th 04, 09:25 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 21:47:42 GMT, (Neil
Williams) wrote:

Seriously, some of the things suggested on that site, in particular
the segregated cycle and footpath network, are in use in Milton
Keynes. It is possible to get from anywhere to anywhere in MK (more
or less) without having to cross a main road on the level.

They do, however, have their own problems, such as the amount of glass
and other tyre-puncturing debris that tends to accumulate on them, and
the general "unsafe" feeling that isolated paths, bridges and
underpasses tend to bring after dark - even if there's no basis in
fact for such a feeling.

The idea of segregating different types of traffic - particularly
pedestrians and cars - at different levels was favoured by planners in
the 1960s and 1970s. You can see this put into practice in the
highwalks around the Barbican. The problem is that the pedestrian
ways, far from being the attractive green lanes described on the
func-junc site, become bleak and windswept. Also, this is easy enough
to implement if you are developing an area almost from scratch, but
very difficult to impose on an existing built-up area within a city

Martin