Two views of a discussion

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

...Just my take on the subject of course, and other takes may differ. But the heading on this thread is “Two views of a discussion.”

...and your input is valued and thought-provoking!

The last few km of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path is, among other things, a very important commuter route. It is likely to become more important. Active travel will almost certainly be prioritised as we learn to adapt to the threat of Coronavirus.

Users, as we have discussed, range from toddlers on their way to school to fit and fast long-distance cycle commuters. There are bound to be tensions. I don't think we're going to agree on how best to resolve these!

But whatever else may happen, I think we can all agree that there is no possibility of accommodating a double track railway along this route unless it's in a tunnel underneath it. Which leads me to ask: What use would a single line be? Where would it go?

[Robin Summerhill]

Which leads me to ask: What use would a single line be? Where would it go?

You've got me thinking again now 

Even in steam days, nine minutes was par for the course between Temple Meads and Fishponds. I sm now thinking one way of utilising the route for public transport as well as its current use might be a light rail tram system running from the central area, joining the existing formation at either Barton Hill or Russell Town Avenue, with a single line up the bank with a passing loop at Fishponds and another at Mangotsfield. With a bit of careul timetabling a 15-minute interval service could be operated. Put in another passing loop on he Greenbank side of Kingswood junction atb that woould give a more frequent service possible, with the advantage of putting a chicane in on the path to slow down errant boy racers!

As regards where it would go, Emersons Green would be the obvious choice. Extending it beyond to Yate and/or Warmley and Bath would get a lot more expensive needing to bridge the A4174 Ring Road.

 I shall now stop pipe dreaming and come back to  reality 

[Robin Summerhill]

Where conflict seems to occur most is when you have a route which serves both purposes (recreational and commuter) and has high levels of cycle usage. In particular, the Bristol & Bath railway path, the western section of the Kennet & Avon towpath, and the Regent's Canal towpath in London.

Ultimately the only answer here, I think, is to alleviate the pressure by providing more commuter capacity elsewhere - i.e. more safe, direct segregated cycle tracks by roads. As I've written in the pages of Waterways World, London commuter cyclists don't choose the Regent's Canal because they like looking at ducks, they choose it because they don't want to get squashed by a tipper truck.

Of course, neither the Regents Canal nor the K&A have any pedestrian/ cycle segregation. The Regents Canal has plenty of impediments to sustained speed - two on road diversions to avoid tunnels under Edgware Road and Islington, restless natives with their cycle prohibition on the towpath at Maida Vale, plenty of locks, a right hand turn at Regents Park, permanently congested areas such as at Camden Lock and the general disincentive to speed that if you get it wrong you can get wet very quickly and very easily...

I admit I didn't even realise there was much commuter traffic on the K&A into Bath. Presumably it mainly comes from eastern Bath and perhaps Bradford on Avon? It is possible to get up to a fair rate of knots on the towpath at Widcombe flight, but there is a sharp turn there too and a very main road at the bottom, once again I would imagine de-incentivising high speed.

i can fully appreciate why both routes would be a far better alternative than the roads in the area though.

[Robin Summerhill]

It was a welcome distraction from the work I'm supposed to be doing! As are the photos, even more so.

In case anyone is interested in the Cromford & High Peak Railway, latterly the High Peak Trail, I posted some photographs on Flickr some years ago. They are not in an album, but the first in the series, showing the northern end of the Trail at Dowlow, is here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93122458@N08/19830273414/

Just keep clicking on the right arrow mid-screen and you can see them all. Once an image of the Handyside  Bridge at Derby appears you've got to the end!

[CyclingSid]

and the general disincentive to speed that if you get it wrong you can get wet very quickly and very easily...

Not to mention the paving with engineering bricks which are pretty lethal when wet, and a tendency to an adverse camber towards the canal.