Behind The Bike Shed Vol.2
Welcome back to ‘Behind The Bike Shed’. This installment will be concentrating on the cycle infrastructure here in Cambridge and how it compares to other cycling communities. Do we fit the bill for an ‘Example Cycle City’ or fall short of the crossbar?
“The journey of life is like a man riding a bicycle. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. We know that if he stops moving and does not get off he will fall off”.
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993)British novelist.
Cambridge is famous for many things including stunning architecture, world class research and open green spaces. Another claim to fame is the humble bicycle – visitors from around the world comment on the number of bicycles we take for granted and marvel at our continuing love of cycling, come rain or shine.
We do boast the highest percentage of residents being able to commute to work by bycycle in the UK due to the small distances between work and home: 80 % of Cambridge employees falling under this bracket compared with the 67 % national average.
So, does Cambridge presents itself as a perfectly picturesque place it cycle around? Perhaps not: a recent study branded Cambridge the most dangerous city in the UK for cyclist safety: with 0.021 % of the population citing cycle accidents compared with the national average of 0.004%. The study, conducted by accomodation company Easyroommate.co.uk, has been heavily critisised for severe flaws in the experimental design. Namely they did not analyse the number of accidents per cyclist in Cambridge but rather compared the total number of cycling accidents per city. Hence a city boasting one of the highest number of cyclists in the UK may naturally be exposing itself to a higher number of cycle accidents.
Regardless of the above flawed study, the question is, does our cycling infrastructure, provided and maintained by Cambridge County Council, live up to our dedication as cyclists? I can’t think of another city in Britain that compares to Cambridge for cycling (OK, so I hear the cries for Oxford, but no, we won’t go there), so my mind heads to Holland for a comparison. The Dutch have truly embraced the cycle since its invention and their cycle infrastructure is fantastic. Every road seems to have a dedicated cycle lane. On the minor roads, they will run directly along the edge of the road, as we have here. On the major roads, the cycle route is separated, usually by a grass strip and provides a safe cycling environment alongside faster flowing traffic. The pattern seems to be perfectly mated to traffic volume and speed of traffic. The more traffic and faster flowing the road is, the better the cycle lane. Makes sense doesn’t it, these busier roads will be used by more cyclists too.
In Holland towns and cities are superbly set-up for cycling, often having every major road accompanied by a separate dedicated cycle route. This is achieved by planning, cycle lanes included from the start. This seems to have happened in Holland for many-a-year but this certainly isn’t the case here in Cambridge or elsewhere in the UK. So often here, we have a cycle lane that’s added to an already heavily frequented road. Thus, narrowing the carriageway and taking the path of every drain cover and high curb imaginable. Trucks and buses swerve to avoid the steely cyclists as they squeeze past. My goodness, I think we all know that ‘brace yourself’ moment of a bus flying past during rush hour. Other ‘joke’ cycle lanes include a stretch of road with parked cars bunked up on curbs, half on some grotty piece of grass, half on the cycle lane. Oh the safety, the sense of it all! We swerve gingerly out to pass the parked car, the 5th of the 100 cars ahead. Some berk approaching behind puts his foot down to get past. All just in time to avoid the other approaching car who has begun swerving to avoid the approaching cyclist opposite. Complicated isn’t it! Ever get the feeling council planners don’t cycle?
So, on initial comparison, we don’t match up too well do we, lets continue to see if things get better. Why not adapt a wide foot path into a footpath and cycle lane? This one’s a blast. OK, so your away from the immediate danger of fast traffic, but there are the other complications. Firstly, pedestrians just don’t get it, they wander. This I can understand, it was a foot path, it’s been violated by some white line happy planner (no, not that kinda white line, but you do wonder). So wander, wander across it all, show disgust at a bell ringing, it just doesn’t work. Secondly, the ‘path’ usually happens to be the access point to many private drives, cars need access to said drives. So, yet more danger, the cars come right across the ‘path’. Show pity for the drivers here too, as they have to avoid manslaughter charges, every time they nervously reverse out and drive in. Thirdly, turnings off the road that the converted foot path runs alongside, this is simple, the annoyance of having to stop every time!
When are we going to get provisions to merit the cycling community here? I can’t see it happening soon, there’s a very long-standing history of cycling here and nothings really improved. I guess something that has grown out of all proportion is the number of cars on the road, and the speed people drive, but this was predicted in the 80’s when Cambridge first started on it’s silicone valley business boom. People did predict a massive increase in traffic volume, but cycle lane provisions weren’t set out from the start. Also, a very limiting factor is the small size of the centers old roads, built for horse and cart. This cannot be changed, but pedestrianization and one-way routes could be further implemented following well thought through design. I think a move toward a better cycling future would be to involve the towns own council more on road planning decisions. At the moment we are governed by the county council, but we are unique here in Cambridge with our cycling culture. Also to support the good work of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign (www.camcycle.org.uk) who support cycling here and are fully aware of all the limiting factors mentioned above.
A final thought goes to what seems to be on the minds of the nation at the moment, yes you guessed it, potholes! The roads are at their worst this time of year, especially so after the harsh winter we’ve just had. Please be pro-active about this and visit www.fillthathole.org.uk to log your complaints.
We do love cycling here in Cambridge don’t we? I do!
Frank.