Comments on the Study from Cycle Herts
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Hertfordshire County Council Inter-urban route study Comments on the study from Cycle Herts Cycle Herts is a federal umbrella group representing all the local cycling groups in Hertfordshire. It was established to enable all groups to comment on county wide policies and strategies with one voice. Cycle Herts therefore welcomes the opportunity to suggest locations along the eight study corridors. Corridors 2, 3, 4 (north of Hoddesdon) and 7 appear to offer the opportunity to create significant off road cycling by the use of low use pavements which will there fore be low cost. Overall study comments 1. Cycle Herts is very disappointed that cycling is not mentioned anywhere in the strategy options. Many towns in Hertfordshire are an easy cycling distance apart. For example Hatfield to St Albans or Welwyn Garden City or Hitchin to Letchworth or Baldock. Indeed there are many cycle commuters who would be capable of commuting longer distances. What prevents cyclists from doing so is the lack of safe inter-urban all year cycle routes. 2. Hertfordshire already has a network of cycle routes in many towns. Out of town there is, unfortunately, an over reliance on converted former railway lines. These are no use for regular commuting: a. They are remote, so the fear of crime deters use after dark, even sections with lighting. b. Surfaces vary from the very good to the hopelessly poor. No commuter wishes to arrive at work covered in mud. 3. Hertfordshire has until now had a strict policy that it will not fund inter-urban links. Yet Cambridgeshire has shown that building such links can have a hugely beneficial effect in reducing car commuting from the surrounding villages. 4. There are many locations where lightly used pavements could be made dual use at little cost to create inter-urban routes. Cambridgeshire makes better use of quiet pavements, for example in St Neots. This would provide a very cost effective way to deliver benefits rapidly, for example providing a cycle route along corridor 4 in its entirety out of urban areas. 5. When planning these links, particular note should be made where cycle paths could assist school children in cycling to school as this will remove school run traffic. It is sad to note, for example, that of the 5 secondary schools in Welwyn Hatfield only two are currently on cycle paths. The consequences are unnecessary car journeys and indeed illegal use of pavements by children cyclists who rightly fear cycling on the road. Our suggested route for corridor 3 will provide much needed links for Chancellor’s School, Brookmans Park and Monks Walk School Welwyn Garden City. Page 1 of 6 6. Where links to railways are considered, the study should note that in most cases the train companies do not permit the carriage of non-folding bikes during peak hours. Thus whilst routes to stations are important, at peak hours trains may be of no use to say a parent and child headed for a work place nursery on a bike with child seat. Secure cycle parking is essential and where capacity is used up, is should be expanded to meet demand. St Albans City is a model of good practice. 7. Where cycle routes exist (e.g. Hatfield – Welwyn GC), poster advertising by roads and at bus stops should be used to increase awareness of the cycle route and typical total journey times, for example the time taken to queue to get into car parks and find a space. 8. If a road is widened or built new, a cycle path must be built as an integral part of the works. For example the planned dual carriageway from Ware to Stevenage. This should also include well designed run and run off points connecting to parallel roads. 9. Junctions on all routes must be designed to ensure cycle and pedestrian safety is paramount, even where this comes at the expense of traffic flow, and without long diversions. It is of course sadly the case that many major roads now create massive barriers equivalent to wide rivers. The success of the A10 bridge at Cheshunt should be a model for future good practice. 10. Cycle Herts therefore welcomes the opportunity to suggest locations along the eight study corridors. Corridors 2, 3, 4 (north of Hoddesdon) and 7 appear to offer the opportunity to create significant off road cycling by the use of low use pavements which will therefore be low cost. Detailed route by route comments Note: The comments apply to sections of road outside fully built up areas. Works will have to also be undertaken to ensure that there is also a suitable route in the towns named, for example Stevenage has such connections, St Albans does not. 1 North London – Tring: A41, A414, A4251, M1, West Coast main line North London – Watford o A4008 Oxhey Lane; Allow shared pavement use Watford – Hemel (east) o Langlebury Lane: Allowed shared use of pavement to link existing route from Cassiobury Park through Whippendell Woods to Hunton Bridge. o South Way: Extend shared use pavement west to link to route above. o Langley Lane/Bedmond Road: Allow shared use on appropriate parts of commuter route from Watford to Hemel Hempstead (Maylands) Watford – Hemel (west) o Langlebury Lane: Allowed shared use of pavement to link existing route from Cassiobury Park through Whippendell Woods to Hunton Bridge. o A4251: Create signed calmed parallel route via Gypsy Lane – Kings Langley station – Lower Road Hemel – Berkhamsted o A4251: Create signed calmed parallel route via Chaulden Road – Pix Farm Lane o A4251: Use pavement Bourne End - Berkhamsted Berkhamsted – Tring Page 2 of 6 o A4251: Allow shared use of pavement. 2 Watford – St Albans – Luton: A405, A1081, M1, Midland main Line Uxbridge – Watford o From boundary, signed route via Old Uxbridge Road. o A412: Allow shared use of pavement to Rickmansworth. Watford – St Albans o A405: Shared use of pavement Tippendell Lane (NCN6) - Park St roundabout. o A414: Use pavement Park St Roundabout - London Colney to enable Watford – Hatfield cycling. o B4630: Traffic calm as route for cyclist parallel to A405. o B4630: Bridge over A414 (ex M10) allow cycling both ways on east pavement to stop NCN6 users having to cross the road twice. St Albans – Harpenden: o A1081Existing shared use pavement (NCN6) Harpenden – Luton: o A1081: Allow use of pavement Kinsbourne Green (The Fox) – Luton (M1 Junction 10a) 3 Potters Bar – Letchworth: A1000, A1(M), B197, B656, East Coast main Line Cockfosters – Potters Bar o A111: Allow shared use of pavement on west side. Potters Bar – Great North Road - Hatfield (Fund using Incinerator Section 106 payments): o A1000: Little Heath – Brookmans Park: Allow pavement use o Signed and calmed route via Mymms Drive, Golf Club Road, The Drive (Chancellor’s School) o A1000: Brookmans Park – South Way, Hatfield: Allow pavement use o South Way junction: Works to ensure cyclists can get up on to bridge over railway. o A1001: Allow pavement cycling on South Way, Roehyde Way to join NCN12 at Millwards and cycle path to University at Lane End. (Or construct a new cycle path from Dellsome Lane to South Way via the University Park and Ride car park.) Brookmans Park – Welham Green – Hatfield o Allow pavement cycling on Station Road, AL9. o NCN12 Welham Green to Hatfield already exists and is lit. Hatfield – Welwyn Garden City o A1000: Use existing road side NCN12/61 cycle path o A6129: Encourage use of the parallel cycle path on Old Stanborough Lane by cutting down hedge to make path visible and allow light from road. This will benefit school children commuting from Hatfield to Stanborough School and commuters cycling to/from county Police HQ. Welwyn GC – Welwyn: o A1000: Extend Bessemer Road cycle path to Welwyn using pavement on south side of Hertford Road. o Make subway under A1(M) dual use to avoid very busy junction. o Sign route through Welwyn village Hatfield – Welwyn o Signed route via Lemsford Lane from existing cycle path past Stanborough School o B197: Allow pavement cycling Lemsford – Welwyn. Page 3 of 6 o Signed route through Welwyn village centre. Welwyn – Knebworth - Stevenage o B197: Allow pavement cycling Welwyn – Knebworth o Knebworth: Signed route via Pondcroft Road – Kerr Close – Peters Way. o B197: Allow pavement use from Peters Way to existing shared use pavement and cycle lanes to Stevenage. Stevenage – Letchworth o B197: Allowed shared use of pavement Lister Hospital – A505 o A505: Use existing cycle path over A1(M) Junction 9 to Letchworth o A505; Use existing cycle path to B197. o B197: Allow shared use of pavement to Weston Way, Baldock. Baldock – Stotfold o A507: Allow shared use of pavement to Norton Mill Lane. o A507: (Re)Construct shared use pavement Norton Mill Lane – Radwell Lane o A507: Allow shared use of pavement Radwell Lane – Access road to Grange Cottages. o A507/A1(M) Junction 10: Construct new off road path across roundabout north side. o A507: New cycle path north side A1(M) to cut off end of Baldock Road, Stotfold. Connects to NCN12 to Arlesey. 4 Waltham Cross – Royston: A10, A1170, B1368, B1039. West Anglia main line Waltham Cross – Cheshunt – Broxbourne – Hoddesdon o Traffic calmed, cycle lane and signed route using B176, A1170 Hoddesdon – Ware: o Create traffic calmed signed route using Stansted Road – Amwell Lane – Lower Road, then cycle path by A1170. Ware - Puckeridge: o Signed calmed route along former A10. Puckeridge – Buntingford o A10: Shared use of pavement Buntingford – Royston o A10: Shared use of pavement Royston – Foxton o A10: Shared use of pavement o Melbourn: Signed route via village o A10: Shared use of pavement 5 Hemel Hempstead – Harlow: A414, A4147, A1057, B487, B653.