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London's lost bike network
London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network".
Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. Many miles of cycle track were built alongside the new bypasses in the 1930s, but much of those routes vanished in the 1960s, mostly unnoticed, and unmourned. You don't see people mourning lost bike tracks in the way they mourn canals, or steam trains, or the routemaster bus. Cycle tracks weren't that popular at the time, actually, except among motorists who hoped that cyclists could be forced, officially or unofficially, to get off the roads onto them Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around. Here's a first attempt at starting an inventory of what we still have, and what we have lost. For those tracks that used to exist, and now have vanished, any information on when, how, and why they went would be useful. Some people have posted on this before, but I've lost my notes. Apologies for repeating myself Please say what's wrong or missing from the list below. I know that the A24 isn't strictly London, but perhaps there are other suburban routes that should also be remembered. Remaining --------- A30, Great South West Road - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? A4, Great West Road, N Circular - M25 A 4020, Uxbridge Road, Grand Union Canal - Hayes End Road A40 - Western Avenue - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? Only one side. A41 Edgware Way to Watford, not real cycle tracks? A1 Barnet Way, not real cycle tracks? A10 Great Cambridge Rd, s. of N. Circular to M25 (only one side remaining. Not all proper cycle tracks?) A24 past Box Hill Lost ---- A406 North Circular Rd - which parts? A41 Hendon Way A12 Eastern Avenue A127 Southend Road A13/1306 Never had any -------------- A3 Kingston bypass A20 Rochester way A23 Purley Way Are there other facilities that should be recalled? For example there are the remains of London's earliest bike race track in the grounds of the Welsh Harp Reservoir Jeremy Parker |
London's lost bike network
"Jeremy Parker" wrote in message ... London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network". Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. Many miles of cycle track were built alongside the new bypasses in the 1930s, but much of those routes vanished in the 1960s, mostly unnoticed, and unmourned. You don't see people mourning lost bike tracks in the way they mourn canals, or steam trains, or the routemaster bus. Cycle tracks weren't that popular at the time, actually, except among motorists who hoped that cyclists could be forced, officially or unofficially, to get off the roads onto them Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around. MAJOR SNIP Jeremy Parker The London Borough of Harrow (and probably all of yours) must have spent thousands and thousands of our pounds, painting cycle lanes on our roads. In some places they are even coloured green and seem to have a different surfacing. On one railway bridge on the road between Pinner and North Harrow they have even planted a line of metal bollards (how much do they cost ?) to enforce the cycle lane which reduces the road width but which I have NEVER seen a cyclist use !! In the last two years I don't think I have seen more than a dozen cyclists using any of these cycle lanes which are all the more stupid when you see that cars are parked across them. Long Elmes in Harrow is a typical example with probably as many as 50 cars parked on the cycle lanes at any one time but never a cyclist in sight. I really resent the squandering of so much money on a laudable but stupidly executed idea. Given that there are now far more active motorists than pedestrians or cyclists, cycle lanes should either be on pavements or segregated completely from the roads but WITHOUT reducing the road width. /rant Cheerz, Baz |
London's lost bike network
I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south of
the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses the North Circular Road) back in the 1970's The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every junction. I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main carriagway where I had right of way. Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use them was zero! |
London's lost bike network
The London Borough of Harrow (and probably all of yours) must have spent thousands and thousands of our pounds, painting cycle lanes on our roads. In some places they are even coloured green and seem to have a different surfacing. On one railway bridge on the road between Pinner and North Harrow they have even planted a line of metal bollards (how much do they cost ?) to enforce the cycle lane which reduces the road width but which I have NEVER seen a cyclist use !! In the last two years I don't think I have seen more than a dozen cyclists using any of these cycle lanes which are all the more stupid when you see that cars are parked across them. Long Elmes in Harrow is a typical example with probably as many as 50 cars parked on the cycle lanes at any one time but never a cyclist in sight. I really resent the squandering of so much money on a laudable but stupidly executed idea. Given that there are now far more active motorists than pedestrians or cyclists, cycle lanes should either be on pavements or segregated completely from the roads but WITHOUT reducing the road width. /rant Cheerz, Baz I know that stretch of road between Pinner and North Harrow well and have cycled along it many times. The cycle lane is too narrow (less than 1m wide) I always ride at least 1m out from the kerb, so the lane is pointless and filled with parked cars anyway. The section over the Met line with bollards is not swept clean and is often strewn with debry, I avoid it and use the road. Why do councils spend money providing such useless farcilities ? As far as I can tell its because they get grants to do so, they don't consult cyclists and don't follow recommended practice (e.g. cycle lanes should be 1.5m wide and free from parked vehicles). In my opinion separating cycle lanes from the road is not to be recommended, every crossing point now becomes a danger zone, where traffic comes into conflict. My preferred solution - cycle on the roads - its what they are there for ! Douglas |
London's lost bike network
"peter" wrote in message oups.com... I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south of the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses the North Circular Road) back in the 1970's The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every junction. I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main carriagway where I had right of way. Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use them was zero! In 1958 Professor Sir Colin Buchanan, one of Britain's greatest traffic engineers and town planners, wrote in his book "Mixed Blessing, The Motor in Britain" "The meagre efforts to separate cyclists from motor traffic have failed, tracks are inadequate, the problem of treating them at junctions and intersections is completely unsolved, and the attitude of cyclists themselves to these admittedly unsatisfactory tracks has not been as helpful as it might have been." Not much changes. The consulting firm that Buchanan founded has been quite active in planning the London Cycle Network, but doesn't seem to have kept it's founder's attitude Jeremy Parker |
London's lost bike network
It was a dark and stormy night when peter
wrote in article .com .... I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south of the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses the North Circular Road) back in the 1970's The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every junction. I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main carriagway where I had right of way. Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use them was zero! For some truly inspired examples of badly planned and executed cycle lanes, see he http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....aign/facility- of-the-month/ Don't overlook the archive too! Grebster |
London's lost bike network
"Grebbsy McLaren" wrote in message
... For some truly inspired examples of badly planned and executed cycle lanes, see he http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....-of-the-month/ Don't overlook the archive too! http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....h/July2005.htm LOL. -- John Rowland - Spamtrapped Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood. That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line - It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes |
London's lost bike network
Grebbsy McLaren typed
For some truly inspired examples of badly planned and executed cycle lanes, see he http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....aign/facility- of-the-month/ Wonderful website isn't it? I sent a North Harrow example a while ago... -- Helen D. Vecht: Edgware. |
London's lost bike network
Jeremy Parker wrote:
London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network". Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. ... Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around. ... Please say what's wrong or missing from the list below. I know that the A24 isn't strictly London, but perhaps there are other suburban routes that should also be remembered. Remaining --------- A30, Great South West Road - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? A4, Great West Road, N Circular - M25 A 4020, Uxbridge Road, Grand Union Canal - Hayes End Road There is also a short stretch on the north side east of Southall, which could be that old. I plan to remove most of it. A40 - Western Avenue - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? Only one side. The only bit that suggests it's not an adapted pavement is the disintegrating path parallel to the pavement on the south side west of Greenford Roundabout. Lost ---- A406 North Circular Rd - which parts? Nothing visible between Stonebridge and Chiswick Roundabout. Colin McKenzie |
London's lost bike network
On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 17:45:22 -0000, "Jeremy Parker"
wrote: London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network". Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. Many miles of cycle track were built alongside the new bypasses in the 1930s, but much of those routes vanished in the 1960s, mostly unnoticed, and unmourned. You don't see people mourning lost bike tracks in the way they mourn canals, or steam trains, or the routemaster bus. Cycle tracks weren't that popular at the time, actually, except among motorists who hoped that cyclists could be forced, officially or unofficially, to get off the roads onto them Believe it or not, the 1930s national cyle organisations opposed the cycle tracks on the grounds that they might become an excuse for taxing (push) bikes. Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around. Here's a first attempt at starting an inventory of what we still have, and what we have lost. For those tracks that used to exist, and now have vanished, any information on when, how, and why they went would be useful. ... A24 past Box Hill That used to be lethal with the cycle track on the RIGHT of the main carriage way, Is it still like that or has that bit crumbled away. The cycle tracks built into Stevenage New Town might be worth mentioning - completely separated from the motor roadways even at junctions (except for some recently developed areas). They are a haven of peace and quiet but best avoided by strangers because of a complete lack of road name and direction signs. -- Peter Lawrence |
London's lost bike network
update:
the A41, Hendon Way, supposedly had cycle tracks in Hendon (exact details unknown). The present day cycle tracks further out seem to be just rechristened pavements The A 406, North Circular, apparently had cycle tracks in Enfield (between the A105, Green Lanes, and the A10, Great Cambridge Road?) No other part of the North Circular seems to have had them the A1 in Barnet is not believed to have had them Jeremy Parker |
London's lost bike network
"Peter Lawrence" wrote [snip] Believe it or not, the 1930s national cyle organisations opposed the cycle tracks on the grounds that they might become an excuse for taxing (push) bikes. In 1958 Professor Sir Colin Buchanan wrote in his book "Mixed Blessing, The Motor in Britain" "The meagre efforts to separate cyclists from motor traffic have failed, tracks are inadequate, the problem of treating them at junctions and intersections is completely unsolved, and the attitude of cyclists themselves to these admittedly unsatisfactory tracks has not been as helpful as it might have been. The cycle tracks built into Stevenage New Town might be worth mentioning - completely separated from the motor roadways even at junctions (except for some recently developed areas). They are a haven of peace and quiet but best avoided by strangers because of a complete lack of road name and direction signs. It's certainly easier, and results in better quality, when the bikeway network results from building the network first, and then building the town round it, rather than trying to retrofit things into a town that has been growing through two thousand years of history. Hatfield/Welwyn, another new town in the same direction, but closer to London, has the remains of a few tracks to a similar design and of a similar age. The major routes in Stevenage have a 12 foot cycle track with an eight foot pavement one one side. This makes the total width double that of a good many country lanes in the countryside round about. Harlow, nearby, another New Town, also was designed with a complete bikeway network. Harlow managed to solve a problem that Stevenage didn't. The cycle tracks of Stevenage are not really separate from the other roadways. In the 1940s the law did not allow the construction of special roads for only certain classes of traffic, such as motorways for cars, or cycleways for bikes. All roads had to be built to be open to all. Harlow solved the problem by taking over the entire existing road network, and redefining it to be for bikes only - that was allowed - and building a new road network with all the new roads well away from the old network. Stevenage was world famous for a long time, thanks to the town's Chief Engineer, Eric Claxton, who wrote lots of papers describing it. There's one in the proceedings of the first Velo-City conference, in 1981, for example. All the continental bike path systems that activists like to praise nowadays are descended from British systems less than an hour by train from London. Britain was the world leader in bike facilities, which is why Britain became the leader in cycling Jeremy Parker |
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