Bristol A38 "Cycle route 17"

[pwh91]

Does anyone else here regularly cycles from Bristol up to Aztec West, or vice versa? If so, do you also have the feeling that someone's trying to get you killed?

I ask because a bunch of us at work are amazed at what's been done in the name of improvements in cycling infrastructure. Actually, as the roadworks are being completed, it looks like the route is now MUCH more dangerous than it used to be. The route 17 stuff looks like a bunch of cynical cr@p in the name of making the road slicker for cars.

There's a particularly dangerous new section from the Patchway shops southbound to the Gipsy Patch Lane flyover - to describe in words: the inner lane of a dual carriageway splits into two, with the middle lane suddenly becoming the one needed for straight-on travel over the fly-over, the inner lane eventually leading off left of the fly-over 250m after the lane split, all in a 40mph zone!!!

I've tried moving into primary just before the split, then (with less confidence) staying a strong secondary in the middle lane until the fly-over, but I may as well have a target on my back. God knows how this will work in the dark of Autumn. The alternative is to skulk on the inside lane and scoot across to the middle lane when there's a gap before the fly-over (which I want to go over) but that also feels wrong and dangerous.

For the record, there used to be a continuous DC with a filter left, not perfect but at least it was the driver's job to make sure they crossed the lane system safely. Now the cyclist is in the firing line.

Any idea who to complain to? Anyone else fancy making a complaint?

Cheers - Pete

 

[gaz]

Take some piccies for sure.. and defiantly contact your local CTC group.

 

[stargazer]

Pete,

This is in the South Gloucestershire Council area. The plans are on their web site here, and the bit that you refer to is T002-017-106 Gipsy Patch Lane to Callicroft Road. As well as the council you could also try the Better by Bike / Cycling City folks and the South Gloucestershire Council Cycle Forum.

I cycle down the A38 every morning from Aztec West to Filton College. To be honest I’ve not had any great problems at that point although I agree with you that it’s not the greatest road layout, and also traffic is light at the moment. It might be different when it's dark, the traffic is heavier, the new traffic lights at that point have been turned on [], and there is traffic joining from the North Field housing development. I probably do much the same as you – primary before the split and strong secondary until past the off-slip and onto the flyover.

I’ll be happiest once they’ve resurfaced the bit from Aztec West to The Common – it’s like the TdF cobbles down there (says he not having ridden the cobbles). I take a different route northwards to Bradley Stoke in the evenings but I was shocked at the poor road condition on the northbound side at the flyover when I drove along there a few weeks ago. At least all that's getting fixed in the next three or four months.

Danny

 

[mgarl10024]

Hi Pete, Gaz, Danny,

Does anyone else here regularly cycles from Bristol up to Aztec West, or vice versa?

I cycle on my commute through Bradley Stoke (along Bradley Stoke Way) to Aztec West. I can't really comment on the routes along the A38 - that road would be far too busy for me.

Any idea who to complain to? Anyone else fancy making a complaint?

I'm not sure. Perhaps the council are your best bet as they are implementing the plans. However, my feel would be that if the plans are already being implemented then the consultation period would have ended some time ago so you may find it a bit difficult to get your views heard. i.e. commenting when the plans are still being considered may have had more effect than when they have been signed off and are actually being implemented.

I’ll be happiest once they’ve resurfaced the bit from Aztec West to The Common

I'm not quite sure which bit you are referring to there. I sometimes travel along the Common and find it quite bumpy so that could do with a resurface.
My current annoyance is the bit of cycle track along Bradley Stoke Way between Tesco and ALDI. They've done a brilliant job of resurfacing 80% of it and you could run a marble along it, however the last 100m or so has been scraped back (as if to be resurfaced) but has been waiting for some time. I'm not sure of the cause of the delay either.


Finally, as an aside, I've often used StreetCare for minor things and have found them to be quite good. I once spotted a broken cover on the pavement (which someone could have broken an ankle if they had fallen through) which was cordoned off a day or so after I emailed it in. I also once reported some broken glass on the cycle path which was cleared up in about a week or so.

Hope that helps,

MG

 

[Ben M]

I think that I know the bit that you're talking about. I cycled from Oldbury to Clifton via the A38 when I picked up the tandem. I remember a bit where there was loads of roadworks, at the time there wasn't even a surface, just the stuff down that looks like glue then a strange lane setup and a flyover. I remember thinking at the time that it was a bit mad, and that I ended up in primary for ages holding all the traffic up.

 

[pwh91]

Thanks stargazer and everyone else - I'm not sure if I'm being too sensitive to this, and like stargazer says the main issue is going to be when it's dark.

I'll chase up some of the suggestions to see what they say, TBH I'm not sure if anyone will listen at this stage but worth a try!

 

[peejay]

Thanks stargazer and everyone else - I'm not sure if I'm being too sensitive to this, and like stargazer says the main issue is going to be when it's dark.

I'll chase up some of the suggestions to see what they say, TBH I'm not sure if anyone will listen at this stage but worth a try!

Hi Pete,
I commute from Thornbury to Filton up the A38 and have had the same thoughts as you regarding the new road layout. It does seem crazy as I thought they were supposed to be making it more cycle friendly! Keep us posted if you do manage to get a response from the authorities.

PeeJay

 

[pwh91]

OK, some new information.

I went along to a South Glos Cycle Forum meeting last night, and to cut a long story short, the Cycle City section of the council seem to be separate from the team that developed the new junction. Apparently, this was approved through planning a number of years ago. I get the impression that the Cycle City people don't have any control over what's happened.

As a result, I've gone a stage further - I've emailed cycleforum@southglos.gov.uk (Mark Parry being the coordinator) to pass on the request for copies of the safety audits made for the new junction - Stages 1 and 2 must have been completed already - and also I've offered to help the planning head in making a "site visit" by bike to illustrate the problems. Evidence of lack of consideration of cycling in the reports could be a useful piece of the story when it comes to follow-up and possible disclosure to the press, if it gets that far.

The more sinister info / rumour from last evening is that there's talk now of banning bikes from using the flyover which is not going to help anyone.

In the mean time, if any other users of this stretch of road would like to make their views known to South Glos, I strongly urge you to let them know - via Mark - at cycleforum@southglos.gov.uk

A cycling event up and down this section of the A38 - perhaps teams from various Universities' Dangerous Sports clubs would fancy the challenge - would be a fun thing to get going.... but maybe that's just me dreaming....

PS not sure if this thread is moving into the Policy/Campaigning area - anyone have views on this?

 

[summerdays]

I know where you mean but haven't been through there much since the changes happened and I was with children so trying to follow the changes on the shared cycle path beside the A38. However I've been through there in the car and I have to say that it seems a little confusing and I wait to see how it will all work once it is all finished.

 

[the_mikey]

I've never cycled there, but while driving over the flyover, I notice there's a cycle lane which seems designed in such a way that puts cyclists in the path of motorists trying to join the A38 north bound carriage way. Seems too important a link to 'ban' cyclists from it, the road is busy, dangerous and lacking in crossing points as it is, where else can cyclists go exactly?

 

[mgarl10024]

Hi pwh91,

As said above, I don't really use that stretch, but just wanted to congratulate you on taking such a proactive approach - attending meetings and volunteering to do a site visit takes a lot of commitment - well done!

MG

 

[pwh91]

I've never cycled there, but while driving over the flyover, I notice there's a cycle lane which seems designed in such a way that puts cyclists in the path of motorists trying to join the A38 north bound carriage way. Seems too important a link to 'ban' cyclists from it, the road is busy, dangerous and lacking in crossing points as it is, where else can cyclists go exactly?

I am guessing that the road has been re-modelled since your last trip in that case - the northbound section past the flyover now ends with 2 sets of TLs connecting with the monstrous gyratory system connecting (eventually) with Cribbs Causeway. The alternative route avoiding the flyover will be through the gyratory, with its own straight-on-in-right-lane issues....

 

[pwh91]

Hi pwh91,

As said above, I don't really use that stretch, but just wanted to congratulate you on taking such a proactive approach - attending meetings and volunteering to do a site visit takes a lot of commitment - well done!

MG

Cheers MG. I was discussing at work with a few others and frankly we're all a bit embarrassed we've not thought about this before. My only motive to go to the meeting was self-preservation, but the experience made me think a bit.

I expected a fairly busy meeting, but actually the energy levels on the "public" side were quite low, and attendance was sparse. In fact the ideas I shared for other route sections (for cycle lanes etc) were enthusisatically recieved by the council guys, they seemed really keen to get the thoughts of real route users.

FWIW the meeting is every 2 months in the Bradley Stoke LS so the level of commitment is not crippling

Pete

 

[summerdays]

Part of the problem with this area of the A38 is that it seems to be different almost each time I'm going through there recently, and it now seems very busy, with a lot of information to take in.

There is an equivalent meeting on the alternate months every two months in Bristol I gather ... (I've not been - its at an awkward time of day when you have children), but I do know others who have been.

Whilst on the subject of consultations and the A38 ... bit further in there is a redevelopment of Ashley Down Road - including resurfacing it (possibly the road most needing resurfacing in Bristol). The major driving force behind this change seems to be pedestrians so the pavements are going to become wider by removing some of the on-street parking. Most of it looks reasonable but I'm not convinced by the narrowing of Ashley Road - it doesn't seem to benefit pedestrians, whereas maybe a build-out on the other side might?

http://www.opinionsuite.com/bristol...posed-highway-works/consultation/consult_view

 

[summerdays]

Another place to record problems is on the Bristol Streets website: http://www.bristolstreets.co.uk/#tmbike/z14/mp/spfilter/y51.449380/x-2.594790, which allows you to record problems that you have. I notice that the Airbus BUG have added a number of problems to the map recently including:

To go straight on you have to first get into the cycle lane in the middle of the road. When you are there you then risk being cut up by cars turning left into Filton Avenue
Airbus BUG 27 Sep 2010

So others are having similar problems.