Amanda Taylor

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A bicycle lane needs a coach like a coach needs a loading ban

by admin on 30 November, 2016

Safety v convenience. What do you think?

Total disregard for safety

Van outside the EF — Sam Davies

The new cycleways on Hills Road are frequently blocked by coaches, delivery vehicles, and even council contractors working on the cycleway. While the vehicles are usually not there for long, accidents also happen in a flash.

The County Council is proposing to introduce a loading ban, which would prohibit any parking, even for loading and offloading, at peak times – 7-10 am and 4-7 pm. There would be waivers for removal vans, wedding and funeral vehicles, but not for other vehicles such as supermarket delivery vans.

The County Council has advertised the Traffic Regulation Order in the Cambridge News and with notices in the street attached to lampposts. The deadline for objections has been extended to 19th April.

View the details Hills Rd loading ban TRO v2

Send any objections, giving your reasons, to the County Council using the details in the pdf. It is great to have your questions and comments here, but please respond to the TRO to make them count.

   6 Comments

6 Responses

  1. Rad Wagon says:

    Interesting. The Freight Trade Association suggest in their leaflet (link below) that mandatory cyclelanes are already banned places for unloading.

    !. Are the Hills Road cycleways not treated like mandatory cyclelanes in law?
    2. Is this an attempt for the Council to take a bit of control over what is a police matter (and is that because they are so patently unable to deal with it)?
    3. Why limit this timewise, it’s not for mandatory cyclelanes?

    Note that anyone actually working on infra on or underneath is exempted under law, although a lot can be said about exactly where they stop up.

    http://www.fta.co.uk/export/sites/fta/_galleries/downloads/pcns/drivercard_1.pdf [page 3/4 of PDF]

    • Rad Wagon says:

      Just as an update, County Council Officers have been in touch, there is NO protection at the moment. The built “cycle tracks” are not registered as cycle infra at all. Anyone can go in them at any time.

      Clearly this needs sorting out and full protection being established ASAP.

  2. Jim Chisholm says:

    Because locally there is almost, if not absolutely, NO police enforcement of the rules regarding mandatory cycle lanes (as marked by a 150mm solid white line) I’m told the County decided there was no point in Traffic Regulation Orders for such lanes. Generally effective enforcement of loading bans by Civil Enforcement does exist.
    I raised this issue, in writing, with the deputy police and crime commissioner following an East Area Committee meeting. That was in January and I wrote a reminder in February, and received an email in March promising a reply…
    There do need to be exemptions, but apart for perhaps scaffolding lorries and readmix concrete, all other builders/contractors lorries need a tonne of bricks dropping on them at any time unless actively unloading.

  3. James Wilson says:

    According to an FOI request regarding the new Huntingdon Road cycle lanes, the Council have confirmed these are not in fact cycle lanes but cycle tracks. It is therefore already illegal to drive or park in them.

  4. Martin Roach says:

    Hopefully the restricted times will work. Otherwise, if vans/taxis could just be persuaded, through signage, to straddle the sedum strip then cycles could still get past on the cycle lane, with care, and pedestrians on the pavement.

    Clearly this approach is not for coaches as they are too wide, but the few times this happens they could pull around into Cavendish or Luard Road and unload/load quickly with “only loading space” earmarked near the top of the road to avoid blocking traffic either way.

    Hopefully delivery routes are locally managed so companies will adapt. For deliveries in restricted hours (they will happen) vans will need to be able to pull into driveways with space left for them to turn so they do not have to back out onto the highway – or park around the corner, which many drivers may not do.

    We can help by including the restricted times on delivery instructions when ordering on-line

  5. Richard says:

    I agree with the suggestion that the first 50 metres of all side roads off Hills Road should be limited to one hour parking to facilitate loading and unloading, taxis, phone calls and school runs. This would reduce the need to obstruct Hills Road and parking on corners reducing visibility. Hopefully this would make the place safer for all.

    Cycle routes and pavements need to be clearly marked.

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