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Derby Guildhall (Picture credit Charlesdrakew:Wikimedia Commons).JPGNew £7m bridge labelled a ‘death trap’ by Derby cyclists
“There was space for cycling here, the council chose to ignore it,” is cycle campaigner Tony Roelich’s verdict on Derby’s new London Road Bridge. The bridge reopened on Thursday after 16 months of disruption but despite £7m of investment, local cyclists feel they are no better off than before.
Roelich, who is campaigns co-ordinator for Derby Cycling Group, told the Derby Telegraph that his organisation had urged the council to provide a cycle route over the bridge but that nothing had come of their efforts.
“Despite much agreement with this principle, the final designs were agreed without consultation. The bridge is no wider than it was before. There is no cycle path – not even cycle lanes because the bridge is just 1m too narrow.”
But 81-year-old Mickleover resident, Les Sims, said it was even worse than that. One of the first cyclists to cross the bridge, he identified the narrowing of the road as being a major danger.
"It is a positive death trap for cyclists because the road narrows across the bridge and there will not be enough room. They have spent millions of pounds and there is nothing for cyclists. They could have at least marked out a cycle lane."
Roelich says that pavements have been narrowed as well, so that pedestrians are also worse off than they were before.
“The bridge sits in the middle of an area which receives £5m of government funding to develop sustainable travel to work options, and still the bridge delivers a bad deal for pedestrians and cyclists. There was space for cycling here, the council chose to ignore it.
“Without making the city more accessible to the thousands of people who want to cycle but are afraid to ride on the road, traffic congestion will only get rapidly worse, new bridge or not.”
The nearby Bombardier plant is likely to take on hundreds more staff in coming years having this year won the £1bn contract to provide trains for the London Crossrail project. Roelich feels there was an opportunity to get many of these people arriving at work by bike but concludes: “The new bridge will not feel any safer for cyclists than the old one, so many may choose to remain in their cars.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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9 comments
Does not suprise me one bit
Sadly this is far from unique. The last new bridge to be built over the Thames, was Walton Bridge down in Surrey.
It was opened just last year, and despite all the noise and fuss about cycling around the Olympics, the build up to the Tour de France, and the sheer number of leisure cyclists you'll find around that area every weekend, they more or less forgot the cycling provision. No cycle track, just the usual bad compromise of putting up some signs to make the path shared use.
Building proper cycling features into new infrastructure adds very little incremental cost. It's an area that I think deserves focused campaigning, because a clean sheet offers the potential to produce examples of the very best infrastructure built without compromise.
The studies into cycle routes parallel to the HS2 line would be an example of this, and these could be built without the reported issues that the Bristol & Bath route has by design.
I can't understand the fact that the bridge is "too narrow" to put a cycle lane in. Why can't road designers put the lane in anyway and make sure it's up to Dft standards (I say make cycle lanes 2m minimum), if it takes up half the lane, then so be it.
At least this will tell other road users this is a cycle lane, if there isn't space to get past me without encroaching on MY lane, then there isn't space to overtake safely and that the cyclist doesn't have to pull in just so you can get to your destination 10 seconds quicker.
I know it doesn't help with the message that we have every right to be there (I doubt many road users will ever learn that anyway no matter how many times you tell them), but at least drivers won't then try and squeeze past and think the cyclist is in the wrong for being in a part of the road that isn't full of crap and craters.x
Seven.Million.Pounds.unbelievable-the problem in the UK isn't lack of money-theres loads of cash sloshing around in various pots from various budgets for sustainable transport improvements etc-the problem is that it's entrusted in the main to idiots who simply have no concept of cycling (and in some cases actively dislike cyclists)
It's profoundly depressing and an embarrassment -how the rest of Europe must view us,a supposedly civilised progressive country
I'm sure there must be examples of good infrastructure somewhere but bloody hell,why cant we just get it right?
where is this good infrastructure you mention? i've never seen any!
Holland and Denmark. None in the UK yet.
The council did the same to a bridge near me, the barriers on the bridge weren't strong enough so they put crash temporary barriers in the cycle lane on both sides. 4 years later they made the barriers permanent. The bridge is easily big enough for the barriers and cycle lanes but of course they didn't put the lanes back. The council even removed the dropped curb (and the Cyclist dismount sign) so you can't even go on the pavement anymore you're forced into the inside lane of the dual carriageway.
Cyclists should be encouraged to take the prominent position if it is not safe to ride closer to the curb. They've created a rolling road block
You mean an opportunity for psychotic 'drivers' to intimidate and punishment pass whoever rides over the bridge?
Yes, that sort of road block.