The other day I responded to a Twitter campaign set up by the CTC, and emailed my local Councillors to ask what they were doing to encourage cycling in my local area in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Hats off to Councillors Peter Gruen and Richard Lewis (two of the leading figures in the Labour-led authority) I received an interested and pretty comprehensive response, which I have copied below. I certainly appreciate the response (and the speed it was provided)!
Further details about the City Connect scheme to which Richard refers can be found at http://www.cyclecityconnect.co.uk/
I have to say I was aware of the City Connect project following its launch a few months ago, but had picked up only that it was going to involve linking up Leeds and Bradford and improvements to the Leeds Liverpool Canal tow path. It’s good to hear that the A64 out towards east Leeds where I live is also in line for some improvements, but the details on the website about this are so far very thin.
From the comments in Richard’s email it’s good to see that segregated cycle lanes are on the agenda, but so far as I can tell the project is silent on my other two personal suggestions, namely signalling improvements at junctions and education of policy makers and traffic enforcement officials.
On 17.04.2014 16:03, Lewis, Cllr Richard wrote:
Dear Martyn,
I am responding to your email as Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Development who has responsibility for highways and cycling infrastructure in the city. Leeds City Council supports the “Please create space for cycling” campaign and is already actively putting into practice the advocated measures as illustrated below.
Metro working closely with Leeds and Bradford, sought and won government funding for the £31 million City Connect scheme: This provides cyclists with their own protected space on the A64 and A647 between east Leeds and Bradford; Accessibility to Leeds city centre will be enhanced by an “inner tube” route; The scheme includes substantial 20mph areas surrounding the scheme and links through parks, including to schools; City Connect will provide a major upgrade to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath to become an excellent traffic free route for commuting and leisure from the city centre along a green corridor to beyond the city’s boundary.
This major scheme is not the sole change being made in Leeds, but builds on other areas of work being undertaken to improve conditions for cycling:
- There is a programme of mainly radial Core Cycle Network Routes being delivered and designed to standards to encourage people to take up cycling. These routes include paths separated from high volume and speed traffic, pass through parks and green spaces and connect to local schools, shops and housing;
- There is a programme of 20mph areas being delivered (separate from the 20mph areas implemented as part of the City Connect scheme). Where these (or other) schemes involve road closures the normal practice is to exempt cyclists to enhance the ability of cyclists to cycle directly to their destinations;
- There is a large school cycle training programme engaging with over 100 schools annually;
- Many cycle journeys necessarily take place on roads that are not part of specific cycle routes and for this reason the needs of cyclists are taken into account in all highway schemes where road layouts are changed;
- A trial is to be devised to formally allow cycling within a pedestrian area of the city centre;
- Further schemes on the scale of the City Connect scheme are being identified for possible future funding;
- The Council works with local cyclists and organisations through arrangements such as the longstanding Leeds Cycling Consultation Forum and working groups aimed at enhancing conditions for cycling in Leeds.
Kind Regards,
Councillor Richard Lewis
Executive Member – Development and the Economy
Leeds City Council
From: Gruen, Cllr Peter Sent: 16 April 2014
Subject: RE: Please create Space for Cycling
Hello Martyn
Thanks for this very detailed response. I am sending it on to my colleague Cllr Richard Lewis, who has executive responsibility for highways matters. I have heard Richard talk about these issues, so I know he takes them very seriously.
Best Wishes
Peter
Councillor Peter Gruen
Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council
From: broadest Sent: 15 April 2014 23:03
To: Gruen, Cllr Peter;
Subject: RE: Please create Space for Cycling
Hello Peter and many thanks for your reply. The CTC are far more knowledgeable about these issues than I, but in response to your request I will offer 3 suggestions based on my own personal experience of cycling in Leeds. I’ll try to keep it brief.
It’s good to hear that suitable cycle provision is built in to new developments, but this will do nothing to address the far greater problem of our existing infrastructure.
First of all, cyclists need dedicated separate space along busy routes. We wouldn’t dream of allowing pedestrians to share a busy roadway with cars, separated only by a bit of paint – yet this is exactly what most cycle lanes are. Pedestrians have the benefit of pavements. Even buses on some of our busiest routes now have dedicated guided bus lanes. If we are to encourage more cycling in the city then we need to engineer proper separated cycleways into our routes. This will make cycling on those routes far more enjoyable and less risky than it currently is. It would also get cyclists away from the gully grates and potholes that line the edges of our roads and represent significant hazards in themselves
Secondly – signalised junctions. For me, busy road junctions are THE most dangerous places for cyclists. It is good to see so many junctions now having a band at the lights dedicated for cyclists. However, because the lights change for all road users at the same time, there is still the inevitable rush to get moving when the lights turn green. I have personal experience of being cut up by cars as the charge away from the lights as they turn to green. I would like to see the sequencing of lights changed so that cyclists were given a “head start” to get across the junction before the lights turn green for motor vehicles. I appreciate this would add cost in terms of additional lights at junctions, and would not be popular with drivers, but after all it only follows the same principle as the courtesy offered to pedestrians at Pelican crossings.
Finally – attitudes of those in authority. A friend of mine recently had the considerable misfortune to be knocked off his bike by a car turning into a side road directly across his path (he had the right of way and was cycling along a marked cycle path at the side of the road. He was stunned to be told afterwards by the police that investigated the accident that they were holding him equally to blame because he should have been cycling with more caution (effectively saying he should anticipate that the car driver would cut across him). This attitude is quite staggering by a person in considerable authority. My point is that there is clearly some way to go in educating road safety professionals in this area, and changing attitudes all round to give cycling higher profile and support. I hope my comments are helpful, and I’m sure the Council has policies in this area in terms of highways design and engineering. it would be interesting to see to what extent these issues are covered. Kind regards Martyn
On 15.04.2014 09:48, Gruen, Cllr Peter wrote
Hello Martyn> >
Thank you for this timely reminder.
I am not a cyclist myself; however am very supportive of a good network of cycle ways into and around Leeds. I think you will see a lot of 20mph zones spring up as these are being designed in to new schemes and, similarly, within planning, I am very vigilant that major new developments have a distinctive cycling dimension. If there are any specific areas you wish to point me to, I’d be very grateful for your insight.
Regards
Peter
Councillor Peter Gruen
Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council