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This is the entrance to a brand new development in Cambridge, the cycling capital of the UK with 30% mode share. The cycling route goes from a lovely separate path, to a stepped track, to a murder strip. This is a very common junction layout in Cambridge where protected lanes meet signalised junctions.
Replying to post #26043, Chen from Singapore.
Firstly, this sounds like a gorgeous cycling and walking route! It’s also nice to see a non-European or North American example.
a) what incremental improvement would you recommend for this particular example
Shared use paths are commonly used in Australia and the UK, and they quickly become a victim of their own success. With the increase in cycling in Australia during Covid lockdown, councils are resorting to urging people cycling to slow down on these paths. It makes sense for people to be considerate of course, but it is also difficult to share space between walking and cycling when you have large numbers of either of those modes. An improvement would be to delineate space for walking and cycling. This can initially be done with paint, and then eventually with a small, angled kerb so that there is a level difference. If we were to follow the Dutch, it would probably be a 3m-wide two-way cycleway and a 2m footway to one side.b) what kind of political and bureaucratic opposition this improvement would likely encounter (such as removal of parking, fire trucks, etc… )
Perhaps this idea would encounter opposition because of the cost involved, especially if the path had to be widened. There may also be opposition to converting green space to asphalt if the path did need to be widened.Huntingdon Road in Cambridge, the first use of the ‘Cambridge kerb’ that has been mentioned elsewhere on this thread. It’s a bit difficult to tell from this photo, but the forgiving kerb is between the road and the cycleway, and there is an upright kerb between the cycleway and the footway. This is a bit of an odd arrangement, as it means cars can very easily drive on to the cycleway. It also means people have to cycle on the road to overtake/avoid obstacles, and that some perceived width is lost due to the upstand kerb.
Hi, I’m Liz and I work as a transport planner in Cambridge, the cycling capital of the UK. We’re possibly the only place in the English speaking world with cycling levels approaching those of the Dutch, with around 30% of trips made by cycle. I’m originally from Australia (Melbourne) and have also lived in Canada (Quebec City/North Bay, ON), and I’ve worked or volunteered in cycling advocacy in all three countries.
1) What areas of expertise do you identify with?
I am a scientist turned engineer turned transport planner, with a few years of cycling advocacy under my belt. I think coming to transport planning from an unrelated background serves as a benefit for me, as I have no assumptions about what is or isn’t possible on our streets. I focus on cycling as much as possible in my work and have had the opportunity be be involved in projects across the UK.2) How do you think your unique perspective will enhance our collective understanding of designing for cycling?
I firmly believe that cycling is at least part of the solution to most problems we face as a society. Thankfully this isn’t a unique perspective, although it can sometimes feel that way. I try to be a positive and enthusiastic spokesperson for cycling, and I work towards making cycling infrastructure more inclusive to enable cycling for all. Seeing the low traffic levels during Covid has made me realise how much of our streets are already cycling infrastructure in disguise, and I want to work to keep at least some of them that way.3) If you wish, leave your name & contact & social media information here so other course members can get in touch with you.
On Twitter I am @Velizipede, and my LinkedIn profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizirvin/
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