Issues

This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.

Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.

You can create a new issue using the button on the right.

Listed issues, most recent first, limited to the area of Push Bikes - The Birmingham Cycling Campaign:

  • Highway Code changes

    sound+fury // 1 thread

    A bill is being put forward to sentence any cyclist convicted of dangerous cycling to a 14 year prison term.

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  • DfT Policy Paper - Inclusive Transport Strategy

    Created by Matthew // 1 thread

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-transport-strategy

    Lots of interesting stuff about inclusive transport regarding trains, buses, cars, public realm, streets and yes a bit about cycling too. Quotes:

    Shared Space:

    8.11 While we consider CIHT and DPTAC’s recommendations and how to take them
    forward, we are requesting that local authorities pause any shared space schemes
    incorporating a level surface they are considering, and which are at the design stage.
    We are also temporarily suspending Local Transport Note 1/11. This pause will allow
    us to carry out research and produce updated guidance.

    Objectives regarding Cycling:

    • Update Local Transport Note 2/08, which sets out the Department’s guidance to
    local authorities on designing safe and inclusive infrastructure for cyclists, to take
    account of developments in cycling infrastructure since its publication in 2008 and
    the responses to the draft AAP consultation and publish a revised version by early
    2019;
    • By 2020, explore the feasibility of amending legislation to recognise the use of
    cycles as a mobility aid71 in order to increase the number of disabled people
    cycling.

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  • Dropped kerb needed

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    There needs to be a dropped kerb to access the Merritts Brook Greenway from the carriageway here. Apparently the road is private, so Birmingham City Council doesn't have responsibility here, we think. It may be that it is Bournville BVT that is responsible for this section of road, but we aren't sure.

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  • Lichfield Main Corridor Phase 1B(ii)

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    "The second part of the Lichfield Road route in Phase 1B runs from Salford Circus along Gravelly Hill and Gravelly Hill North to Six Ways. The route uses a combination of mandatory and advisory cycle lanes as well as cycle symbols. In the section between Salford Circus and Kingsbury Road, the outbound route is primarily along a mandatory cycle lane. The inbound route employs cycle symbols from Kingsbury Road junction as far as the start of the grade separation, where an advisory cycle lane is provided before connecting into the shared surfaces at Salford Circus (where the Lichfield Road route connects to parallel routes D (Gravelly Hill to Short Heath) & E (Gravely Hill to Erdington)). From Kingsbury Road to Six Ways, the route primarily uses advisory cycle lanes both inbound and outbound save for a short section at Hunton Hill junction where cycle symbols have to be employed due to lack of carriageway space."

    This section corresponds to pages 18 to 25 on the technical drawings.

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  • Lichfield Road Main Corridor Phase 1B(i)

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    "Two parts of this route fall into Phase 1B. The first part runs from Lancaster Circus where the route is on shared surfaces around and within the roundabout, a shared surface also extends northwards on the east side of Corporation Street through to Dartmouth Circus where the paths around and within the roundabout are also converted to shared surfaces. In addition cyclists may also use the bus lanes on Corporation Street between Lancaster Circus and Dartmouth Circus. From Dartmouth Circus, the route continues northwards on a shared surface on either side of Aston Road. The outbound route continues as a shared surface connecting into parallel route B (Birchfield to city centre, Dartmouth Circus) along Thomas Street as well as providing an uncontrolled crossing of Thomas Street to connect into the bus lane on Aston Road, extending as far as Park Lane roundabout. Inbound, the route from Park Lane roundabout utilises an short length of advisory cycle lane before joining the existing bus lane as far as Aston Road North. At this point cyclists have a choice of route to access the shared surfaces at Dartmouth Circus. They can opt to turn off the A38 into Aston Road where there is a connection to both the shared surfaces and the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, or they can continue within a proposed new bus lane which extends as far as the bus stop just prior to Dartmouth Circus where they then connect into the shared surfaces for Dartmouth Circus.
    The final section runs from Park Lane/Rocky Lane roundabout, where cyclists use shared surfaces and an upgraded crossing (pelican to toucan) before connecting back into the existing bus lanes north of Park Road."

    This section corresponds to sheets 1 to 9 of the technical drawings.

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  • Lichfield Road Main Corridor Phase 1A

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    "The Lichfield Road route follows the A5127 from the city centre to Erdington via Lancaster Circus, Corporation Street, Dartmouth Circus, Aston Road, Lichfield Road and Salford Circus. The Phase 1A works covers the section of the route from the B4144 Park Lane to Salford Circus via Lichfield Road.
    The route is comprised mainly of cycling facilities within existing bus lanes. On Lichfield Road, crossings are improved at the Waterlink Boulevard roundabout and the Cuckoo Road junction to provide cyclists a safer bypass to these busy junctions. Short sections of shared footway also provide links to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and Parallel Routes."

    This section of the route (Phase 1A) covers sheets 9 to 18 of the technical drawings.

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  • Parallel Route N - spur

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    "This proposal will consist of minor measures, particularly signing and cycle logo markings on the road, to highlight a cycle route along non-classified roads parallel to the main A38 Bristol Road. This route will extend from the Ring Road at Lee Bank Middleway, along Ryland Road, Packenham Road, Arthur Road and Edgbaston Park Road to University of Birmingham. A separate spur via Somerset Road, Farquhar Road and Vincent Drive will also link to University Station and existing cycle facilities around the QE Hospital."

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  • Parallel route N

    Created by Chris Lowe // 0 threads

    "This proposal will consist of minor measures, particularly signing and cycle logo markings on the road, to highlight a cycle route along non-classified roads parallel to the main A38 Bristol Road. This route will extend from the Ring Road at Lee Bank Middleway, along Ryland Road, Packenham Road, Arthur Road and Edgbaston Park Road to University of Birmingham. A separate spur via Somerset Road, Farquhar Road and Vincent Drive will also link to University Station and existing cycle facilities around the QE Hospital."

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  • Bristol Street Corridor

    Created by Chris Lowe // 2 threads

    "The route comprises on-road measures along parts of Bromsgrove Street, Henstead Street and Wrentham Street. The route then continues along a new cycle track adjacent to the eastern footway of Bristol Street, through the existing pedestrian subway near Rickman Drive, and along the northern footway of Lee Bank Middleway and Islington Row Middleway to Five Ways, where it will link to other proposed BCR cycle routes."

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  • A4040 Junction, Harborne

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    This junction is appalling badly designed. The only thought behind it appears to be how to maximise traffic flows on the A4040. The weird junction with the high street proper just causes confusion and near-misses. The roundabout is notorious for collisions, and facilities for pedestrians are poor. Facilities for cyclists are non-existent. It is a major barrier to cycling.
    The junction should be redesigned, taking into consideration all road users and traffic flows over a wide area with a view to reducing conflicts. For example, consider closing roads to motor traffic so as to simplify the situation and improve permeability for walking and cycling. Motor traffic on the high street (which is looking run down) is bad for trade.

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  • Bishop's Croft

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    Old Church Road is narrow and twisty, yet some motorists see it as a good place to travel at speed and overtake. It would be nice if the Bishop of Birmingham could be persuaded to encourage people to walk and cycle along here. There is a gate at one end, but it is rotten and could be replaced with a half barrier gate, to create the required filtered permeability.
    Alternatively a small corner of land at the gated end could be used to create a direct connection with Old Church Avenue.
    Note that there is a school at the gated end, which of course encourages motor traffic. Improving the walking and cycling routes here would reduce the motor traffic.

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  • Old Church Avenue

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    * Remove the cycling prohibition order on Old Church Road and make it shared use.
    * Make the crossing on Harborne Park Road a toucan crossing.
    * Paint a line along the join in the path on Harborne Park Road, to make it split use.
    * Make arrangements to allow cyclists to connect between this cycle path and Vivian Road safely.

    Note that there is a school at the end near the church, which of course encourages motor traffic. Improving the walking and cycling routes here would reduce the motor traffic.

    German towns have made paths such as Old Church Avenue shared use to encourage cycling. They don't become impossibly busy with cyclists, but such moves do result in a much higher cycling modal share, which in turn reduces congestion. Old Church Avenue would make a useful link to encourage cyclists into Harborne. Harborne currently has a difficult-to-use road system and is congested with cars. This is really bad for trade. Removing the cars from Harborne high street would boost trade and revive the high street, but people still need to get there somehow. That's where bikes come in.

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  • Sycamore Road / Laburnum Road Junction

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    If cycling up the hill to Raddlebarn Road, the right turn into Laburnum Road is tricky on a slow-moving bike. This is because Sycamore Road is used as a through-route, which means it is far busier than it should be. The 20mph limit is often ignored (because it's being used by through-traffic). Really it should be closed to make it useless as a through-route for motor traffic, but a simple first step would be to make the section shown inaccessible to north-bound traffic using the simple expedient of bollards across the north-bound lane and a "no entry except cycles" sign. This would mean cyclists using the naturally quieter Laburnum Road would be spared the uphill right turn, whilst simultaneously making the entire road intrinsically slower for motor traffic. Priority would need to be changed at the junction in favour of the the Sycamore Road-Laburnum Road route. Cyclists heading north could of course pass through the bollards if they so wished.

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  • Bournville Lane Dual Carriageway

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 1 thread

    This section of of dual carriageway with an additional lane for parking is not only ludicrous, it results in serious problems for pedestrians on the zebra-crossing, because motorists simply don't notice them commencing their lengthy crossing from the opposite side of the carriageway. This isn't helped by some motorists using the central reservation as a car park, blocking sight-lines to the crossing. Reduce the road to a single carriageway and provide a segregated cycle path to make it possible for cyclists to get from the Cadbury recreation ground to Franklin Way without having to negotiate a dual-carriageway used by articulated trucks accessing the Cadbury factory.

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  • One-Way Road Blocking Cycle Route

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 2 threads

    The tunnel under the railway is narrow, and the road is one-way for all traffic. This means that cyclists using NCN5 cannot get to Bunbury Road (and Bournville Estate) here without dismounting for a considerable distance. Two years ago BCC proposed that cyclists heading towards Bunbury Road (via the short section of cycle path that leads from Bunbury Gardens) hop on to the pavement, but the pavement is very narrow and will be blocked by a single pedestrian. The simple solution is to close the road to the few motorists that use it, and make it two-way for bikes and pedestrians. That's what the Dutch would do, because it encourages people to use a bike for short journeys rather than a car. However, BCC is once again in a state of paralysis and have done neither.

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  • Badly Designed Junction

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    Bunbury Road is busy, but road users emerging from Woodlands Park Road and Northfield Road have to play a game of chicken as they try to judge the best moment to make a rapid exit without crashing into each other. Adding to the processing overload, the following must also be taken into account by road users:

    * A service road opposite Woodlands Park Road connects with Bunbury Road at this point.
    * A cycle path runs from the junction down to Bunbury Gardens.
    * A zebra crossing, one that many motorists (including police drivers) fail to stop for, presumably because of the processing overload.

    Lacking acceleration, cyclists face a long wait either at the junction or the zebra crossing. Either way they risk being mown down by a motorist lacking the superhuman skills required to negotiate this junction safely. Since even police drivers make dangerous mistakes here, then it is clearly hopelessly wrong.

    There is quite a bit of space here. I would suggest as a minimum a single lane roundabout be created, but since Bunbury Road is busy and there is already a cycle path here it should be made a proper Dutch-style roundabout. To ease the design, close Northfield Road at this point to motor traffic (Northfield Road runs parallel to Bunbury Road).

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  • Cycle infrastructure needed

    Created by Bracken VanRyssen // 1 thread

    The Brook Lane road badly needs cycle infrastructure and there is definitely the space available and small changes here have the potential to have a big impact on the route. Easy changes would be to resurface and open up the ends of the Brook Lane service road to allow continuous movement along it, as well as putting in a crossing for the Yardley Wood road. On the easterly section a protected bicycle lane for cyclists ascending and descending the hill could be created by moving the parking in the left lane further away from the pavement and using the resulting space (especially important for cyclists travelling up the steep hill).

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  • Cycle Access to Train Platform

    Created by Bracken VanRyssen // 1 thread

    The only cycle access to the train platforms at Solihull station is an extremely small lift, otherwise your only option is carrying your bicycle up and down the stairs which can be quiet challenging. A simple solution would be a wheeling rail at the edge of the stairway to guide wheels down slowly. I see quite a few people with bicycles using the train and I myself do so on a weekly basis and two flights of stairs with a laden bicycle certainly make things tricky.

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  • Missing Cycling and Walking Link

    Created by Bracken VanRyssen // 1 thread

    The path between Smith's Wood and Water Orton could be a key cycling and walking link and a way to avoid the only other crossing of the A452 and M6, which is the busy and fast Water Orton Road. However the route is blocked off with concrete blocks and is in an extremely poor state of repair with overgrown bushes and an exceedingly unpleasant subway.

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  • Really Awkward Gate

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    The pointless pedestrian gate here is really awkward for pedestrians and cyclists alike, as it's hung on the wrong post and the area of bitmac that has been laid for it is ludicrously small. This area normally ends up a muddy mess in the winter. People simply don't move in sub one metre angular movements, shunting back and forth to avoid the grass. Note the track in the grass that shows what one cyclist did shortly before the Google car got there.
    Remove all three gates and replace them with a removable bollard.

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  • Bournville Lane - Hay Green Lane Junction

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    There are regular collisions at this junction because motorists speed on Bournville Lane and the site-lines are very, very poor. The simple solution is to change the priority. This would solve the problem for motorists, and make it easier for cyclists to use Hay Green Lane as part of a cycle route.
    I have suggested the change of priority to BCC but was given a list of excuses why this cannot possibly be done. One of these was that Bournville Lane is a blue route. I see no benefit in an emergency journey ending here because someone pulling out of Hay Green Lane couldn't see the approaching police car.

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  • Cotteridge

    Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads

    Cotteridge town centre has been allowed to degenerate into a hostile place for cyclists and pedestrians. Motorists have multiple lanes for driving and parking, whilst pedestrians are blocked from crossing the road by steel railings. Cyclists are given nothing. Watford Road and Rowheath Road are both OK for cycling, but their junction with Watford Road is horrendous. Midland Road has no contra-flow, so it is obstructive to cyclists trying to avoid the multi-lane horror of the Pershore Road. The two lane double-roundabout is difficult to negotiate even in a car.
    This whole area needs to be redesigned, putting cyclists and pedestrians first. I'm sure I'm not the only person who doesn't shop in Cotteridge because the environment is /vile/.

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