Cycle Rights Network (Farnham) response to public exhibition on Safe Routes to Schools schemes for Weydon Lane and Echo Barn Lane - The Ridgeway

30^th March 2002

Weydon Lane

The Cycle Rights Network (Farnham) welcomes the SRS scheme for Weydon Lane which we believe will deter through traffic and provide a safer cycling and walking environment for children. We have two suggestions to further improve the measures:

1. the 20mph speed limit outside Weydon Lane Secondary School should be mirrored in the vicinity of the Pilgrims Way Primary School;

2. the advanced stop lines on the north side of the bridge over the railway should be matched by advanced stops lines on the south side approach to the proposed traffic lights. As well as giving cyclists priority access to the single lane bridge crossing, these extra advance stop lines will make it easier for cyclists to turn right into, and from, the GA Day DIY store / builders merchants.

Echo Barn Lane - The Ridgeway

As well as a potential cycle route for school children, this road is an important utility route for cyclists as it links to shops and runs east -west with very gentle gradients.

CRN(F) understands that the traffic calming measures that can be used along this route are limited due to the route's designation as a heavy vehicle and wide load route. Nevertheless, the suggested use of mini-roundabouts as traffic calming measures is totally unacceptable from a cyclist's perspective. The use of priority give ways with cycle by-passes is welcomed by CRN(F).

The following specific comments / suggestions are made for this scheme:

1. Mini-roundabouts. The public exhibition stated that "the measures are aimed at making walking and cycling safer and easier". Installation of mini-roundabouts will not make cycling safer, quite the contrary. The DTLR traffic advisory leaflet on 'Cyclists at Roundabouts' states, as its first sentence, that "10% of all reported accidents involving pedal cycles occur at roundabouts. Of that proportion, 11% involve fatal or serious injury to a cyclist." As cyclists we also know how roundabouts impede our journeys. At normal road junctions, motorists are generally good at indicating. At roundabouts the rate of indication drops significantly and at mini-roundabouts in particular, correct signaling by motorists is the exception rather than the rule. The delays and irritation caused by unnecessarily giving way to traffic at mini-roundabouts is not likely to encourage more cycle use.

   We accept that removing all the mini-roundabouts from the scheme will dilute the degree of traffic calming however the introduction of alternative traffic calming measures would, at least partially, compensate. Our suggested alternatives are extra priority give ways, strategically placed rumble strips (e.g. on the approaches to the Sandrock Hill Road junction) and cycle lanes (see 4 below).

2. Priority give way. The proposed priority give way measures are cautiously welcomed by CRN(F). The proposed cycle bypasses should:

• be of sufficient width, at least 1.5m;

• be two-way to avoid cyclists traveling in the priority direction from being 'squeezed' by passing motor vehicles;

• make use of mandatory cycle lanes in the vicinity of the features.

3. Road narrowing. CRN(F) supports the use of road narrowing to ensure that lanes maintain a constant width along this route however we would prefer to see this done by widening the pavements / verges rather than by painting white lines. Our experience is that the more reckless drivers have scant regard to road markings.

4. Use of cycle lanes. Cycle lanes are a highly visible way to encourage cyclists and can act to calm traffic. Shifting motor vehicles closer to the central line and oncoming traffic generally increases driver caution, resulting in a speed reduction. If practicable, we would like to see advisory cycle lanes both sides this road section with judicious use of mandatory lane markings (see 2 above).