Bristol - first Cycling City (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[stuving]

...
Move cycles off the roads onto their own cycleways and to shared paths and you will decrease the number of collisions with road vehicles (good) though you might increase the number of collisions with pedestrians.   Are there figures for the numbers of pedestrians admitted to hospital due to collisions with cyclists?
...

Yes - two. A sharp drop from the last few years, when the average has been more like five.

That was in the BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about)¹ source. There are a lot more data, and back to 2003, in their Excel file - which I can now see came from BCC². They (BCC²) publish their own analysis of those figures, but only up to 2014, and the full table must have been provided to BCC¹ by BCC² on request.

¹Bristol Cycling Campaign            ²Bristol City Council.

[Bmblbzzz]

I think Bristol Cycling Campaign use the abbreviation BCyC presumably to avoid text like that. 

Their Mr Booth does a very poor job of explaining the difference between a cycle path and a cycle lane – or maybe that's down to the Post reporter, but in any case I don't think that report makes it clear to those (probably most people) who don't already know.

[TonyK]

I think Bristol Cycling Campaign use the abbreviation BCyC presumably to avoid text like that. 

Their Mr Booth does a very poor job of explaining the difference between a cycle path and a cycle lane – or maybe that's down to the Post reporter, but in any case I don't think that report makes it clear to those (probably most people) who don't already know.

The Post does a poor job of explaining anything these days. I assume that either Mr Booth didn't furnish them with a press release to copy and paste, or he did, but not a very good one. Local journalism these days doesn't have the resources, either in terms of people or expertise, to deal with complex issues. Like cycling.

[Bmblbzzz]

Journalistic standards are creeping up from local to national. What starts as a scrawled note in the Sheepy Parva Argus ends up cut and pasted into the New York Times.

[TonyK]

Journalistic standards are creeping up from local to national. What starts as a scrawled note in the Sheepy Parva Argus ends up cut and pasted into the New York Times.

Neither of which is my chip wrapper of choice!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Separating cyclists and traffic ‘is safest solution’ but not always possible in Bristol, says council

The council has pointed out its ‘Dutch-style’ cycle paths but said the size of the road can make them impossible

Cyclists and traffic being separated is the “safest solution” Bristol City Council (BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about)) has said in response to a study that found segregated cycle lanes can reduce injuries.

These kinds of traffic systems are “not always possible” in Bristol however, according to the council, because of the size of the roads.

The council has highlighted some of the existing “Dutch-style” cycle paths in the city as well as routes that are underway to improve cycling provisions.

A new study on trends in cycling safety, carried out in the US, found segregated cycle lanes reduce the number of injuries on roads.

BCC’s spokesman said: “We agree that separating cyclists is the safest solution and already have areas within Bristol where cyclists are separated from traffic in an effort to provide a safer environment and make cycling more accessible to those who are less confident on a bike. In recent years we have introduced “Dutch-style” cycle paths on Baldwin Street, Cattle Market Road and Clarence Road. We are also in the process of developing a segregated route on Prince Street and continuing the route on Baldwin Street to complete the cycle path all the way to the centre.”

The Metrobus route will include a traffic-free area to use and the council said it is taking steps to connect Greenways and Quietways.

Bristol was praised by campaign group Cycling UK^▸ (United Kingdom) who said the city is widely regarded as the leading location in the country for embracing space for cyclists.

The Bristol Cycling Campaign has put together a “tube map”-style cycling network which BCC has set as its aspirational target.

However, the council added these segregated cycle lanes are sometimes not possible in the city.

The spokesman added: “These kind of improvements to the cycling infrastructure require investment and are not always possible in some areas of the city depending on the size of the road and existing traffic arrangements.”

[Bmblbzzz]

I'd have thought "the leading location in the country for embracing space for cyclists" was London, with its various "superhighways". But that phrase "embracing space for cyclists" is telling; Dutch style cycle paths, when they're actually in Holland or, say, Denmark, tend to be more like bus lanes, physically separated from the rest of the carriageway but taken out of "car space" rather than, as in Bristol (and most of the rest of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) apart from those London superhighways) from "pedestrian space". In fact they're probably best described as "roads for cycling" rather than cycle paths, with all the obstructions and loss of priority that entails.

[CyclingSid]

New infrastructure for those in the Bristol area

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/2021/april/festival-way-crossing-improves-safety-for-people-walking-and-cycling/

(This sudden burst of activity suggests I must have been slacking in my duties)

[Red Squirrel]

That's really good to see. I've crossed there many times with the kids, and it has never felt particularly safe because motorists often emerge from the A370 (from the right in the photos) at excessive speed.

Festival Way is a very good traffic-free route out of Bristol towards Nailsea, and as a bonus runs alongside the Bristol & Exeter for several km near Flax Bourton. I hope to head out that way to the George at Backwell a few times over the summer!

[Bmblbzzz]

It also gives you a view of the old Flax Bourton station buildings, which you can even have a nose around (but not in) from the Clevedon Road at the bottom of Belmont Hill. Riding up Belmont Hill left as an optional exercise.

And yes, the crossing looks like an improvement, as it was sometimes a bit dodgy there. Glad to see they've kept it as one-stage without a pig pen.

[Chris from Nailsea]

It also gives you a view of the old Flax Bourton station buildings, which you can even have a nose around (but not in) from the Clevedon Road at the bottom of Belmont Hill.

Erm ... no, you can't, any more.  Access to the old station approach there has been gated off for some time now, as it's a private road. 

[CyclingSid]

Bristol appears to getting even more serious about spending money on cycling.
"Bristol plans to build a new £14 million cycling centre" https://road.cc/content/news/bristol-plans-build-new-ps14-million-cycling-centre-293327

But probably more controversial "Plan to permanently pedestrianise heart of Bristol city centre to be put to council for approval" https://road.cc/content/news/plan-pedestrianise-heart-bristol-city-centre-293349
I am sure that will start (if it hasn't already) an energetic discussion.
I am a little bit concerned that "open up the area for more on-street commercial and cultural use" doesn't become like parts of Oxford centre where you couldn't walk,let alone cycle, because streets had been completely taken over by restaurant tables.

[Bmblbzzz]

With regard to the pedestrianisation of the "Old City" – no, it doesn't seem to be provoking much discussion. At least, there are only three comments under the 24/7 piece. I haven't looked at the Bristol Post cos it's website is so sucky.
https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/popular-areas-in-bristol-city-centre-permanently-pedestrianised/

[Red Squirrel]

The King Street and Old City schemes are unlikely to be controversial. Following the implementation of a modal filter at Bristol Bridge a few years ago (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=25203.msg308407#msg308407) there's little motor traffic in these areas anyway, and Baldwin St provides a decent through route for cycles and buses.

King St, Corn St and St Nicholas St may well be 'taken over by restaurant tables' and market stalls, but that's kind of the whole point!

You can see the response the these proposals here: https://bristol.citizenspace.com/growth-regeneration/old-city-streets/

[CyclingSid]

Oh dear https://twitter.com/beardedjourno/status/1533073376616624134?cxt=HHwWjMC9vaGHycYqAAAA