Crossrail for Cycles

[DynamicSpirit]

This - surprisingly - seems to have passed largely unnoticed here. Boris has unveiled plans for segregated cycle routes running N-S and E-W across central London, from Tower Hill to Acton and from Elephant and Castle to Kings Cross. Promoted as a kind-of cycling version of Crossrail - and actually looks very impressive.

Announcement: https://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2014/09/mayor-unveils-his-18-mile-crossrail-for-the-bike

Maps: East-West route

Maps: North-South route

I particularly like the plan to run a segregated track along Victoria Embankment from Tower Hill to Parliament Square - I used to cycle along it regularly and it was quite a nightmare with the fast-moving traffic.

Key quote from the above link:

Two continuous cycle routes almost completely separated from traffic will cross central London from east to west and north to south, opening up thousands of new journey opportunities for cyclists.

The north-south route will run for more than 3 miles from Elephant & Castle to King’s Cross. The east-west route will run from Barking to Acton, a distance of over 18 miles, including a section on the Westway flyover, where one lane will be removed to create a segregated cycle track.

Protected cycle routes will also be created through dangerous junctions, including Tower Hill, Blackfriars, Parliament Square and Lancaster Gate. Connections will be created to cycle routes servicing other parts of the City, West End and suburbs.

Subject to detailed public consultation – which begins today – work will start early next year and the routes will open in March 2016.

 

[Nick W]

Based on the pictures, this will make matters worse for a great deal of cyclists. Those who want to go a reasonable speed will have to use the road, and will be bullied more by vehicles.

What they should do is turn one lane in each direction into a bus/cycle lane.

 

[Clip]

For me it is taking over far too much road space and will also inconvenience tour groups who park their coaches just by the Tattersall and onwards.

Im all for extra cycling provision but that is one hell of a major road they are just wanting to cut in half -

And whilst I know there is only a small amount of cyclists that are arseholes that will turn into a speedway and at the junction above I can see many accidents. And the hoo- ha that will come after them

 

[Nick W]

For me it is taking over far too much road space and will also inconvenience tour groups who park their coaches just by the Tattersall and onwards.

Im all for extra cycling provision but that is one hell of a major road they are just wanting to cut in half -
And whilst I know there is only a small amount of cyclists that are arseholes that will turn into a speedway and at the junction above I can see many accidents. And the hoo- ha that will come after them

Nothing wrong with cutting a road in half. Just turn the outer lanes in each direction into bus lanes so that all cyclists can use them.

The images are misleading because this isn't how it will look in peak time. They should show the road packs with cars and bikes which will reveal the inadequacy of the scheme for cyclists.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Based on the pictures, this will make matters worse for a great deal of cyclists. Those who want to go a reasonable speed will have to use the road, and will be bullied more by vehicles.

What they should do is turn one lane in each direction into a bus/cycle lane.

A large part of the route is along Victoria Embankment - do any scheduled buses use that road? None of the normal TfL bus routes do.

Besides, while a bus/cycle lane is better than nothing, doesn't that just amount to exactly what the earlier cycle superhighways were getting panned by cyclists for: Consisting of nothing more than paint in the road which offered no real protection to cyclists? Also, bus lanes have to stop whenever there's a turning on the left. Personally, I'll take a dedicated, physically separated cycle track any day, even if it turns out to be slightly slower (probably not if it was massively slower, but that seems unlikely given that these tracks will allow cyclists to avoid queueing traffic and possibly some traffic lights too).

 

[Clip]

Nothing wrong with cutting a road in half. Just turn the outer lanes in each direction into bus lanes so that all cyclists can use them.

The images are misleading because this isn't how it will look in peak time. They should show the road packs with cars and bikes which will reveal the inadequacy of the scheme for cyclists.

Tehres no bus routes down there though. As you can see from the picture the left turn from Blackfriars bridge has now gone for road vehicles which means they will have to go over it then turn left dowwn the hill then have to turn right onto embankment.

2 lanes for cyclists coming down the hill wll encourage those who like to race to race and not care about the lights at the bottom because they know it will only be cyclists anyway so they wont care.

and then look at the efoort at the bottom. Provision is made from the cycle lane to turn right but to go straight on you appear to be facing the second lane of the one coming down the hill meaning you have to do some fancy wobbling to get round it - and probably dodge the racing cyclists coming down.

Believe me - when I say race I mean they race down that hill of an evening already - will only get worse.

 

[radamfi]

The racing cyclists are already happy using the road, and may well continue to do so even when the segregated paths are built. The segregated paths are intended to encourage people who are currently too scared to cycle at the moment because they have to share the road with motor vehicles.

 

[Bishopstone]

The consultation admits there will be longer journey times for pedestrians, because they will be held for longer between signal phases at various junctions. And TfL call that progress!

At Ludgate Circus, motorists/cyclists going north-south already get 80 seconds of green phase, whilst pedestrians get 15.

The big idea at TfL (and City of London) is 'shared space', where bikes weave around pedestrians, who are sometimes frail. I am quite uncomfortable with this.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I'm particularly interested in the north-south proposals, as I have been commuting between Kings Cross station and LSBU at Elephant & Castle recently, and usually in the rush hours.

I was generally quite content using the main roads as they are (Kings Cross Road, Farringdon Road, Blackfriars Road) with the exception only of some junctions. I'd warmly welcome improvements to those junctions:-

northbound: Kings Cross station from Greys Inn Road (staying in the lane of York Way traffic from junction with Swinton Street)
southbound: Pentonville Road to Kings Cross Road (moving to the outer lane from the cycle lane)

southbound: crossing Calthorpe Street (loss of cycle lane on the rising gradient and left curve towards the lights)

northbound: crossing Ludgate Circus (don't know why I've experienced a large number of errant vehicles and pedestrians here)

northbound: at southern end of Blackfriars Bridge (conflicts between bus stops and cycle lanes)

northbound: Borough Road to Blackfriars Road (I can't see how to do this without turning south then making a U-turn into the northbound bus lane outside the train depot).

I'll say nothing about the Elephant & Castle roundabouts (which don't appear welcoming to a cyclist).

If those intersections were re-aligned for cyclists and the road surface maintained then I'd be less enthusiastic about introducing radical bike facilities here.

Where I must strongly disagree with the proposals is the approach to Kings Cross via Regent Square and then up Judd Street. If I'm going to Kings Cross then I want to get there more directly, either by Greys Inn Road (or even contra flow on Kings Cross Road), or if I must use 'back roads' then Swinton Street over to Cromer Street and then alongside the mosque to Argyll Street (which still leaves us the joy of crossing Euston Road by smiling at taxi drivers before cutting in front of them).