The Bath Anti-Cycle Infrastructure Lobby (video)

This section looks a bit

This section looks a bit tricky: 

https://goo.gl/maps/Udm8mwuNHkmDuvxf9

If you’re coming towards the camera and want to turn right into Nile Street, you’ve got to either cross both lanes of traffic, the first while having your view blocked by the parked cars, or leave the cycle lane early – possibly before you realise you’re at the turning – while avoiding the little plastic ‘orcas’ and possibly receiving the wrath of aggravated drivers. Looks like a bad place to allow parking, especially as it’s not been allowed on the rest of the road.

I’m local to this, living

I’m local to this, living just up the hill from the Royal Crescent. I use this lane every weekday as part of my commute from central Bath to Central Bristol. 

It’s not a great design to be honest. I would have much preferred them to stick a two direction bike lane on just one side of the road – wide enough that emergency vehicles could use it in emergencies (just like they use the Embankment cyclelane in london – actually allows for much faster transit by emergency vehicles). It’s far too short – would be better used if it was longer – so in its current incarnation does not really provide a safe protected route for many (it would need to link the centre to the railway path to be genuinely useful, or at least to Locksbrook Road). 

Given I mostly see the lane when I am actually using it, I would say that it is lightly used, but that this is increasing. As the weather gets better I am seeing more people using it in both directions, morning and evening. More would probably use it if it was better designed, and there has to be an element of induced demand. Create facilities, and people will begin to use them, but it takes time. 

The park is not an alternative route – the road through the park goes in a circle and doesn’t enable east-west transit. 

The river is not a great route, but is the most used one due to it previously being the only half safe option. It can be busy with pedestrians and is very narrow at points, so there is potential for conflict and danger. Large stretches of the river route are badly surfaced, and large stretches are unlit (if you are linking up with the Bath-Bristol Railway Path). 

Yes, there are some vulnerable residents along the Upper Bristol Road. There are just about anywhere. Having done polling along the vast majority of the road though, I know that the majority of residents are not elderly or vulnerable. A very large proportion of the residences, especially where the bike lanes are, are rented. The north side lane (running east) borders the park, is almost half B&Bs. There is a rear lane (admittedly narrow) providing access to all of these properties, including offroad parking for almost every property. 

The south side lane (running west) does primarily border houses. Again though, it is worth taking a look at a satelite image on google maps. Many of these have rear access lanes. A number of the housing blocks have rear parking. 

One final point – the turning from Upper Bristol Road onto Marlborough Lane. This was an accident black-spot, with vehicles turning in at speed ignoring pedestrians and then getting in to trouble as the road is pretty narrow (with cars parked down one side, two vehicles can pass as long as they are being careful and are not both very wide). Building out the pavements has made it much easier and safer for pedestrians to cross. Most large vehicles manage to make the turning without too much drama. It is not designed as a major thoroughfare (although it is quite busy) – it is a 20mph mostly residential road. 

Iron age, please! I’m not
Iron age, please! I’m not Barney Gravel Rubble!

We all used to live like this

We all used to live like this.  In some places, in some nations, for probably a maximum of 4-5 generations – things changed.  But things are still not completely changed for everyone in the UK.  I’d say that most people would be pretty happy living in a neighbourhood like this.

To me it looks like 3 sources of complaint:

1) People who just don’t want a change.  Life’s complicated enough.  And change is extra painful when you’ve built your life around a very convenient (to you) mode – driving.
2) …overlapping with some folks genuinely worried about increasing government centralisation and power.  Of course governments and rulers need continual watching and rights need to be maintained.  However it really varies globally.  If in doubt about motives follow the money.  A cheap, fundamentally decentralised technology like bicycles is less likely to be a trojan horse than, say a more intensive and pervasive tech.  Such as motor vehicles (with number plates!) and reliance on large amounts of electricity and digital connectivity.
3) Some rather powerful interests who are keen on the status quo – the motor lobby, energy companies, builders / developers – and the politicians that they have been funding all this time.

My paranoia – there are definitely departments of smart, well-funded and connected folks in category (3) who may be tasked with seeing off any challenge to the status quo.  Those in category (2) are ripe for hearing “the cycle-fanciers are trying to taking your rights!”…

The more thoughtful / amusing
The more thoughtful / amusing grouch and contrarian bikesnobNYC (a LOT more amusing than our “right-thinking” provocateurs) has musings on why some people are getting twitchy about this and also why they may feel those in favour of 15 minute cities are hypocrites who’re full of it.

You Can’t Spell “Conspiracy” Without “Con” or “Racy.” Think About It.

Also – unusually for the topic – some good BTL comments on that!

Ah. It could be Nigel-likey.

Ah. It could be Nigel-likey.

I think you’re on to

I think you’re on to something with this lookey-likey thing.  But maybe it can happen in other ways?  For some reason I can’t explain found myself wanting a picture to post on the theme of “Khan!” here.  But it turns out that now the famed Star Trek villan looks a lot like Benedict Cumberbatch.

I guess that’s a case of the name staying the same but the person changing.  But could the opposite happen?  The name changing but the person staying the same?  Would that be called lookey-likey or something else?

Co-presenter Leonard Nimoy. 

Co-presenter Leonard Nimoy.