Tag: roads

January 31st – Someone asserted yesterday that I should be glad of increased cycling facilities in the UK. I am, and I’m not. Here’s why.

On the Coventry Road, Birmingham, near the St. Andrews ground, there are lights to control a ‘y’ junction. Prior to the junction, there is a green tarmac filter lane leading to an advance stop line (ASL). The idea is that cyclists use the green lane up the inside of the traffic to access the green ASL box to place themselves safely at the head of the queue. This rarely works in practice, and to me, is actively encouraging dangerous cycling behaviour.

If I were to take the lane up the side of the traffic, as the skip lorry is occupying the ASL, I’d likely stop next to him. Right in his blind spot. Cyclists tend to be quicker off the mark at lights than lorries and chances are we’d interact at the pinch point a few yards ahead. If the lorry goes down left fork here (which he did, without indicating the intention), he would not see the cyclist and possibly lead to the cyclist being crushed at the pinch point between the railings and the lorry.

This road position kills the vast majority of adult cyclists mortally injured on the roads in the UK. It’s bloody stupid to get up the inside left of a line of traffic, as drivers don’t expect it and often, physically can’t see you. Between the ‘safety’ railings and the lorry wheels, you’re toast. Or rather, puree.

This cycling ‘facility’ encourages dangerous road positioning, and in my view, makes this junction more dangerous to the inexperienced cyclist.

I’ll celebrate cycling facilities when they’re safe, and designed properly. Not ill-thought out lip service like this.

January 20th – Between 4 and 5pm, the roads around Brownhills were understandably, quite chewy. I span around Brownhills carefully, for fear of what lurked beneath the slush and tyre tracks. It had been snowing by then for nearly 10 hours, and the result was a wet, cloying mass that wedged in the bike’s gaps and made it heavier and heavier. The old railway line, Clayhanger Common trails and canal towpaths were very hard to cycle. 

It looks to be cold all week, and this will be the first time for some years that we have have to deal with such conditions.

I’ll be interested to watch what happens. 

October 18th – Road safety in a time of austerity? Too expensive. Here at Station Road in Harden, there used to be a pedestrian crossing where National Cycle Route 5 crosses the road. This is a busy trail is a recognised safe route to school that takes a heavy cyclist and pedestrian load. Station road is busy and quite fast. Up until six months ago, there was a pedestrian crossing here, which was damaged by vandalism and taken out of use.

Solution? Remove it. Well done Walsall Council. Victory for common sense and safety there – not.

March 16th – As I noted last week, something stirs in the damper parts of the hedgerow.  With every shower, more and more amphibians are on the move. In the dark, on a dry night, this common toad was crossing Netherstowe Lane. These misunderstood creatures are seeking water to mate for spring. Their ribbons of spawn are distinct from the clumps left by frogs. Utterly devoid of road sense, they are killed in their thousands at this time of year as sadly, they blend into the tarmac rather too well to see. Being a soft old sod, I stop, and help Mr. Toad to the other side of the road by nudging him gently on the backside with my foot. Best that way, they’ll occasionally let out a startling scream, but at least they won’t wee all over you, a defensive gesture that often shocks the unwary…