Cycle lane in Peckham - the new design

[DJKillaQueen]

At the community council meeting last night I spoke with Simon Philips who is a key part of the Roads and Transport team at Southwark. He confirmed that Rye Lane is going to be resurfaced as part of the current work to the North and South end road works.

I raised concerns regarding the colour of the contraflow cycle lane. He explained that the lane is designed to be a 'privilege' for cyclists rather than a right of way but took on board the issue of pedestrian awareness of the lane and would look into the options.

For anyone interested there is a Transport sub-committee (headed by Councillor Gavin Edwards) which meets regularly where residents can raise issues and concerns regarding roads/ traffic management and schemes. When I have confirmed details of the next one I'll post them for anyone that might be interested in attending.

[SCSB79]

Slightly off topic but....

Temporary lights - why don't they time these to take into consideration cyclists using the part of road that the lights are on?

I cycle home, using Rye Lane to get up to ED and went through the lights near the station on green and by the time I reached the other set of lights cars were already coming towards me as their light was now green. I certainly am not the slowest cyclist out there!

[skidmarks]

SCSB79 Wrote:

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> Slightly off topic but....

>

> Temporary lights - why don't they time these to

> take into consideration cyclists using the part of

> road that the lights are on?

> I cycle home, using Rye Lane to get up to ED and

> went through the lights near the station on green

> and by the time I reached the other set of lights

> cars were already coming towards me as their light

> was now green. I certainly am not the slowest

> cyclist out there!

They do. On the controller you tell it how far the signals are apart, which changes the clearance time. This probably hasn?t been set correctly on the ones on Rye Lane. (They weren?t even working yesterday when I went through).

With regards to the contra flow cycle lane, the scheme design looks as if it was headed by landscape architects who took no account of design standards. Ask to see the Road Safety Audit and see if the issue was raised about demarcation and then ask to see what the designer?s response was to the safety issue (my bet is that they ignored it).

[lorna63]

The cycle path in Rye Lane is, in my opinion, poorly designed. It may have looked very lovely on the drawings, but i do not think anyone actually thought about the practicalities of it. The circles depicting a cyclist on a bike and placed at quite long intervals, have faded, I dont find them easy to distinguish from the actual paving stone any more. when it's wet it is almost impossible to tell the different colours of stone from each other, and the cycle lane becomes very slippery.

I witnessed a near assault from a very irrate pedsetrian when someone on a bike dinged their bell, the pedestrian was not interested in any explanation of it being a cycle route. It's very clear to see that a very large propotion of pedestrians do not realise or even care that the small strip is for cyclists to use. I'm not sure that a different colour would make any difference, but it cant be any worse than what happens at present.

[skidmarks]

Ah, found out who designed it. The Project Centre. I have never been impressed with their work, all their staff are contract and straight off the boat from the Australia. (I am biased though as they are a competitor)

http://www.projectcentre.co.uk/news.php?id=13

Check out the last paragraph. Ha

[Pearson]

"He explained that the lane is designed to be a 'privilege' for cyclists rather than a right of way"

Hence the confusion form both side of the fence!

Quite frankly i avoid Rye Lane completely as it's just too dangerous. Traffic/Pedestrians and road surface.

I usually reach ED via Bellenden Rd or round the one way system/back lanes up to the Rye.

[EasyV]

They won awards for the Walworth Road? How?

[Pearson]

A self invented award?? hehehe

[waynetta]

http://basicbikes.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/2b.gif?w=220&h=410

[tomchance]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> At the community council meeting last night I

> spoke with Simon Philips who is a key part of the

> Roads and Transport team at Southwark. He

> confirmed that Rye Lane is going to be resurfaced

> as part of the current work to the North and South

> end road works.

>

> I raised concerns regarding the colour of the

> contraflow cycle lane. He explained that the lane

> is designed to be a 'privilege' for cyclists

> rather than a right of way but took on board the

> issue of pedestrian awareness of the lane and

> would look into the options.

>

> For anyone interested there is a Transport

> sub-committee (headed by Councillor Gavin Edwards)

> which meets regularly where residents can raise

> issues and concerns regarding roads/ traffic

> management and schemes. When I have confirmed

> details of the next one I'll post them for anyone

> that might be interested in attending.

That's where I raised it at the previous meeting, having corresponded already by email. I also raised issues about waste on pavements and the road, traders putting goods out onto the pavement forcing pedestrians into the road, and the (now thankfully slightly improved) crap situation with the lane as it meets the lights crossing Peckham High St. I didn't get the most promising response, Gavin promised to get a discussion at the next meeting about serious fixes as opposed to occasional enforcement work.

It seems to be a policy decision to make the contraflow lane a 'privilege' (as Simon puts it) and to keep it so obscure. But more people raising the fact that it looks so similar might help get it painted!

Interestingly, Simon said at the last transport sub-committee that cyclists make up 25% of the road users on the part of Peckham Rye that splits off south-east towards Crofton Park way. Pretty cool!

[binary_star]

Pearson Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Quite frankly i avoid Rye Lane completely as it's

> just too dangerous. Traffic/Pedestrians and road

> surface.

> I usually reach ED via Bellenden Rd or round the

> one way system/back lanes up to the Rye.

That's what I do - I used to go down Rye Lane prior to the 'improvements' but it's just not worth the effort now. A 'privelege'...how insulting and not to mention wrong - what a joke!

[tomchance]

binary_star Wrote:

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> A 'privelege'...how insulting and not to mention wrong - what a joke!

Being charitable... I think he probably just meant that it's not a cycle lane with a solid white line that legally only cyclists can use, but one of those lanes that technically anybody can use but are meant mainly for cyclists.

But yes, it's a joke. On a road with such random pedestrian behaviour and on a London Cycle Network route we need a proper dedicated cycle lane!

[DJKillaQueen]

At the meeting Gavin did mention the issue of rubbish from traders and the pavements etc...it is an item that he is taking on board as an issue for Rye Lane it seems.

I agree that the cycle lane needs to be petitioned as an issue at the next sub committee meeting. I think it's clear that what the designers created is something entirely different to what cyclists and pedestrians understand they have been given.....and that needs to be considered and resolved. I think the best way to do that is to formally present it at that next meeting. I will also refer the sub committee to this thread where they can see for themselves all of the points being made here by cyclists/ pedestrians....so by all means the more of you that put your views here, the more I and others have to take to that meeting.

Obviously as pavement, it is a shared space. Of course the moment a lane is there, you create the issue of right of way anyway. So for me, either it's a lane that pedstrians should be able to safely cross but are discouraged from walking along......or you don't have it at all but have cyclists sharing the pavement pretty much as they did before illegally.

I did also point out to him the folly of making the North bound road only wide enough for a bus too. What kind of designer thought cyclists would sit behind a stationary bus rather than jumping up onto the pavement to overtake it, I don't know. Part of it I think is that Walworth Road has worked, but it is a wider less predestrian dense Road than that short strip at the top of Peckham Rye.......which leads me ask just what form did the consultation take and what views were expressed and by who. Might dig into that a little.

[Pearson]

tomchance Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> binary_star Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > A 'privelege'...how insulting and not to mention

> wrong - what a joke!

>

> Being charitable... I think he probably just meant

> that it's not a cycle lane with a solid white line

> that legally only cyclists can use, but one of

> those lanes that technically anybody can use but

> are meant mainly for cyclists.

>

> But yes, it's a joke. On a road with such random

> pedestrian behaviour and on a London Cycle Network

> route we need a proper dedicated cycle lane!

--------------------------------------------------

It is a joke in its present state.

It does neither parties any favours - peds hate cyclist/cyclists hate peds...

And i am insulted by the 'privelege' quote considering how little

thought appears to have been given to this matter.

I know it's an absurd analogy but what if the thinking was applied to a ped v car situation??

What an utter waste of money, they have simply created a category 1 hazzard well done chaps

[HAL9000]

I've already seen quite a few near misses - it's only a matter of time before there's a collision leading to serious injury.

[Terry Thomas esq]

I can't see the difference between the two tones of pavement