Author Topic: Southend Cycle Town - part 2  (Read 237574 times)

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #925 on: 12 May, 2011, 06:52:14 pm »
I see double yellow lines, which indicates, "No Parking," a mandatory cycle lane, as indicated by the solid white line and some parking spaces.


Don't bin men know how to cross the road? How was this bin man nearly run down?

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #926 on: 20 May, 2011, 09:03:11 pm »
I am sure I saw Anna Waite cycling along the path near Shoebury/ShoreHouse on Monday afternoon  :o :o :o

She was probably trying out the new mountain bike trail link-up shared use footpath/cycle track between  the top of Gunners Park and the Ness Road slipway at Shoebury Common beach. (Coincidentally built by W&H Roads, Waite and her husband's civil engineering company).
It's a packed earth and sand surface so far as I can tell. I know I had to thoroughly clean my drive train the day I used it due to the amount of dust. Looks like it will be a quagmire in the rain. In the dry I'd say tourers should be ok on this surface if they go easy, but if you're a roadie don't bother. Looks like more 'everyone rides mountain bikes don't they?' thinking.


    YouTube
        - Southend Cycle Town. New footpath/cycle track.
  


In the past few weeks I have seen a lot of people walking bikes with flat tyres in the area around Uncle Tom's Cabin. Today I joined them. It seems the above new shared path is surfaced with what looks like very coarse sharp sand. One of my inners was punctured in three places by razor sharp fragments of flint.

I'll not be using the new path in future.

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #927 on: 20 May, 2011, 09:25:47 pm »
Uncle Toms or did you mean the Three Shells ???

I had a flat on the newly laid path at Gunners park a few weeks ago, but havent been west of city beech for a while now.

Sorry just saw what you meant  :-[

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #928 on: 20 May, 2011, 09:28:58 pm »
Uncle Toms or did you mean the Three Shells ???

I had a flat on the newly laid path at Gunners park a few weeks ago, but havent been west of city beech for a while now.

Uncle Toms. I'm referring to the Gunners Park path. In the past week I've seen probably ten people with punctures in that area, and all had dusty tyres like they'd just used that path.

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #929 on: 20 May, 2011, 10:06:41 pm »
Yep, its Marathon Plus territory on that bit of path.

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #930 on: 20 May, 2011, 10:24:38 pm »
I was on Schwalbe City Jet tyres, which are pretty tough. This is the first time they've been punctured.

AndyK


AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #932 on: 02 June, 2011, 05:20:08 pm »
Front page of today's Echo:




Result! :thumbsup:


Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #933 on: 02 June, 2011, 05:23:16 pm »
Whoop Whoop  ;D  8)

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #934 on: 02 June, 2011, 05:37:35 pm »
We need an exploding Clarksonhead smiley. :D

The editorial comment:

"If Jeremy Clarkson ever contemplated a day-trip to Southend, he has probably just cancelled it.
At the other end of the spectrum are environmentalists, who won't be satisfied until Southend seafront is wholly pedestrianised. For the great majority, however, the seafront's new 20mph speed limit will probably be seen as sanity on wheels.
It will make the esplanade a safer and more pleasant place, while retaining its role as a key cross-town route for residential traffic.
The change marks a further shift in in the process of handing the seafront back to pedestrians and cyclists. Southend's on-your-bike campaign should encourage more people to switch from four wheels to two, not least because cycling may now be the quickest form of transport in this part of town.
All this might prove futile, however, without pressure on traffic* to comply with the limit. The introduction of average speed cameras would ensure compliance. Average speed cameras would also spell the end for boy racers in the town. The game of racing between speed cameras has become something of a ritual, but is one Southend tradition that won't be mourned.
None of this will place any financial burden on taxpayers, since Keymed is footing the bill. Once again the town owes this philanthropic company a debt of thanks, even though Keymed never seems to seek even that modest token.
"


Looks like all that pro-cycling anti-speed argument on the Echo's website sunk home somewhere. :D


*I think the writer is unaware that cyclists are also 'traffic' and that 'motr vehicle traffic' would have been more accurate, but it's a small error and I'm not complaining.

AndyK


Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #936 on: 03 June, 2011, 09:21:05 am »
WTF is wrong with some people.
The comments section 'its unfair' 'I dont break the law' 'blah blah blah' 'moan moan moan'
Should have put the speed limit down to 10mph

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #937 on: 03 June, 2011, 09:38:57 am »
WTF is wrong with some people.
The comments section 'its unfair' 'I dont break the law' 'blah blah blah' 'moan moan moan'
Should have put the speed limit down to 10mph

This one caught my eye: "With the current spate of street crimes being reported here, maybe Keymed would have been better to fund some form of anti-crime measure."

Because speeding apparently isn't a crime.  ::-)

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #938 on: 03 June, 2011, 02:04:16 pm »
I've just had a ride on the Great Grey Patio, or the Patio from Hell, and I don't see what all the fuss is about. There were half a dozen Hi-Viz wearing people directing peds and traffic. I joined from Vic. Ave. rode all over the Patio, between peds and buses and stone balls.
Victoria Gateway shared space creates chaos (From Echo)

If you head west to London Road there are no "No Cycling" signs in view so you could, if you wanted, ride all the way to Baxter/Boston Avenues.

edit: At least they haven't put the Fugly Millennium Clock from the High St. on it!

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #939 on: 04 June, 2011, 07:47:56 am »
"Since when has speeding been a Crime???
Its a driving offence..Get your facts right!!"
 ::-)

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #940 on: 07 June, 2011, 12:27:39 am »
I've not been round much recently, work's been so busy that fortunately I've not had to cycle into the shithole Southend's been turned into and as a result I've not been getting my daily stress about how badly the Council have treated cyclists.

I popped into the office a few weeks ago, just after the green paint started going down on the seafront, my initial reaction was that as they were painting over the white cycle logos they'd given up on the idea of a cycle path and were introducing an artificial grass verge.



I did however cycle through both the Prittle Brook Greenway, as well as Victoria Circus roundabout (sorry, "shared space"), as well as getting shouted at by a taxi driver along the seafront for riding in the road and not on the new City Beach Pavement.


At Victoria Circus I'm struggling to find the "shared space" (which is of course a fashionable catchphrase at present).  I can find a main road t-junction, a bus lane, and a huge amount of pedestrian pavement.  All the roads seem to be traffic light controlled, and from the cycle lanes etc cyclists also appear to have their own dedicated space.  What I can't find, as I have found elsewhere in the world as I research cycle schemes and road layouts, is any area where pedestrians and traffic share the same space in order to make a pleasant and safe environment.  e.g. Google Maps



I am appalled at how bad the greenway is.  is it just me that feels this way?   I complained back at the end of last year when they started this, as you get wheelspin when you turn the pedals, huge slides when you dab the back brake, and the front washes out if you dab that brake or turn sharply.  I dropped the bike at the sharp bend by the driving school when at low speed I encountered an elderly pedestrian.  I used this as an example in a recent communication with the Council - only to get what I took as a sarcastic "sorry to hear that you've fallen from your bicycle again" reply.  I'm more than happy riding on any surface from smooth tarmac, through cycle paths, bridleways, fully off-road to ice and snow; I'm not impressed though by this loose gravel over a hard surface as it's the loosest I've encountered for a long time.  As soon as you lose traction you're riding on the equivalent of ball bearings.  If I, as an experienced cyclist knowing I'm on a poor surface can drop the bike, how will novice cyclists cope?   I note that the path is covered in deep skid marks where people are churning the gravel over.

The Council imply that this path is based on the Cycle Town of Woking where a fantastic path has been built alongside the canal.  I've visited that site (with the CTC and local campaigners) only to find that the canal path IS fantastic as there is NO loose gravel.  Apparently there was some initially but the council listened to stakeholders and swept it up.  I've gone back to Southend Council with this, as well as (twice) inviting Rob Tinlin and the two relevant Councillors on site to discuss; I've received the usual responce that I get as a stakeholder - no reply at all.



Due to work commitments I couldn't make the last Council run cycle group meeting.  The agenda implied it was going to be a back slapping congratulatory affair at the end of the three year project.  I did get a copy of the minutes which say things such as "... and Prittle Brook schemes have been welcomed and provide good quality riding areas" and "Members of the Forum thanked the Council staff for all their work on Cycle Southend to date and congratulated them on their achievements".  That doesn't read in the same way as usual forum meetings, but when I look at the list of attendees I see several of the usual members didn't attend, but Council staff who don't usually attend were there.



From comments made in the press I'm getting the impression that after three years as a cycle town the Council still don't understand what a cyclist is.  I'm getting the impression that they want to create areas that we can transport our bikes to and then ride in circles.  e.g. Cyclists and pedestrians to share City Beach space (From Echo)
"CYCLISTS will share the same space as pedestrians along Southend seafront when the £7.6million City Beach scheme is complete"
"Their vision of City Beach is of a recreational area where they want to discourage fast cycling near pedestrians"
"Graham Pearl, of Southend Wheelers and a Bike-It officer for Sustrans, welcomed the idea, adding: 'Anything that allows us to cycle in more places is beneficial.' "  (I understand from the meetings I have attended that Graham is a member of the Cycle Town project team, and his comment here confuses me as I've cycled along the Golden quarter-of-a-mile for the last ten years so I don't understand how we are being allowed to cycle in more places...)


In the last few weeks I've been in several different areas of the country.  I am really pleased to see how so many people are now cycling, and how cycling numbers are rocketing up.  I'm guessing that a lot of this is down to fuel prices, as well as more prominence of cycling in the media etc.  Most of the areas I've been in do not have cycle facilities, the cyclists are just getting on with cycling (mostly on-road, but also sometimes on the pavement in town).  When I do cycle through Southend I don't see as much of an increase in cyclists as I would expect from their status as a cycling town.



So, the question I ask the public is...   Do I accept that the Council is right in creating the seafront path that has led to so many conflicts, that the Council is right in retaining such a poor surface on the Prittle Brook Greenway and not sweeping the loose gravel up, and that I should admit defeat and let them get on with what they feel is benefitting cyclists while I just walk away and go cycling elsewhere.


I only got involved in the cycle campaigning as I wanted to improve conditions for cyclists.  Southend Council have appeared to do their own thing for the last ten years that I've been involved, and other than a few items I feel I have achieved little.  Is it time for me to call it a day and go back to charity working and other such activities where I do get to help others.

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #941 on: 07 June, 2011, 05:33:55 am »
Nutty, You should email that, as it is, to all Southend's councillors, and I mean 'all', and cc it to the CTC, Sustrans, the local rag, and any nationals you can think of (the Indy comes to mind as they ran a 'Save Our Cyclists' campaign recently). If you need evidence of how bad the seafront is there is plenty of video available of near misses etc. on the cycle track and City Beach.

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #942 on: 07 June, 2011, 10:08:30 am »
The Prittlewell Brook path is for dogs and their walkers isnt it?
I dont think I have ever seen anyone cycling on it  ???

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #943 on: 07 June, 2011, 12:18:19 pm »
The Prittlewell Brook path is for dogs and their walkers isnt it?
I dont think I have ever seen anyone cycling on it  ???
I see cyclists riding there every day and just now I reported, to the rozzers, a couple of yoofs on a mini moto on the Greenway.

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #944 on: 07 June, 2011, 01:35:10 pm »
Most times I've ridden along there sideways I've also seen other cyclists.



My question for the jury is, should I stop representing the cyclists I've spoken to over the years and agree with the Council that the Prittle Brook Greenway etc is absolutely wonderful as some people are wobbling along there on their Halfords/Tesco specials - or should I continue to try to get the Council to start to develop a cycle town and put in faclities that are suitable for cycling on?

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #945 on: 07 June, 2011, 01:36:30 pm »
del - I don't understand how a yoof on a minimoto could be on the path.  I'm sure from the project meetings I attended many years ago the Council said that that wouldn't be an issue.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #946 on: 07 June, 2011, 01:40:43 pm »
I've not been round much recently, work's been so busy that fortunately I've not had to cycle into the shithole Southend's been turned into and as a result I've not been getting my daily stress about how badly the Council have treated cyclists.


I wondered where you had been, my sweet...  :-*

Welcome back!
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #947 on: 07 June, 2011, 01:42:16 pm »
del - I don't understand how a yoof on a minimoto could be on the path.  I'm sure from the project meetings I attended many years ago the Council said that that wouldn't be an issue.
This is the same council who said that no motor traffic would impinge on the Western Esp. cycle path because a white line would be there to stop them?  ::-)

Edit: Ditto to what Regulator has said, welcome back!  :thumbsup:

AndyK

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #948 on: 07 June, 2011, 03:19:10 pm »
or should I continue to try to get the Council to start to develop a cycle town and put in faclities that are suitable for cycling on?

This gets my vote.  :thumbsup: (and it might even be a little easier now Chainsaw is gone)

fuzzy

Re: Southend Cycle Town - part 2
« Reply #949 on: 07 June, 2011, 03:33:25 pm »
or should I continue to try to get the Council to start to develop a cycle town and put in faclities that are suitable for cycling on?

This gets my vote.  :thumbsup:

Aye Nutty, the second option gets my vote also. Not that I have owt to do with Sarfend you know but who knows, one day I may loose all reason and take to two wheels on your manor. If that ever happens, knowing you are doing your stuff is good news :thumbsup: