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Newsletter 60 (June/July 2005)
Contents:
- The City Centre 20mph zone
- Birthday party
- Mind the doors!
- Tesco path update
- Riding a bike in Romsey Town
- Coton path closed for improvements
- Park and cycle?
- Smile, you're on camera
- Cycling shorts
- AXA lock — evaluation
- Parking palaver
- Five tips for cycle touring
- Jubilee route: slippery jetty update
- National Cycle Network Festival on Jesus Green in September
- Paramedics on bicycles
- Cycle counting with a web cam
- Small ads
- Campaign Diary
- Your streets this month
- About the Campaign
- Elected Officers 2004–2005
- Contacting the Campaign
The City Centre 20mph zone
A 20mph zone is planned in the historic city centre. Cambridge Cycling Campaign strongly supports the plan but would like the zone to be larger and more clearly defined than the one the County Council is at present proposing.
The case for such a zone was made in an article in Newsletter 59 ('Road Speed Reduction in Cambridge'). The argument is simple: 90% of people hit by a vehicle at 40mph die, 20% at 30mph and only 2.5% at 20mph. Low speeds greatly reduce both the severity and the frequency of collisions. Any driver, even if very skilled and experienced, can make mistakes. The consequences of an error are much more likely to be serious when driving at more than 20mph in areas with high densities of pedestrians and cyclists.
Current city centre speed limits are confusing and poorly understood. In Bridge Street, Emmanuel Road and Silver Street a 20mph limit is used to protect short lengths of roadway where there are rising bollards. Everywhere else the limit is 30mph except between 10am and 4pm when those few vehicles permitted into the heart of the city are restricted to 10mph. (The 10mph restriction during this six-hour period is not controversial and would remain.)
County Council officials have put forward a new scheme which would incorporate the three short lengths of 20mph road into a wider city centre 20mph zone. Such a scheme should improve road conditions for cyclists as well as pedestrians. It should also, for example, help us in our current campaign to secure a cycle contraflow in Corn Exchange Street. We have two problems with the County's proposal. The first is that their zone is too small. The second is that its boundary is jagged and complex. We believe that the limit is far more likely to be observed if its boundary is straightforward, coherent and easily remembered.
Our zone would be the area within the ring defined by the following roads: Chesterton Lane, Chesterton Road, Victoria Avenue, Maid's Causeway, Newmarket Road, East Road, Gonville Place, Lensfield Road, Fen Causeway, Newnham Road, Queen's Road, Northampton Street. None of these boundary roads themselves would, however, be within our proposed zone. The main difference from the zone proposed by the County Council is that the following roads would now be included: the whole of Trumpington Street, the whole of Regent Street, Parkside, Park Terrace, Burleigh Street/Fitzroy Street and the many small streets in the Kite area, King Street, the whole of Jesus Lane, Malcolm Street and Manor Street.
The scheme drawn up by County Council officers was discussed by councillors at a meeting of the Cambridge Environment and Transport Area Joint Committee on 18 April. All were in support of a 20mph zone and a number raised our suggestions for enlarging the area and making it more logical. County Council officers expressed their willingness to consider including King Street and the streets in all or part of the Kite area. But there is, for them, an obstacle over the inclusion of some of the other streets that we have suggested, such as the part of Trumpington Street between the Royal Cambridge Hotel and Peterhouse.
The obstacle is the County Council's speed limit policy introduced in October 2000 (www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/managing/speed). This states, '20mph limits will only be introduced in association with self-enforcing speed reduction measures. Self enforcing means speeds being generally around 25mph or less.' However, 'The County Council may also introduce reduced speeds as part of accident remedial schemes or in association with other schemes, such as Safer Routes to School.' The criteria for reducing limits to 20mph are more rigorous than those for reductions to 40mph and 30mph. We think that the County's criteria are out of line with current analysis and current national accident data and that it is time for them to be reviewed. We understand that a reason for the present criteria may be the past reluctance of the police to enforce 20 mph speed limits.
Local officials interpret the requirement for self-enforcement to mean that if more than 15% of vehicles in a particular street are driven at more than 25mph, then a 20mph speed limit should not normally be introduced without traffic-calming measures to reduce speeds. Traffic-calming schemes can be both costly and unpopular, both factors which delay or even defeat them.
But even in terms of current policy we consider that our suggested zone meets the criteria. The County Council have carried out speed checks on many of the roads within the city centre. As I have explained, to meet the criteria 85% of vehicles have to be travelling at around 25 mph or less. All the roads checked within the Council's proposed zone apart from Tennis Court Road meet the criteria. However, Tennis Court Road would be traffic calmed if Core Stage 4 is implemented and this would bring speeds (which are in any case only 3mph over) within the limit. For our proposed zone, Park Terrace is just outside the limit (2mph over). But it is possible that some of the so far unchecked streets within our zone might also fall just outside the limit.
The County Council's policy also requires that 'any zonal limits are introduced in clearly defined zones' (AJC, 18 April 2005, Agenda Item 3a, paragraph 2.1). Our proposed zone is clearly defined. The County Council's is not. We suggest that to achieve a clearly defined zone which people will understand, it is reasonable to interpret the policy as meaning not that every street within the zone meets the criteria, but that the great majority of them do and the residue almost do.
We do however feel that the policy which states that a 20 mph speed limit should be self-enforcing is strange and should be reconsidered. Speed limits are surely needed to achieve new standards of driving behaviour, not simply to label existing behaviour or behaviour constrained by traffic calming. Camera enforcement could now easily secure compliance if politicians and the police were ready to use it more widely.
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There is hope for a wider 20mph zone in the long run. The County Council officers' report states, 'One of the original aspirations of the Core Traffic Scheme was to introduce a 20mph speed limit across the whole of the Core Area to improve safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.' As the Core Scheme is expanded and speeds are reduced, the officers' suggestion is that 'in time the zone could be expanded to cover the entire Core Area.' The 'entire Core Area' is a wider area than the one we are now proposing. We share the hope for an eventual larger 20mph zone and would like to see this implemented soon rather than in the distant future.
James Woodburn
Birthday party
Cambridge Cycling Campaign was launched at a public meeting in National Bike Week ten years ago, on 16 June 1995. How time flies.
To celebrate, all Campaign members, past and present, are warmly invited to the Campaign's informal tenth birthday bash on Friday 17 June, from 8pm, at 8 Thirleby Close, Cambridge, CB4 3RS. There'll be light refreshments, and some memorabilia of the last 10 years.
Hope to see you there!
Clare Macrae
Mind the doors!
We've been given some data on reported accidents in Cambridge involving opening car doors and pedal cycles. It includes some sixty incidents involving injury, four of which were serious, over a period of five years. Two thirds of these occurred on main roads, and this indicates why the Campaign believes that reducing parked vehicles on such routes has major benefits for cyclists.
I'm concerned that these figures significantly underestimate the real problem, as it can be extremely difficult to get the local police to record cycle crashes of any sort involving slight injury. Recently I spoke to a cyclist involved in an injury crash in which he was told by a police officer that such incidents were only recorded where the person is 'hospitalised'!
Using national figures, the crashes in this list cost about a million pounds.
Using the figures for cost-benefit analysis (COBA) used to prioritise road safety schemes, the figures (from the DfT web site) for 2004 are:
- Fatalities £1,249,890
- Serious injuries £140,450
- Slight injuries £10,830
Cyclists need to be aware of the danger of opening car doors and take heed of the Highway Code which states (rule 52):
Leave plenty of room when passing parked vehicles and watch out for doors being opened into your path.
The Campaign has concerns that some marked cycle lanes positively encourage naïve cyclists to pass too close to parked vehicles.
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The figures also indicate that such incidents are under-reported. Given the number of miles of road within the city, I was very surprised to find that four of the sixty incidents occurred on the short stretch of Parkside outside the Police Station. Assuming all crashes on Parkside are reported, and given the flows of cyclists and numbers of parked cars elsewhere in Cambridge, I suggest that the under reporting is around two orders of magnitude!
Jim Chisholm
Tesco path update
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Back in Newsletter 46 we commented on the awful 'slalom course' that was the new cycleway next to the Tesco store, joining Newmarket Road and Riverside. Since then, the section on the hill has been changed, removing the chicanes, swapping the two sides and providing an out-of-town exit at the bottom of the hill. The fence at the bottom of the slope on the left hand side will be replaced with low planting to increase visibility. In fact just about everything we asked for! 'Rumble slabs' have been installed to remind cyclists to control their speed and these seem OK to cycle over. Thanks to Clare Rankin (Cycling and Walking Officer at Cambridge City Council) for her work in chasing those involved.
Changes to this section have been easier to implement as the land is owned by the developers of the new housing on the site. Clare Rankin has written to the manager at Tesco to enquire about making similar changes to the part of the path on Tesco land, and is waiting for a reply. We have suggested double yellow lines should be painted on Riverside next to the junction, also to improve visibility.
Richard Taylor
Riding a bike in Romsey Town
It's not the most pressing issue facing the city, but if Cambridge wants to promote itself as cycle friendly then I think it has got to be a lot more generous in providing secure cycle parking for its residents. It has also got to stop criminalising them.
Cycle parking
This has been bugging me for a long time, and I've been unwilling to raise the issue until I can think of a solution. I haven't, but I can't take it any longer, so I have to share with you my views on the lack of residential cycle parking in Romsey.
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Thoday Street is fairly typical of the terraced streets in Romsey. Cars are parked on both sides of the road across the pavement for the whole length of the road. A by-law permitting this has been in place for quite some time. After some sort of consultation in 2002 (which did not suggest cycle parking as an option) white lines were painted to mark car parking bays on the pavement. This has left a one metre wide gap between the houses and the parked cars.
The fact that many houses along the street have cycles parked on the pavement, many secured by loops in the wall, was totally ignored by the highway authority in their assessment of what is a one metre wide gap. And the fact that wheelie bins are also left out was deemed to be a 'regrettable fact of life' and an 'insurmountable problem' and also ignored in the planning. The metre gap was necessary to accommodate wheelchairs.
One-way streets
In 1994 the road was made one way along its whole length, with no cycling exemption.
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I've done a count of cycling in the street (see Cycle counting with a Web Cam in this newsletter) and discovered that for every three cyclists cycling the right way along the street, there's one coming the other way. Some cycle against the flow as though it is permitted (and so are presumably unaware of the one way), while others cycle along the pavement or give way to oncoming traffic. The contraflow cyclists appear to be of all ages and of all degrees of 'respectability'.
The pavements are so heavily blocked that pedestrians regularly walk down the middle of the road. Folk with pushchairs duck in and out, finding a way through wherever possible.
When cycling down the road with the flow you are often caught up by a motor vehicle which then seems to pursue you, sometimes gunning the engine until you yield. Most unpleasant.
The so-called traffic calming is of the type that has the ability to eject stuff from your cycle basket if you forget to brace yourself when cycling at a normal speed. Traffic announces its presence in the road by a series of hard acceleration and hard braking at each of the road bumps. It's supposed to be a 20mph street.
Frustration
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In short this is a road where it seems that cars can drive in both directions on the pavement (to park) and where there is no cycle parking. The way the car parking has been allocated makes it appear that the blockage is caused by bikes attached to houses rather than by cars on the pavement.
I've tried to raise the cycle parking issue with the city engineers. I have been told that I need to generate some 'political will' to create cycle parking on the carriageway. However, a councillor has said to me that such a scheme could be 'officer led'!
The problem I have is that, despite my grumbles, I do think that the white lines have made it easier to pass up and down on foot on what's left of the footway. On the other hand, the system has totally broken down and the losers are the pedestrians, children in pushchairs, wheelchair users and cyclists.
If there any other residents of Romsey, or other places within the city, who would like to join me in thinking up solutions, please let me know via the normal campaign contact addresses.
Simon Nuttall
Coton path closed for improvements
Major improvements are to start soon on the Coton Path which runs between Adams Road in West Cambridge and Coton. The section between the Cavendish Laboratory and the M11 bridge is to be completely resurfaced and widened to 2m. The barbed wire fencing that runs alongside will be replaced with a more attractive wooden post and rail fence. This will be a huge improvement on the existing very narrow and bumpy path, though the widened path will still be narrower than the existing path between Adams Road and the Cavendish. Cambridge City Council tells us that providing a wider path was not possible because it would require the use of private land and on one section affects a wildlife reserve.
The government has funded these improvements in order to improve access to the new Coton 'countryside reserve.'
Construction works will require the complete closure of the path between the Cavendish Laboratory and the M11 bridge for 6-8 weeks starting in the week beginning 23 May. An official diversionary route will be signposted via Clerk Maxwell Road, Madingley Road and the bridleway along the eastern side of the motorway, though a much shorter alternative would be to cut through the private land of the University West Cambridge site.
The eastern end of the path from Adams Road to the Cavendish Laboratory, which is already quite a good standard, will be unaffected. This is to be further improved by the University at a later date as part of its planning obligations for the West Cambridge development.
Park and cycle?
The County Council has recently published its Traffic Monitoring report for 2004. In the past I've been confused by the section that tabulates flows across the 'Cambridge Radial Cordon' (i.e. traffic entering Cambridge). This was because some of the Park and Ride sites were within the cordon and others were outside it. That is now being changed, not because of my confusion, but because expansion on the 'Urban Fringe' means that, within a few years, 'city' developments will take place outside the existing cordon, and the new cordon monitoring points have been placed closer to the M11/A14 boundary and outside the proposed Southern and Eastern Fringe developments. For a couple of years, flows across both cordons will be measured, giving an opportunity for some inferences.
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This now means that bicycles crossing the 'new' cordon must come from the 'necklace' villages around Cambridge and not from Trumpington or the Park and Ride sites. The 'new' figure for bicycles is 5861 whereas the number crossing the 'old' cordon is 7189. I suspect that we don't have 1300 cycle trips to and from Trumpington, but that increasing numbers of people who drive to Park and Ride sites have found that the cheapest and most reliable mode for the final leg of their journey is the bicycle. A quick evening count suggests that about 200 bikes remain overnight at the Trumpington and Babraham Road Park and Ride sites. From observation, others use folding bicycles brought in by car. If the pattern is repeated at other sites, some 1000 trips by bike could be generated from and to all the Park and Ride sites. This compares with some 8000 trips by Park and Ride bus. We will be asking if any monitoring of such trips was done, and if such figures can be included in future years.
Of note is the fact that some 30% of buses entering the city are on Park and Ride services. Jim's back-of-the-envelope calculation based on the third power of the axle weight suggests that these 700 Park and Ride buses per day do as much damage to the city roads as 700 million cyclists!
Jim Chisholm
Smile, you're on camera
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According to press reports, the new Milton cycle bridge over the A14 is to be fitted with security cameras. This follows a number of incidents in which criminals dropped objects onto the road below.
Cycling shorts
Weather permitting, each Friday lunchtime a small group of cyclists, often on recumbent or other unusual bikes, go for an hour's ride at a brisk pace. Members are invited to join us at their own risk. If you want to come, just turn up at the Stourbridge Common side of Green Dragon Bridge at 12:30pm.
The epic struggle to secure a cycle contraflow in Corn Exchange Street continues. At the County Council's Cabinet Meeting on 12 April, officers recommended that the contraflow be approved. Councillor Shona Johnstone, the member responsible for transport issues, spoke eloquently in support of approval but other Cabinet members were not convinced. They came to the conclusion that they would hold further discussions with officers and make a site visit before deciding. You can watch a webcast of the proceedings on www.cambridgeshire.ukcouncil.net.
The Campaign is asking for more covered cycle parking at the Babraham Road Park and Ride site to provide for those who after parking prefer ride a bicycle rather than a bus.
For a number of years, Cambridge Cycling Campaign members have put a lot of effort into supporting National Bike Week in June. This year, with a National Cycling Event being held in Cambridge in September we've decided we cannot afford to dilute our resources by supporting both events. Reluctantly we will be taking only a minimal part in Bike Week and saving all our efforts for September.
George Street cycle contraflow This narrow one-way street with a cycle contraflow links Milton Road and Chesterton Road. Residents have submitted a petition to Cambridge City Council calling, among other things, for an end to contraflow cycling. We are very concerned about the negative attitude to cycling in a street used by very few motor vehicles and would appreciate comments and suggestions from those who use George Street as a cycle route.
AXA lock — evaluation
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A quarter of cycles reported stolen in Cambridge were not locked when they went missing. Most cycle locks are cumbersome and fiddly to use, with the result that bikes are often left unlocked while nipping into a shop to buy some fags or to place a bet. A bike rental company in Cambridge enjoyed a 33% reduction in theft of their hire bikes when they switched to using wheel locks with extension cables. The locks are yet to become widespread among individual bike owners, so Cambridge Police asked Fitzwilliam College Student Oliver Glover to evaluate the AXA ring lock.
Police: OK Olly, describe the lock.
Olly: The lock comes in two bits. The first is the so-called 'integrated ring-lock' which is a sturdy metal structure encased by plastic. This attaches to the seat stays of a bike and the hardened steel ring rotates to lock around the rim of the rear wheel, thus immobilising it. The second part is an extension cable to plug into the main lock, and is used to lock the bicycle to a bicycle rack or equivalent.
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Police: Was it easy to fit? Did you need any tools?
Olly: This type of lock is mainly designed for Dutch-style road bikes. I use a sexed-up mountain bike at present, so at first I could not fit the lock. A bicycle shop helped me bend the hooks which are used to attach the lock to the rear forks. Installation was fairly easy after this, but the fit is not perfect. So it was a little tricky for a mountain bike, but should be easy for road bikes with narrower forks.
Police: Do you feel it is secure?
Olly: Yes. The main lock and extension cable are obviously very strong. The cable can be made to go through the front wheel plus a stationary object, protecting both wheel and bike.
Police: And do you use it every time?
Olly: When I am popping into somewhere, literally for a minute, and can still see my bicycle, I will only use the main ring-lock. Otherwise I use both.
Police: Would you recommend it to a friend?
Olly: If they use a road bike, certainly, without qualification. For mountain bike users, I would still recommend it, but would warn the friend that installation is a trifle tricky. The ideal thing would be for a version of the lock to be produced which is designed for thicker forks on mountain bikes.
Note: The AXA cycle lock is available at some local bike shops; prices are in the region of £25, including extension cable.
Olly Glover
Parking palaver
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Cycling always ends in parking, and if your destination is a train station, parking can be a right performance.
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Conditions were perfect this morning for cycling. It was a joy to hop on my bike and cycle the short 15 minute journey through the back streets of Cambridge to the station. So why, then, was I experiencing an all-too-familiar sinking feeling, accompanied by a slight, but definite, tightening of my jaw muscles?
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Parking - that's why. The thought of navigating my way through the tangle of obstacles in the station's cycle park was enough to make me wish I had never sold my car - and that's just hacking your way into the park. I haven't even considered finding a space yet. That's when swear words start to find their way out of my mouth, despite the vice-like jaw set.
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There is an alternative, of course: I could take my bike with me. Now there's a thought - my jaw muscles start to relax and a faint smile almost graces my lips. It doesn't last long though. The reason is Audley End train station's bike parking facilities. Not quite the obstacle course that is Cambridge, but still not ideal.
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It's wonderful that there are cycle parking facilities at most of our rail stations, but their condition and capacity, at least at these two stations, is shameful. At Cambridge, the main cycle park resembles a rubbish tip. It is covered in litter, weeds look set to take over, and rusty, broken bikes are taking root. And if you arrive later than about 8.15am, the only available racks are the 'for hire' ones.
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My alternative parking, at Audley End, doesn't suffer from the same set of problems, but the picture is not that much prettier. There are two parking areas, one on each platform. The Platform 1 area is always full by the time I get there, 8.40ish. The racks on Platform 2 look very inviting, but to get there I have to carry my bike over the footbridge, which is not the easiest thing if my panniers are fully loaded. And once I'm there the racks are not inviting in the least, as they are broken and rusty. I've long since given up trying to use these racks properly; now I just settle for any secure locking solution.
It's disheartening. The prospect of parking at either station casts a rusty shadow over my journey to work, and it makes me angry. I guess it's my equivalent of road rage. As a nation, we are being encouraged to use sustainable transport, and some of us are trying, but we're finding it a trying experience.
Lisa Clatworthy
Five tips for cycle touring
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Last summer I cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats - a wonderful trip. I offer the following to anyone else thinking of having a go.
- If you're carrying 30kg of baggage and camping gear, you must realise that, unlike Cambridgeshire, the rest of Britain has hills. You are likely to average a couple of miles per hour less than you can around here. A target of 50 miles a day would have made a better trip than the 72 I averaged.
- Accept the fact that you will waste time by getting lost in town centres. Signposts are not designed for cyclists passing through (unless you want to follow the route intended for lorries).
- A summer-weight sleeping bag is not warm enough for July camping in Britain.
- The reason the End to End is usually done south to north is to take advantage of the prevailing wind. But even in mid-summer, it will rain, and the wind will often be against you. (The number of people who said to me that surely, it would have been more downhill north to south is quite frightening.)
- If you are going to have to pack the bike into a bag or box for a flight home, grease the threads of your pedals before starting. Otherwise they won't undo with a small spanner.
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For these and other thoughts, see the full story at homepage.ntlworld.com/richard.d.moss/lejog/
Richard Moss
Jubilee route: slippery jetty update
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After our request back in March 2004, the council have finally installed new treads at the corners where several cyclists have fallen. The new treads have three strips of high-friction surface, rather than the original one. This looks like a high quality, if expensive, solution and should be much better.
However, there are only a few high friction treads at the two corners and we are concerned that they might not be enough to solve the problem. Bikes do not turn on a spot. Please let us know if anyone slips or falls from now on.
Richard Taylor
National Cycle Network Festival on Jesus Green in September
This year is the tenth year of the National Cycle Network and should see the completion of the first ten thousand miles of this Network. To celebrate this event a festival will be held on Jesus Green in Cambridge on Sunday 11 September 2005.
Sustrans is organising long-distance rides from several points of the country to arrive in Cambridge on that day, and the Cambridge Cycling Campaign will be organising local rides to join these for the last stretch into Cambridge. It is expected that at least two of the four Sustrans rides will use the two new routes into Cambridge which should be completed by that date (see Your Streets This Month). Provisionally, the event will begin at 1-1.30pm and there will be various stalls and activities on offer on Jesus Green: a cycle tryout show, traders' marquee, old fashioned bike display, children's activities, BMX display, Dr. Bike, perhaps some cycle security coding, a stage and refreshments - and some kind of bike park. It is hoped that Victoria Avenue will be closed to motor traffic for at least part of the day.
Although Cambridge still holds its crown as Cycle City, it has been a little off the map of National Cycle Network routes. All this will change from September with the completion of two new sections and the signposting of routes from Ely and Saffron Walden into Cambridge.
Other events will be occurring at this time, and we should have much fuller details in our next Newsletter. It is in part because of this major national event in Cambridge that the Campaign will be offering a lower profile in June's 'Bike Week' and reserving our strength for September.
Please keep this weekend free, both to help with events and join in the local rides. If you live in one of the villages around Cambridge and would like to organise a ride into Cambridge on that day, please let us know.
Jim Chisholm
Paramedics on bicycles
A local St John Ambulance group is currently investigating the possibility of setting up a Cycle Response Team in Cambridge.
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The unit will consist of two specially designed bicycles with emergency first aid and life-saving equipment. These will enable the team to deliver a prompt and safe response to medical emergencies at the events they cover in the county. They may become a regular feature in and around the city, providing a service to the public at a wide variety of events including Pop in the Park, Duxford Aerodrome and rowing regattas, as well as supporting the medical team at the Cambridge Folk Festival.
'This is not a new concept,' said Wayne Badcock, the project coordinator. 'Bicycle Response Units are used by the Ambulance Service in Norwich, London and at Heathrow Airport. The St John Ambulance runs several such units across the country, all of which have been a great success. Cambridge itself is an ideal location to benefit from Cycle Responders.'
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The team would form part of the British Gas Eastern Division, one of four St John groups based in Cambridge. 'We are finalising our business proposal in the next few weeks and are currently negotiating city centre storage for easy access. Once we get the final go ahead, we can start raising the money and training our crews to the required cycling standards. We hope it will also provide added interest to our existing members, as well as encouraging more people to get involved with our work'.
The project will cost £6,000 to set up, all of which must be raised by Wayne and his team.
Cycle counting with a web cam
In February 2005, a Cambridge burglar was jailed based on evidence from a web cam. (http://masl.to/?N2771108A, www.grisby.org/burglar.html)
After an earlier burglary, the home owner had set up the camera to detect motion and record images directly onto his Internet site.
Idea
I discovered that the web cam I had recently purchased came with some bundled software that can detect motion. It gave me an idea. Back in 2003 I'd attended the international cycling conference, Velo-City, in Paris, and sat through a session on machines for automated cycle counts. (www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/51/article11.html)
There are a few of these machines in Cambridge, but the Campaign has found out that they are often very inaccurate. Normally traffic counting in Cambridge is done by humans, and so it's expensive data. In particular the data for cycling is very sparse. So I decided to see if my web cam could count bikes.
Action
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I set up the camera to look out and down on Thoday Street from my bedroom window. It took quite a while to get the camera positioned correctly and to handle the varying light conditions between inside and outside the house. (My neighbours must have thought I was spying on them or up to something weird.) Then I had to calibrate the motion sensor so that it would detect pedestrians, bikes and motor vehicles. When I got it right, I configured the computer to record five seconds of video whenever motion in the street was detected.
I chose a wet Friday in February, and over the day it recorded 1000 videos in 264MB of data. To process this data I had to sit through all these videos and note down what I saw. This took about two hours. There were some problems with the software and camera: it didn't auto-adjust its exposure very well, images were very noisy at times and it seemed to be better at detecting rain than pedestrians.
I was mostly interested in how many cyclists cycle against the one-way system along the street. The results were (between 9:15 & 16:45):
- Motor Traffic: 363
- With-Flow Cycles: 46
- Against-Flow Cycles: 14
- Pedestrians: 94
- There was also one car against the flow.
My camera could not see the pavement on my side of the street. It is probable that a few speeding cars and slow bikes were missed by the camera. But it was probably equally likely to count a cyclist whether they cycled with or against the flow.
Result
An important result emerged from this experiment: that approximately 25% of cyclists in the street go against the flow.
The city council is considering permitting two-way cycling in many of the one way streets in the Petersfield and Romsey Town areas. This sort of data could help in making the case for two-way cycling in your street. Over the summer I should like to do some more counts like this around the city. I'd be interested in hearing from any members who could help, either by providing a recording location or with equipment. In particular, a fully mobile unit could be made using a laptop with a long-life battery. If you have some spare equipment like that, or any other ideas, I'd be delighted to hear from you via the Campaign contact addresses.
Simon Nuttall
Small ads
Please note: that the adverts below may now be out of date. Please note also you can now submit adverts for the small ads section of the newsletter online.
Free to members, on cycling subjects. Please be brief.
For sale
Child's bike: Raleigh 'Alien Quest', steel frame, green metallic finish, good condition; 20" wheels, fits 6-9 year old, alloy rims; full-length plastic mudguards with stainless fittings; 5-speed Shimano gears; prop stand; regularly serviced.
Photos: http://web.onetel.com/~davidwgreen/bike/ £40 ono. Contact David Green (01223) 449304 (work) or 211322 (eves/WE) davidwgreen@onetel.com Location: Cambridge CB1 8PY (Queen Edith's)
Cambridge Visiting Vet
The Cambridge Visiting Vet is a newly established home-based veterinary service, launched by Angelika von Heimendahl, of the Clarendon Street veterinary practice. Visits are often made by bike, helping to reduce car trips to the surgery, or taxi fares. The idea is to reduce stress for pets and owners alike.
For more information, call (01223) 460046.
Campaign Diary
Please note: the most up-to-date version of the diary of events is always in the events section of the website.
June 2005 | ||
| Fri 3 | 8.30am | Newsletter 60 review and planning for 61, over breakfast at Tatties café. |
| Fri 3 | 12.30pm | Weather permitting, a small group of cyclists, often on recumbent or other unusual bikes, go for an hour's ride at a brisk pace. Members are invited to join us at their own risk. Just turn up at the Stourbridge Common side of Green Dragon Bridge. |
| Sat 4 | 10am | Campaign members are invited to join the CTC short ride, about 15 miles at a gentle pace, with a coffee stop. Meet at Brookside; contact Joseph Sugg joesugg72@yahoo.co.uk (01223) 570490. |
| Tue 7 | 7.30pm | 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 8pm.) |
| Fri 10 | 12.30pm | Friday ride. See 3 June for a description. |
| Fri 17 | 12.30pm | Friday ride. See 3 June for a description. |
| Fri 17 | 8pm | Cambridge Cycling Campaign's birthday party. See article in this Newsletter. |
| Sat 18 | 10am | CTC short ride. See 4 June for description. |
| Fri 24 | 12.30pm | Friday ride. See 3 June for a description. |
July | ||
| Fri 1 | 12.30pm | Friday ride. See 3 June for a description. |
| Sat 2 | 10am | CTC short ride. See 4 June for description. |
| Tue 5 | 7.30pm | Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane. Details: see 5 April. |
| Sat 9 | Newsletter 61 deadline. Please contact the editor if you'd like to write an article. | |
| Sat 16 | 10am | CTC short ride. See 4 June for description. |
| Sun 24 | Breakthrough Breast Cancer London to Cambridge Cycle Ride, organised by Bike Events (not the Campaign). For further information call Breakthrough on 020 7025 2478 or visit www.breakthrough.org.uk | |
| Wed 27 | 7.30pm | Newsletter 61 envelope stuffing, at the Baby Milk Action office, 34 Trumpington Street. New helpers would be very welcome. |
August | ||
| Tue 2 | 7.30pm | Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane. Details: see 5 April. |
| Fri 5 | 8.30am | Newsletter 61 review and planning for 62, over breakfast at Tatties café. |
| Sat 6 | 10am | CTC short ride. See 4 June for description. |
Further ahead | ||
| 10-12 September | Grand Opening of the National Cycle Network will be in Cambridge. Watch this space for more information. | |
Your streets this month
Shelford to Addenbrooke's
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Cambridgeshire County Council has submitted a planning application for a completely new off-road cycle route from Great Shelford to Addenbrooke's Hospital. The new route would start near the level crossing on Granham's Road and run towards Cambridge alongside the railway line for about a mile, skirting Nine Wells (an area of springs and woodland) before turning east towards Addenbrooke's. It will end at Robinson Way on the southern edge of the hospital site.
The path will have a good-quality tarmac surface but will only be 2m wide, despite national standards requiring paths shared between cyclists and pedestrians to be at least 3m wide. We have written to the council to warmly welcome the new route but also to express our disappointment that a brand new cycle route across farmland is not being constructed to an adequate quality. The path will be unlit.
The route will form part of National Cycle Network (NCN) route 11 from Harlow to King's Lynn via Cambridge. If permission is granted, construction will start in the summer so that it can be open in time for the NCN celebrations in September 2005.
Royal Cambridge Hotel junction
A number of minor changes are proposed for the Royal Cambridge Hotel junction. This is the junction just south of the city centre where Trumpington Street, Lensfield Road, Trumpington Road and Fen Causeway meet at a pair of mini-roundabouts. Despite this being one of the worst accident black spots in the city, especially for cyclists, councillors threw out proposals last year to replace the roundabouts with traffic signals. These new proposals attempt to increase safety for cyclists without the delays to motorists that traffic signals would have caused. The most noticeable proposal is to reduce the Trumpington Street and Trumpington Road approaches from three to two lanes for motor vehicles, but with a very narrow lane for cycles in between the two lanes. We share the view of the council's own safety audit that this would do nothing to increase safety for cyclists and might in fact make things worse by encouraging drivers to overtake cyclists on the roundabout. Other changes include clearer carriageway markings and pavement realignment.
Emmanuel Street area
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There will be a public consultation on plans to change Emmanuel Street and Drummer Street to improve conditions for buses. Under the draft proposals, Emmanuel Street would become one-way towards the city centre, with a contra flow lane for outbound cyclists. The contra flow lane would be 1.5m wide and be separated from the rest of the road by a kerb (on which trees would be planted). The presence of this kerb would prevent the lane from being obstructed by parked cars but would also make it more difficult for faster cyclists to overtake stationary or slow-moving ones.
Drummer Street would remain two-way, but the scheme also proposes moving the existing taxi rank to the other side of the road (where the long-distance buses stop now) while keeping the taxis facing the same way, so that they will conflict with oncoming cycles when they enter and leave the rank.
It is also possible that a formal contraflow lane will be marked out on St Andrew's Street to make it clear to drivers that cyclists are allowed to ride in both directions. Because of restrictions on motor traffic along this section, many drivers appear to believe (incorrectly) that this is a one-way street.
Coton path closure
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The Coton Path is to be closed for 6-8 weeks starting the week beginning 23 May to allow the path to be widened and resurfaced. The section affected is between the Cavendish Laboratory and the M11 bridge. See article in this Newsletter.
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About the Campaign
Please note: the most up-to-date general information about the Campaign is always in the about the Campaign section of the website.
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 8.00pm at the Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge.
Elected Officers 2004–2005
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 - James Woodburn
Officers without portfolio
Jim Chisholm, Nigel Deakin, Richard Taylor, Lisa Woodburn and Wookey
Acting Secretary - Martin Lucas-Smith
Contacting the Campaign
Please note: the most up-to-date contact details for the Campaign are always in the contacts section of the website, which includes an online feedback form.
In particular, note that our fax number is now separate from the phone number.
Cambridge Cycling Campaign
PO Box 204
Cambridge CB4 3FN
Telephone and fax: (01223) 690718
E-mail: contact@camcycle.org.uk
The printed version of this newsletter is printed on recycled paper by Victoire Press, Bar Hill.
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