Written Submissions Provided for the Transport Committee's Review on Improving Walking in London
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Written submissions provided for the Transport Committee’s review on improving walking in London Contents: Page: 1. Getting Londoners Walking Consultation 1 2. Green Chain 6 3. Urban Design London 10 4. Living Streets 17 5. London Councils 66 6. London TravelWatch 70 7. The Ramblers 82 8. Sustrans 92 9. London Visual Impairment Forum 114 10. Royal National Institute of Blind People 119 11. Better Bankside 125 12. Government Office for the Southwest 129 13. Campaign for Better Transport 144 14. Transport for London 254 15. Space Syntax 282 16. Team London Bridge 284 From: Gowg Group To: Ross Jardine Subject: Getting Londoners Walking Consultation Date: 13 August 2010 18:28:53 13.08.2010 Martin Goldie 42 Blenheim Avenue Ilford, Essex IG2 6JQ [email protected] Please find the following submission. I apologise if it is too long winded. Getting Londoners Walking Consultation Submission This may appear to be a rant regarding cyclists. It is not, it is based upon daily experiences as the holder of a clean driving licence who uses public transport together with walking walking 10 miles during a typical day/night. My perception based upon experience is that I am at greatest risk from cyclists which is why it dominates this submission. I do also have various ideas to improve cycling safety but they are not part of this consultation. Traffic Signals/ Turning Left The scheme approved by the last government to allow cyclists to turn left through the red phase of traffic lights & through the green phase for pedestrians, where it exists, should be abandoned. It puts pedestrians at extreme risk & will lead to late crossing by pedestrians. There are existing problems with crossing late or taking longer than necessary to cross due to the antics of cyclists at traffic lights & pedestrian crossings sometimes as other cyclists fly down the footway. Traffic Lights/ Countdown I have already made this suggestion to London Streets without reply. I am not in favour of "Countdown" as this will encourage late crossing and also stress the less able who need and expect longer to cross the carriageway. What is needed is a "Countup". A "Countup" would save valuable seconds whilst carers with prams or young children, the elderly & disabled and those with heavy shopping can prepare to cross the road. (Older sets of traffic signals allow pedestrians to see the traffic light sequence from the side & the crossing signal for pedestrians can still be seen whilst crossing the carriageway. there also seem to be fewer traffic signals with audio for the less sighted.) Naked Streets Where safe I am in favour of the removal of kerbside railings including railings at bus stops. I am in favour of some decluttering of the pedestrian realm. There seems to be a conflict between decluttering & recluttering taking away necessary signage, seating, rubbish bins & council/commercial street furniture but encouraging & licensing outspill from commercial premises and adding cycle parking (without evaluating whether the positions chosen are a danger to street users) together with some beautification such as flowering shrubs. I am not in favour of a shared realm with pedestrians, cyclists & motorists. This is confusing to some pedestrians & cyclists are unable to cope with it. Where possible cyclists should be in segregated lanes rather than shared lanes when on the footway as recommended in previous studies, with a preference for cycle lanes on the carriageway. Diagonal Crossings I do not see what is revolutionary about diagonal crossing at crossroads. Where all roads 1 have the same green crossing cycle & the green/blackout time is suitable I have been doing this for as long as I can remember. It is logical and should be encouraged. Footway Sited Street Plans & TfL street maps Some maps are North/South & some are direction orientated. If one is not familiar with an area it can be misleading. There should be a standard design box on all these plans showing the direction of North with one of two standard wordings such as "This map is North/South" or "This map is Street Real". TfL Web Site The TfL site should be more pedestrian friendly. It seems to have the perception that walking is a leisure activity and not a way to get from A to B. "Have you ever considered getting off the bus or Tube a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the journey?" or have a walk along the Greenway, etc.. The journey finder sees walking as a default setting, rather than a first choice, which needs tricking for longer walks & is not necessarily showing routes specifically for pedestrians. The database should be able to show pedestrian routes, cycling routes & quiet cycling routes. Bus Stops Cyclists do not expect or like to find pedestrains waiting at bus stops particularly where they narrow the footway. Where it is legal to cycle on the footway by a bus stop and cyclists are likely to follow a natural course through a bus stop even if there is a cycle route diverting around it the ground by the bus stop or in front of the bus shelter should be painted yellow, or hatched yellow to conserve paint. Toucan Crossings it needs to be made clear at Toucan Crossings that this does not necessarily mean that it is legal to cycle on the footways at each side other than in the marked cycle lanes to return the cyclist to the carriageway. Traffic Speed I do not believe that most roads in London should have a maximum speed of 20mph although It does suit some local roads. It can be more difficult judging safely crossing roads with traffic at a 18/20mph that at 28/30mph. It also shows the nonsence of the DfT advice that where it is legal to cycle on the footway a reasonable speed is to travel at up to 18mph. (The advice is that if the cyclist wishes to cycle at over 18mph they should use the carriageway.) Contraflow Cycling by Cyclists Contraflow cycling without cycle lanes along all one way streets is a dangerous idea. The suitablility of the roads concerned incuding the layout of the road and outlets should be taken into account. In a short unscientific survey during the initial trial in Holland Street, W8 I noted that two out of three cyclists jumped the footway when a vehicle came into sight, weaving through parked traffic if necessary. If this is to be allowed the laws of cycling on the footway in these street must be strictly enforced. I have also noted that in Westminster and Camden Stage Carriages are imitating the bad habits of cyclists in travelling contraflow along one way streets & along footways. If nothing is done to remove legal contraflow from Stage Carriages only roads suitable for contraflow by both cycles and Stage Carriages should allow unmarked contraflow. All entry points should be clearly marked to warn of the contraflow. Background There appears to be a perception that pedestrians are third rate citizens & do not count and a 'green' view shared by most politicians is that as bicycles & stage carriages are almost carbon neutral once built & delivered this balances everything else out. The problem with most cyclists is that they do not care for their own safety and therefore cannot be expected to care for anyone else's. At night 80% of cyclists have no front light, 80% of cyclists have no rear reflector or red light and 80 % of cyclists ride on the pavement. Not necessarily the same 80% and at a time when most street lighting is dipped presenting a colour temperature that makes it harder to see them. When a cyclist on the footway (whether legal or not) approaches a blind corner they do not 2 usually slow down in case another cyclist is mirroring their action. To put it another way a large proportion of Cyclists & Stage Carriage Operators are breaking the law a large proportion of the time, often putting themselves at more risk than anyone else. I have an incomplete list of the myriad of antics that I have seen which has over 40 examples. In practice, on the rare occasion that a cyclist draws attention to themselves as suggested by the Highway Code (for instance by ringing a bell) the usual interpretation is a cry of 'get out the f-----g way' although I have had 'get out of the way you c----'. This is particularly favoured on narrow pavements, where cycling is illegal, when there is no traffic on the road and at bus stops. I have often just managed to remove my feet when sitting at bus shelters where a cyclist not expecting anyone to sit there and objecting to people waiting for buses in the same way as they object to buses using bus lanes as buses stop at bus stops has shot through without taking reasonable care. In having to explain why I am not a crank in taking the position of a pedestrian I have an e-mail from a local government officer in one of the London Boroughs with a personal view that he does not see a problem when cyclists ride illegally on the footway, is not sure who would enforce the relevant laws and that whilst his council has a 'Cycling Officer*' who consults with the cycling lobby three times a year a 'Walking Officer' would be deemed an unnecessary and invented job as the promotion of cycling as an alternative to car use is central Government, GLA and local policy. *this officer also has other responsibilities The problem is that there is no lobby group for pedestrians without a conflict of interest.