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Moratorium on shared space? (The Inclusive Transport Strategy)

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  • July 31, 2018 at 9:49 am #28786
    brooksby

    [quote]The government has also imposed a moratorium on the creation of any new ‘shared space’ schemes in response to concerns raised during the consultation on its nrw Inclusive Transport Strategy.

    Shared space schemes involve the removal of features such as kerbs, road surface markings, designated crossing places and traffic signs are removed. In the strategy document, the Department for Transport said the “pause” will allow it to carry out research and produce updated guidance.[/quote]

    Taken from

    https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/58497/government-publishes-inclusive-transport-strategy

    The Govt’s own page at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-transport-strategy/the-inclusive-transport-strategy-achieving-equal-access-for-disabled-people#improving-physical-infrastructure

    says

    [quote]

    Shared Space

    8.9 “Shared space” schemes, where features such as kerbs, road surface markings, designated crossing places and traffic signs are removed, have been introduced in many town centres in recent years. There are mixed views, however, on their impacts, and many respondents to the draft AAP consultation raised significant concerns about them. Groups representing visually impaired people expressed concern that ‘shared space’ schemes were dangerous and difficult to navigate.

    8.10 We recognise that the issues around shared space are important to disabled people and note that many of those responding to the draft AAP consultation called for a ‘moratorium’ on shared space schemes, and for the withdrawal of the Department’s Local Transport Note 1/11: Shared Space. The Women and Equalities Select Committee report into Disability and the Built Environment, published on 25 April 2017, made similar recommendations. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation carried out a review of shared space, which was published on 9 January 2018. This made a range of recommendations, which we are currently considering. DPTAC have provided their own assessment of the CIHT review, which we will also take into account as we develop our response.

    8.11 While we consider CIHT and DPTAC’s recommendations and how to take them forward, we are requesting that local authorities pause any shared space schemes incorporating a level surface they are considering, and which are at the design stage. We are also temporarily suspending Local Transport Note 1/11. This pause will allow us to carry out research and produce updated guidance.

    [/quote]

    So – does this mean ‘shared space’ (ie. the council thinks its cheaper to put up blue signs rather than build proper cycling infrastructure) or does it mean ‘shared space’ (ie. lets put down glossy new flagstones and make sure no one type of user (ped/cyclist/motorist) has overall priority over another)?

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Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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  • August 3, 2018 at 3:31 pm #924463
    0
    hawkinspeter
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

    I reckon it’ll happen, but will take a long time (already has taken a long time). Presumably, the lorry’s insurance company is arguing about how much it’ll cost to fix, so they’re getting a few quotes.

    Sod the insurance! They ought to go after the trucking idiot personally! (didya see what I did there?)

    I doubt that the trucker would have the money to repair the bridge (hundreds of thousands?) so they’d never fix it if they went down that route.

    I know. I just wanted to use my “trucking idiot” pun yes

    I’ll have you know that this is a serious cycling forum with no room for puns, jokes or other amusements.

     

    By the way, just spotted an update on the Cheesegrater: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/cheesegrater-bridge-near-bristol-temple-1857303

    The insurance claim will shortly be settled!

    (I hope it’s soon as I don’t like the other bridge so much)

    August 1, 2018 at 1:25 pm #924461
    0
    brooksby
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

    I reckon it’ll happen, but will take a long time (already has taken a long time). Presumably, the lorry’s insurance company is arguing about how much it’ll cost to fix, so they’re getting a few quotes.

    Sod the insurance! They ought to go after the trucking idiot personally! (didya see what I did there?)

    I doubt that the trucker would have the money to repair the bridge (hundreds of thousands?) so they’d never fix it if they went down that route.

    I know. I just wanted to use my “trucking idiot” pun yes

    July 31, 2018 at 7:57 pm #924459
    0
    hawkinspeter
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

     

    I reckon it’ll happen, but will take a long time (already has taken a long time). Presumably, the lorry’s insurance company is arguing about how much it’ll cost to fix, so they’re getting a few quotes.

    Sod the insurance! They ought to go after the trucking idiot personally! (didya see what I did there?)

    I doubt that the trucker would have the money to repair the bridge (hundreds of thousands?) so they’d never fix it if they went down that route.

    July 31, 2018 at 7:09 pm #924457
    0
    brooksby
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

     

    I reckon it’ll happen, but will take a long time (already has taken a long time). Presumably, the lorry’s insurance company is arguing about how much it’ll cost to fix, so they’re getting a few quotes.

    Sod the insurance! They ought to go after the trucking idiot personally! (didya see what I did there?)

    July 31, 2018 at 3:42 pm #924455
    0
    hawkinspeter
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

     

    I reckon it’ll happen, but will take a long time (already has taken a long time). Presumably, the lorry’s insurance company is arguing about how much it’ll cost to fix, so they’re getting a few quotes.

    July 31, 2018 at 3:05 pm #924453
    0
    brooksby
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    Privately owned, the developer never really wanted to let bikes on there anyway…  You do know that’ll *never* happen, right?  

    July 31, 2018 at 2:14 pm #924451
    0
    hawkinspeter
    brooksby wrote:
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    The only shared space that I’ve seen is the little part behind Bristol Temple Meads (just by the Gromit). Initially I thought it was a really dumb idea, but I’ve got used to the idea of being more relaxed and making sure that I don’t ride over people in my haste to catch a train.

    I think it’s just a matter of time before some kid runs out into the path of a cyclist or motorist and gets injured.

    In the original drawings, all that new gubbins on the Centre was supposed to be shared space to make a wonderful friendly environment for pedestrians (and was supposed to look like Exhibition Road in London).

    By the time they finished building it, they ended up with a normal – and very busy! – black tarmacced road right through the middle (from Baldwin Street to opposite the Hippodrome) with a single toucan crossing.

    In the interests of full disclosure, I actually read about this Strategy in the Bristol Post, and they have a real bee in their bonnet about all of that work done on the Centre, and especially the bike lane and paved area around the Cenotaph.  Mind you, as you know, they also hate it if the council builds separated infrastructure, so I’m not exactly sure what they want done…

    I just saw that article on the Brizzle Post: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/shared-spaces-stopped-because-danger-1841385

    They still seem to be building that Temple Meads area (seems to be called “Friary” on google maps), so I wonder what they’ll do with that. It’s not a great are to try things out as there’s a lot of unpredictable foot traffic from the station on weekends and evenings (e.g. drunken stag parties).

    I’m still waiting on them to fix the Cheesegrater Bridge.

    July 31, 2018 at 2:08 pm #924449
    0
    brooksby
    hawkinspeter wrote:
    The only shared space that I’ve seen is the little part behind Bristol Temple Meads (just by the Gromit). Initially I thought it was a really dumb idea, but I’ve got used to the idea of being more relaxed and making sure that I don’t ride over people in my haste to catch a train.

    I think it’s just a matter of time before some kid runs out into the path of a cyclist or motorist and gets injured.

    In the original drawings, all that new gubbins on the Centre was supposed to be shared space to make a wonderful friendly environment for pedestrians (and was supposed to look like Exhibition Road in London).

    By the time they finished building it, they ended up with a normal – and very busy! – black tarmacced road right through the middle (from Baldwin Street to opposite the Hippodrome) with a single toucan crossing.

    In the interests of full disclosure, I actually read about this Strategy in the Bristol Post, and they have a real bee in their bonnet about all of that work done on the Centre, and especially the bike lane and paved area around the Cenotaph.  Mind you, as you know, they also hate it if the council builds separated infrastructure, so I’m not exactly sure what they want done…

    July 31, 2018 at 1:59 pm #924447
    0
    hawkinspeter

    The only shared space that I

    The only shared space that I’ve seen is the little part behind Bristol Temple Meads (just by the Gromit). Initially I thought it was a really dumb idea, but I’ve got used to the idea of being more relaxed and making sure that I don’t ride over people in my haste to catch a train.

    I think it’s just a matter of time before some kid runs out into the path of a cyclist or motorist and gets injured.

    July 31, 2018 at 1:45 pm #924445
    0
    the little onion

    It’s the latter – it is an

    It’s the latter – it is an approach tried extensively in suburban Netherlands (and in the UK, in places like Exhibition road in kensington (see here), where you essentially remove as much street signage, painted lines, furniture etc as possible, so that the lines between different spaces (road space, pavement) become completely blurred. It then makes people slow down, think, and become more aware of their surroundings.

     

    It’s counter-intuitive, but it seems to work when done well, and frequently. The reason it works well elsewhere is because it is common, so people know what to do. When it was sort-of introduced here in the UK’s home of bad driving (bradford – see here), it didn’t work so well because it was so unfamiliar that people didn’t know how to react. 

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