Tuesday 30 July 2013

Populist Pickles' Petroleum Powered Pro-Parking Primrose Paint Permission Perversion Provides Placement Patrollers' Problems Preventing Pedestrians' Plus Pedallers' Passage Plugged Past Petulant People

in work, i sometimes end up speaking to a "customer" who pushes a certain button which leads me down a path which will become an argument and maybe a formal complaint! The news item about Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP, has been teasing this button all week and finally the red mist rolled in.

Here we go again, Eric. Image from The Times.
I thought I had got the whole Pickles'n'Parking thing out of my system back in March, but no, in the summer silly season where there is no news or the Government is trying to bury bad news, you can rely on our Eric to go shooting his mouth off about parking in the name of Common Sense (again).

Essentially, he has suggested that drivers should be allowed to park for 15 minutes on double yellow lines as this will revitalise the beleaguered high street and allow people to pop into the shops to pick up their paper, loaf of bread, Special Brew or whatever. 

I have really tried hard not to bite and write a post about double yellow lines, but the activity on Twitter has tipped me over the edge and so please accept my apologies, but I am essentially conditioned to react to such idiocy and besides, I think I have come up with my best post title ever (or perhaps not).

Fortunately Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, said;

"The idea of actually having cars parked for a very long period of time on a double yellow line actually undermines the purpose of a double yellow line and I am advised it is unworkable."

Sources close to Pickles said;

Sensible DYLs at Eric Street, Mile End which try to keep a cycle
bypass to a road closure clear. Royal Mail are allowed to stop for
postal services purposes.
"The high street is in danger of shrinking or dying off, and over-aggressive parking enforcement is part of the reason why. If people are worried about paying a fortune in parking fines, it will make them more likely to do their shop online or go to out-of-town shopping centres.
For too long parking has been a revenue raiser. It's time to end that. There is room for a deal [with the Liberal Democrats]. Dangerous parking is a menace to people, whereas if you're in the parking bay or just on the side of the road you're not presenting any risk."

So what the "sources" are suggesting is that because people are worried about picking up a parking fine, they will go to an out of town shopping centre or go online to buy their newspaper? What crap! 

I may have the tiniest speck of sympathy for the person who is driving to work and pops into the newsagent to get a paper on the way risking a parking fine (in a bay and not DYLs!) and I recognise that in many parts of the UK, the private car is the only real means some people have in getting to work at weird hours, where they live too far to cycle or there are no buses. The solution to this tiny part of the parking argument is to put in paid-for bays, but don't start charging until 9:30 when most people will have picked up their gherkins, hat pins or whatever the hell they need to stop for.

My sympathy endeth there. Double Yellow Lines (DYLs) are not magicked up overnight, they are installed only after a statutory advertisement process (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England & Wales) Regulations 1996 plus some other bits - if you are as sad as me, sorry Scotland).

DYLs at Ilford Hill where the slip road goes up to the A406 North
Circular - quite sensible DYLs again here.
Image from Google Streetview.
They are placed for 3 reasons:

(1) Safety - to keep junctions clear for visibility purposes, to stop people parking in stupid dangerous places

(2) Traffic Flow - to stop people parking where they would cause a blockage to traffic (including cycles and pedestrians)

(3) Seasonal Issues - (1) and (2) may not normally be an issue, but if it is on a seasonal basis (i.e. at the seaside in summer) DYLs can go in for a period of between 4 and 12 months (not less than 4 and of course less than 12).

OK, the third was not quite a reason on its own, but you get the idea and it is not often used. They are not placed to trick drivers into stopping on them so the local council can profit from their confusion, although I welcome relieving people of fines if they cannot understand that they are not allowed to park on DYLs! In some cases, the installation of DYLs have been overturned on judicial review because they are judged too draconian.

Quite literally a High Street - Bexley High Street. Come on, just
15 minutes to nip in the betting shop won't be a problem will it?
Image Google Streetview.
DYLs mean "no waiting", so one can stop on them to let a passenger in or out of the vehicle, one is allowed to stop and load their vehicle (they must clearly be loading and not "loading" a newspaper from the corner shop, taking 10 minutes). Also, blue badge holders are permitted to park on DYLs for up to 3 hours (except for some some local restrictions such as Central London).

So, how the hell does Pickles think a 15 minute grace period would work, as parking enforcement officers would have to hang about to check nobody overstays - would they have to check if the driver has bought bread or a paper? What a waste of resources. 

If, say, DYLs are put on a junction so people can see or be seen when crossing the road, does he think blocking the view for 15 minutes is safe? Perhaps we need 2 types of DYLs - DYL Max and DYL Light depending on the amount of danger. Of course, this is another little chip away at the rules which give the green light (pun intended) to some people that it is OK to break a rule if they don't agree with it. What next, stopping on zebra crossings will be OK as long as it is safe, cyclists are allowed to jump red lights if it doesn't look iffy (I probably shouldn't open up that can of worms!) or lorry drivers can park on pedestrians' feet, so long as they ask first?

Actually, another person would like the idea, but those old enough
will remember Arthur Daley's relaxed approach to officialdom,
including how the double yellow lines outside the Winchester Club
didn't refer to him!
Image from The Guardian.
No, the trouble with the "Common Sense" approach is that it only suits the person who thinks it is a good idea. In this case, it may well be Pickles on his own. Perhaps our Eric should actually find a use for his Department for Local Government & Communities which is meant to;

"work to move decision-making power from central government to local councils. This helps put communities in charge of planning, increases accountability and helps citizens to see how their money is being spent"

So rather leaving local councils to get on with it, he is interfering. Why doesn't he work to make implementing active travel measures easier for local councils than trying to distract us from pointless parking policy pontification? Phew, I feel much better now and might be able to post something useful next time!

Update 1/8/13
The annual "profit" (surplus) announcements from parking charges and fines have been announced and as usual some London Boroughs come in for a kicking for "taxing" the motorist. However, Brighton & Hove and Cornwall are up there too!

Our Eric cannot keep quiet about parking or his nose out of local things and he has said:


"This municipal parking profit shows why we need to review and rein in unfair town hall parking rules. The law is clear that parking is not a tax or cash cow for town hall officers."

Another throw away comment because 

a) "town hall officers" don't keep the money for themselves 

b)"town hall officers" work for the council which is the elected body and its political executive; we implement the politician's policies - many of the "profit" making councils are of Eric's political colour!

c) S55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act restricts what "profit" can be spent on and that is essentially running the parking system and then highways and transport works.

The argument might be that the "profits" are excessive and should not fund other highways/ transport areas, but there are many councils across the country that have to subsidise the parking service.

Finally, how can anyone have a problem with fines being used to fund other highways - related things?

Monday 22 July 2013

A Summer CS3 Safari...

Every 6 weeks or so, I like to go on a longish ride. I find it a good way to wind down and have a think, but I do take the odd photo of things of interest (yes, normally highway infrastructure - a geek, what can i say!). I am not on a racer and I am not doing a 100 mile Sunday ride, but it gets me out in the fresh air!

My favourite (and usual) Long Ride is to go to Borough Market, which has become one of my favourite places to visit in London because of the wonderful food on sale. The beauty of 2-wheels is that I can only buy what will fit in my bag and so I don't end up spending too much; plus it costs me nothing in travel apart from a pastry when I get there!

Anyway, this is not a travel or food blog, it is a highways blog. For the last 18 months or so that I have been doing my run to Borough, I have used a route which takes in the A118 and A11 (including Cycle Superhighway 2 - CS2). This route is direct, but pretty much mixing with traffic and so it is intimidating and dangerous and so on my way back last time, I noticed that one end of CS3 started off as a protected cycle track. It looked good and so my ride last Saturday included the whole length of CS3 in both directions and after the cyclist deaths in London over the last few weeks, my journey was all the more poignant given that we can protect people with infrastructure.

This is a photo-heavy post, but I think it will give a flavour of the route. I will comment on things I liked or didn't like as I go on and I will round up with some wider views at the end. So, starting at Barking and ending at Tower Gateway, here we go!

One end of CS3 at the junction of the A13 Alfred's Way and River Road. The "totem" sign is a familiar feature of the Superhighways and is kind of like a Tube map, but it gives times to the "stops" from the particular totem you are looking at which is a really good feature.

My time (well back from Tower Gateway) was 45 minutes, but I was pushing a bit faster as I was on my way home. Going was longer as I kept stopping taking photos!

So, from a Toucan crossing, the existing cycle track on the A13 has been resurfaced from green to blue and we are away. I am not totally up on the history, but I recall that this layout does date from when the A13 was upgraded several years' ago and there is a green version on the north
side!


The cycle track is not hugely wide, but one could overtake another cyclist without too much effort - if both directions became busy at once, there will be an issue of limited capacity, although the A13 doesn't particular entice anyone to cycle on it as an alternative!

Bus stop bypass. Wherever pedestrians need to cross the cycle track at bus stops or side paths or if the available space shrinks, there are short shared, unsegregated sections. Here, the cycle track could have carried on but there may have to have been a kerb height between the track and the footway with a set of dropped kerbs for pedestrians or a speed table taking the track back up to footway level. I don't know how busy this area gets, but when I was there, it was fine. 

Here is a close up of the demarcation between the footway and the cycle track (yes, I know the blue helps). This kerb is symmetrical and has a ridge about 20mm high. It was designed to provide a tactile (to help those with reduced vision) as well as a visual message between the pedestrian and cycle parts of what is a segregated shared-use cycle track; there is no change in level between the two areas.

As the A13 approaches the massive roundabout with the A406 North Circular Road, CS3 slopes gently down and away from the traffic which immediately makes a difference being away from the roar of the vehicles. In fact, I only realised that I had passed this junction when I looked on a map later!

A little further on, CS3 goes into an underpass under Royal Docks Road. If you look closely, you will see that there is now a kerb upstand between the footway and cycletrack. This is pretty much now a separated facility. The underpass is easy to see straight through and feels quite open and there is no steep ramp either side - it is the road junction which ramps up (easier for engines than legs). My only criticism is that the lighting was a little dim for my liking.

Apart from the tactile paving being a bit wrong (too boring to explain here), here is a fantastic example of how large traffic signs should be installed so that they are not in the way of pedestrians or cyclists. In addition, the sign is passively safe; the posts will collapse should a vehicle hit them rather than stoving the vehicle into the occupants. Also, it is impossible to lose your way here!

Here is where the route crosses Forty Acre Lane. It is one example of an issue which pops up quite a bit on the A13 section and that is how side roads are treated. Where they are busy with traffic, there tends to be a Toucan crossing with multiple crossing points (because of traffic capacity as usual). Where side roads are quieter, the route bends into the side road, but traffic still has priority, possibly because it is leaving a 50mph motorway (pretty much). Not great for continuity and I am sure can be reworked at many locations.

So, we leave the A13 as we sail over East India Dock Road (it is already buried, Boris) and head towards Docklands.

Now things get weird. At the junction of Saffron Avenue and Oregano Drive (after losing my way a bit as the signage is crap), you are put back on the carriageway and...

You are presented with a barrier to a private estate. Large parts of Docklands are privately owned and managed, but you just carry on up to the barrier, an unseen finger presses a button to raise the barrier.

The signage between the barrier and your next public road is awful. I did a complete loop around Clove Crescent before I worked it out. You can just see the blue diamond on the paving (actually a large open plaza) which you are meant to follow!

The diamonds carry on into the distance (my circles!)

Here is a close up. Wayfinding is vital for walking and cycling, especially for those new to an area or route; or who use it infrequently. Being in a private estate may will have been under an agreement with the owner who may not have wished to clutter up the open plaza with signs. But, a couple of well-placed bollards (nice lumps of granite?) with some arrows or repeaters would do the trick. For me, poor wayfinding can ruin the best scheme as you are never quite sure you are on the route.

At the other end of the plaza, the now familiar Superhighway "totem" sign telling me I have reached East India DLR (which is just the other side of the wall) and given there is a trial to allow cycles on the railway off peak, things are coming together well!

Naval Row now. A narrow, low speed, little street which doesn't go anywhere, so good for cycling.

Junction of Navel Row and Poplar High Street (above the Blackwall Tunnel). Poplar High Street starts off quiet, but at its junction with Cotton Street, we are back in Advanced Stop Line country and traffic domination - probably the worst part of the route and there is no photo as I couldn't stop safely!

Just round the corner there is a stash of Cycle Hire bikes!

A familiar style of information point which can be seen all over Central London. TfL has kept the design process rigid and the brand is instantly recognisable. There is also a Legible London Map if you want to head off and away from CS3.
The bustle (and the not feeling as safe) of Poplar High Street gives way to Ming Street which, for traffic, doesn't go anywhere; CS3 carries on regardless.

Next, a crossing over West India Dock Road. I couldn't work out how the traffic signals had detected me as there was no push button - I assume there are buried detection loops (there is a stop line for cyclists). There was a slight problem with the cycle traffic signals as I was concentrating on the far signal head circled in red to start, before I realised mine was the other one circled in green.

This is a classic example of "see through" where the human eye focuses on more distant objects. Had the signal opposite been green, I may well have moved off into traffic. Because we are forced to use full-sized traffic signals for cycles at the moment, this is not an acceptable layout. Smaller, low level signals on the post closest to the stop line would be the natural answer here, so let's hope TfL can bully the government into allowing them.

CS3 then crosses Westferry Road. Cycle demand is from a push button which most people will kind of be familiar with - note the stop line which allows pedestrians to walk past in front on an uncontrolled crossing. You can just see the buff tactile paving which is meant to tell pedestrians they don't have specific priority over traffic - in this case, bikes. You can also hold on to the push button box while you wait to cross!

Again, this crossing is separated from pedestrians and marked with "elephant's feet" (another thing needing approval from the Department for Transport!). Again, we have cycle specific signals which start with a round red and then have a cycle logo amber and green - it works well in this location.

Let's take a closer look at the push button. This is like a Pelican Crossing push button, but for cycles (a Toucan). I have never seen this version of push button before and so was mildly interested as a highways geek. I assume it was being used because the approach was not right for detection loops.

The route goes back on carriageway, but again, an area which looks pretty quiet and does not really go anywhere other than serving the people who live there (no rat running). Conditions might be worse during the week, but here we approach the bridge over the point where the Grand Union Canal connects to the River Thames.

CS3 now turns into Horseferry Road and runs contraflow to a one-way street (heading west) and it is on the wrong side of the road (all perfectly legal with Traffic Regulation Orders), Parking is well regulated and so the cycle lane stays clear. I saw quite a few car club bays as well which suggests that people are starting to think seriously if they need to keep a vehicle so close to the City, but recognise that they might need to use one every so often.

Next, the route crosses the Limehouse Link (another buried road) and nips through the well-kept St. James Gardens and then over Butcher Row.

And then into Cable Street where CS3 becomes a two-way segregated shared-use facility, with traffic being asked to give way to the cycle track - this is getting good again!

The route crosses to the other side at one point, but Cable Street consists of a narrow one-way carriageway which is pretty heavily traffic calmed with speed tables and so feels safe.

This photo is of a gully grid and a kerb, but they are not as boring as you might think! The gully grid is a "waffle" type and so no losing wheels down it. Plus, it give a clue to how Cable Street once was. The water on the cycle track falls from the carriageway side towards the footway and this is a classic Copenhagen-style retrofit where the cycle track is built over the old carriageway which would have been two-way before. A new gully goes in the narrowed carriageway and is piped back to the original gully which gets a new grating and drains the cycle track! You can also see the 20mm kerb upstand between the cycle track and footway.

At zebra crossings, things get a bit painty, but cyclists need to give way to pedestrians and actually, it works just fine.

Here we are at the other end of the route at Tower Gateway. Again, we have the familiar "totem" sign, but this shows the other side of it which carries a map.
My journey didn't end there, I carried on to Borough Market via Tower Bridge and Tooley Street. After a wander round, a drink, a snack and a bit of buying, I turned for home. My original plan was to go back out on the A11 (CS2) to Stratford (has CS2X started yet?) and beyond. But, do you know what? I liked using CS3 so much, I went back the way I came and just used the route rather than thinking of the various features - I didn't particularly slow down, but I relaxed and that just doesn't happen when you mix it with traffic. I began my return leg at 9:30am and already lots more people on bikes (not "cyclists") could be seen which showed CS3 as a route for most people, even at weekends.

Cable Street: October 2009 - a single frame in Google
Streetview!
Image from Google Streetview.
CS3 has some less good sections (Poplar High Street), the signage needs to be upgraded in a few places (signs on bollards please) and parts by the A13 need a good sweep (and the cycle track might need to be widened in the future). I wonder if the route is every checked for maintenance issues end to end because of the various boroughs/ TfL/ private estate people involved in its upkeep - there are loose kerbs which could damage road bikes here and there.

Additionally, and after a chance conversation with a colleague who knows the inner areas of London better than I do, it seems that as well as the A13, some of the other good stuff (Cable Street) was already there. I don't know if the whole route was joined up before CS3, but my journey has me calling it as I saw it, but credit must go to the designers who did lots of things before the Mayor.

But, CS3 is mainly wonderful. If feels safe as you are either protected from traffic or it has to move slowly and give way to you; anyone within a few miles should try it out. CS3 should be basic provision in London and indeed any UK city. Cable Street shows how one-way systems for traffic can release whole areas for cycling. The next time I have a run into town, I think it will be the kerbs and tarmac of CS3 and not the blue paint of CS2!

Wednesday 17 July 2013

CS2 At Aldgate East - Just One Junction.....

The death of Philippe De Gerin-Ricard on London's Cycle Superhighway 2, near Aldgate East Station on the A11 Whitechapel Road, has been covered by many others, but what will it take to make the area safe?

As this death is still under investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Road Death Traffic Unit, I am not going to postulate on how it happened - I have my suspicions and I know the police do. But, as I do cycle through this area every so often, I can confirm that it is intimidating, scary and not a place to cycle for the fun of it. I have a few ideas which I think would make things safer, but it will mean a reduction in traffic capacity.

The only three-quarter decent bit of CS2 which is westbound, just
west of the Bow roundabout. You are protected from traffic, but there
needs to be a little more protections for pedestrians and the width of
the cycle track is a little tight when busy.
Image from Google Streetview.
CS2 currently runs from the Bow Roundabout and follows the A11 before fizzling out at the Algate Gyratory. As it happens, my usual journey into The City carries on through the gyratory westbound to Fenchurch Street and then over London Bridge. 

But, my return journey is always via Tower Bridge and so I miss out the eastbound gyratory without having realised it before; coming back via Mansell Street (one-way northbound), although the right turn back onto the A11 means I have to cross 2-lanes of left turning traffic first. In essence, this part of The City is a complicated mess of wide one-way gyratory systems which are geared to moving traffic around quickly - that is another discussion altogether.

CS2 at Bow Road going under the "Ferodo" railway bridge. Not even
cycle lanes here and the blue stripes are squeezed next to the bridge
piers. The central hatch area is to create a right turn pocket into
Addington Road which could be accessed from many other locations

and could be closed off. 
Image from Google Streetview.
CS2 is not fun to use. Apart from a tiny bit of cycle track at the Bow end, the whole route is a mixture of advisory cycle lane, bus lane, blue stripes and the odd cycle logo on a blue background. Wherever there is a narrowing, the cycle lane goes and we are just left with blue paint which has nothing going for it in terms of cyclist protection, although I do concede it stops you getting lost.

So, when one travels along CS2 (apart from the nice first bit) one is constantly bugged/ intimidated by traffic passing closely when you are following the blue stripe; one constantly overtakes and is overtaken by buses; there is the inevitable conflict at junctions when wanting to go straight ahead or right because left turning traffic puts you in conflict when going ahead; and right turns often mean crossing two lanes of traffic (yes, it is pretty much a dual carriageway!). There are advanced stop lines at the signalised junctions, but they are only really of use for those wishing to carry on ahead or turn left and that depends on when you arrive in them.

Mile End Road, westbound approach to Grove Road/ Burdett Road
junction. Do you fancy turning right here on two-wheels?
Image from Google Streetview.
This on-carriageway arrangement carries on along the whole route and in both directions. The route (which opened in 2011) doesn't even follow the massively out of date London Cycle Design Standards which was published in 2005. The scheme was rushed in and it is absolutely clear that the brief was that the scheme should not affect traffic flow at all. Mind you, this kind of approach can be found all over London, not just on CS2.

Of course, those with a memory which can cope with a year's passing will remember the little sports day we had in London last summer. Part of the deal with the Olympic movement was that London would shove in some VIP lanes for the Games people. There was outcry and a massive amount of planning, but in the event, the traffic disappeared and it ran very well. This proves that it is possible to make decisions to remove traffic lanes when it suits.

A11 westbound.
Image from Google Streetview.
So, back to the scene on the death. The junction in question if the A11 Whitechapel Road where it meets the A1202 Commercial Street and Leman Street. The junction is signalised with staggered pedestrian crossings (green men) on all arms, except Leman Street which has a straight across green man.

The two A11 approaches have 3 lanes; left/ahead, ahead and right. There are no cycle lanes, but Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) are in place on all arms except Leman Street which is a two-lane one way street going away from the junction and for the A11, there are blue stripes running through the junction itself (which are seen all over London). 
In Commercial Street looking over at the two lane Leman Street
which is one way going away from the junction. The City is to the
right and Stratford to the left.
Image from Google Streetview.

Commercial Street has two lanes, left and straight on with the right turn banned, except for buses, taxis and cycles. There are yellow boxes in the junction and so coupled with the one-way Leman Street and Commercial Street's banned right turn, this is a classic attempt to maximise traffic flow. Oh, all the traffic lanes are narrow which is another symptom of capacity problems.

If we go back to the basics of the process used in casualty-reduction schemes, the highway engineer is looking to reduce conflicts in space and time. By this, I mean that different traffic movements are given their own space (lanes) or conflicts are separated by time (green man versus green traffic signal). If we move beyond casualty-reduction to casualty-prevention, we need to be looking at how people need to pass through the junction and separate out the hazards in space and time from the outset.


Leman Street outlined in red with the "yellow" main roads picked out
in green. Leman Street is actually part of a larger network bounded
by really main roads which are very wide and should be taking the
traffic through the area.
Image Google Maps.
The first thing to look at is Leman Street. It forms part of a larger network of one-way and two-way streets which are bounded by the A11 Whitechapel Road, A13 Commercial Road, A1203 The Highway, Butcher Road (Limehouse) and the Mansell Street/ The Minories and Aldgate gyratory complex. In short, a white road in lots of yellow roads on the map. This area has mixed usage such as dense residential, commercial, local shops, schools and indeed part of Cycle Superhighway 3 on Cable Street. The obvious answer is to close Leman Street and make the junction 3-arm which removes several movements and conflicts from the off. There are other crossroads within the larger area and so these need to be made 3-arm, but on the opposite side (if that makes sense) as we still need access into this local area.

Now we have an area without a side road, a protected cycle track can be built which bypasses the traffic signals and provides a link into Leman Street (filtered permeability). The Commercial Street arm is more tricky. We might consider traffic turning left and right again as the ahead movement is gone and other junctions will have a knock on back to this if they are reworked. The cycle track can allow all movements (and a connection to Leman Street), but the issue is dealing with pedestrians. 

We are not allowed to use zebras with traffic signals and besides, a zebra over the cycle track and then a pelican over the road is confusing for pedestrians. We are also not allowed to use any flashing amber signals to allow modes to mix. We could use toucans (with separation) to cross pedestrians and cyclists, but if we give an all round green, there is conflict and do cyclists on a superhighway really want to use a push button? 

This is the bit I struggle with in terms of converting European arrangements to the UK. I am sure another blogger will know how cycles are detected elsewhere, but UK cycle detection is always rubbish, but I think we need some narrow field detection on the cycle track in advance of the junction which may trigger demand or we go for fixed timings which are improved and changed as time goes on and hopefully cyclists make up a greater proportion of movements.


One possible layout, but things are getting complicated!
Anyway, I have had a go at trying to draw up an idea of how the junction could be reworked. It is fairly idealised, but I think it can be squeezed in as the layout does not have the staggered pedestrian refuge areas in the pelican crossings. Blue is CS2 separated from pedestrians by a kerb, with a hard strip between CS2 and the carriageway (somewhere to stick traffic signals?). Green is a "local" cycle track (protected) and buff is footways. The red 'L's are pelican crossing points. I have not shown any cycling road markings.

Leman Street is closed, but allows cycles to turn left in and out, with a speed table to assist pedestrians crossing the cycle track as it is an uncontrolled crossing point. Westbound (towards The City) maintains 2 ahead lanes and has a right turn lane. Eastbound maintains 2 lanes with the left lane being ahead/left. In terms of signal stages for traffic, this would run with 2; the first is the A11 arms running together with eastbound getting a red before westbound so that right turners can clear the junction. Then Commercial Street would run. Right turns by cycles would be two-stage, so for a right turn into Leman Street, one would cross Commercial Road and then the A11.

I have assumed that pedestrians would get a green man as a single stage allowing all 3 arms to cross at the same time. With cycles, it gets trickier and I have not got to grips with the sequence yet, but cycles could all get green at once (using low level signals?) and have to give way to each other through the junction, or there could be pedestrians and cycles running together, but over two stages; first A11 cycles would run when pedestrians cross Commercial Street, but have a cycle red on Commercial Street. Then Commercial Street cycles can exit with pedestrians crossing the A11 on both arms, but cycles are held on the A11. Of course, in the second arrangement, cycles would get a green on cycle routes not crossing a road when traffic runs.

And this is the point of the blog. This is just one junction on one direct route into The City. The A11 has lots of junctions like this to deal with and I am not sure we can maintain the two traffic lanes in each direction and have right turn pockets at each location. If we lose traffic lanes, cyclists and pedestrians might gain, but bus passengers won't. All of this needs to be decided and it starts with a policy; that is, a plan agreed by politicians and not just the Mayor.

We are at the end of the era where paint 'n' signs make a cycling scheme, we need to build stuff with the same vigour as we used to have for catering for private cars (and may do again soon with the current lot running the show). We will have to accept that this work needs the kind of budgets spent on revamping town centres, station forecourts and the like and this is not going to be isolated junctions, this will be entire routes and will need serious investment - think about schemes on a scale like Exhibition Road, but everywhere and for years. In terms of removing traffic capacity - should anyone need to be driving so close to the centre of London other than those moving goods or many people?

There will be more deaths, more protests and more debate before things start to change, but in my view, unless we are radical, we may as well use the paint to squeeze even more car lanes into what space is left. I think the Mayor should spend less time on planning his island or looking to bury roads (Really? Does he know how much tunnels cost these days?) and think strategically on cycling. 

I will leave you with a view of Commercial Street and the question: what will this area look like in another 100 years?

Commercial Street, just a little way back currently and c.1907.
Over 100 years the tram was clearly the transport mode of choice.
Image from Google Streetview and Wiki Casebook.

Monday 8 July 2013

Crossrail Should Be Accessible For All...

transport for all is a campaign group for accessible transport across greater london. its latest campaign is for crossrail to be accessible at all of its stations.


The £14.8bn scheme being built by Crossrail Ltd (CRL), which will join up east and west London via the City, is probably one of the largest civil engineering schemes in Western Europe. CRL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), is building an awful lot of kit including 9 new stations, 26 miles of tunnels, new depots, plus several station, tunnel and line refurbishments.

Crossrail is heavy civil engineering at its best. Big holes, tunnels and
plenty of big boy's toys. So, why cannot the scheme manage to
make all stations step free? Image CRL.
The new stations will be step free from street to platform and platform to train, but out of a total of 37 stations served by Crossrail, 6 will have no alternative to stairs/ escalators and 2 will only be step-free in one direction only (download a map here).

CRL has to build the new stations step-free in order to meet equality legislation and many existing stations will be getting lifts where there are currently none. But, in the second decade of the 21st Century, how can it be right that a major piece of public transport infrastructure is not fully accessible to all?

The scheme will add modern trains to the fleet, it is just
that some people won't be able to get on them at their
local station. Image CRL.
It is not as if the budget is all committed. The scheme has a funding for "complementary measures" around some of the stations along the route. It is pretty vague what these will be, but I have seen ideas at various meetings and seminars and they tend to be measures to make the areas around the station pretty. Money has been spent on consultants undertaking studies and coming up with concepts. 

New paving and perhaps the odd new pedestrian crossing might be welcome, but given that there are stations without the basic infrastructure to get people to the platforms (i.e. lifts) this seems perverse.

So, I hope that Transport for All is successful in its bid to push the politicians and TfL in making those last stations accessible to all and delivering a fantastic piece of public transport infrastructure.

Update 10/7/13
I just wanted to add a personal comment to this post. The reason that public transport schemes lacking accessibility to all winds me up is not really to do with lugging pushchairs up stairs on the Underground (which I hated!), it is more to do with the elderly man I dealt with a few years' ago who was campaigning for his local bus stops to be made accessible. 

His wife used a wheelchair and he was rather frail himself, but they got on with life and were independent. In chatting to him about the bus stop scheme (which I got built!) he told me that in order to take his wife to a specialist hospital in London, he had to catch the mainline train going the wrong way so he could use a station with lifts to change platforms to get the train back into London. His travel in the wrong way was free as this was the only way the train operator could assist.

Accessible transport is not simply about disability, it is about inclusivity and it cannot be right (legally or morally) that Crossrail is not fully accessible. Civil Engineering is about people more than anything.