Category Archives: routes

Shopping by Bike

Posted on by Posted in infrastructure, Pedestrian Heart, routes, Shopping 11 Comments

An interesting northern online discussion has been taking place this month about shopping by bicycle. Kim Harding in Edinburgh has been arguing for better cycle access to shops, a tax on car parking space, and more convenient secure cycle parking. Tom Bailey in Newcastle  argues:

“You take places where the majority of shoppers are already walking, you make them a bit more bike friendly, you put in a few cycle routes covering the last mile or two in each direction and then you do a bit of advertising.  These places are called High Streets”.

So how does this apply to Darlington? Back in 2007, as part of our ultimately successful campaign  for cyclist access to the newly pedestrianized town centre, we blogged an article about the economic benefits to retailers of cyclist shoppers, something that Kim echoes in his article. But just how convenient is it to shop in Darlington?

Well, once you are in the pedestrian area, and the comfort of access to it is pretty variable, shopping right in the centre is pretty convenient. There is good quality bike parking at a number of key points around the main shopping streets, from Northgate at the north end to Blackwellgate to the south. But try almost anything else, and you soon discover that the design of the pedestrian heart was carried out without cycling in mind.

Kim quotes Jan Gehl telling us to invite people to walk and bike in cities by developing quality streetscapes. He might have added that we should actually think about what it is like getting from A to B in these landscapes on a bicycle. Three examples spring to mind in Darlington:

1. Travelling from the town centre to the railway station, a major route for cycling in Darlington. Starting from the Pease Monument in the centre of town, you would hope to be able to cycle down the direct route towards the station, Priestgate. But no, this is one way for motorised traffic in the opposite direction, with no contraflow for cyclists. So there are two alternative options. One is to cycle round a large detour, taking in Crown Street, to arrive at the foot of Priestgate, and then on to the officially signed route to the station via Borough Road. The second is to use the cycle path below the Town Hall, but this delivers you to the wrong side of Parkgate, one of the busiest roads in Darlington. Many cyclists opt here for the obvious and use the pavement.

2. Travelling along Skinnergate and on to Duke Street. This is part of the pedestrianised zone between 10am and 5pm, so is relatively pleasant during these hours. But before and after it is used, one way, by motorised traffic. The fact that cyclists use the street in both directions appears to have confused motorists and police alike, judging from the reactions I have received whilst cycling along. A year ago, as previously reported, one motorist felt it necessary to stop me and tell me off.

3. Cycling to and from the town centre to the nearby Sainsburys on Victoria Road. This supermarket is just a few minutes’ cycle from the town centre, yet there is simply no provision been made available for cycling access. Given that it lies on the dual carriageway that is the inner ring road, most cyclists choose to use pavements to access the store. Moreover, returning towards town via the obvious route (S. Arden Street), cyclists are confronted with two short one way streets going the wrong way.

A market town like Darlington still has enough small shops to make shopping by bicycle a pleasant experience. But the devil is in the detail. Planners have clearly not thought through properly what shopping on a bicycle means. These three examples do not require large sums of money to resolve. rather, as Jan Gehl says, they need planners to be thinking more seriously about how to invite cyclists to shop.

Red Rag at Red Barns?

Posted on by Posted in infrastructure, McMullen Road, routes 15 Comments
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Last year, the otherwise excellent cycle path along McMullen Road was cruelly interrupted by the installation of the above barrier. Just when the Campaign thought that such needless interruptions had become a thing of the past, this appeared. The logic is sadly obvious.

Cyclists approaching this point from the south are riding down a relatively steep incline. Here, they cross a side street into the Red Barns estate. Because of the incline, it has been deemed insufficient for cyclists to have a “give way” sign painted on the cycle path. So a barrier has been installed. Apparently, this followed an accident, though details have so far not been forthcoming.
So why is this junction dangerous? The only reason that there is any danger is the totally obscuring fence that the residents have been allowed to build, and which can easily be modified so that emerging drivers can see the path, but passing pedestrians and cyclists cannot look into the adjacent property.

When we took the above picture we witnessed the result – a young cyclist simply jumped the pavement 20 yards uphill and continued his journey on road, rather than stopping and negotiating the barrier.
This stretch of cycle path was the subject of Campaign consultation when it was first mooted a few years ago. At that time, we urged the council to begin the process of driver education by giving cyclists right of way at this junction. The reason was simple. The side road is in fact a private cul-de-sac servicing a handful of houses. Traffic is so light that even the most dedicated petrolhead could not argue that giving way to cyclists constituted a great inconvenience. And without the obscuring fence, there would be a perfectly clear view between cyclists and any emerging vehicle.
To many, this might indeed seem like little more than an inconvenience to cyclists. But the philosophy behind its construction is deep rooted in the average British traffic planner’s psyche. As the little inconveniences aggregate together into a giant pain in the bum, it is little wonder that the UK continues to be a world loser in the cycle rates league, and a world leader in the crap infrastructure league.
Next week (Thursday 20th January, 6.15pm in the Town Hall), the Campaign will be bringing our views on this little gem to the council’s next Cycle Forum. This is open to anyone with an interest in cycling, so please join us if you can.

Whinfield Road – A Step Forward?

Posted on by Posted in infrastructure, North Road, routes, Whinfield Road 7 Comments

Darlington Cycling Campaign was recently consulted on proposals to develop new cycling infrastructure in the north of the town. Such consultations occur on a regular basis. but what makes this particular proposal exceptional is that it is the first that is being made on a busy arterial road, Whinfield Road, and will involve the reduction of space for motorised traffic in favour of cyclists. The map here shows the proposed stretch in red, connecting existing routes marked in yellow (advisory) and green (actual cycling infrastructure).

For some time now, we’ve been arguing that more visible, and more direct cycle routes are needed if more people are to get on their bikes. The core of the local authority’s strategy had been to try to avoid busy roads altogether by developing signed “alternative routes” on quiet side roads. Thus, rather than cycling down North Road, we are encouraged to use the signed route down Pendelton Road, running parallel. The advantage is that a series of signs are relatively cheap to install, legally simple, and of course they do not incur the wrath of the motorist by threatening their road space. The disadvantage is that they can be, as is the case with the West Park route, somewhat roundabout, and still requiring the use of relatively busy roads.

The Cycling Campaign believes that the UK needs to adopt the best and most successful European practice. Cycle routes should be direct, continuous and safe. This therefore requires the best infrastructure to be developed where traffic is heaviest, and where cyclists are most likely to want to travel. So for example Parkgate, between the railway station and the town centre, should be the “dual carriageway” of cycle routes. It is one of the busiest roads in urban Darlington, yet one of the key cycle routes for everyday cyclists. So it is good to see the local authority taking an important step forward by tackling one such busy road.
The process is still in its early stages, and we cannot yet predict whether existing plans will in fact be carried out, or what opposition might lie around the corner. We have expressed our own views about the proposals. The off road cycle path proposal between Sparrowhall Drive and the Haughton Education Village is an excellent addition to safe routes to school in the town. However, the proposed on-road cycle lane along Whinfield Road itself, from Whinbush Way east to the Stockton roundabout, whilst commendably reducing space for motorised traffic through the elimination of central hatching, is only advisory. It is interesting to consider why.
The satellite image above shows a short stretch of Whinfield Road, where the proposed new cycle route is to be developed. As with much of the road, there is ample space for an off-road cycle path on either side of the carriageway. On busy main roads like this, with significant HGV traffic, this is our preferred option. Subjective safety is crucial if we are ever to attract people who don’t cycle now, to use such roads. This option has been rejected on grounds of cost.
Our second preferred option, at least as an interim solution, would be an onroad mandatory cycle lane, something along the lines of our artists’ impression below.
Since there is ample off-road parking, this would surely be a solution that offers a small degree of subjective safety to cyclists, without the recurring problem of motorists parking on the cycle lane (which would, unlike an advisory lane, be illegal). However, even the cycling community appears to be somewhat unclear about a way forward here. The objection put forward by the local authority is that such a lane would prevent motorists from accessing off-road parking, since they are legally not allowed to cross the continuous white line. This reasoning was confirmed when we asked Sustrans.
Yet it seems a great pity that arguments about the legality of crossing a white line at the side of the road (think of these lines along the side of that other busy road we have surveyed in the past, the A167 to Newton Aycliffe) can prevent rational discussion about best practice. These kinds of rules existed in Germany. They got round them by amending the law and introducing different widths of continuous white line for these new circumstances. These can be crossed by motorists wishing to access parking spaces.
In fact, to return to the need for continuity, good cycle routes can embrace both off-road cycle paths and on-road mandatory cycle lanes, as long as the one seamlessly transfers to the other. There is no good reason why certain sections of this route, where most appropriate, run behind parking areas, whilst others run between parked vehicles and moving traffic. There are examples of such situations in the council’s proposals, but the “advisory lane” approach inevitably means that cyclists again have to give way to motor traffic. Rather than continuing on their own dedicated and protected cycle route, they are deemed to be “re-joining the carriageway”, as in the detail from the proposals below.
The irony of all of this concern about crossing white lines to park a vehicle is that the supposed “hierarchy of road users”, which places pedestrians and cyclists first and private motor vehicles (and particularly stationery ones) last, is turned upside down. New infrastructure has to be designed around the needs of those wishing to park their private vehicles along the public highway.
We all know how much there is still to do in the UK to encourage cycling. So we should give credit to Darlington Borough Council for tackling a difficult but important stretch of road. But perhaps David Cameron should take a leaf out of his own policy book, and ask his Ministry of Nudging to shove an elbow the way of his Transport Secretary, Mr Hammond, and ask him to sort out his white lines.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
EDIT: To add yet another model to this debate, have a look at this proposed new cycle lane in Cambridge. The Cycling Campaign there have also expressed concern about motorists parking on advisory cycle lanes. Here they proposed, and appear to have won, the idea of double yellow lines along the length of the cycle lane.

Darlo Pedal Picnic This Sunday

Posted on by Posted in infrastructure, rides, routes 4 Comments


Come along to Darlington Cycling Campaign’s Pedal Picnic this Sunday! The pedal picnic is an alternative to a “critical mass“. The aim is to stimulate discussion on cycling around Darlington using the infrastructure that we have. It is designed for everyday cyclists, and is more a social, rather than a sports, event.

Meet at the Arts Centre, Vane Terrace at 1pm(1300hrs) this Sunday (22nd August).

Bring a bike, some food or food to share and some waterproofs,just in case of inclement weather. The route I have in mind and have already “test” ridden, is to leave the Arts Centre and head to Cockerbeck Park/LNR, using the advisory route(yellow) on the Tees Valley Cycling map, Darlington. On leaving Cockerbeck, we shall cycle around the edge of Branksome until the off-road cycle path is reached. This path is then followed to Westpark where we shall stop and picnic. After the picnic the route follows West Auckland road, on the roadside cyclepath, until the junction of Brinkburn Road. We’ll then follow the advisory route back to The Arts Centre via Willow Road, Pierremont Road, Pierremont Crescent, Millbank Road, Cleveland Avenue, Trinity Road and ending back at the Arts Centre.

For those who would like to join a critical mass ride, the nearest event is organised by the soon-to-be-born Newcastle Cycling Campaign on the last Friday of every month.

Edit: A low turnout, but a lovely day. Darlington will always be in the forefront of the “slow town” movement, so these things will take time to develop. Unperturbed, the organisers are meeting on 31 August to plan the next ride. Watch this space!

Create more bike-friendly streets by empowering councils

Posted on by Posted in infrastructure, politics, routes, speed limits, traffic calming 2 Comments

Councils should be given greater powers to create designated streets that favour cyclists over cars, a national inquiry has concluded.

‘Active communities: cycling to a better quality of life’ is the report of an inquiry held by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and Cycling England.

This report has found that transport regulations should be reviewed to give councils greater control over cycling routes to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes.

Councils would be able to design the street to favour cyclists while also making it accessible for cars and pedestrians.

For every car driver converted to a bike, the UK economy saves around £400 a year through reduced medical bills, congestion and pollution, according to research conducted by Cycling England.

The inquiry report – downloadable as a PDF here – also calls for every public building to be an exemplar to encourage cycling, for example by implementing storage facilities and bike loan schemes.

LGiU Centre for Local Sustainability policy analyst Gemma Roberts said: “Councils should be given greater control over cycling routes to ensure more roads are made cycle friendly. We need to make it easier and safer for people to cycle.

“Local authorities need to take the lead and make cycling a priority in their communities,” she said.

“But the efforts to promote cycling do not stop with the council. We also need the professional and political backing to invest more heavily in cycling so we can really tackle some of the wider issues communities face, such as obesity, climate change and congestion.”