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Renewed speeding warning to cyclists on Bristol & Bath Railway Path

Less than six months after police deployed speed guns, "daft minority" accused of putting schoolchldren in danger...

Cyclists on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path are once again being urged to cut their speed amid concerns that some are travelling too fast and posing a risk to children crossing it on their way to and from school. The charity Sustrans blames a "daft" minority of people cycling too quickly.

BBC News reports that parents of children at Whitehall Primary School in Easton are calling for action to be taken against riders travelling at speeds that endanger other users of the popular commuting route.

The appeal comes less than six months after Avon & Somerset Constabulary deployed officers with speed guns at the Devon Road Bridge close to the school, with a number of cyclists found travelling at speeds in excess of £20 asked to cut their speed.

That operation followed petitions launched by local residents worried about the safety of their children, but it appears that some bike riders are still riding at excessive speeds, with the BBC citing witness accounts of several collisions.

While there is no speed limit on the off-road facility, which was developed by Sustrans, its code of conduct does remind people that it is a shared use facility “used by pedestrians, disabled people and cyclists with consideration for all,” and that “everyone has equal priority.”

There is also a specific issue relating to the area around Whitehall Primary School, which is that it is on a straight stretch and – for commuters riding towards Bristol city centre in the morning – a downhill one.

Bristol’s assistant mayor for transport, Mark Bardshaw, said: "We are working on plans to develop safety measures on the path using funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

"Both the cycling and pedestrian communities would have to be consulted before any plan was approved but we recognise that something needs to change."

Meanwhile, Jon Usher of Sustrans, who uses the path himself for his commute, told the BBC: “You do see some particularly daft behaviour by a minority of people. That's a fairly horrible thing to admit to.

"We're getting to a stage of having to treat the railway path in the same way, psychologically, as we do the roads," he added.

In the past, there were concerns that one of the reasons for some cyclists riding at high speed on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path and other shared use facilities on the National Cycling Network such as Ashton Court in Bristol was due to attempts to set KOMs on Strava.

However, many such routes have since been flagged to the ride-tracking website as unsuitable.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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39 comments

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BikingBud | 8 years ago
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I ride it fairly regularly but not into Bristol everyday as I work towards Filton. However at weekends when popping into Bristol there are often problems I have even asked a bloke on a quad bike, no helmet, toddler daughter on front  13 if he thought it was okay to ride that on the path. He didn't seem to get what my point was or so I assumed from the expletives he was spouting.

It cannot be about the cash as close to £2 million has been chucked at Hambrook and that has made absolutely no difference to the safety for the cyclists.

Earlier last week there was a comment from someone who had been hit form behind and I nearly commented to that on the basis that he had pulled over, to the right, and someone from behind had punted him off. He didn't mention about looking and signalling before manoeuvring but again we would chastise car drivers for poor drills.

Out of interest went to Bath today to go through the two tunnels 2 interesting points:

A copper stood on the bridge just as you go past the Dolphin, I can only assume he was there to view the (ab)use of the path  39

Going through the 2 tunnels of the dozen or so bikes we passed, in both directions none had any lights on, this is also a problem on the B>B path. Do the same people ride on the road in winter without lights?

All in all its a busy path that is not a racetrack, Strava warriors should get out and time trial if they think they are that good, otherwise just ride and enjoy the fact that even whilst pootling along you are beating the jams.

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hawkinspeter | 8 years ago
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I used to go too fast along that section, but have since realised that if you're gonna go quicker than £15 then you'd be better off on the roads. However, that does leave you open to being heckled from car/van drivers that you're not using the cycle path.

That particular section is a long downhill straight, so it's asking for trouble to have it as a shared pedestrian/cyclist resource. Ideally, the cyclists will moderate their speeds and the pedestrians will keep to the correct side (and keep their dogs on the same side), but that's not going to happen in reality.

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richiewormiling | 8 years ago
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same issues up here on the Wirral with the Wirral Way and Burton Marsh. Moved on slightly (only just) from walkers shouting at cyclists for cycling on the tow path. I think education will change the perception. Fast cyclists whilst look dangerous isnt as dangerous as ones thinks, especially as pedestrians scatter often when hearing you. A more sophisticated approach would be to relax and fit in with the organised chaos.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to richiewormiling | 8 years ago
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richiewormiling wrote:

Fast cyclists whilst look dangerous isnt as dangerous as ones thinks, especially as pedestrians scatter often when hearing you.

If pedestrians have to "scatter," that suggests they don't feel too safe.

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FluffyKittenofT... | 8 years ago
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In my opinion shared-use paths shouldn't be the only route provided for a means of actually going somewhere (as opposed to pretty countryside leisure routes that are about fresh air and scenery), unless they are very sparsely used.

If they are so heavily used that this is a problem then they are a bad choice for the route, I would say, and the blame lies with sustrans.

Also, surely the fear is for children walking along the path, not 'crossing it', as the article (oddly) says? If cycle speeds are a danger to children 'crossing' what does that say about the average motorist on the average road?

"Everyone has equal priority" rarely works - just as it doesn't on most roads.

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John Smith replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 8 years ago
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We should be giving the same consideration to walkers as we expect drivers to give us. A few people don't seem to realize that you should never go faster than you can see, be that on a bike or in a car (or running for that matter). There could be anything round the corner. If you go round a corner and there is something there you run in to it is your fault.

[quote=FluffyKittenofTindalos
Also, surely the fear is for children walking along the path, not 'crossing it', as the article (oddly) says? If cycle speeds are a danger to children 'crossing' what does that say about the average motorist on the average road?
[/quote]

They seem to manage quite well, and if I see a child at the side of the road driving I am prepared that they might do something unexpected, just as I do on my bike, just as I was taught to do when doing my driving test. If you adjust your speed appropriate for the situation then the danger is gone. The problem here is that people are not adjusting their speed.

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shay cycles replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 8 years ago
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They aren't the only route.

They may be the only traffic free route.

There are always roads for those who find the shared routes too slow, too crowded or too dangerous!

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Al__S | 8 years ago
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I'm given to understand that the railway was a double track line throughout, yes? So why on earth is the tarmac only 3m wide? The ballasted right of way will have been a good 8-10m wide when in use. if it was 10m, you could have in that space a 5m wide cycleway with centre line markings, a 3m(!) footway and even a grass verge between them and still have change left over. That's clearly the answer- make it wide enough and separate the pedestrians and cyclists.

(5m wide would be positively luxurious for cycling)

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BigAl68 | 8 years ago
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To be honest the path is full of nobbers every day. I have the pleasure of using the path pretty much alone in the mornings as I start work at 6am and travel to Bristol from Bath. This situation also occurs at the school in Bitton.

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BigAl68 | 8 years ago
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To be honest the path is full of nobbers every day. I have the pleasure of using the path pretty much alone in the mornings as I start work at 6am and travel to Bristol from Bath. This situation also occurs at the school in Bitton.

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brooksby replied to BigAl68 | 8 years ago
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BigAl68 wrote:

To be honest the path is full of nobbers every day. I have the pleasure of using the path pretty much alone in the mornings as I start work at 6am and travel to Bristol from Bath. This situation also occurs at the school in Bitton.

I went along the Path to go from Bristol to Bath, during rush hour in the morning (c. 8.30 am). I had a day off, and hadn't been along there during the week before. Parts of it (at the Bristol end) really did feel pretty hairy, with people (not just roadies - hybrids and MTBs, too) coming down toward Bristol as fast as they could. I can see why the parents at Whitehill are "concerned" (tm), but as far as crossing it goes couldn't they treat it the way they cross any other road? Stop, look, listen, and all that...

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Benjamin Nickolls | 8 years ago
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The path is fine, the measures around the schools are fine (signage, flashing speedo) and in the most part even the quicker cyclists are sensible around the schools to fear of their bikes if anything.

Yes there are a few idiots but you're not going to catch them without introducing measures that will send people back onto the A4, which kind of defies the point of the path no?

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nowasps | 8 years ago
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Sustran's faith in shared paths seems hopelessly out of touch when it comes to cycling as transport.

People on bikes behave as badly as people in cars when there's someone lower in the pecking order to ignore or bully.*

*Edit: Without all the killing, of course.

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P3t3 | 8 years ago
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Its time sustrans actually sorted this out, the problem is lack of tarmac not speed. For a lot of users its a high speed long distance route and it needs to look like a road. For most of its length there is available real estate to have a "footway" for people to walk on and a bit below this separated by a kerb they need a "cycleway" with white lines down the middle and direction arrows and both of these components need to be as wide or wider than the existing tarmac stripe. That way once people walking work out that if they stay above the kerb they won't get run over the whole thing will become sane again. Then is is safe for people that want to dawdle.

They need to celebrate the fact you can ride fast over a long distance on this path not reduce the speed and worth, at the moment its design is inadequate.

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harman_mogul | 8 years ago
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Specifically for the crossing point near the school, why not a pelican crossing?

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Alf0nse | 8 years ago
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I cycle the route most days in from Bath and I have to say about 10% of the cyclists are riding like total C*cks

No excuses... they are entitled d*ckheads who think they are in a race & their mad cycle skillz allow them to mow down a toddler.

I'd like to see some arrests for "wanton and furious cycling"

People moan about pedestrians being unpredicatable, but they are more predicatble at a safe speed.

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adriank999 | 8 years ago
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Please sign the petition to eliminate advertising signs on roundabouts, which encourage accidents and are very dangerous places for cyclists.

https://petitions.southglos.gov.uk/petitions.ti/advertsonroundabout

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Paul_C | 8 years ago
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careful chaps and chapesses... or they may put in rubbish like this every couple of hundred meters to slow people down and that would punish the many because of the stupidity of the few and also deny the use of this track to those on hand cranked trikes or tandems or towing cargo trailers or riding cargo bikes...

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Dantenspeed | 8 years ago
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In Edinburgh the canal path has traffic calming measures. Perhaps this is needed, sad to say

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Sub5orange | 8 years ago
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People are people. Some are selfish ah that will drive, cycle, walk with no consideration for others. Unfortunately those ah on a bike give the majority of cyclists that use common sense and are not ruled by their strava times a bad name and might get them banned from using some popular routes, especially if UKIP got on a local council.

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barbarus | 8 years ago
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Ultimately all spaces are shared. Use common sense!

Disclaimer: Iamacyclistpedestrianrunnerparentdogwalker

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dotdash | 8 years ago
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I was riding on a different path today and when I went round the corner someone was sat down looking the other way with their dog on the other side of the path on one of the stupid extendable dog leads.

Lucky I managed to hit the breaks.

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bdsl replied to dotdash | 8 years ago
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dotdash wrote:

I was riding on a different path today and when I went round the corner someone was sat down looking the other way with their dog on the other side of the path on one of the stupid extendable dog leads.

Lucky I managed to hit the breaks.

Shouldn't you have been riding slow enough to stop within the space you could see to be clear without the need to be lucky?

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Quince replied to bdsl | 8 years ago
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bdsl wrote:
dotdash wrote:

I was riding on a different path today and when I went round the corner someone was sat down looking the other way with their dog on the other side of the path on one of the stupid extendable dog leads.

Lucky I managed to hit the breaks.

Shouldn't you have been riding slow enough to stop within the space you could see to be clear without the need to be lucky?

I think that's fair. When I drive, I generally imagine that some poor sod on a bike has crashed and is sprawled on the floor around every blind corner. And when I ride on a shared path, I accept that people on foot tend to amble around (which is fair enough) and sometimes use dog leads selfishly and thoughtlessly (which isn't, but at least it's not actively hostile). And when I walk, I try not to step on any rabbits or badgers or small children. Which is probably the easiest of the three.

That said, if conflict can be reduced or removed by design, then that takes priority over any smarmy moralising.

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dotdash replied to bdsl | 8 years ago
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bdsl wrote:
dotdash wrote:

I was riding on a different path today and when I went round the corner someone was sat down looking the other way with their dog on the other side of the path on one of the stupid extendable dog leads.

Lucky I managed to hit the breaks.

Shouldn't you have been riding slow enough to stop within the space you could see to be clear without the need to be lucky?

I saw the woman, and the dog but not the lead across the path until the last moment. SO I had already reduced my speed as I didn't know what the dog was going to do.

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gdmor10 | 8 years ago
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I use shared paths in Reading every day and my conclusion is that pedestrians are much less predictable than cars, if there are kids around then especially important to slow down!

I don't do Strava and don't know much about it (Luddite) but would it not be sensible for that not to be allowed on shared paths as it seems to encourage this stuff?

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bdsl replied to gdmor10 | 8 years ago
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gdmor10 wrote:

I use shared paths in Reading every day and my conclusion is that pedestrians are much less predictable than cars, if there are kids around then especially important to slow down!

I don't do Strava and don't know much about it (Luddite) but would it not be sensible for that not to be allowed on shared paths as it seems to encourage this stuff?

If you mean not allowed as in make it a crime, no that wouldn't be sensible. Lots of things encourage this stuff - should we not allow cyclists who are late for work on shared paths?

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Bikeylikey | 8 years ago
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Mixing cyclists and pedestrians does not work. How much better the path would be if it had been made wider and cycling and pedestrians were separated. I did some voluntary work on this path back in the late 70s when it was being constructed, and have used it a lot ever since. It's definitely become worse over the years for both speeding and aggression. Maybe linke to being used by ever increasing numbers. You don't have to be going all that fast to attract a lot negative attention now. Being sworn at for politely announcing your presence to walkers strung across the path is a regular occurrence. Bells are even worse: I tried one for a while, I got 'Don't ring your effing bell at me, c**t' once, but more often scowls and 'alright, alright'.

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brooksby replied to Bikeylikey | 8 years ago
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bikeylikey wrote:

You don't have to be going all that fast to attract a lot negative attention now. Being sworn at for politely announcing your presence to walkers strung across the path is a regular occurrence. Bells are even worse: I tried one for a while, I got 'Don't ring your effing bell at me, c**t' once, but more often scowls and 'alright, alright'.

So true. If you don't ring a bell or say anything and try to overtake you run the risk of the ped deciding that very moment to wander off to their right. If you do ring a bell then you are seen as being somehow rude ("How dare you tell me to move?"). And yet, half the time I am (considerately) ringing my bell just to make sure that the ped knows I'm coming, not to ask them to move.

Of course, none of this helps if the ped is plugged into earbuds and can't hear a d**m thing going on around them anyway...

And don't get me started on dog walkers: half of them don't see anything wrong with Fido wandering all over the place on his own, no lead; half of them are happy to string a clothes-line (sorry, extendable lead) across an entire path; and half of them pick their Fido up and hold him to their chest, while glaring at you as if you were planning to run poor Fido down.

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earth replied to brooksby | 8 years ago
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brooksby wrote:

So true. If you don't ring a bell or say anything and try to overtake you run the risk of the ped deciding that very moment to wander off to their right. If you do ring a bell then you are seen as being somehow rude ("How dare you tell me to move?"). And yet, half the time I am (considerately) ringing my bell just to make sure that the ped knows I'm coming, not to ask them to move.

Of course, none of this helps if the ped is plugged into earbuds and can't hear a d**m thing going on around them anyway...

And if the pedestrians walked on the correct side - into the on coming traffic then they would see you approaching. Those cycles they don't see would be on the other side of the road to them and pose little danger.

But no body here like the idea of that either.

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