Cycle_Hitchin : Message: RE: [Cycle_Hitchin] Re: cycle paths

Following on from my previous email...

Just to reinforce what David said, there is not a great deal of scope for completely segregated paths in Hitchin (or indeed in most urban areas). The many paths at the backs of properties in Hitchin are mostly too narrow for shared use and cycling on them is not usually permitted. Some have been included in the NHDC plan (eg Benslow bridge across the railway) because the benefits would far outweigh the problems.

Most of the very limited "cycle infrastructure" in North Herts is of very poor quality. Widths are all well below the recommended values, visibility is poor, maintenance and parking enforcement are non-existent and on roadside cycle paths, priority is lost even to private driveways.

The preferred philosophy is always to keep cyclists in the road where possible and to make those roads safe and comfortable for cycling. This is done by following the hierarchy of measures below.

There are opportunities for high quality, traffic free routes in Hitchin, but not many of them. My personal favourite would be an Ickneild Way path linking Ickleford to the Wilbury end of Letchworth and onwards through Baldock to Ashwell in one direction, and through Pirton to Luton in the other. Unfortunately Network Rail and HCC conspired to put a spanner in that plan by refusing to restore the Cadwell Rail crossing to bridleway status (on miserly cost grounds).

Hierarchy of Provision		Source TA 91/05
b Traffic Reduction	Particularly HGVs. Divert traffic, traffic calming, road closures.		Consider first
b Speed reduction	20 mph zones, Homezones, shared surfaces, traffic calming
b Junctions and Traffic Management	ASLs, signalisation, re-engineering of roundabouts, freedom from banned turns, removal of dedicated vehicle left turn slip lanes.
b Carriageway Redistribution	Cycle lanes, bus lanes		Consider last
b Off road provision away from highways	Railway paths, canal towpaths, paths across parks, new cycle paths, ROWIPs
b Roadside pavement conversions	Rarely satisfactory. Only appropriate for busy, fast rural roads with few side roads

Regards

Alasdair Massie
CTC North Herts

-----Original Message-----
From: Cycle_Hitchin@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Cycle_Hitchin@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of David Rossall
Sent: 13 July 2008 22:12
To: Cycle_Hitchin@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Cycle_Hitchin] Re: cycle paths

St Michael's Road has cycle lanes, but of the type that slightly
reduce, rather than increase, safety. There's Rose Hill of course.
There are ASLs down Grove Road. There's a cycle path across Ransome's
Rec. There is a very good cycle path from Pirton to Ickleford
(although, bizarrely, a No Vehicles sign at the far end bans its
use).

In a town of Hitchin's road sizes, it's debatable whether there is
space on most roads, and putting lanes in where there is insufficient
space reduces safety rather than increasing it, so I am not sure that
we should look for lanes everywhere.

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Source TA 91/05

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Source TA 91/05