Times Campaign - Cambridge
The Times is running a campaign for cycle safety.
How can we best capitalise on this in Cambridge?
This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.
Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.
You can create a new issue using the button on the right.
Listed issues, most recent first, limited to the area of Waterbeach Cycling Campaign:
The Times is running a campaign for cycle safety.
How can we best capitalise on this in Cambridge?
A 20mph limit in residential areas of Cambridge would vastly improve safety and enable more people to cycle. What extent should it cover and how can we achieve it?
Martin Lucas-Smith // 21 threads
The Local Plan is being reviewed - which will be a big process over the coming two years. It's important that cyclists engage with this and ensure that deficiencies, such as lack of cycle parking, are fixed.
Created by Robin Heydon // 2 threads
The busway is not lit at night, which is unsafe and hard to navigate.
Martin Lucas-Smith // 1 thread
Discussion of cycle training issues in Cambridgeshire.
Martin Lucas-Smith // 3 threads
The LSTF is the funding from government for sustainable transport for the region. This issue covers discussion of the bid.
Warrington Cycle Campaign have produced a leaflet aimed at improving the mutaul understanding of cyclists and bus drivers points of view.
It is called "Bus Drivers & Cyclists in Harmony"
We hope to promote better relations between the two groups via a similar leaflet. The key goal is safety but enhanced respect by both parties would be of benefit.
We have serious concerns over the standards of driving of certain classes of vehicles in Cambridge.
We have an opportunity to push for both bus companies and and local authorities to train their drivers to a higher standard
Under the 'Certificate of Profession Competence' drivers of certain classes of vehicle are required to undertake 'continuing training'
There has been an article in Local Transport Today about training in London. see:
http://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/local_transport_today/news/?id=29476&StartRow=1
"A COURSE designed to cut the number of lorry accidents in urban areas, particularly those involving cyclists and pedestrians, has gained industry accreditation.
The ‘safe urban driving’ (SUD) course developed by Transport for London and London boroughs has been accredited by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training, the body set up by the sector skills councils for freight and passenger transport to manage the driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). "
"EU directive 2003/59 requires lorry and van (over 3.5 tonne) drivers to obtain a CPC by completing 35 hours of training every five years. The requirement came into force in 2009, so the first deadline is September 2014. "
"The second half of the course sees the lorry drivers get on bicycles and go on-road to understand how cyclists position themselves on the road, and how to drive in the presence of cyclists. This module was developed by Cycle Training UK for the London Borough of Lambeth. "
I've already pointed out this scheme to the cycling officers
It may be that we can get the LA's to approach Stagecoach on this issue and it could form part of any 'Quality Contract'
Created by Robin Heydon // 9 threads
The A14 is a very hostile, dangerous road for cycling.
Improvements to it, as well as broader changes to the national framework for cyclist crossings of major roads, are needed.
Created by Robin Heydon // 2 threads
The Landbeach Parish Council would like the bridgeway from Landbeach to Cambridge to be upgraded to a cycleway.
Vehicles are continually abusing cyclists who use the road here because the bus lane on the other side forces the carriageway to be narrow.
Although there is the cycleway, it has the usual problems of loss of priority at sideroads, bins in the way, people going in and out of driveways, etc.
Created by David Earl // 4 threads
There are some evil short grey posts on the busway cycleway that are really hard to see in the dark. I have heard of a number of people hitting them with disastrous consequences
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Created by velocipedus@gmail.com // 6 threads
How can we support the growth of local initiatives ?
How can we overcome the division urban and rural cycling?
Would it be useful to establish a network of regional groups?
Could such a network become an interesting partner for the county planners?
Would politicians be able to hear us better if we speak from a position of regional awareness, a a group of groups?
Would it help the elected to understand that things are changing on our roads?
Could such a network support constituent groups, facilitate exchange between these groups, become a more important player in the national context?
Could such a network attract its own funding?
What would be a good name for such a grouping (NAMES ARE IMPORTANT)
We have CTC, Ely, A10 Corridor, Martin T thinking about something in Bury St Edmunds, "Routes around Chatteris", Wisbech forum (set up by the County), - anything else ?
Created by Simon here // 2 threads
Complete separation of cyclists and cars can't always be achieved. To make sharing of the road safer I would like to propose using rumble strips instead of flat paint to separate the bike lane from the rest of the road. It would act as a physical reminder for car-drivers that they are encroaching the bike lane. This happens particularly near pinch points like road bends or crossroads. So even just a selective application of rumble strips could have a very positive effect, I believe. What's the view of the cycling community? Has it been tested?
Created by Phil Lee // 0 threads
What to do about disgraceful decisions like this:
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Driver-ran-Cambridge-cyclist-mistakenly-thinking/story-24555273-detail/story.html ?
Clearly, the magistrate erred seriously in matters of both fact and law - all the prosecution had to prove was that the way he drives falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.
Equally clearly, it did - nobody who could possibly be described as "competent and careful" would run over something the size of a cyclist without even being aware of it. He even admitted that he was talking on the phone at the time.
It staggers the mind to think what on earth the magistrates were thinking - or what with. Maybe they slept through the case, so didn't hear the prosecution, but were woken up for the defence (how there can be any defence for that is beyond me). Maybe they are dangerous drivers themselves, so sympathise with others of the same ilk instead of adequately discharging the responsibilities they are charged with? Mark Tyler also deserves complete contempt for not pleading guilty, and so preventing this gross miscarriage of justice. He should have been thanking his lucky stars that the police and CPS are so incompetent as not to pursue Dangerous driving, which it equally clearly was.
How can we get rid of incompetent idiots like Phil King (the lead magistrate in this case) who asserted that "there were “significant gaps” in the evidence". It is obvious to me that this dangerous idiot is perverting the course of justice by remaining in his position.
Presumably his colleagues on the bench conspired with him in this perversion - they could (and should) have over-ruled him unless they were parties to the conspiracy, surely?
The evidence was all there - there was a cyclist in front of him - whether the cyclist was upright or on the ground is irrelevant. Mark Tyler drove over him. Neither of those facts were in dispute. That is not the action of a competent and careful driver, and it should be beyond question that a person being in front of the vehicle is something which the driver should be expected to be aware of, which means the test in s3ZA of the Road Traffic Act is satisfied, and the accused is guilty.
The evidence also meets the test in s2A (Meaning of dangerous driving) so there is no excuse whatsoever for clearing him of even the lesser offence of careless driving. With driving like that, it is clear, beyond reasonable doubt, that he should not be in possession of a driving license, and the magistrates failed in their duty to relieve him of it.
As long as dangerous criminals like Phil King are allowed on the bench, the roads will never be safe for anyone.
As a footnote, from the report is appears that this dangerous character commutes from Whitchurch, Hampshire to Clifton Way, Cambridge. What length does that make his effective working day?
It's about 120 miles each way, so at least 4 hours driving (considerably more if in the "rush hour") on top of a full workday. It's utterly moronic to make a commute like that - when I worked anywhere near that far away, I commuted weekly. But this happened on a Wednesday.