Manchester: why not as nice as other cities?

[Siclo]

The lane at EBC is one I was thinking about - it's one of the busiest bus stops on the route.

And why I will continue to make friends and influence people every day by using the road.

 

[snorri]

And that's just for starters.

I'll pass on the seconds, thank you.

 

[dan_bo]

The lane at EBC is one I was thinking about - it's one of the busiest bus stops on the route.

Wilmslow/Oxford road is a joke. I'd rather take my chances on the M56.

 

[mjr]

The floating bus stop outside EBC is an absolute death trap, the lane dumps you out up the inside of the buses queuing / racing to clear the lights, if you want to turn right down Moss Lane - forget it, if you've used the lane and want to live you'll have to do it as a pedestrian. This is hailed as a successful trial - lord knows what the rest will be like.

I don't mind floating bus stops in principle (some have been in use for decades) but I fear councils will find new and innovative ways to cock them up. Can someone point me at pictures of the new layout outside EBC, please? Is that near where a cycle track snaked through a traffic island with corners so tight people often clipped a pedal or wheel and fell over? What was the right-turn movement before: an ASL and a prayer?

It's only set to get worse with with velocity 2025 as this little bit of paint https://goo.gl/maps/1ChmjyQ5UEQ2 , all 9 inches of it in places, yes - I've measured it, is part of "existing high quality infrastructure".

Oh crikey, it gets worse!

 

[fossyant]

Like this:-

The bus stops are exceptionally busy - students and lots of them - carnage.

 

[mjr]

If it was as simple as that, then apart from the bus stops nearest the viewpoint being backwards (as shown, the glass is obstructing passengers' view of both approaching buses and oncoming cycles - maybe a hastily-reversed image from elsewhere in Europe?) and small paving slabs in the cycle track (slippery when wet - Norwich has made that mistake), it looks similar to what works elsewhere.

I'd expect it would work if built properly (not as shown) but what are they doing about the junctions not shown in that neat and tidy abstract image?

 

[fossyant]

The bus stops aren't all glass - lots of adverts in them, and add in student's not paying attention/flooding off buses.

 

[mjr]

The bus stops aren't all glass - lots of adverts in them, and add in student's not paying attention/flooding off buses.

Sure, but if the adverts are on the correct side (not the directions buses or bikes approach from as shown in the earlier picture), then I still don't see why it wouldn't work. Students would start paying attention after a few reminders (bells, low-speed collisions), like they do at the middle-of-road tram stops (assuming they're still in use in Manchester). Manchester students don't seem that much stupider than other European cities.

 

[Siclo]

Can someone point me at pictures of the new layout outside EBC, please?

Your wish is my command ( as long as I can get images working)

It starts well

DSC_0176 by Si S, on Flickr

but they ran out of ideas at the end

DSC_0177 by Si S, on Flickr

DSC_0178 by Si S, on Flickr

This is a staggered crossroads, imagine trying to turn right out of the lane while the buses are charging down the road and as to the left hook opportunity from motorists who have not seen you due to the queuing passengers................enough said

All they had to do was end the segregation earlier

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I commute from Bredbury, through Denton, along the A57 and through Ancoats and then up to Bury and Bolton via Cheetham hill. There are plenty of cycle lanes on the route and nearly every set of lights has an ASL. I don't think it is too bad except for Cheetham hill which is just a free for all, but the drivers do stay out of the bus lane, which gives you a free ride! You get the occasional idiot, but I find if you ride with confidence, there are not too many problems.

 

[fossyant]

I was Bredbury, Hyde, Denton, A57 then Windmill Lane to North Reddish, the Fallowfield Loop. Came a cropper 300 meters short of the loop and ended up with 4 broken ribs, badly snapped spine, and Christmas and New Year in Hospital (6 weeks 3 days).

Car from when I am fit !

 

[mjr]

All they had to do was end the segregation earlier

I think they should have continued it through the junction with turning opportunities but what they've done seems worse than ending it earlier. Impressively daft ending

Edit: but I guess you can still do a hook turn if you find yourself there unexpectedly?

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I was Bredbury, Hyde, Denton, A57 then Windmill Lane to North Reddish, the Fallowfield Loop. Came a cropper 300 meters short of the loop and ended up with 4 broken ribs, badly snapped spine, and Christmas and New Year in Hospital (6 weeks 3 days).

Car from when I am fit !

My accident was on the quiet part of the commute! I think sometimes you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time!

 

[400bhp]

You just have to know which routes to avoid and when. Cycling in and out of Manc from where I am (Timperley) can be lovely.

 

[Siclo]

@mjray are you mad? Continue it through the junction? That's a whole different project past the lights

Yes, you could do a u turn a bit further on.