Thursday 5 February 2009

Cycle City

Today, Bristol Council announces the Cycling City plans. While the Bristol Cycling Campaign haven't got any of the details, as a nationally recognised news outlet we do have the official cycle city leaflet

One thing that makes us suspicious of that leaflet is only two or three of the many happy cyclists are wearing waterproofs. Since the Bristol Traffic project started its photographic documentation of Bristol in July, we have collected no photographs of people not cycling in some form of warm or at least waterproof covering. This raises suspicions that the people in the photographs are not actually Bristol residents, but models photographed somewhere sunnier.

We also have the map of improvements. Of the one that is new, it is #36: a cycle path over the St Philips Causeway. Interesting, and perhaps even backed up by a lowered speed limit on whole M32/A4 road system?

Note also an apparent failure of communication between the BRT team in the West of England Partnership and the Cycle City group. The Malago way is marked as a cycling route to be uprated; Princes Bridge is having money spent on it, more changes are planned round Hotwells. Yet there is no mention of BRT on the Malago, or changes to the Chocolate Path (which is mysteriously and suspiciously absent from the map). Perhaps the Cycling City team have realistic idea of whether or not the BRT project will get the go-ahead.

2 comments:

Chris Hutt said...

Also curiously absent is the whole Bristol & Bath Railway Path south of Mangotsfield. No doubt this and the Chocolate Path (and the riverside path at St Anne's) have been omitted for very good reasons which will be explained to us ignorants in due course. We have complete confidence in the City Council (said in the spirit of Bristol traffic).

Noel said...

There is an awful ammount of pink on that map. The pink is basically saying "nothing will change".

I also note that they've missed the Feeder road from the plans. The feeder already being part of the "Existing Network". I regularly travel between Old Market and Arnos Vale via Silverthorn Lane/ Feeder Road/ Showcase. For it being part of an existing network it really doesnt have much to show for it.

I dont get why they are content to use what appears to be existing network on Wilder Street/ Grosvenor Road to connect St Agnes and the centre vis St pauls. They are completely avoiding Newfoundland Road which would have made more sense.


The whole thing stinks of "only build new stuff if we absoloutely have to. Let them use whats already there." They are avoiding the difficult things that really need to be adressed. Connecting Emersons Green and Yate is easy, Connecting St Wherbergs and Filton, thats easy. Sorting out the whole Car vs bike and parking conflict on newfoundland road? Na thats too hard, lets go around it.