Considerate Cycling 21 : League of the Least Gentle

The data for road casualties posted by the Department For Transport yesterday (September 27^th 2012) at http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-annual-report-2011 are full of disappointments and minor excitements, spread across 145 Excel files. The table that caught my dolefully morbid eye was a list of English local authorities, each with numbers of people reported as killed or seriously injured estimated “per billion vehicle kilometres travelled” in the years since 2005.

My link gives the context but here is the table, ranked in descending order of number of “KSIs” (people killed plus those injured seriously enough to have been a hospital as an in-patient).

rank order	Local Authority	2005-09 average	2010	2011	% change over 2010	% change over 2005-09 average
1	City of London	251	226	278	23	11
2	Islington	185	181	227	25	23
3	Lambeth	207	196	216	10	4
4	Hackney	229	194	214	10	-7
5	Camden	233	220	201	-8	-14
6	Westminster	273	204	179	-12	-34
7	Southwark	167	207	160	-23	-4
8	Isle of Wight	122	132	153	16	25
9	Kensington and Chelsea	193	145	150	4	-22
10	Southampton	82	114	140	23	71
11	Haringey	154	140	139	0	-9
12	Hammersmith and Fulham	180	127	139	9	-23
13	Wandsworth	146	119	137	15	-7
14	Blackpool	133	118	130	10	-2
15	Lewisham	150	136	129	-5	-14
16	Brighton and Hove	112	101	127	26	14
17	Portsmouth	75	73	115	57	53
18	Tower Hamlets	130	93	110	19	-15
19	Waltham Forest	124	94	104	10	-16
20	Nottingham	109	89	98	10	-10
21	Southend-on-Sea	112	97	97	0	-13
22	Blackburn with Darwen	101	85	96	13	-5
23	Reading	78	75	95	26	22
24	Croydon	111	74	93	26	-16
25	Kingston upon Hull, City of	96	94	92	-3	-5
26	Liverpool	96	105	90	-15	-7
27	Bradford	101	86	90	4	-11
28	Bournemouth	93	93	90	-4	-4
29	Barnet	87	79	88	13	1
30	Richmond upon Thames	87	90	88	-3	1
31	Greenwich	104	97	86	-11	-17
32	Barking and Dagenham	95	81	83	2	-12
33	Lincolnshire	69	78	82	5	19
34	Brent	114	92	82	-11	-28
35	Newham	90	84	80	-5	-11
36	Birmingham	80	73	80	10	0
37	North East Lincolnshire	113	76	79	5	-30
38	Merton	102	64	78	21	-24
39	Sefton	81	66	77	17	-5
40	Coventry	63	50	75	51	20
41	Wirral	94	65	75	15	-20
42	Sutton	103	79	72	-8	-30
43	East Sussex	88	76	72	-5	-18
44	Oldham	71	73	69	-6	-3
45	Bristol, City of	67	57	69	20	2
46	Redbridge	83	73	68	-7	-18
47	Bromley	110	74	67	-10	-39
48	Leicester	59	61	67	9	13
49	Wolverhampton	72	71	66	-6	-8
50	Enfield	69	62	66	7	-4
51	Manchester	81	63	66	4	-19
52	Nottinghamshire	74	60	65	8	-11
53	Harrow	95	69	65	-6	-32
54	West Sussex	63	52	64	22	1
55	Poole	66	67	64	-5	-4
56	Northumberland	73	59	61	4	-15
57	Kirklees	75	53	61	17	-19
58	Sheffield	94	60	61	1	-35
59	Calderdale	73	54	60	11	-17
60	Luton	69	76	59	-22	-14
61	Sandwell	57	54	59	8	3
62	Cheshire West and Chester	61	48	59	22	-4
63	Lancashire	76	62	59	-5	-23
64	North Lincolnshire	77	66	58	-12	-24
65	North Yorkshire	79	62	58	-8	-27
66	East Riding of Yorkshire	70	60	56	-6	-20
67	Suffolk	60	50	55	10	-7
68	St. Helens	50	35	55	58	11
69	Hartlepool	57	47	55	17	-3
70	Cheshire East	62	55	54	-2	-12
71	Slough	55	49	54	11	-1
72	Bexley	92	73	54	-26	-42
73	Ealing	101	69	54	-22	-47
74	Dudley	70	55	54	-2	-24
75	Derby	63	53	53	0	-16
76	Dorset	68	56	53	-5	-22
77	Plymouth	40	43	52	22	30
78	Bedford	68	49	52	6	-24
79	Hampshire	42	43	51	21	22
	England as a whole	60	50	51	2	-15
80	Wakefield	61	61	51	-17	-16
81	County Durham	56	48	51	6	-8
82	Stoke-on-Trent	47	33	51	55	8
83	York	79	49	51	2	-36
84	Havering	65	43	50	17	-24
85	Tameside	55	50	49	-3	-10
86	Newcastle upon Tyne	58	56	49	-13	-17
87	Oxfordshire	47	54	48	-10	3
88	Leeds	57	50	48	-3	-14
89	Kingston upon Thames	64	46	48	4	-25
90	Hounslow	72	64	48	-25	-33
91	Doncaster	47	50	48	-4	1
92	South Tyneside	62	48	47	-3	-25
93	Cornwall	51	41	47	13	-8
94	Medway	59	43	46	8	-21
95	Wiltshire	51	42	46	11	-10
96	Cambridgeshire	56	47	46	-1	-18
97	Cumbria	58	43	46	8	-21
98	Walsall	62	51	46	-10	-26
99	Darlington	53	42	46	8	-14
100	Essex	60	49	46	-6	-24
101	Torbay	52	48	44	-7	-16
102	Norfolk	56	43	44	1	-21
103	Sunderland	57	53	44	-17	-24
104	Derbyshire	60	42	43	3	-28
105	Stockton-on-Tees	53	31	43	39	-18
106	Bracknell Forest	48	35	43	21	-12
107	Surrey	41	39	43	11	4
108	Barnsley	57	36	43	20	-25
109	Wigan	52	32	43	33	-18
110	Herefordshire, County of	66	34	42	23	-36
111	Peterborough	61	52	42	-19	-31
112	Warrington	40	40	42	4	4
113	Shropshire	57	42	41	-3	-28
114	Halton	54	42	41	-4	-25
115	Milton Keynes	43	32	40	27	-7
116	Thurrock	59	43	39	-9	-33
117	Gateshead	46	48	39	-19	-15
118	Gloucestershire	41	30	39	31	-4
119	Swindon	41	33	39	18	-4
120	Bolton	45	47	38	-19	-14
121	Redcar and Cleveland	59	46	38	-17	-35
122	Northamptonshire	53	36	37	4	-30
123	North Tyneside	45	34	37	8	-18
124	Rotherham	42	26	37	43	-13
125	Kent	48	39	36	-7	-26
126	Hillingdon	50	40	36	-9	-28
127	Somerset	49	38	36	-5	-27
128	Warwickshire	42	34	36	4	-15
129	Stockport	41	31	36	13	-14
130	Buckinghamshire	45	36	35	-2	-22
131	Telford and Wrekin	40	29	34	15	-15
132	Bury	39	36	33	-7	-14
133	Central Bedfordshire	45	49	33	-33	-27
134	Windsor and Maidenhead	33	26	33	26	-2
135	Leicestershire	38	33	33	0	-13
136	Rochdale	42	28	32	11	-24
137	Hertfordshire	43	37	31	-15	-28
138	Trafford	39	34	31	-11	-20
139	Devon	37	37	30	-19	-19
140	Rutland	45	46	29	-37	-34
141	Knowsley	42	40	29	-26	-29
142	Solihull	38	29	28	-1	-26
143	Wokingham	31	23	28	21	-11
144	Worcestershire	38	23	27	14	-30
145	West Berkshire	25	20	26	29	7
146	Salford	37	31	26	-16	-30
147	Middlesbrough	42	26	23	-10	-44
148	Staffordshire	33	24	22	-7	-34
149	North Somerset	28	25	20	-19	-27
150	Bath and North East Somerset	45	34	19	-44	-57
151	South Gloucestershire	22	23	8	-63	-62

I note that London leads the Danse Macabre, with Hackney (where my cycling son lives) featuring in 4^th place. Bristol (where I now live) at a fairly anxious 45, while all the “safest” counties, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire (149^th , 150^th and 151^st respectively) are those immediately adjacent to Bristol. I’m pleased to say these are the places I do a lot of my cycling these days.

Across the whole of England, there was a 2% increase in KSI’s in 2011 over 2010, but in the longer run, between 2005 and 2009 things had been getting better. So maybe next year will bring better news.

Think? Cyclist

The Department for Transport have issued some parallel guidelines for cyclists and for motorists, having spotted that they are often the same people.

The guidelines and rationale are out here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/press-releases/dft-press-20120920b

 It’s a start. but what struck me when reading the guidelines was how badly written they are. They ramble on, jumble up actions and reasons and drift into ambiguity. This is what they say:

THINK CYCLIST

When you’re driving

1. Look out for cyclists, especially when turning – make eye contact if possible so they know you’ve seen them.
   
2. Use your indicators – signal your intentions so that cyclists can react.
   
3. Give cyclists space – at least half a car’s width. If there isn’t sufficient space to pass, hold back. Remember that cyclists may need to manoeuvre suddenly if the road is poor, it’s windy or if a car door is opened.
   
4. Always check for cyclists when you open your car door.
   
5. Avoid driving over advance stop lines – these allow cyclists to get to the front and increase their visibility.
   
6. Follow the Highway Code including ‘stop’ and ‘give way’ signs and traffic lights.
   

When you’re cycling

1. Ride positively, decisively and well clear of the kerb – look and signal to show drivers what you plan to do and make eye contact where possible so you know drivers have seen you.
   
2. Avoid riding up the inside of large vehicles, like lorries or buses, where you might not be seen
   
3. Always use lights after dark or when visibility is poor
   
4. Wearing light coloured or reflective clothing during the day and reflective clothing and/or accessories in the dark increases your visibility
   
5. Follow the Highway Code including observing ‘stop’ and ‘give way’ signs and traffic lights
   

224 words

Here is my first alternative draft:

THINK CYCLIST

When you’re driving

1. Always look out for cyclists. Especially at junctions. Eye contact can be useful.
   
2. Always use your indicators. Make it a habit, not a decision.
   
3. Give cyclists much more space when you pass.
   
4. Before opening your car door at the roadside always look for cyclists behind you.
   
5. Advanced stop lines are for cyclists – not you. Stop at the first line and don’t move forward until the lights are green.
   

When you’re cycling

1. Look around and behind you before every manoeuvre. Eye contact can be useful.
   
2. Never undertake big vehicles.
   
3. Always use lights after dark or when visibility is poor.
   
4. Be seen. Light, bright or reflective clothes always help. Camouflage never does.
   
5. Pavements are for pedestrians – not you. Stop, dismount and push your bicycle considerately.
   

138 words

Thoughts?

False Friends, Stranded and Abandoned

Here we are at another junction. It seems to be a choice of straight on or right as we come out of the one-way Penn Street, with Castle Park’s trees away on the opposite corner. We notice the late arrival of a lead-in lane to the ASL with its cute little diagonal and realise that the bus and cycle lane we have approached in has kept us too far over to the left to be able turn right safely on this phase of the lights.

If we have a look around while we wait, the junction has some curious cycle markings, in a pen made of bollards and small islands. They are hard to distinguish from here.

Coming back to that ASL, we can look across and see roughly what the markings are. Two very short cycle lanes hanging off give-way lines. With a cyclist making a right turn while the lights are against us, they don’t seem much use to him. I don’t think they are meant for us either. It’s a puzzle.

The mystery deepens as someone else appears, apparently from nowhere, while our lights are green. He is clearly on a very strange trajectory.

It soon becomes clear that he knows where he’s going, even though his route is a bit irregular.

Right behind him another bold pioneer trundled off in the same direction, with the same contraflow instincts. Bristol is truly a City of Anarchists.

What I hadn’t realised until I got home and checked the Council’s special map is that immediately beyond our lights on the left, obscured by the large buildings of Cabot Circus there is a short fragment of official traffic-free cycle route. This careful cyclist has hopped onto what I thought (wrongly) was a pedestrian area and is travelling east towards Bond Street South. We would take a left turn just after our traffic lights, up a bit of dropped curb, to follow her. Things are starting to make sense. I don’t remember seeing a sign, but never mind. There are lots of other mysteries still to solve without worrying about signs.

And over there, another lost soul, heading across the pavement in the general direction of Castle Park, with some traffic to navigate before he gets there. Those bollards and cycle lanes still don’t make any sense.

They don’t look any more rational from this angle do they?. I took this picture from over on the park corner, looking north east. The road surface didn’t look too good either. I decided to try using the cycle lanes. It was a stupid decision I know, but the day was clear, the traffic wasn’t especially heavy and I was feeling confident. My first run was from the south. I came down Lower Castle Street and used the left hand lane of the two you can see in the picture immediately above to make an elegant but very eccentric right turn across where the bus is. Crossing the all-clear roadway I rolled onto the traffic free cycle route and looped around to come back for a run at the other lane. When the road was clear I was able to cross it, navigate the full length of the lane, pause at the give way, and then pull away to my right to join Broad Weir. Broad Weir is where the man in the previous picture had been on his way to. Neither of my two journeys seemed to have much practical purpose. The first one felt distinctly exposed and counter-intuitive. I wonder if anyone ever uses it? The second just felt frivolous.

What I learn from this set of blogs so far is that despite the attempts of the Council to provide help for cyclists in awkward places, there are at least a few cyclists who make up their own versions of how to make their way around. To my shame, they all seem a lot more contented and confident than I felt, pedantically trying to find out what the “right” thing to do was.

And I still don’t understand these stranded, truncated cycle lanes. Maybe the shoddy road surface indicates that refurbishment and a big fat traffic roundabout is on the way to blast them into oblivion?

There will be another journey of discovery coming along soon. Do come back.

False Friends Again

This is what happens to too many cycle lanes. The paint, the money, or the easy access runs out and the false friend lets you down, again. Even the redundant sign that says “END” has faded away. And mind that sunken rain gulley.

But off you go, unshielded, to the next set of lights with not even a lead-in lane to get you safely past a queue and into the ASL.

If you stop to wait for the next green and look to the right, there is a one-way street feeding traffic onto the road you have just come down. It looks a handy exit from here if you could get to it and there does seem to be some kind of cycle facility. Maybe even a contra-flow lane? But it’s not obvious and there’s no sign to help.

While you dither, someone avoids the confusion by sailing on across the junction, on the pavement. Much safer. Only four pedestrians to navigate and by the look of it at least one of the four has seen her coming.

Nevertheless, you look to the right again, in search of inspiration. There is a light there, next to the pedestrian lights that could just be…

… could just be… er, well  this is on your side of the road, offering some good, if slightly illegible, advice.

Then this happens over on your right when you weren’t paying attention. A pioneering cyclist has turned right, across the end of the one-way street in front of a bus coming out, ignoring the no-entry sign. He seems to know where he is going.

… and a taxi invades your ASL, so things are getting worse. Maybe it’s time to dismount and have a look round?

Yes! That paint beyond the pedestrian crossing brings the good news that you can ride your bike down the side of that one-way street. Progress!

And beyond it, paradise! A cycle lane that isn’t just advisory. It has a coloured surface and a solid white line. Steady on the turn though, it looks a bit tight given the proximity of the on-coming traffic.

Not too bad at all then. I’m not sure where you’re going, but you’ve got a clear cycle path to follow, so why not?

However, if you could have seen your route from the other end you would have noticed that your new False Friend guides you alongside a row of parked cars and you might find that oncoming traffic is not too worried about crossing your protective white paint.

And guess what? Looked at from the section you are just coming down, this dodgy cycle lane ends in the middle of a junction, with nowhere to go. This is how the story began.

And so it continues: one lane ends and another (is it another?) appears out of (and in) the middle of nowhere.

There’s another half-journey coming along soon, so stay in touch.