Addiscombe Road - was it a cockup?

Just had this message from a Croydon Cyclist

"Make the most of those wonderful wide cycle lanes, for tonight they will shrink to the size you are more familiar with. Apparently the contractor made a mistake on the original dimensions."

If this is true it just goes to prove how fucked up cycle infrastructure design is in Croydon.

Satellite Image

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, croydon

Addiscombe Road - half finished or half baked?

The recently refurbished cycle lane, LCN 75 westbound on Addiscombe Road, has been causing excitement amongst some Croydon Cyclists.



Not only is it 1.6m wide, twice as wide as some Croydon cycle lanes, but it no longer comes to a halt before the traffic lights several metres short of the Advanced Stop Line.



At the moment it is unfinished, and lacks cycle signs and green paint, but the really big advantage of the new road layout is that there is now only one lane of traffic. This means that the cycle lane remains mostly clear of motor vehicles. It is also remarkable in being one of the few occasions in Croydon where a significant amount of road space has been transferred from cars to cycles.

Not that some of Croydon's drivers have got the message about the changed road layout yet!



However, TfL have still failed to get the design right, and the lane falls short of the minimum standards for a good cycle facility. At 1.6m this lane is still below the 2.0m minimum set out by the DoT in "Cycle-Friendly Infrastructure: Guidelines for Planning and Design". It is also only an advisory lane, meaning it cannot be enforced by law. Mandatory lanes where motor vehicles are excluded have solid lines separating them from the carriageway.

So for want of a bit more white paint, placed only 40cm further from the curb, Croydon might have had its first good quality cycle lane.

The problem with advisory lanes was clearly illustrated by a group riding motorbikes down the cycle lane whilst I was taking these photos.





Motorcycles represent one of the biggest dangers to cyclists and pedestrians, after lorries and buses, because of the way in which they compete for the same road space as pedal cycles. They also are one of the biggest threats to local air quality because they are not subject to the same strict pollution controls as cars and are not subject to the Congestion charge.

Satellite Image - taken before the changes.

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, croydon, TfL

Sign of Improvements...

..or just more public money going to waste?

At the moment the changes going on further east on Addiscombe Road are encouraging, in that a traffic lane has been removed to put in a wider (but still a substandard 1.6m wide) cycle lane.

I have not been able to find any plans on the council web site, but if anyone can find them please post the link.

However, I have found an old Cycle Strategy which suggests that these works are 18 months late.

3.1.6 Also, funding is to be provided by TfL for the construction of a junction improvement that will allow cycle access for the first time. The Addiscombe Rd / Cherry Orchard Rd junction was modified in 2000 to accommodate the new tram system and little provision was made for safe cycle access. As the junction forms part of two LCN+’s, BSP funding will allow the Council to introduce cycle measures here that will also assists other vulnerable road users. The programme construction start date is June 2006 and the total cost of the scheme (£320k) is being met by BSP funding. The main benefits of this scheme will be the provision of cycle access to East Croydon Station.

Satellite Image - of notice site

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, croydon