Sub-Standard Cycle Lanes - Letter to Bolton Council

[snibgo]

That was my photo.

In hindsight, looking at the junction from the higher streetview viewpoint (http://maps.google.c...cbp=12,270,,0,0 ), I agree the intention was probably to provide a turning point for cyclists coming from Long Acre East into Fosters Lane.

On the ground, it didn't seem to be for that purpose. It seemed to be for cyclists turning into Long Acre. At the time, it didn't occur to me it might be for anything else.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

But I don't think it damages the credibility - CFoM has always had a slightly tongue-in-cheek approach and it is humorous.

Don't get me wrong - I think the site is great - but the writing with the picture actually implies that the lane is for turning right onto the main road, so I think that goes a bit far.

You're right about how they could improve it, though. They also could have put little give way markings, or at least a length of broken line at the end of the right hand solid white line.

 

[smokeysmoo]

I emailed Bolton MBC outlining the need for a cycle lane along Tonge Moor Road past Dave's Aquarium, HERE

Evening rush hour along this stretch is a nightmare with knob-heads hogging the kerb around the bend!

Anyway, I got a reply 6 months later to say they were looking at various options. There is still no cycle lane provision there over 12 months later

 

[BluesDave]

I lived in Little Lever from 2004-2007 (sometimes I wish I still did) and I didn't even notice any cycle lanes betwixt Farnworth and Bolton which just goes to show how well signposted, maintained and indicated they are doesn't it.
Admittedly my bike was off the road for half of that time.

Excellent letter by the way.

As for this quote. . "Ah Bolton council. The one that replaced much of the Bolton arm of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal with a dual carriageway. Who demolished a nearly 200-year-old stone aqueduct with explosives, because it might have been dangerous (it wasn't). The one that allows public rights of way to fall into disrepair, and who refuses to fix them (two river crossings near Nob End, just southeast of Moses Gate County Park, both blocked for years, both rather cheap to fix). The one that has excellent potential public footpaths (the old Burnden Viaduct), but chooses to do nothing with them. Not to mention the general state of the roads - anyone who's gone through Farnworth can be considered lucky to still be alive. Smithills Dean Road is horrifc and entirely unsafe to cycle on, let alone take your vehicle's suspension along.

But so long as the town centre has some nice pavements, everything is ok."

Could you please post some pictures of the areas you are talking about. I remember Moses Gate Park and Nob End very fondly having many lovely walks through there when the children were babies but can't place the bridges.
As for that section of canal the banks collapsed into it in 1935 in the park just past the old lock workings which still seem to be there and it was then deemed to expensive to repair so it was closed.
There is a restoration society trying to raise the money to reopen it but as so much of this has been lost to land I fear it will cost in excess of 20 the million they are trying to raise to do the whole lot as it was. Particularly getting towards the Ringley end of the park.
As for the 200 year old Aquaduct, some pictures of that as well please. That is just scandalous!

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Could you please post some pictures of the areas you are talking about.

These links might be useful:

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/mbb/
http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/canal/index.htm
http://www.mbbcanal.demon.co.uk/

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I have received the following reply from the Engineering Dept:

Thanks for the video. Although we are prevented from accessing YouTube at the council I have been able to view it at home and it provides some useful information on the use of cycle lanes etc.

Rather than get into a debate on whether or not the majority of the cycle lanes on your route to and from work comply with the latest Dft guidance and indeed Bolton Council's own current policy, it is perhaps more important that we agree that there are lengths which do not. As I have stated we do review these when we are carrying out various highway schemes but as you will no doubt be aware there have been massive public sector spending cuts which have greatly reduced spending on such schemes and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Road safety is of great importance to my department but it is difficult to carry out the numerous safety and improvement schemes we have across the borough when budgets have been cut greatly, in some cases to nothing. Where we can we do try to combine maintenance and safety schemes together in order to maximise the benefits of what little money we are given.

I can assure you that we do care about the safety of all road users and that we will continue to strive to do the best we can with the resources we have. Thank you for your feedback. We do take notice.

I don't think I can get any further with this at this level. I'm not sure whether they have really got the message or not, as the previous reply indicated some lack of understanding of the problems. However, to continue arguing would probably be counter-productive now.

 

[the snail]

I don't think I can get any further with this at this level. I'm not sure whether they have really got the message or not, as the previous reply indicated some lack of understanding of the problems. However, to continue arguing would probably be counter-productive now.

You're probably right, but you made your point well. I think I should follow your example and write to the council about the useless/dangerous 'facilities' we have, after all there's nothing gained by cussing and grumbling to yourself

 

[davefb]

Could you please post some pictures of the areas you are talking about. I remember Moses Gate Park and Nob End very fondly having many lovely walks through there when the children were babies but can't place the bridges.
As for that section of canal the banks collapsed into it in 1935 in the park just past the old lock workings which still seem to be there and it was then deemed to expensive to repair so it was closed.
There is a restoration society trying to raise the money to reopen it but as so much of this has been lost to land I fear it will cost in excess of 20 the million they are trying to raise to do the whole lot as it was. Particularly getting towards the Ringley end of the park.
As for the 200 year old Aquaduct, some pictures of that as well please. That is just scandalous!

I do think it's a valid point that frankly there was a reason the canals were destroyed, thats because they were empty of water and nobody used them. It wasn't till years later that people started to clear all the debris for recreational purposes.


Having said that, there really could be a 'sorting out' of the canalside route which still exists and is kinda there almost all the way to manchester... But at the moment, its such a mix of terrain that it's just good for a 'wander'.. Maybe it's because its split between different councils ?

Oh and , good letters mrhappycyclist

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Perhaps it's some kind of wind-up?

So soon after writing this (see earlier posts):

The cycle lanes and traffic calming features on Manchester Road between Bolton and Farnworth and A666 Bolton Rd / Manchester Rd between Farnworth and Kearsley were installed around 1999 - 2000, before the latest guidelines were produced. However the majority of the cycle lanes along these lengths of road are at least 1.5m wide and would meet the current guidelines. Where the lanes are substandard they are reviewed when maintenance work, such as resurfacing, is carried out or other schemes are implemented and either rectified or removed if necessary.

the council have just repainted this cycle lane on Manchester Road between Bolton and Farnworth:



Unbelievable

 

[400bhp]

I emailed Bolton MBC outlining the need for a cycle lane along Tonge Moor Road past Dave's Aquarium, HERE

Evening rush hour along this stretch is a nightmare with knob-heads hogging the kerb around the bend!

Anyway, I got a reply 6 months later to say they were looking at various options. There is still no cycle lane provision there over 12 months later

I'll often come down that way when going over the top of Rivvy/Turton on saturday. It's a crap road.

BTW you are from around Lymm aren't you? I noticed your bike is a CAAD X. I remember speaking to someone about a year ago at the Green Dragon early on a saturday morning who had just purchased a CAAD X. Was it you?

 

[dellzeqq]

Perhaps it's some kind of wind-up?

So soon after writing this (see earlier posts):


the council have just repainted this cycle lane on Manchester Road between Bolton and Farnworth:

[attachment=5808:RepaintedLanes.jpg]

Unbelievable

very disappointing. I know that we don't see eye to eye on cycle lanes, but this is clearly the worst of all possible worlds.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

very disappointing. I know that we don't see eye to eye on cycle lanes, but this is clearly the worst of all possible worlds.

Au contraire, I think we agree quite a lot on cycle lanes. I think practically all cycle lanes in the urban setting are damaging and should be removed.

It's just that if they insist on putting the damn things in, then they should at least meet the guidelines.

Where we may possibly differ is that I do think that there are some places outside of towns where segregation is appropriate, such as high speed major trunk roads and bypasses.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Well, it took a while to get round to it, but I finally did write to my councillors:

Hello,​

I am writing to you as my representatives on Bolton Council, regarding the environment that exists within the Bolton area for people using bicycles as a means of transport, which is really rather poor. I feel that Greater Manchester in general is one of the worst places in the country to use a bicycle, and Bolton is at least as bad as any area within Greater Manchester.​

In August last year, I wrote to the local Highways Department regarding concerns that I have about many of the cycle lanes that are installed and maintained in the Bolton area. Far from helping cyclists, I believe many of these bring increased danger due to their inadequate design. Unfortunately, whilst the respondent was very polite and clearly tried to be helpful, I do not think the response itself was satisfactory. You may find copies of the correspondence on this, as well as a video that I made to illustrate some of my points, in this discussion on the CycleChat forum:​

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sub-standard-cycle-lanes-letter-to-bolton-council.84813/​

Of course, many of the problems we face are directly caused by the attitudes of drivers and often by their ignorance of recommended cycling and driving practices and how to share the road properly. However, these are often exacerbated by poor highway design, which often (incorrectly) assumes that roads are solely provided for motor traffic and anything else must fit around that.​

I am prompted to write at this time because of the Safe Cycling/Cities Fit For Cycling campaign that is currently being led by The Times newspaper, of which you may be aware. In connection with that, several Town and City Councils have pledged to make significant efforts to improve the situation. For example, Edinburgh has pledged to allocate 5% of its highways budget in future to cycling related work.​

I would be keen to hear what Bolton Council’s position is in relation to this campaign, and look forward to hearing about that. You may also be aware that there is to be a debate in the Commons about these issues on 23rd February 2012. However, it is clearly a matter that needs to be addressed collaboratively at both the National and Local levels, so I think it would be very good if there were to be a statement from Bolton prior to that debate.​

Best wishes,​

Actually, it was the #cyclesafe campaign that prompted me.
I'll post the reply when (if) I get it.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Good luck with that MHC. I emailed BMC a while ago suggesting they install a cycle lane in one spot before an accident prompts them to do so, I got a reply SIX months later saying they had no plans for any further cycle lanes.
Then I emailed them a few weeks ago suggesting a single 'Merge in Turn' sign where two traffic lanes merge, this causes some drivers to allow themselves to get pushed right upto the kerb, and subsequently creates a danger for cyclists. I got an instant reply saying they had no money. Perhaps if they weren't paying all the claims for damage to cars from poorly maintained roads they might have some funds to direct towards pro-active safety measures!

 

[400bhp]

Has anyone seen the cycle lane on the A675 between Belmont and Bolton? WTF When this first appeared (6 months ago?) I thought it hadn't been finished as it's loose gravel. 6 months later and no change so I believe they are going to leave it like that.