Concerns have been raised by a university over the safety of a recently opened cycle route close to one of its campuses, after riders have reported slipping accidents.
The cycle route, which runs along the A4174 Ring Road between Bromley Heath and Frenchay in South Gloucestershire, was completed in November.
University staff from the University of the West of England have reported slip accidents and near misses whilst using the cycle lane.
One commuter, Lukas Griewe, told the BBC that the lane felt “very slippery” shortly after opening, due to wet leaves on the path.
He added that the raised edge separating the cycle track from the pedestrian path also could pose a risk to cyclists.
“There is a height difference between the lanes,” he said. “I know it’s there, but for someone who cycles for the first time, or cycles in the dark, I think you can miss the ledge quite easily.”
A spokesperson from the South Gloucestershire Council said it has no concerns about the cycle lane’s surface. They asked that people take extra care during freezing conditions, as the surfaces can be slippery even after gritting.
Funding for the project was provided by the Department for Transport through the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Sean Rhodes, cabinet member for communities and local place, described the scheme as an important step towards providing “more sustainable travel choices” across the county.
12 thoughts on “Cyclists raise safety concerns after slips and near misses on new cycle lane”
Gloucestershire or Bristol?
Gloucestershire or Bristol?
I’d guess Bristol, but I’d need to see a detailed border map to check for sure.
It’s certainly Bristol in spirit.
South Glos.https:/
South Glos.https://a4174improvements.commonplace.is/
slc wrote:
Yep. Still feels like Bristol though. I was surprised to see Frenchay described as a village in South Glos.
hawkinspeter wrote:
I’m always amazed that Kingswood is “a town and civil parish in the South Gloucestershire district of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England”, since it is pretty obviously in Bristol.
It all used to be Avon, which
It all used to be Avon, which made sense, but the buggers in Bristol kept voting labour and dominating the whole thing, so the government split it up.
I use this frequently on my
I use this frequently on my way to work – it is part of a path that circuits roughly 1/4 of Bristol. The project to upgrade this northern part has been substantial, with ~6 months closure, and IMHO largely a waste since it was mostly fine (the bad bits are still bad) for bikes and peds before and there are so many other routes that are terrible.
If anything, the depicted section is now over-engineered given the level of use (popular, but by no means heavily used). It is now wide and with a different coloured and to my eye high-quality surface. Other (shortish) sections have been widened and surfaced very poorly, basically tarmac over dirt. And of course the original plan of increased priority over motor lanes (e.g here https://maps.app.goo.gl/nPs5HygG15cQM37T6, though not a big deal as few motors use the lane in question) has not happened.
Agree UK infra is still in a
Agree UK infra is still in a state of “can we join the few half-decent bits up” and “what about the junctions” …
… and i know what you’re getting at
… but (on “over-engineered”) I’d still suggest that a separate, reasonably wide, clearly marked cycle path (separate from a footway – unless it’s far out in the country with low predicted use by cyclists AND pedestrians) with good drainage, adequate signage and lighting *is* the minimum standard! For “mass cycling” that is (where we’ll hopefully end up, probably long after my time).
If we’re just designing for the cyclists of today we’re almost back to argument of “how about none, I’m a cyclist myself and I’m perfectly happy with using the road” (possibly with a measure of “police it better” as if “careful, considerate” drivers weren’t crashing themselves into immovable objects to their own detriment every day). Which someone may be along to make any time soon…
chrisonabike wrote:
Don’t get me wrong, it is a standard that would be great to see in general. But it was already pretty much at that standard in practice (shared, but rare to see a pedestrian) prior to the alterations, while other sections were and are horrible (see https://maps.app.goo.gl/VMzaCZ8FgQM1iLbE9). This bit was done because it would not inconvenience motorists, and the cost means that more useful things were not done.
slc wrote:
I’m on the same page as you with “stuff was done where it was least controversial, not where most needed”.
I’m clearly asking for things which are mostly (but not now *always*) beyond what seems to get done in the UK. BUT I think you may be also … the idea that if only they didn’t spend the money “where they can” they would instead spend it on more useful things is also rather optimistic!
chrisonabike wrote:
Hard to argue with that 🙂
I’ve cycled this stretch
I’ve cycled this stretch regularly (commuting) for the last 17 years; for the last few years I’ve used the (on road) cycle route on the Filton Rd (past uni sports pitches) for the stretch west of the M32, but that road surface is pretty poor (potholes etc). Now there’s the very wide (does seem very generous) bike lane, I’m using that. It’s very smooth, but I wouldn’t call it slippy; the university criticism is pretty lame. If it’s icy and/or there’s lots of leaves, it could be slippy (no sh#t); you can’t blame the infrastructure. Perhaps lower your tyre pressures a bit and take it easy when cornering. The bike lane and footpath are different colours so the curb isn’t hidden. I was the lone cyclist coming up from the M32 with the traffic stationary the other day; perhaps ‘build it and they will come’. I’ve stopped saying to people who are raging about the ring road traffic, “why don’t you use a bike?” They never learn. I was more worried about some driver (in the queue) losing their mind and driving up the bike path. I was in Toulouse on Sunday; hired an ‘on-street’ bike and did some exploring; bike lanes and infrastructure everywhere. N Bristol is pretty flat; there’s very little excuse to exclusively use a car.
Shades wrote:
Relative to what? I’ve definitely puffed my way up some flat roads in North Bristol.