Councils spend more on compensation claims over potholes than on repairing them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7658956.stm

Councils claim they are spending more on compensation claims over potholes than on repairing them.

Tescos Bedale Rd

The application for a Tescos store at this location has been granted provisionally. Provisions include:

2 The retail unit shall not be used unless the car parking accommodation for 16 cars to the front of the site and 11 cars to the rear of the site as shown on the approved plans has been provided in accordance with those plans and thereafter such car parking accommodation shall be retained for the sole purpose intended unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

3 Before the development is commenced, full details of suitable and sufficient cycle parking accommodation within the site shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and the retail unit shall not be used unless such cycle parking accommodation has been provided in accordance with the approved plans and thereafter such cycle parking accommodation shall be retained for the sole use of the development hereby permitted.


11 The development shall not be begun until the improvements (which expression shall include traffic control, pedestrian and cycle safety measures) to the highways listed below have either;

a) been carried out; or

b) details have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority of arrangements which have been entered into which will secure that such improvement works will be carried out before the retail use is commenced

Highway Improvements: Bedale Road - footway/carriageway alterations

Which leads me to wonder whether the opportunity will be taken to improve the ridiculous arrangements between bedal & empire rds?

(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9csKA9iAps )

Simon

Recent TROs

Changes to the TRO on Hurlfield Rd to allow cyclists to use the road legitimately:
Sharrow Vale - change loading bay to Pay & display: Introduce Car Club parking
Traffic calming in Greystones Rd near the primary school

Prohibition of parking near junctions in numerous parts of the city.

The CTC SUPPORTS these proposals.

Our Cycling Champion waits in the queue

(Steve Marsden, First point reception, Howden House)












Steve: "I'd like to talk to someone about cycling please"
First Point Receptionist: "Sorry mate, there's 26 motorists in the queue before you!"

How Sheffield Turned it's Back on the Sheffield Stand

As the Sheffield City Council website proudly proclaims, "The first Sheffield Stands were designed and installed in Sheffield in 1986. This simple design has since been widely adopted across the globe. "














As it is symmetrical, the Sheffield stand makes it easy to lock your bike at both ends. It supports your bike as you load it with heavy shopping

However, the city that invented the Sheffield Stand has turned it's back on it. Instead, the Town Planners have insisted on installing a more stylish but less functional alternative:





(These examples are at Howden House, the council admin building in Sheffield)














The curved shape makes it more difficult to lock your bike securely, whilst there is no support for a laden bike at one end.

The council certainly didn't get Best Value out of these ones:


They are a bit too close to the wall to get two bikes on!

Cyclist Give Way Signs in Sheffield

Welcome to CTC Right to Ride Reps Nationally.

In Sheffield we seem to have cornered the market in "Cyclists Give Way to Pedestrians" signs. These are definitely preferable to "Cyclists Dismount" (we have plenty of those as well though).
Sheffield cyclists may not be aware that these are not in common use elsewhere.

Here are some examples:
















This is at Castle Square (Formerly the infamous Hole in the Road.) The cycle route
allows cyclists from the north to access the High Street. As you can see it's a busy and narrow section of street with high footfall, but nevertheless the arrangement works well.

A continuation on the other side of the road would create a new North-South route across the city:















However, the council haven't agreed to this. A toucan crossing would be needed for Arundel Gate.

This one is at Pond St:
















This is part of the emerging Inner Ring Cycle Route and allows cyclists to cross the severed part of Pond St, avoiding Flat St (Flat St isn't flat and Pond St has no ponds).
These signs were much admired by Sustrans staff when they were in town.

A contra-flow and ramp are needed to allow cyclists to continue North:-















This links into the National Cycle Network to the North and East of the city.

A few other sights around town:-
















Bike stands in use at the Interchange, for travellers continuing their journey by bus.

This lot turned up whilst I was taking pictures:-
































...& headed off up the High St















Bikes are increasingly being used by the emergency services in Sheffield as well as the City Ambassadors and our Cycling Paramedic service should get off the ground shortly.

Murder in Dewsbury

I wasn't very surprised to read about a murder in Dewsbury. Having passed through a few times I think its a dreadful place - the destruction in public places was appalling. I think its the town that New Labour forgot. Can't really recommend it for a bike ride.

Northern Rail Cycle forum

To Huddersfield yesterday for the the Northern Rail Cycle forum. The quickest way out of town for me is past the University, but that would entail the same route I take every day to get to work, so I skipped round via Pond St & Snig Hill to Shalesmoor and then along the new North Don route to Hillsborough, this starts off well but peters out towards the end, so across P*nistone Rd and out along Middlewood, which it still closed to motor vehicles but cycleable. This route isn't too bad until you get past Stocksbridge, where there is a short but highly unpleasant section along the A616 to the Flouch. Stopped at Langsett Cafe for a mug of tea and a teacake - a youngish guy has taken it over and is trying to start a bike hire business as well, so I've asked him to keep in touch with us on progress.

From there it's over the top paast Hepworth and down into the Holme valley. The long valleys on the appeoach to Huddersfield make for great cycling, high speeds are indicated. Made it in good time for the free lunch at 12. On a good quality road bike it doesn't take much longer to cycle to Huddersfield than it does to get the train!

At the NRCF we looked at the progress that had been made with the Cycling Strategy targets, (quite good actually) and discussed the impact that the tram-train trial would have on the P*nistone line, and for cyclerail generally. It's a bit early to draw conclusions, but there is an opportunity here to provide some really excellent provision for cycles, and break the "bikes on trams" barrier that we seem to have hit here in the UK.

After the meeting I thought I would go off and "get my kicks" on NCN Route 66. This is confusingly signposted from Huddersfield Station as Route 69. It's a bit weird because although it looks like an old railway, it must have been infilled a lot as it switchbacks along. It also seems to be infested with kids on illegal motorbikes. This gets you as far as Bradley where there is a bit of a gap- for future reference you need to turn right on the B6118, then the entrance to this bit of 66 is to the left according to streetmap. There followed a nice bit of rail trail, taking you to Mirfield where things got a bit complicated but Sustrans Rangers looked to have been out putting up temporary signage - thanks for that guys! The route continues through Mirfield where a fair amount of damage looks to have been done partticularly in the park, where an archway has had most of the bricks kicked out of it, and into Dewsbury, which I recommend avoiding completely. There's a junction with the Spen Valley Greenway (see my earlier post about that) so I took that down to the canal (Aire & Calder) where sadly the smooth surface runs out, and bumped along the towpath as far as Horbury Bridge, where I took to the road to Horbury, feeling sorry for the commuters in an endless queue of cars and then followed the perfectly decent Rhubarb cycle route to Wakefield.

Got the Northern Fast service back to Sheffield - a Bike Friday owner got on at Barnsley and tried to squeeze his bike into the tiny bike cupboard (this was not Sir William Wilberforce) but although I took my panniers off to make it easier for him I think he thought better of it and folded it anyway.

Surprise View, Early Morning

A car
lies on its roof, spinning slowly
The driver hangs from his seatbelt
Blood runs out of his mouth and into his eye
A sheep stares
incuriously

(From a description of a road traffic accident at Surprise Corner, Derbyshire, Thursday 17th April)

TRO - Ringinglow Rd

Latest TRO received proposes to reduce the speed on Ringinglow Rd from 60 to 50. Not enough but its a start - perhaps a recognition that speed actually is a factor in accidents?

My way or the highway...

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200803/bikeway.asp

4 wheel drive on the beach.

You can take these things anywhere you know!

HGV's in Bus Lanes

Photo from the Croydon area.
Let's hope Sheffield City Council don't get any ideas!

(sign indicates that HGV's over 3,5 metres long are allowed in the bus lane. Cyclists who do not wish to mix it with HGV's are offered a Shared Use pavement (shared with private cars by the looks of it)


(Photo: jim bush, RtR Croydon)

Tesco unveils new cycling initiative.

Great for practising your cycling skills!

Supertram special

Blogged from the tram

Strange signage

Location: Roundabout at top of Parkway Ave.

You can't really see it but the blue (cycleroute) sign on the left says Darnall & City Centre. The green sign on the right, which is missing most of its letters, says ity e tre or some such and points to the right. OK this is directing motor traffic onto the Parkway but the city centre is still in the opposite direction to the cycle route. I suppose the intention is to direct cyclists across the bridge over the parkway and in on the NCN route, but as the signs are missing from this bridge all that is likely to happen is that you are going to get lost, and probably get a puncture into the bargain. I would go Parkway Ave then either Cricket Inn Rd or Woodbourn Rd/Worthing Rd and perhaps the 5WW for the last leg to town (if it was open)

Darnall is vaguely in the direction the sign points, but it's still not the route I would use. (Parkway Drive & Acres Hill makes more sense)

Taxis on Castle St etc

A taxi queuing up in the cycle lane on Bank St. When I started taking picture he and his colleagues moved up to park on the pavement instead...




















Meanwhile, round at the Business Park on the Wicker...














I agree with the sentiment of course but what are you supposed to do? Tie your bike to the fence and give it some hay and a drink of water?