Just driven over a junction which we use several times daily.
It's light controlled and in the form of a single lane road crossing a very wide, but relatively little used dual carriageway.
The city council have recently re-jigged the area, changing the lights to pedestrian button type and putting in dropped kerbs with knobbly paving.
Driving down today, I was stopped by the lights and saw. to my left, that give way lines and triangle had been painted right across the pavement at right angles to the kerb and just before the ' pedestrian walk- off ' flagstones....same on the other corners.
I can only think that these lines are aimed at warning cyclists using the pavement to give way to pedestrians waiting to cross. AFAIK, footpath cycling is still illegal. It looks, then, as if the council are encouraging lawbreaking.
Although the dual carriageway is not too busy, the junction gets very crowded twice a day as there are 2 secondary schools, 2 office blocks, a parade of shops and a park with a nursery, all, virtually, on the junction.
I wonder if this is the precursor to a more general acceptance of pavement cycling ? I also wonder what the 'blame ' implications would be in the event of a child, say, being hit on the footpath when there is some implied permission from the authorities.
Ted
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Not just cyclists surely ? How would this apply to mobility scooters ? The 4MPH restricted ones are allowed to use pavements.
Keep a look out for those signs which allow cycles and pedestrians on the pavement ....
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May be a Toucan crossing.
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>>mobility scooters ? The 4MPHrestricted ones are allowed to use pavements.
They all are Steve, its just that the 8mph ones are *supposed* to switch on a restrictor limiting them to 4mph... Having said that I don't know what the restriction is on them using cycle lanes.
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All they have to do is put up blue disk cycle signs and then they can cycle on the pavement, maybe they are on order.
They put them up around here. One day cycling illegal on the pavement, the next day encouraged. The only change is yet another sign pole added to the existing forest.
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You mean Nell Lane/Princess Road junction? I have down that junction this evening so I will check it out. PS re-reading that the only place it can be is that junction.
Its a pitty they didn't use that money to resurface Nell Lane.
The cylce path is very close to that junction so that might have something to with it. Used to use it a lot when I had my push bike in working order.
Edited by Rattle on 03/08/2009 at 18:36
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Would you like to tell us about the broken-down pushbike, Rattle?
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Perhaps it had nowhere to put his left foot. ;>)
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Rattle...No, Nell Lane / Mauldeth Road West....have a look.
There are other roads round here with cycle lanes on the wide footpaths, but they have been segregated off by signs, lane markings and pretty pictures of ( unbroken ) bikes.
The markings in question go all the way from the kerb to the fence of an office block. This is just an ordinary pavement, about 8ft across. There is no segregation.......would be a free for all.....especially as the knobbly flagstones have been put in, presumably, for the blind.
That's clever, you can't hear a bike....and if you can't see it either...............!
Ted
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Bring back the good old days of no give way lines or signs, and make everybody have to think about their behaviour on the road.
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It seems to work well in Makkinga, Holland, Snail. Looks like Ipswich may be given the same treatment.
www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747...l
Ted
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I meant that :). But was confused why you said Princess Parkway was little used yet in my head I had images of the Southern Hotel pub!. I need sleep.
They have changed the light timing at Corkland/Albany/Wilbraham Road which is now causing major traffic jams at Morrison's car park.
Why can't the council just leave things alone?
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