City of London wish list

EC2boy

I hope no one minds me posting this here:

I coordinate a group of people who are trying to push the City of London (the Square Mile, specifically) to improve conditions for cycling.

Every few months, the City holds a forum for cycling in the City of London.

At the last of these, the chair of the forum made it clear that they want to hear from people who use bicycles in the City what we think they need to do to make cycling a nicer experience here. It isn't an invitation to spend lots of money. And it's not a promise that anything will happen. But it is a statement that the City is willing to listen.

Now, I have my own ideas about what I think needs to happen in the City of London. But I'd really love to pool a collection of views and push that back to the City in the new year. I'm hoping that a number of people might even be willing to get involved.

We're running a poll to gather votes for different concepts. Running a poll makes me nervous because I hope enough of you might consider spending five minutes filling it out to make it credible. If we could get 100 votes, I'd be over the moon. So please spread the word and please take some time to fill this in.

The poll is here if you have time to look at this:

http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/201 ... ondon.html

Thanks!

cambs

Done. Wishing for improvements to Bishopsgate for christmas.

deptfordmarmoset

Hi there, EC2boy. I don't feel I can complete your survey because, in all honesty, I really don't know the whole area well enough on 2 wheels to be able to give an informed opinion, and the few bits I do know are on the edges and I haven't travelled them in rush hour traffic.

However, I wanted to wish you all the best in your desire to help make the City a more bike-friendly place - the more people on bikes, the faster everyone will be able to circulate. So, while this is not a completed poll result or vote, please take this as a virtual vote of support.

Greggyr

Done.
I still feel that the standard of cycling in the City is poor and needs improving too.
I also registered with my email address.

Rgds & Good luck
Greg

fidbod

Done.

Good to have a pressure group for this kind of thing

cjcp

@ec2boy - who hosts and chairs this forum?

ketsbaia

What Deptfordmarmoset said. I used to ride through the city between Southwark Bridge and Holborn, but don't any more. Don't really know the issues with the other areas, so can't really comment on what needs prioritising.

But good luck with your campaign anyway.

EC2boy

Hi cjcp

The forum is hosted by the City of London transport people. The actual hosts are the chairs of the streets and high walks committees in fact. The police and town planning people come along too. We do need more sane cycling voices to get involved and feel free to message me about all this.

Danny

cjcp

EC2boy wrote:

Hi cjcp

The forum is hosted by the City of London transport people. The actual hosts are the chairs of the streets and high walks committees in fact. The police and town planning people come along too. We do need more sane cycling voices to get involved and feel free to message me about all this.

Danny

Ok, cheers.

Alphabet

done. for me it's mainly potholes and stupid peds that ruin the city, but a lot of this is good worthwhile stuff. removing the gyratories seems like a dream too far though.

Headhuunter

I think raising awareness in drivers and pedestrians of cyclists would be an effective start. The City of London Police largely seems to think that the answer to preventing cyclist injury and death is to lie in wait to stop cyclists who RLJ. I'll hold back in expressing my view on this but it would be nice to see some balance.

I never, for example, see them speaking to drivers in ASL boxes, or drivers who RLJ, or peds about the benefits of actually looking before you cross, or not crossing through an ASL just as I'm entering etc. The City Police seem to focus on using the stick to whip cyclists rather than the carrot.

rjeffroy

For me the state of the road surface is by far the biggest problem. I commute along Bishopsgate every day and it is in a disgraceful condition.

W1

I'm naturally inclined not to ask for segregated cycle lanes. The only one I know of at the moment is along Queen Victoria Street, and if you get a nodder or a BB in there it's quicker to remain in the traffic (albeit then you are squeezed through a pinchpoint). I wouldn't want to have many more of these unless they were properly wide - and there just isn't the space.

As to other comments - better (any!) enforcement of ASLs and dealing with the pot holes/awful road surfaces would be my priorities. I'm not sure that many of your suggestions are realisitc (cost being the main factor).

Edit to add - more bike parking is always good to have (and not too expensive I presume?). Ditto Boris Bike stands.

Headhuunter

W1 wrote:

I'm naturally inclined not to ask for segregated cycle lanes. The only one I know of at the moment is along Queen Victoria Street, and if you get a nodder or a BB in there it's quicker to remain in the traffic (albeit then you are squeezed through a pinchpoint). I wouldn't want to have many more of these unless they were properly wide - and there just isn't the space.

As to other comments - better (any!) enforcement of ASLs and dealing with the pot holes/awful road surfaces would be my priorities. I'm not sure that many of your suggestions are realisitc (cost being the main factor).

Yes, I would not be a fan of segregated lanes. Today I went across Southwark Bridge for the 1st time, what's with the strange concrete ridge? Is the left of the ridge supposed to be a bike lane? I stayed in the traffic - I could see gaggles of slow cyclists ahead 2 abreast, blocking the whole lane and didn't want to get stuck behind them. Problem is, because of the ridge, if you stay to the right of it you hold up the traffic as the remaining space is only just about wide enough for traffic to flow through without you being there. I think I'll stick to Blackfriars or London Bridges, much easier.

W1

And another thing - if there are going to be facilites for cyclists, make sure they're joined up.

South of the river the roundabout at Lambeth bridge has a cycle path over the top of it, controlled by lights. However the phasing of the lights means that it's actually quicker to keep in the traffic and go round the roundabout the normal way. Result? A totally un-used cycle facility which otherwise would be brilliant.

WesternWay

Hi, Thank you for that.

My only real issues with cycling in the city are

1. The abysmal state of the roads. Loads of enormous holes along Moorgate
2. More cycle parking needed. I am by Bank and the stands are always full.
3. I'd always go for more Boris Bike stands.

Not sure that there is a lot of scope for bike lanes in the parts that I know about, the roads ate narrow and the number of cyclists large. I would prefer cars expect to see me out in the road.

spursn17

I ride through the City 5 days a week....

No1 Enforce ASL's


No2 Potholes


No3 No segregated cycle lanes

wulfhound

There's no room for segregated lanes in most of the City anyway. In an ideal world perhaps some of the back streets could be closed to motor traffic entirely, but I can't see it happening myself. Only time segregation is going to work in the City is for creating routes where bikes can travel against the flow of 1-way motor traffic. But then you'll probably get numpties going the 'wrong' way down the bike contraflow.

rick_chasey

spursn17 wrote:

No3 No segregated cycle lanes

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/07/ve ... -sect.html

Alphabet

Rick Chasey wrote:

spursn17 wrote:

No3 No segregated cycle lanes

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/07/ve ... -sect.html

^this. cycle lanes are good for the nodders and boris bikes. if you want to go quickly, that's what the road is for.

rick_chasey

Alphabet wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

spursn17 wrote:

No3 No segregated cycle lanes

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/07/ve ... -sect.html

^this. cycle lanes are good for the nodders and boris bikes. if you want to go quickly, that's what the road is for.

Do you say vroom vroom while you cycling along?

Alphabet

Rick Chasey wrote:

Do you say vroom vroom while you cycling along?

yep. and i twist my hand on the bars as if it's a throttle

gtvlusso

Perhaps you need to push for the usage of a small, yet particularly dirty nuclear device...It would certainly sort out the cycling issue and be a permanent fix to a whole load of other UK issues.

snooks

Done, I filled in the questions that concern me, and left the others, I hope you don't mind.

I'd like to see a smoother pothole free road surface
No motorists in ASLs
Wider road/cycle lane on Byward Road (top of lowe thames street) going East (or the railings removed)

For a start....

Headhuunter

As if to prove my point that the City Police over-target cyclists, I got this as patr of a regular email update I get from the London Assembly

Question No: 3263 / 2010
Valerie Shawcross
In answer to question number 2587 / 2010 the Mayor said: “Recently there have been several operations by TfL and its policing partners to encourage mutual respect amongst all road users. Consequently, the police have been more focused on enforcing ASL’s across London and this will continue to ensure cyclists remain safe on London’s roads.’’ Can you please tell me how many offences of ASL infringement/impediment have been recorded during these recent operations, and what actions were taken?

Answer from the Mayor
The most recent operation undertaken by TfL and its policing partners was a six-week long operation in the summer to target road users who disobeyed traffic signals, encroached on advance stop lines (ASLs), cycled carelessly or on pavements, or used their mobile phones on the two pilot Barclays Cycle Superhighways. 

The operation resulted in over 900 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued to drivers and motorcyclists and over 400 FPNs to cyclists. Owing to way the data is recorded by the police, TfL does not have figures broken down for ASL offences. Officers also focused on education and engagement with road users on ASLs, explaining the dangers of infringement.

Road safety is of paramount importance to me, and I am pleased to see that TfL and London’s policing agencies are working hard together to ensure positive behaviour by all road users.  To help support a step up in enforcement, education and engagement with all road users, TfL has recently added ten specialist traffic police officers to the MPS Cycle Taskforce; these officers are dedicated to promoting cycle safety and to crackdown on drivers and cyclists who break the rules of the road. The officers encourage mutual respect between different road users.



Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

notsoblue

Done

Generally I'm quite happy with the roads on my commute. The new cycle lane along Embankment is great. Would like to see it suspended, but can't see that happening with all the tourbuses that line the road going West along the Thames. Only serious issue for me is potholes. They're pretty bad between Blackfriars and Farringdon (especially this morning, some freshly dug up trenches barely topped up with rubbish tarmac). I would have mentioned motorcyclists taking up the ASL's, but tbh thats just me being impatient. Its no real hardship.

notsoblue

Headhuunter wrote:

Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

Cyclists are easier to flag down and stop

Headhuunter

notsoblue wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

Cyclists are easier to flag down and stop

Exactly, that's pretty much what a PCSO said to me once. But that shouldn't be a reason to enforce the law over 1 road user rather than another! The City Police need to redress this imbalance. They happily utilise police time by having PCSOs and officers stationed across traffic lit junctions stopping cyclists who've RLJed but they NEVER have PCSOs or officers on the stop side of the junction ensuring that drivers obey ASLs.

Also if they positioned officers on the stop side/next to the lights, they would be an effective deterent to cyclists RLJing, whereas the fact that they position their people on the OTHER side of the junction means they are less interested in actually preventing RLJ-ing and more interested in allowing it to happen and subsequently stopping and fining the individual concerned, therefore raising revenue.

W1

Headhuunter wrote:

Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

Or just suitable evidence that cyclists break the law more often (as we've already discussed on here)?

Headhuunter

W1 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

Or just suitable evidence that cyclists break the law more often (as we've already discussed on here)?

And as we've discussed before, certainly not in my experience....

Headhuunter

W1 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Given that cyclists, even in London, still make up a small percentage of road traffic the fact that the Police have issued almost half as many FPN to cyclists as they have to motorists is just a bloody joke! There are clearly a disproportionate number of FPNs being applied to cyclists...

Or just suitable evidence that cyclists break the law more often (as we've already discussed on here)?

Given that the police actually LIE IN WAIT for cyclists but never do the same for motorists, watching them at ASLs etc, it goes without saying they're going to get more cyclists...