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Newsletter 50 (October/November 2003)

Contents:

• Looking back at 50
• Annual General Meeting
• Spot the cycle path, number 11
• Planning Committee decision on cycle parking at The Junction
• Silver Street restrictions take effect
• Last minute hold-up at Milton bridge
• My Way
• Cast iron versus concrete
• Changes in St Andrew's Street
• Commentary
• Signs galore
• Parker's Piece
• Coral Park road-works
• More on Milton Road bus lane proposal
• Cycling Shorts
• Bruno barks again
• Letter
• Coldham's Lane railway bridge
• Your streets this month
• Small ads
• Campaign Diary
• About the Campaign
• Elected Officers 2002-2003
• Contacting the Campaign

Looking back at 50

Cambridge Cycling Campaign was launched eight years ago, in June 1995, and this is the fiftieth issue of our bi-monthly newsletter. Time for some nostalgia, then, we thought.

I had no idea of the scale of the task before sitting down to write this article, though. We have published more than 1200 articles, containing over half a million words, in around 800 pages – with nearly 3 million keyboard presses!

Constant themes

Not surprisingly, certain topics and themes reappear throughout the various issues. Here are a few examples: the list is very far from complete, but it gives a flavour of the wide range of topics we've covered.

(Numbers in square brackets are Issue numbers).

• Cycle parking (The shortage throughout much of central Cambridge; 300 new spaces at Cambridge station [21]; Park Street Cycle Park; Simon Nuttall's cycle parking experiment [39]; the City Council's cycle parking standards)
• Car parking (in cycle lanes – especially outside Brinton's Garage on Cherry Hinton Road; visibility problems at pedestrian crossings)
• Speeding (speed cameras; traffic calming; growth in number of local 20mph zones; Home Zones; the Slower Speeds Initiative; our successful objections to use of speed in some car advertising)
• Pinch points on roads (not much seems to have changed since our first campaign to remove a narrowing at the Jesus Lock pedestrian crossing)
• Pinch points on cycle routes (Problems posed for child trailers and bikes with baskets). The installation of cattle grids solves the problem on some routes, but there are new chicanes on brand new cycle routes too.
• Cycling bans (in Burleigh Street and Fitzroy Street, and in the city centre)
• Cycle theft (annual statistics; local partnership project to reduce theft)
• Bikes and trains (Carriage of bikes on trains; cycle parking at stations; WAGN's peak hour cycle ban [30]; redevelopment plans for Cambridge station)
• Bikes and buses (bus priority schemes; visibility problems at bus shelters on shared-use pavements; guided bus proposals; the removal of road space for cyclists to provide bus lanes)
• The behaviour of some cyclists giving others a bad name. (The report of our launch meeting, in Issue 1, said 'a recurring theme was the behaviour of "rogue" cyclists who pose a danger to pedestrians (and other cyclists) and make life difficult for the rest of us by heightening hostility to cyclists among other road users.')
• Cycle training (for adults, children and foreign language students)
• Cycle maintenance (and lighting)
• Carrying children by bike
• Cycling for fun (leisurely rides; charity sponsored rides)
• Cycling entrepreneurs (local bike shops; Chris's mobile repair service; the coming – and going – of trishaws in Cambridge; and even a window-cleaning service towing its 6 m ladder by bike [23])

We have of course reported on a wide range of Cycling Campaign activities, including:

• Our many position papers, reports and consultation responses
• National Bike Week every year
• Our fact-finding trips in the UK and overseas
• Our visits to many cycling conferences and meetings

We've reported on local and national policies and strategies (and our involvement in influencing them):

• Local Transport Plans
• Two Cambridgeshire Cycling (and Walking) Strategies
• One Cambridge Cycling and Walking Strategy
• Our optimism over the Integrated Transport White Paper
• Our pessimism over the Ten Year Transport Plan [31 & 32]

Much of the coverage has been of local traffic-related schemes, because of their effects on, and often benefits for, cyclists. For example:

• The Core Scheme (Bridge Street; Emmanuel Road; Silver Street)
• Barton Road
• The Jubilee Route
• Newmarket Road
• Trumpington Road (and the long saga of appalling conditions during construction)
• Grange Road
• Hills Road
• Mitcham's Corner
• New links opened (Rustat Road/Clifton Road; Newmarket Road to Riverside; the Jubilee Route; Cherry Hinton to Fulbourn; and soon the A14 bridge at Milton)
• And many of our campaigns have been solely about preventing the status quo from getting worse (Hills Road bus lane proposals; Milton Road bus lane proposals)

Some topics have run for longer than others. For example, on Newmarket Road:

• Our campaign to get green cycle filters installed on traffic lights in bus lanes – started in [18]; resolved in [20]
• Our campaign to restore a wrongly-removed cycle lane on the Barnwell railway bridge – started in [18] – and it took five years to get that one done
• The Royal Cambridge Hotel junction (the decision to install traffic lights [11]; installation delayed [13]; more than six years on, this junction is still a serious problem for cyclists)

There are a number of other cases where our initial requests were immediately declined, only for the work to be done eventually. For example, we asked for Regent Terrace to be resurfaced, and for wider gaps between the bollards by Pizza Hut [20]. The resurfacing happened two years later [33] and the gaps were widened three years later [39]. It's worth persisting.

As well as much constructive criticism, there have of course been very many 'thank yous' over the years. Perhaps most significantly in response to a complete U-turn by the local councils over plans to 'force' (as we described it) cyclists off Grange Road southbound; we awarded the final scheme a 'Golden Bell.'

There have been some lighter notes, too, of course, including:

• The Hills of Cambridge [22]
• Girton College Bicycle Club [28]
• A mountainous invitation from Belgium [34] (see box below)

The Credits

I think we can be forgiven for being proud of this publication. It truly would not have been possible without contributions past and present from many who care about the cause of cycling in the Cambridge area:

• The editors: Jonathan Whiteland, Philip Morley and Mark Irving
• The copy editors: Debby Banham, David Green, Beth Morgan and Lisa Clatworthy
• Page layout: Mike Smith
• The authors: Too numerous to mention them all, but Dave Earl, Nigel Deakin, Jim Chisholm and Lisa and James Woodburn deserve particular credit.
• Photography: Dave Earl
• Cartoons: Mick, and Dave Earl
• Online conversion: Mike Smith, Martin Lucas-Smith, Mike Causer.

In the early days, I spent many long hours at Staples waiting for photocopying of newsletters – so there was probably no-one happier than me when Victoire Press in Bar Hill took over the printing process for Newsletter 16.

Behind the scenes, our teams of envelope-stuffers and deliverers, ably organised by Lisa Woodburn, then complete the process.

We are grateful, too, to Cambridge City Council for a Sustainable City Grant which has enabled us to distribute the Newsletter more widely, in particular to schools, libraries, councillors and council officers.

Looking ahead

So what does the future hold for the Cambridge Cycling Campaign Newsletter?

Well, we would like eventually to include colour photos in the printed version of the newsletter, as we've always done in the web version, but this is just too expensive at the moment.

In recent years, we've broadened the scope of the Newsletter, with series like 'My Way'. We meet to review every issue, and consider ways it could be improved. Please tell us if you have any suggestions – or if you would like to contribute to a future issue.

Clare Macrae

Annual General Meeting

This year's AGM will be on Tuesday 4 November, at 7.30 pm for 8 pm (ending 9.30 pm) at the Friends' Meeting House on Jesus Lane.

We hope to arrange a speaker for the meeting. Details will be posted on our website, or contact us if you'd like to know more.

Minutes of the last AGM and the agenda for the next will be sent round our members' e-mail list a week in advance (or just request a copy from us). You can join the e-mail list using the quick form online at www.camcycle.org.uk/membership/discussion.html .

If you have any motions for the AGM, please ensure they reach the Co-ordinator by Sunday 26th October so that there is enough time to assemble the agenda and publicise the motions.

As usual, all the Committee posts, as listed here, are up for election. We gave some information about each post in the previous Newsletter, partly in the hope of inspiring more people to become involved!

We will certainly be looking for a new Press Officer, to help deal with press enquiries and respond to press reports and letters. Contact us to find out more or if you are interested. We thank Sam Davies, our outgoing Press Officer, for her work.

Martin Lucas-Smith, Co-ordinator

Spot the cycle path, number 11

It is several years now since a cycle crossing at Perne Road was moved. It was incorporated into the traffic lights a few metres further along the road when a mini-roundabout was converted to signals at the end of Mill Road. No effort was made at the time to move street furniture (mainly a phone box and a post box) in the way of the new path. Nor were the Give Way markings expunged. They always were over the top anyway.

Give Way to a phone box

Now, contractors have taken it upon themselves to repaint the redundant markings. So we've been reminded once again that cyclists should always give way to telephone boxes. Apparently it is all right not to give way to metal railings though, as the equivalent markings on the other side of the road were not repainted.

Ironically, this was done immediately after the County Council said they would remove the markings altogether. So expect a second lot of contractors to come along and erase them before long. Move the phone box as well? Let's hope.

Planning Committee decision on cycle parking at The Junction

We have had some success in our efforts to obtain on-site cycle parking for users of The Junction, which is about to be expanded to provide space for the Cambridge Drama Centre. The Drama Centre is to move in 2004 from its current location in Covent Garden to The Junction's site. Both The Junction and the whole Cattle Market development next to it are on Council-owned land.

As reported in Newsletter 49, the architects in their application for planning permission proposed to remove all the existing cycle parking for members of the general public on The Junction site. The plan was that cyclists would have to use the grossly insufficient amount of cycle parking to be provided on the adjacent Cattle Market development. We sent in an objection asking the Council to apply its own Local Plan cycle parking standards, which require specified numbers of on-site cycle parking spaces to be provided near the main entrances of new buildings.

Construction work at The Junction site.

Since then the application for Planning Permission has been twice modified to take account of our objection. The application which came before the Planning Committee on 3 September proposed that the present number of cycle parking stands for the general public should be kept and not removed as had previously been suggested. In addition another 66 cycle parking spaces would be provided.

When we spoke at the Planning Committee meeting we welcomed the change but argued that both the quantity and the quality of the cycle parking to be provided were still not sufficient to meet the Council's own standards. The 66 new spaces were allocated for users of the new 200-seat auditorium (one for every three seats). But no cycle parking spaces at all were to be provided for the many other new facilities including additional rooms for performances and a café-bar. Under the Standards, provision should have been made for these. At the meeting officials rejected this using the surprising argument that the other new performance rooms would not be used at the same time as the main auditorium. This seems to us unlikely and is, in any case, not a valid reason for failing to implement the Standards in full. They are mandatory.

We were more successful in our argument at the meeting that spacing of the cycle stands was insufficient. They are now to be a metre apart.

Cycle path going from nowhere to nowhere on Cherry Hinton Road.

We asked for good lighting, for security cameras and for the parking stands to be roofed. We were told that there should be good lighting and cameras but that roofing was unacceptable because it could interfere with the operation of the cameras.

We expressed our concerns about safe and effective cycle access to The Junction and its cycle parking. This is part of a more general worry about the planning of cycle routes within the Cattle Market development. It remains unclear whether cyclists will have the easy access they need through the main piazza. The curious new cycle path outside the newly-built flats on the Cherry Hinton Road frontage, which goes from nowhere to nowhere, does not suggest a thoughtful approach to cycle routes.

As the material in the box indicates, the merged Junction and Cambridge Drama Centre is an exciting new development. We very much hope that it will be much used and enjoyed by cyclists and others and that the facilities provided for cyclists will be of the high quality that they are entitled to from the Council on Council-owned land.

James Woodburn

Silver Street restrictions take effect

Restrictions on private motor traffic in Silver Street started in early August. There is some re-paving work going on near the river bridge, but rising bollards are now working.

The restrictions at a glance.

It is too early to judge the overall effect. Traffic is at its seasonal low in late summer and highest in the autumn. We also know from the experience in Bridge Street that however many signs are put up, people take a long time to get used to changes like these.

The chosen option now in operation is a tidal flow system. The street is closed to general motor traffic during the middle of the day and at the dead of night (a concession to us, though it was in the evening that we wanted it restricted). All traffic is allowed inbound, but not outbound, in the morning from 6 am to 10 am and outbound between 4 pm and midnight. Buses (there are few, mainly the four-per-hour sightseeing buses which operate outbound only), taxis (there are lots) and cycles continue to be permitted in both directions at any time.

The system is enforced by rising bollards on each side of the road near the Queens Road end, so this means that the street is still two-way at all times but traffic can't get all the way through when the closure is in effect. Bikes have bypasses on either side of the bollards, an arrangement that is very similar to Bridge Street and Emmanuel Road.

There are strategically placed signs in Trumpington Street, as well as in Silver Street, which change according to the time of day. When traffic is restricted they show 'no through road' and at other times are blank or show weight restrictions. At the bollards themselves 'no entry except authorised vehicles' signs turn blank when the appropriate bollard is lowered to let all traffic through at 6 am or 4 pm.

What people do

As I write this, the reversible signs aren't working. The 'no through road' and 'no entry' signs are staying put even when the bollard is lowered. Not that this stops anyone driving over the lowered bollards.

When the bollards were in operation I saw many drivers coming along Silver Street then having to return. Hopefully this will reduce as people get used to the situation. However, at present there is a lot of congestion at the bollards. Cars tend to arrive in groups resulting in two knots of turning and reversing traffic either side of the bollards, mixed up with the bikes and taxis that are allowed to go through. One reversing car nearly hit a bike in the few minutes I was watching, and several cyclists rode up onto the pavement to avoid the mêlée or a blocked cycleway. I saw only one driver who actually drove past the no entry signs and expected the bollard to go down.

Scrum in Silver Street. Reversing cars mix with bikes at the bollards. In time, we hope this will become less common, but at present there is clearly a serious hazard.

Clearly, traffic is much reduced, though levels in Silver Street fell after 4 pm on the afternoon I was there (which was probably atypical, being a damp Saturday). Before 4 pm every outbound car used Silver Street twice through having to double back, while after 4 pm there definitely wasn't twice the number of cars. When the traffic is allowed through in one direction, turning traffic unable to go in the other direction gets mixed up with it. I didn't see anyone go through the open gap in the wrong direction, but I fully expect this to become a regular dodge once people realise there is nothing to stop them.

Despite the reduced traffic during restricted hours, however, pedestrians still cram onto the exceptionally narrow pavements in the city centre end of the street. There is still too much traffic (going both ways) for pedestrians to feel comfortable taking over space on the road. The layout of the road hasn't been changed either, which sends signals to everyone using it. But people still inevitably and necessarily step off the kerb into the road to pass each other. Cyclist Phil Gibbard contacted us recently to say he'd nearly been felled when someone did that immediately in front of him without looking. 'One of them was a policeman!' he said.

What does seem to have been the most immediate and highly positive effect of the restrictions is the reduction in large vehicles. Nevertheless, I still saw a tour bus mount the pavement to within inches of the buildings to pass another vehicle.

Knock-on effects

There have been the inevitable grumbles in the local press. The 'it was never a problem before' kind of letter from a disgruntled driver was no surprise. Clearly he never had to step off the pavement to make room for another pedestrian, nor had bike wheels squeezed against the kerb by a passing coach.

One specific problem is that foreign coaches with doors on the 'wrong' side let their passengers out into the traffic on Queens Road, their new parking spot. The common-sense answer which we suggested, for these coaches to approach from the other direction, met with some criticism that they would have to cross the path of the oncoming traffic, including bikes.

Elsewhere, the cycle crossing at Gonville Place has been reconstructed, removing the central island to make room for an extra traffic lane which is supposed to help with the knock-on effects of traffic displaced from Silver Street.

Reversible signs show 'No Through Road' when the street is restricted in that direction.

In conclusion

It is hard to draw many conclusions so far as the real test is yet to come and people still have to get used to the system. However, it is already clear that pedestrians have hardly benefited from the scheme at all because the continued two-way street arrangement, even though it carries less traffic, means there is still no more space for people on foot.

Because the County Council was not prepared to back a proper closure, the scheme is quite complicated. The traffic engineers have produced a remarkably simple way of implementing a complicated restriction, but it does mean that more traffic will be in the street than should be and scope for rearranging space is very limited.

The half-hearted restrictions also mean that there is still a problem for cyclists getting out of the end of the contraflow lane in Pembroke Street. The crash-prone junction at the Royal Cambridge Hotel will carry more traffic. Will councillors continue to duck responsibility for the safety of cyclists by putting traffic capacity first at these mini roundabouts?

When the Silver Street restrictions were first discussed, restrictions in Regent Street were also mooted but were put aside. Will we now see them revived? While we tentatively supported the restrictions, the impact on cyclists in Downing Street could have been quite damaging, and many of us think that the problem for cyclists in Regent Street is from buses, which would not have been restricted.

David Earl

Last minute hold-up at Milton bridge

The span in mid September, before being rolled in place.

Assembly of prefabricated parts for the cycle bridge across the A14 between Milton and north Cambridge means that a bridge structure is now visible for the first time. However, the plan to close the road to roll the span into place, first planned for the weekend of 13 September, and then for a week later, was put on hold again at the last minute – after warning signs had gone up and leaflets been printed. The plan is now to close the road in late October or November. After the span is in place, the ramps and fitting out still has to be completed, so the opening of the new bridge will also slip. January has been mooted, but don't hold your breath.

We are also told that improvements may be made between the north end of the bridge and Milton Country Park, a route that is at present often occupied by parked goods vehicles.

David Earl

My Way

Phil Rodgers works in modern offices built on the site of the old Fulbourn Hospital and lives in south Arbury. We follow him home one evening.

Starting from the office [A], I leave the hospital site and turn left onto Fulbourn Old Drift. It's downhill and along the new cycle route beside Tesco. This is a big improvement on the old route over the level crossing and down the very bumpy part of Fulbourn Old Drift. You can get up a good speed going down the hill, but you need to be careful at an awkward wiggle alongside the Tesco car park [B].

	A	B
	C	D

Yarrow Road is sometimes tricky to cross safely [C]. It's usually not too bad in the evenings, but in the mornings I can have a long wait if I arrive just after a train has been through the level crossing. On the other side of the road, the way through to the next bit of Fulbourn Old Drift is also much improved with just a bollard to negotiate [D].

Then it's along the last bit of Fulbourn Old Drift. Last year I was knocked off my bike here by someone in a parked car opening a door, so I'm particularly alert to this now.

At Cherry Hinton High Street it's left and immediately right into Coldham's Lane. The cycle lane markings want me to use the pavements and pedestrian crossings, but this takes ages. Instead I sit assertively in the middle of the right turn lane and wait for the lights [E]. (A few months ago I was pushed off the road at this junction by a Stagecoach bus making space for another bus. I complained and they sent an apologetic reply.)

After all that, it's a nice straight run [F] past the airport to the scary roundabout by Sainsbury's [G]. There's often a long wait for a gap here, with the added excitement of car drivers from Coldham's Lane trying to turn left across me. Again I go for assertive lane positioning and hope!

	E	F
	G	H

New cycle lanes are being built in the next bit of Coldham's Lane, though all there is so far is some red tarmac across side roads [H]. The new cycle lanes should make it easier to pass queuing traffic but I don't want to cycle too close to the parked cars.

Past Greens gym – my company offers subsidised Greens membership, but I reckon cycling to work is a better way to keep fit – and over the railway [I]. This is a steep climb with impatient car drivers (mostly) unable to overtake. I gather the proposed cycle bridge here has been delayed but I'll be interested to see how it works. Past the Beehive roundabout where drivers seem particularly bad about signalling [J].

	I	J
	K	L

Then left onto Newmarket Road. When the new bridge over the Cam is built, I'll probably go down River Lane and over the bridge instead, but for now it's down the Elizabeth Way underpass – I reckon the risk of being mugged in the underpass is smaller than the risk from the traffic on the roundabout. Cyclists never like dismounting, so I go the longer way round and ride down [K]. I actually use some of my lower gears on the way back up on the other side [L].

Over the Elizabeth Way bridge and past two more slightly scary roundabouts [M] and I'm in Highworth Avenue. Now I can relax – Leys Road [N], Leys Avenue, round the back of Arbury Court, down an alleyway and I'm home [O].

	M	N
	O

My cycle computer shows just over five miles. The journey usually takes me 25–30 minutes. By car, the quickest route is ten miles. That's along the A14 and round the airport, and still takes 20 minutes, even when the A14 is in a good mood. There's also the C1 bus which runs all the way from the end of my road to just outside the office, but takes over an hour!

We've recently become a no-car household, which has definitely helped my motivation for cycling instead of driving. Of course, it's been a lovely summer for cycling; I'll have to see how things go when the autumn weather starts.

Phil Rodgers

Cast iron versus concrete

At the eleventh hour, a serious and well organised group has got together to try to have the old St Ives railway line run trains again. This is instead of the guided bus that Cambridgeshire County Council proposes for the same route (see Newsletter 49).

The new group, CAST.IRON (The Cambridge And St. Ives Railway Organisation – a very clever acronym – billed as 'Britain's first community commuter railway') is taking a different approach from previous groups. Ambitiously, they propose not just to campaign for rail, but to actually run the line themselves. They say this has been done before, though, and recently: Wensleydale's line was reopened privately by leasing the line from Network Rail, refurbishing stations, purchasing a works train and hiring a diesel passenger train.

These are the main issues, from a purely cycling perspective, distinguishing light rail and guided bus proposals for this route:

• The prospects for a cycle route alongside. The County Council guided bus proposal incorporates an under-publicised cycle route as part of an adjacent service road. A link from Histon to the Science Park is probably the most important element in the short term, though a new town at Oakington will make other sections become increasingly important and less Cambridge-centric later on. While constructing a cycle track alongside the railway is not substantially different, it is not an integral part of the railway scheme, so is less likely to happen. Given CAST.IRON is raising funds privately, it seems inevitable that any cycle track would have to be obtained by an independent method. Were the County Council (and the Government) to change its mind and support rail, this would be less of a concern.
• The ability of the route to have an impact on traffic levels. Many people think that rail is a much more attractive option for attracting commuters than bus. On the other hand, a train is likely to be very much less frequent than the very busy schedule envisaged in the County Council bus scheme. Even with the best will in the world, the single track places severe limitations on frequency. We must also consider the change from car, bus or cycle required by most people at both ends of the route.
• Cycle parking at stops. There seems no particular reason to think either bus or rail would differ much here. Cycle parking standards can be enforced through planning permission.
• The ability or otherwise of a service to actually carry bikes. It is almost certain that no bus service using adapted buses, as proposed, would carry bikes. The more tram-like vehicles once mooted (see Newsletter 38) had more, but still not much, potential. Trains, on the other hand, often do carry bikes, and a local community-based service would probably be more responsive to this need than a big railway company. Experience shows, however, that peak services usually ban bikes.
• The impact on cyclists of the service away from the route. Lots more buses have the potential to reduce other traffic, but the County Council seems determined to promote bus priority measures inside Cambridge itself at the expense of cyclists. This is a serious and worrying aspect of the guided bus proposal. However, the CAST.IRON proposal initially stops at Milton Road, requiring more buses too. Completion of the railway to Cambridge station would help, but the difficulty of mixing light and heavy rail on the main line was one of the main reasons rail did not win out originally.

Is CAST.IRON just too late?

Cambridge Cycling Campaign has taken the view that it strongly supports public transport use of this corridor, but that it is neutral on the type of transport, provided that any proposal includes a cycle track along the route.

What's left of Histon station and level crossings.

So we wish CAST.IRON luck. We have a lot of sympathy for a project which is grass-roots based and community led. Many of us see the wider benefits of rail at a regional level and prefer it as individuals. But as an organisation the Cycling Campaign can't support it over the County Council's scheme, especially as CAST.IRON does not currently promote a cycle track as part of its proposals. If it were to do so, it would probably have to double its budget.

Is its budget realistic anyway? CAST.IRON says it needs less than £2 million to reopen light rail between Swavesey and Milton Road. A single station at Addenbrooke's on the main line was estimated at £2 million two or three years ago. There were other considerations there, such as additional track and electrified lines. However, if official support were forthcoming the sums of money which would be raised for transport in connection with the Oakington new town development should be able to finance a realistic budget.

We also have to consider what happens south of Cambridge. Would a guided bus be viable if it only ran from Trumpington to the rail station? And if not, would we lose the potential for a cycle route along that line that would accompany a guided bus system, or would it make space available for cycling which would otherwise be used as a bus track?

But in the end isn't CAST.IRON just too late? Hasn't the decision in principle already been made by all the people who have the power? Might it be that it will simply delay having anything happen on the St Ives line that has already been unused for far, far too long? Might the consequence be that construction of a cycle route is put off and more cars come into Cambridge? We've no wish to be hostile to CAST.IRON, and many of us may offer it individual support. But if only it had been there ten years ago!

David Earl

Changes in St Andrew's Street

The County Council has been consulting on changes to St Andrew's Street. Two major development projects will have significant implications for traffic and pedestrians in the area. Together, the Grand Arcade development and the redevelopment of Bradwell's Court will increase pressure on what is already a busy area. The consultation is in two parts.

Temporary changes during the development of the Grand Arcade

Grand Arcade is a large shopping arcade development which will transform the area behind Lion Yard. Being a large project, it has been a long time coming and it followed the rejection of the retail park planned by Sainsbury's between Arbury and the A14 back in 1999. (You can read the 'thread' of articles we've published over the years covering the Grand Arcade on our website at www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/threads/grandarcade.html). The developers hope that, if all goes well, the new shopping centre could be open for business by Christmas 2007.

In order to accommodate the construction work, some temporary changes are proposed for St Andrew's Street for around two years, principally a hoarding to enclose the works. This will take up much of the existing footway in what is already a very busy area. The council therefore plans to relocate the disabled persons' parking bay and has suggested two options:

• Relocation to what is currently the taxi rank further along the road during the day, with new electronic hailing for taxi customers during the day.
• A new, smaller disabled persons' parking bay outside Bradwell's Court.

St Andrew's Street is already very short of cycle parking. Bikes are parked anywhere and everywhere – wherever a post can be found to lean against.

The changes were discussed at the Campaign's September monthly meeting and the first option was preferred. As well as creating a parking bay in a rather incongruous location, the second option would result in loss of cycle parking in an area which has a considerable shortage of cycle parking.

We will also be requesting that the cobbles in the present disabled parking bays are resurfaced, as cycles would be using this area for two years. We feel this is a reasonable request given the high cycle traffic in this area and the length of time.

The consultation will have closed by the time you read this Newsletter and we will have written to support the scheme in general and to give our feedback.

Further permanent access restrictions

In the longer term, pressure on St Andrew's Street will increase as a result of the Grand Arcade and the redevelopment of Bradwell's Court. Bus usage is also projected to increase, despite the well-publicised problems of congestion at Drummer Street bus station nearby due to lack of space.

The Council proposes to prohibit loading and unloading in St Andrew's Street, north of Emmanuel Street, during 10 am – 4 pm like other areas of the city centre. Additionally, it is hoped that the currently high levels of illegal use of the area by vehicles using it as a through route will decrease. Remarkably, over 50% of cars and goods vehicles in St Andrew's Street are through traffic not requiring access in the area. Furthermore, there appears to be a fair amount of 'overranking' by taxis. All these factors increase congestion which can often spread back into adjoining roads and the bus station.

We were concerned a few years ago that Cambridgeshire County Council wished to see St Andrew's Street fully pedestrianised during the day. Clearly, with the existing daytime cycling ban elsewhere, that would make access to and through the city centre even more difficult for cyclists. However, our fears appear to be unfounded and we welcome the Council's renewed commitment to ensuring that this route is kept open.

We have written to welcome the changes and to offer our support for reducing congestion in this area.

Martin Lucas-Smith, Co-ordinator

Commentary

Signs galore

If you have a question about cycling, ask Dr Dynamo and he'll try to answer it.

Dear Dr Dynamo,

Every day I see motor vehicles which I suspect are parked illegally, but I'm not sure what the road signs and markings mean. Can you help?

Yours, Frances M, Arbury.

No waiting

A small yellow plate parallel to the kerb is a 'no waiting' sign. 'No waiting' means that during the hours shown on the sign you can't park (i.e. leave your car for an extended period) but you can stop to load or unload and to pick up or set down passengers. 'No waiting' signs are reinforced by yellow lines parallel to the kerb. Examples are everywhere.

No loading

A small white plate parallel to the kerb is a 'no loading' sign. 'No loading' means that during the hours shown on the sign you may not park nor may you stop to load or unload. However you can I think pick up or set down passengers. 'No loading' signs are reinforced by yellow lines perpendicular to the kerb. Examples all along Mill Road.

Loading only

There's also a new white plate, 'loading only', reinforced with a marked bay bearing the markings 'loading only.' This means 'no waiting.' Examples in Bridge Street.

Urban Clearway

A yellow, black and white sign perpendicular to the kerb (i.e. facing drivers) is an 'urban clearway.' This means more or less the same as 'no loading' – stopping to pick up and set down passengers is permitted. Examples in East Road.

Clearway

A circular sign bearing a red diagonal on a blue background inside a red circle, perpendicular to the kerb, is a 'clearway.' This means no stopping: no waiting, no loading, no picking up and setting down passengers, nothing. Examples along the entire length of the A14.

Dr Dynamo

Parker's Piece

Contractors working on the public toilets on Parker's Piece have created a nasty visibility problem. They have put up a solid fence around the building, which they say is essential to keep dust and debris inside. However, the fence means that cyclists on the two diagonal paths that meet there cannot see each other.

Crude markings were later painted on the path. After we alerted the Council to the problem, the offending corner of the fence was moved in a couple of metres, but as you can see in the picture, there is now a big sign in exactly the previous location of the fence, obstructing the already limited view.

Hopefully that sign will also have been moved by the time you read this. But why does it take so much effort to get little common sense things like this done properly in the first place? Even with the fencing set back, visibility will remain limited for a considerable time. Closure of the main pavement means more pedestrians than usual will be walking in the cycle path. So, on several counts, much care is needed here for the time being.

Coral Park road-works

A section of footway on Newmarket Road was obstructed whilst works for the Coral Park redevelopment were carried out. As a result, the cycle lane was coned off for pedestrians to use, and the remaining part of the bus lane was coned off for use by cyclists. It's good to see that the builders have considered the needs of cyclists here, even though the line of cones along the edge of the bus lane probably wasn't strictly necessary. The needs of cyclists should always be catered for when building work takes place on the highway, especially if it means reduced lane widths.

More on Milton Road bus lane proposal

On 11 September, detailed plans for the new length of Milton Road bus lane were presented by County Council officials at a consultation.

We have campaigned vigorously against this length of bus lane which severely damages facilities for cyclists, well over a thousand of whom use Milton Road each day (see Newsletter 47). As a result of our campaigning, councillors asked for more information before taking a decision and it is this information which has now been presented.

The proposed new bus lane runs north-east along Milton Road from just before Woodhead Drive to just before King's Hedges Road. The most damaging effects on cyclists would be when they are cycling in the opposite direction, towards the city centre. Inbound cyclists would have to choose between cycling on the road in a narrowed traffic lane (three metres wide) where they would be harassed by motorists or on a too narrow (1.5 metres wide) segregated cycleway on the pavement which has to cross three side roads. On the outbound side of the road cyclists would have a choice between cycling in the narrow (three metres wide) bus lane or on the 1.5 metre wide segregated pavement cycleway which has to cross two side roads.

The most innovative element in the scheme is that, probably for the first time in Cambridge, cyclists would be given priority over motorists when crossing a side road at a road junction. Pedestrians have, of course, always had this priority (Highway Code, rule 182) and cyclists have such priority in much of continental Europe. Strangely, however, the priority would apply only to one side road of the five (Woodhead Drive). At the other four, cyclists would have to give way. All five crossings would be ramped.

At two of the side roads (Cook Close and Fraser Road) the crossings would go straight across. At the other three crossings cyclists and pedestrians would have to divert and to cross a few metres down the side road. Officials claim that such diversions are needed on safety grounds. But this is a strange claim as cyclists crossing directly are a straightforward extension of pedestrians crossing directly. Established continental cycleway practice demonstrates that direct crossings do not create unacceptable risks for cyclists or motorists. Diversions are a problem for cyclists because they make it more difficult to see turning vehicles and also increase the likelihood of conflict with pedestrians.

We will continue to campaign against the bus lane. Councillors will make their decision on the scheme at the next meeting of the Joint Area Transport Committee on 20 October.

Formal responses to the consultation have to be submitted by Monday 29 September. If you wish to express your opinions about whether the bus lane proposal should be accepted or rejected, you should email alistair.frost@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or write to Alistair Frost at Box ET1017, Cambridgeshire County Council, Shire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge CB3 OAP.

James Woodburn

Cycling Shorts

The County Council has appointed Peterborough Environment City Trust to oversee the design competition for the planned new river bridge at Riverside. See Newsletter 45 for the background. Construction is due to start in November 2004.

The process for planning applications has been changed recently. The Government says the changes are to speed up the process, though it is hard to see they will change very much. While the views of 'statutory consultees' can now be taken as read in some situations, Regional Development agencies have a complicating formal role. If planning permission is refused, the applicant has less time to appeal. Councils now have to give reasons for approving plans (previously they only had to do so to reject them) – though this is only of any use, of course, if there are then the means to challenge the decision.

The County Council is putting the final touches to the latest edition of the Cambridge Cycle Route Map. The new edition should be available by the end of September in time for the new intake of University students. The map was originally compiled by a Cycling Campaign subgroup and we have continued to be involved in updating it since. Unfortunately later editions show an increasing number of poor quality pavement cycleways. As well as correcting errors and omissions, the revised map reflects changes on the ground. For example, we have an entirely new route this time in the Jubilee path across Ditton Meadows.

The Government says it has put an extra £3.6 million into research about potholes. The money is to adapt a vehicle for local authority use which is already used on motorways and main roads to measure surface condition while moving. They say that this allows road condition to be assessed safely, efficiently and without disruption to traffic. Minister David Jamieson said: 'potholes – the scourge of drivers and cyclists alike – could be filled much more efficiently on local roads, thanks to new technology.'

Bruno barks again

Every so often a film comes along which is something to do with cycling. As a French passion, so often the origin is France. In the case of Belleville Rendez-vous shown at the Arts Picturehouse recently, that's pretty much true, though the production is thoroughly international. Here is a little review.

Madame Souza never lets up on Champion's training regime.

Belleville Rendez-vous is a short feature length drawn animation. In the manner of cartoons, it tells the fantastical story of the rescue of Champion, kidnapped during his Tour de France ride by the Belleville mafia. He is put to work cycling on a fixed stage in a theatre for the mafia to exploit by betting. In the meantime, his grandmother-coach Madame Souza and his dog Bruno (who loves toffees and barks at trains incessantly) set out across the ocean to Belleville to rescue him. There they meet up with the Triplettes, forgotten singing stars of the thirties. Together they set out to free Champion culminating in a car-cycle chase around the streets of Belleville.

The film is beautifully drawn and coloured. It's almost a series of set pieces: the country home of Champion's childhood, the encroaching development as he grows up, the Tour, a chase across the ocean, Belleville squalor, and the chase at the end. Champion himself has no character: he lives only for the Tour. And in fact there is little character development of any of the players. Bruno the dog is perhaps the most, shall we say, animated.

Les Triplettes meet Madame Souza when she discovers how to play music on a bicycle wheel.

However, the film is full of little sideswipes and observations on different societies. The two-dimensionality and fanaticism of the Tour participants, the sad decline of Champion's house in the face of a spreading city and the railway viaduct, the poverty of the old Triplettes, reduced to a state where their diet is entirely of frogs (perhaps a little bit of self-deprecation by the French there). Belleville is a parody of New York, down to the obese Statue of Liberté.

Maybe there's a tendency of the film to push the jokes a bit beyond their limits. For example, Bruno's incessant barking becomes tedious (but then aren't dogs' habits just like that). That makes it a little slow, especially near the start. In the end, though, it is the surreal world that only animation can create that is the making of the film. But perhaps it is only in this surreal world that the cyclists can outwit and win over the cars.

David Earl

Letter

Life cycle of a cycle helmet

Following on from Guy Pooley's letter in Newsletter 49 I have a question about helmets. According to the now defunct Bycycle magazine (number 4, page 27) I have to change my cycle helmet every three to five years.

Is this so and why? Does any reader know of an ecological way of disposing of my unscathed 13-year-old Bell V1-Pro apart from turning it upside down and using it as a hanging flower basket?

Chris Arnold

Coldham's Lane railway bridge

Network Rail has given Cambridgeshire County Council permission to proceed with the planned cycle and pedestrian bridge beside the existing road bridge. We reported on these plans in Newsletter 39 (December 2001), but there was a long delay after the collapse of Railtrack. Work is due to start in late October, and the project will take six months to complete. The £1.1 million cost is to be met mainly through developer contributions from recent retail developments in the area.

A new toucan crossing will be installed close to the Beehive roundabout replacing the existing zebra crossing. A second Toucan will be put in to link the bridge to the Coral Park development.

The county council's press release says that the 'restrictions of the site' do not allow the bridge to be wider than 3.5 metres or to be segregated for pedestrians and cyclists. This is a metre narrower than the busy cycle bridge near the station, and at one end it will lead to a very narrow shared-use pavement and a busy roundabout.

Two years ago we called this a very expensive – but mediocre – bridge which is almost useless when heading away from Newmarket Road and with inadequate access from the Beehive Centre. Many eastbound cyclists will choose to remain on the road where, we fear, they are likely to suffer increased intimidation by drivers who believe they should be using the new bridge.

Mark Irving

Your streets this month

Bad route to get worse

The tortuous new route between Tesco in Newmarket Road and Riverside.

The new cycle route between Tesco in Newmarket Road and Riverside, already notorious for its chicanes, is to become even more inconvenient to use. Cambridge City Council has approved plans to permanently divert the route as part of the landscaping of a residential development adjacent to the path. The new route will be almost unbelievably tortuous. Cyclists riding down to the river will find their way blocked by a new tree right in the middle of the path. Instead they will have to follow a diversion which first swings round to the left, then right, then sharp left again, round a tight hairpin bend and then left again to rejoin the original route. We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw the plans. The plans have been approved and it's too late to make a formal objection, but complain nonetheless to Peter Studdert, Director of Environment and Planning at the City Council, in the hope of preventing this ridiculous scheme being constructed.

Councillors have also approved a large residential and office development on the south side of Newmarket Road between Coldham's Lane and Abbey Street. The development will provide a 4 m strip of land along the Newmarket Road frontage which will be used to provide a bus lane. We haven't seen the latest plans, but hope the new bus lane will therefore be 4 m wide, allowing the existing cycle lane to be retained within it. In addition, the pedestrian crossing at Abbey Street is to be made 'more cycle friendly' – whatever that means. We hope that means that the crossing – which forms part of a well-used cycle route from the York Street area to the river – will be converted to a toucan.

Useful new route

A useful new route for cyclists near Newmarket Road cemetery.

A new residential development near Newmarket Road cemetery in east Cambridge has created a useful new route for local cyclists. A short length of smooth new cycle path off Newmarket Road just east of the cemetery together with the quiet roads of the new estate now make it possible to cycle from the Meadowlands Road/Airport area to the Jubilee Cycle Route (NCN 51), avoiding the Newmarket Road–Ditton Lane junction and the narrow and busy Ditton Lane.

The new route connects with the existing pavement cycleway along the north side of Newmarket Road. The short stretch between Ditton Lane and Meadowlands Road is wide and smooth, but the end near the new development has seen a lot of abuse by parked vehicles – mainly by building contractors working on the new estate and car transporters delivering to Marshall's. Now local residents have started obstructing it. It remains to be seen how bad this problem is and whether physical or enforcement measures will need to be taken to keep this useful pavement cycleway clear.

Useful route threatened

The City Council is proposing to convert Abbey Walk, a useful link within the route between the Grafton Centre and the Beehive Centre and used heavily by Petersfield residents, into a one-way street. No cycle exemption is planned, despite a successful experiment initiated by the Area Joint Committee two years ago to exempt cyclists from one-way streets and which should be ongoing.

We are unclear as to the reason for this change which would effectively criminalise cyclists who wish to cycle through what is a perfectly reasonable route. The only problem here appears to be at the blind corners, and this is generally due to the consistently high level of illegal parking. We would like to see action taken to enforce the parking rules rather than penalising the victims.

Much opposition is expected. Comments to Graham Lowe, by 6th October. stating the reason for the objection.

Silver Street

The part time closure of Silver Street to private through motor traffic is now in operation, with tidal, one-way flow through the closure point during the morning peak and in the evening. The result has been to make this extremely busy cycle route much more pleasant and less congested. See article.

Small ads

Free to members, on cycling subjects.

For sale

Tandem – Claud Butler Majestic Twin £300. Alasdair Massie (01462) 894219 (h) or (01223) 882000 (w)

'Holdsworth' 531 touring cycle with carrier; 21 speed, Michelin tyres, Mavic rims and in superb order (2112"). £275 (01487) 814015 Aylin.

Wanted

Hamax Discovery 103 child seat. Must be in good condition. Bike fixings desirable but not essential. (01223) 362194

Campaign Diary

October 2003
Wed 1	5–7 pm	Free cycle security coding at Cambridge Station Cycles, next to the Railway Station. The security code is a deterrent to theft and enables bikes to be traced nationally.
Sun 5		Home Farm Trust Sponsored Bike Ride. 20 or 50 mile circular rides. From Orford House, Ugley, near Bishops Stortford. In aid of the Home Farm Trust. For further details, contact seftihiou@hft.org.uk or (01525) 379830
Tue 7	7.30 pm	Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, at the Park Street junction. (Tea and coffee, a chance to chat, and for us to introduce ourselves to new members for the first half-hour. The meeting proper starts at 8 pm.)
Sat 11	10 am	Local authority auction of unclaimed found cycles to be held at the 29th Cambridge Scout Headquarters, Stanesfield Road, off Barnwell Road, Cambridge. Viewing from 9 am. Contact 01354 688197 for more information. Please note: although you may find a bargain, you have no rights if the cycle is faulty. If you are new to cycling or know little about cycles, we recommend purchasing from a reputable cycle shop or dealer elsewhere in the city.
Sun 12	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. A countryside ride, at a gentle pace. Meet at Hobbs Pavilion on Parker's Piece. Back in Cambridge around 5 pm.
Fri 17	8.30 am	Newsletter 50 review and planning for 51, over breakfast at Tatties café.
Mon 20	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5–7 Norfolk Street.
Sat 25	10–2	Free cycle security coding at Park Street Cycle Park. The security code is a deterrent to theft and enables bikes to be traced nationally.
November
Tue 4	7.30 pm	Campaign Annual General Meeting. Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, at the Park Street junction. See 7 October for description.
Tue 7	7 pm	Bicycle Maintenance 2 evening class, Coleridge Community College, Radegund Road. First of five weekly sessions aimed at people with some experience of bicycle maintenance. This course builds on the basics and concentrates on other, less-everyday bike maintenance tasks. Further information on Camlearn (www.camlearn.net), enrolments (01223) 712340/1.
Wed 5	5–7 pm	Free cycle security coding at Cambridge Station Cycles. See 1 October for description.
Sat 8		Newsletter 51 copy deadline. Please send articles to the Editor.
Sun 9	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. A countryside ride, at a gentle pace. Meet at Hobbs Pavilion on Parker's Piece. Back in Cambridge around 5 pm.
Mon 17	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5–7 Norfolk Street.
Wed 26	7.30 pm	Newsletter 51 Envelope Stuffing at the Baby Milk Action offices, 23 St Andrews Street (between the Robert Sayle main and computer shop entrances, entrance next to Lunch Aid). Help very much welcomed!
Sat 29	10–2	Free cycle security coding at Park Street Cycle Park. The security code is a deterrent to theft and enables bikes to be traced nationally.
December
Tue 2	7.30 pm	Monthly open meeting. Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, at the Park Street junction. See 7 October for description.
Wed 3	5–7 pm	Free cycle security coding at Cambridge Station Cycles. See 6 August for description.
Sun 14	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. A countryside ride, at a gentle pace. Meet at Hobbs Pavilion on Parker's Piece. Back in Cambridge around 5 pm.
Mon 15	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5–7 Norfolk Street.
Sat 27	10–2	Free cycle security coding at Park Street Cycle Park. The security code is a deterrent to theft and enables bikes to be traced nationally.
Further ahead
6 January 2004		Bicycle Maintenance 1 evening class. First of five weekly sessions aimed at people with little or no previous experience of bicycle maintenance who want to get started. For more details see 7 November.

About the Campaign

If you like what you see in this newsletter, add your voice to those of our 700 members by joining the Campaign.

Membership costs are low: £7.50 individual, £3.50 unwaged, £12 household. For this, you get six newsletters a year, discounts at a large number of bike shops, and you will be supporting our work. Please get in touch if you want to hear more.

Cambridge Cycling Campaign was set up in 1995 to voice the concerns of cyclists. We are not a cycling club but an organisation for lobbying and campaigning for the rights of cyclists, and for promoting cycling in and around Cambridge.

Our regular stall on Saturdays outside the Guildhall is the public face of the campaign; volunteers are always welcome to help. And don't forget our meetings, open to all, on the first Tuesday of each month, 7.30 for 8.00 pm at the Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge.

Elected Officers 2002-2003

Co-ordinator – Martin Lucas-Smith

Liaison Officer – Clare Macrae

Membership Secretary – Dave Earl

Newsletter Editor – Mark Irving

Treasurer – David Dyer

Stall Officer – Paul Tonks 07870 441257

Press Officer – post vacant

Officers without portfolio
Jim Chisholm, Nigel Deakin, Richard Taylor,
Lisa Woodburn and Wookey

(Non-committee) Secretary – post vacant

Contacting the Campaign

Cambridge Cycling Campaign
PO Box 204
Cambridge CB4 3FN

Telephone and fax (01223) 690718

www.camcycle.org.uk

E-mail contact@camcycle.org.uk

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