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Title: Death on Downs Link Post by: CyclingSid on June 06, 2021, 10:55:42 An unfortunate death on the Downs Link causes the coroner to raise issues about signage.
https://road.cc/content/news/death-cyclist-leads-calls-better-warning-signs-283871 (https://road.cc/content/news/death-cyclist-leads-calls-better-warning-signs-283871) Some of the crossings on the Downs Link do need to be taken with great caution. A few kms on from the probable site is the A29 crossing which has also had fatalities. I sometimes wonder about charity parachute jumps and the cost to the NHS. In the case of charity events is it a case of better risk assessment and better briefing, or does this get lost if it is largely done on-line. Also the speed of some cyclists on the Downs Link, and similar shared paths seems excessive for paths shared with pedestrians and horse riders. Of which another example https://road.cc/content/news/canal-and-river-trust-urge-cyclists-stay-below-8mph-283873 (https://road.cc/content/news/canal-and-river-trust-urge-cyclists-stay-below-8mph-283873) Title: Re: Death on Downs Link Post by: grahame on June 06, 2021, 13:49:16 An unfortunate death on the Downs Link causes the coroner to raise issues about signage. https://road.cc/content/news/death-cyclist-leads-calls-better-warning-signs-283871 (https://road.cc/content/news/death-cyclist-leads-calls-better-warning-signs-283871) Some of the crossings on the Downs Link do need to be taken with great caution. A few kms on from the probable site is the A29 crossing which has also had fatalities. I sometimes wonder about charity parachute jumps and the cost to the NHS. In the case of charity events is it a case of better risk assessment and better briefing, or does this get lost if it is largely done on-line. Also the speed of some cyclists on the Downs Link, and similar shared paths seems excessive for paths shared with pedestrians and horse riders. Of which another example https://road.cc/content/news/canal-and-river-trust-urge-cyclists-stay-below-8mph-283873 (https://road.cc/content/news/canal-and-river-trust-urge-cyclists-stay-below-8mph-283873) You have me raising and wondering about so many potential follow ups here - so much to say. 1. On charity parachute jumps - I did one , once, many years ago. My daughter did one too. In both cases, huge care and briefings were done - for me a whole day prior to the jump as mine was not tandem - the 'chute opened on a line as I came out of the plane, but then it was to me to steer and land. I felt safe, I felt well briefed and in spite of the initial ramshackle site I quickly gained confidence in the instructor. But having said that, these charity jumps are the first experiences that people have of doing such a thing, and - no matter how much instruction - there is always a higher risk on the first time than subsequently; it could get riskier again later as familiarity breeds carelessness. 2. On cyclists, sharing road and track space, speed, etc ... the increasing cycling and exercise and more to come in the future will lead to increased conflict for space, and facilities being stretched. A little tangent, but you remind me of something local I was writing up yesterday, triggered by two events a couple of weeks ago. A longer / more complex quote that I would wish, but an example of a very real developing issue. Quote On Monday 24th May, at the Economic Development and Planning meeting, our attention was drawn to the issues of the riding of scooters (electric?) on the path from Heather Avenue to Dorset Crescent, with a request / suggestion that some sort of gate / limiter be installed to prevent the "anti-social behaviour". On Tuesday 25th May, A PCSO rang my doorbell on Spa Road asking for a bucket of water to wash blood off the road. How are these two linked? By the law of potential consequences. The journey from Bowerhill, and the new Pathfinder Way developments into the centre of Melksham is somewhat over a mile - a longish walk, but ideal for cycling. Good paths run from Bowerhill down Pathfinder Way with good crossings over the A365 as far as Snowberry Lane roadabout, but inwards from there the road is busy, the footpaths narrow in places, and there's a blind brow over what used to be the canal. There is neither room on the footpath for a shared cycleway, nor on the roadway to seperate cycles from cars, buses, vans and lorries. The blood was human blood, from a cyclist who - in this case - was fortunate not to sustain life-changing injuries. Instead of using the direct Spa Road, traffic cycle traffic headed into Melksham can travel more safely up Snowberry Lane, then via Heather Avenue to Dorset Crescent, and onwards via either Pembroke Road and Stratton's Walk, or along Clacker's Brook and into KGV Park depending on which end of the Town it's headed for. That's a much safer route for cyclists - sadly, there are some elements that make it less than ideal. Possibly a topic split coming up here - but very real problems as infrastructure and waymarking gets stretched beyond design. Title: Re: Death on Downs Link Post by: CyclingSid on June 07, 2021, 12:03:16 The subject of cycling on towpaths can be divisive
https://twitter.com/RantyHighwayman/status/1401462025377693699 (https://twitter.com/RantyHighwayman/status/1401462025377693699) I have great respect for The Ranty Highwayman, but a highways engineer living in London has potentially far more options than those living in other parts of the country. Although I do agree with the following Quote yet it seems to be many councils policy to use them as commuting routes for cyclists because they can say job done without actually doing fuck all! [Posted as found, if contrary to forum rules]Title: Re: Death on Downs Link Post by: froome on June 07, 2021, 14:10:57 The subject of cycling on towpaths can be divisive https://twitter.com/RantyHighwayman/status/1401462025377693699 (https://twitter.com/RantyHighwayman/status/1401462025377693699) I have great respect for The Ranty Highwayman, but a highways engineer living in London has potentially far more options than those living in other parts of the country. Although I do agree with the following Quote yet it seems to be many councils policy to use them as commuting routes for cyclists because they can say job done without actually doing fuck all! [Posted as found, if contrary to forum rules]Indeed it can be very divisive, as incidentally is much other cycling infrastructure. However, the Ranty Highwayman is, at least to an extent, missing the point. Towpaths aren't owned or managed by councils, and historically councils rarely wanted to go out of their way to negotiate cycling access to paths that are managed by other bodies who, at least in the past, were very reluctant to open up paths to another use which they considered could lead to confrontation between users. But councils did eventually have these negotiations mainly due to the lobbying power of cyclists groups, which did include, in certain specific locations, for their opening up as commuter routes. Where of course the Ranty Highwayman is correct is that councils always like to be seen to be extending their cycling infrastructure, and that if this can be done for the least time and effort, without having to build and resource new infrastructure and without taking away road space from other vehicles, that is what they will do. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |