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

You've seen the website, now buy the book.

I've yet to check if the Croydon photos made it into the book.

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track

Yet More Press Coverage

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

"X" marks the spot - North End

This set of road markings are at the junction of North End and Tamworth Road/Station Road. It is an example of road markings which defy logic and safe roadcraft.



Worse than that the marked cycle lanes emerge from the pavement. If you are traveling east along Tamworth Road and want to turn right then you should already be on the right hand side of the tram tracks before entering the junction.





You can't see the full scale of this from the ground so take a look at the satellite image.


View Larger Map

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cycling, cycle lane, croydon

Uneven drain covers - Wellesley Road

As featured in the LCC's magazine, London Cyclist, recently, these dire drain covers (see below) are in the centre of Croydon on Wellesley Road. As the variable surfacing around the drain covers shows, at least one unsuccessful attempt has been made to repair the problem, but that was some time ago, and the condition of the covers continues to worsen.

To identify their position more clearly, the photo below shows that they are on the nortbound side of the road, before the Whitgift Centre bus stops.

Satellite Image

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cycling, croydon

Wickham Road in Shirley

Here's an example from the A232, Wickham Road in Shirley (westbound, just west of the Hartland Way junction). After passing an old garage forecourt, the cycle lane inexplicably veers left before running into the corner of a parking space (occupied in the photo) and the corner of the bus stop cage, where it abruptly stops. Instead, the cycle lane SHOULD continue straight-on and go down the RHS of the bus stop cage!
Photo taken on 16 Aug 2007.

Satellite Image

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

More Press Coverage

Croydon Guardian this time

Deputy ‘best man’ to check out bike lanes

The leader of the council has refused to take a bike ride around the borough to see what improvements could be made to cycle lanes.



Shasha Khan, a member of Croydon's Green party, invited Councillor Mike Fisher on the trip in July....

Now to work out a route which shows as many the problems as possible...

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Previous council leaders have got on their bikes, for example Hugh Malyan



Croydon Guardian March 2002

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

"Crap Cycle Lanes - 50 worst cycle facilities in Britain"

Coming soon, "Crap Cycle Lanes - 50 worst cycle facilities in Britain", the book inspired by the web site "Cycle Facility of the Month" by Pete Owens of Warrington Cycle Campaign. Look out for my Croydon photos, there will be one or two in there.

Where the editor Dan Hiscocks got the idea for the title from I just cant imagine...