The perils of stupid road markings

Poorly designed lanes can pose a serious risk to cyclists

There I was, gently cycling to work through the heart of London, when I came across this wonderful example of dumb road layout. Go on. Take a closer look at it. Ridiculous, isn't it? As Homer Simpson might say: Doh!

Pay attention: Giving way as you leave a roundabout is not normal

Let's be honest. There are many more important things in life than a mild rant about stupid road junctions. But if the devil is in the detail (as the old saying goes), it's stuff like this that perhaps matters most.
Why such outrage at this abomination? Allow me to explain.
I found this work-in-progress shortly after it was added to the roundabout that encircles the Museum of London at the start of the A1. I was coming from the east on the rather impressively named road, London Wall. If you're that interested, click here to see it on Google Maps
What I found impressive was from London Wall there was a new dedicated cycle lane which bypasses having to give way to traffic from the right - as is the norm under Highway Code rule 185. Brilliant! All those on a bike wanting to turn left can now zip round this corner on a bypass slip lane without having to worry about any conflict with cars, buses and lorries. Of course, the zipping can only come after paying attention to the pedestrian crossing on the approach to the roundabout.
As riders exit the roundabout, they have to merge with other traffic, including cyclists.
Now, here's the rub (to quote Shakespeare). How does Transport for London solve this merger of different traffic flows? That's right. It expects cyclists in the bypass slip lane to give way. In one fell swoop a touch of genius has been turned into a disaster waiting to happen. Give way? On the exit from a roundabout? Is TfL mad? Is the Mayor of London crackers?
I've no doubt some people will smugly say: Cyclists? Worry about the Highway Code and give way? Pah! 

Well, before anyone gets too sanctimonious, bad highway behaviour is not restricted to any single road user. There are plenty of bad car drivers, bus drivers, van drivers and, come to mention it, pedestrians.
The fundamental problem with this slip lane is its ill-thought design. On the one hand, it invites cyclists to ignore one of the Highway Code's basic rules (giving priority to traffic before joining a roundabout) and then just metres later, demands they give way to traffic as they exit the roundabout. I've cycled for most of my life and that seems a very unusual highway instruction to me. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's counterintuitive.
The danger here is when a convoy of cyclists use this lane (and that can happen in busy old London). Anyone behind the lead cyclist has no indication they may be expected to stop unexpectedly. And that means a potential cycling pile-up.
It's as if the road boffins got to this point and suddenly realised they'd run out of ideas. "What we gonna do 'ere? Dunno. Let's just slap down a give way road markin'. That'll sort it."
If this slip lane is meant to genuinely help cyclists, it should be like the one on the northern side of this roundabout. There cyclists are free to carry on their merry right of way unimpeded by crap road markings.
It's no wonder that so many people on bikes ignore highway markings when confronted with this sort of illogical nonsense. Such woolly thinking is rife.
The only way more people will take up their bikes and ride is if road layouts are clear and simple to understand and not like this sorry excuse for highway management that's been vilified here.

Give your wellbeing a lift by cycling to work

Driving really does stunt your concentration levels

Hurray for researchers at the University of East Anglia and the University of York!
They've found ditching your car for the journey to work and cycling instead gives your sense of wellbeing a well deserved boost. 
Commuters who indulge in an active journey to work can concentrate more easily and feel under less strain than those trapped in their little boxes on wheels, according to the study carried out at Norwich Medical School and the Centre for Health Economics.
Even using public transport gives people a better psychological lift than carving your way through nose-to-bumper tailbacks in a car. 
Good news indeed. 
So, presumably we can all wake up tomorrow and discover a fantastic network of traffic-free cycle lanes for the happy commuters created overnight by our benevolent Government? Hmm. Dream on!

Even the likes of former Olympic gold medalist and British Cycling's policy adviser Chris Boardman can't seem to shame the Government into action, despite his best efforts before the transport select committee earlier this year. 

So why with such irrefutable evidence about the benefits of cycling is the Government not doing more?

Well, this study holds one tiny clue.

Choices: The transport methods used by commuters

The research was based on data from nearly 18,000 adults. From this group, they found 73% went to work by car and 3% cycled for their commute. The rest walked or used public transport. And there's the rub: 73% v 3%. 
With politicians chasing majorities lately like their very livelihoods depended upon it, it's perhaps no wonder facilities for cyclists are few and far between. 

Just imagine what the M1 would look like if it was a typical cycle path. It's total length would be four miles, even though on paper it connects London with Leeds. The rest would be just what ever backroads and byways happened to be knocking around in the general vicinity painted a nice shade of motorway blue - which of course would disappear on certain stretches for no logical reason. There would only be one junction with some minor B-road nowhere near London or Leeds. And as for places to stop and leave your vehicle securely! Well, you get my drift. 
A motorway like that could never be allowed to exist by whichever Government was in charge because those 73% of drivers would vote for anyone else who promised to deliver a better option.  
So what do we do? 
Tempting though it is to fall back on cynicism and wail "we're all doomed", the answer has got be: do not give up. 
OK, there's a mountain to climb. (Frankly, it's more like a cliff face with several overhanging roofs!) But that's the challenge. The groundswell will only come once the 73% is woken from its slumber to the advantages of cycling as a real alternative to the daily commute. All we cyclists can do is bang on and on about it, praising the lifestyle benefits, the pleasures and, dare I say this, the sense of freedom. 
Then maybe that 73%-3% split might begin to even out a little. Now there's something that would be worth celebrating.

Resources 

Click here to watch the BBC's video report on the UEA's study 

Click here to read the UEA's press release about the study 

Or, if you are very brave, click here and read the study. Be warned, this is technical and not for the faint-hearted 

On the hunt for traffic-lite cycling routes - part II

My very first Savvy Cycle Route

Sitting comfortably? With a brew? Then let's begin. 
Last time, I was explaining what I like to look for in the perfect quiet route for urban cycling. It has to dodge traffic and jams and isn't too arduous to pedal. 
If you're thinking of finding such a mythical route, how do you go about it?
Let's take my home town - Southend-on-sea - as an example. (By the way, don't be put off if you're not local to Southend. I'm confident my reasoning here can apply to wherever you are.)
I live near Leigh-on-sea - a delightful part of Southend with a working harbour and an abundance of independent shops. About three miles away is Southend High Street with all the big chain stores you would expect in any decent town. 

Crowded: A typical jam in London Road, Westcliff-on-sea

The main link between these two towns - imaginatively called London Road - is one of only two long-distance routes in and out of the borough. It can get horribly busy, jammed with cars, buses, vans and lorries at times, especially during the tourist season and at the weekends. 
The council has spent many years building pedestrian refuges, push-button crossings and expanding the pavement to create pinch points to slow down the traffic and help people cross more easily. 
Despite being a very well-used main road, this route has two advantages for cycling between the two towns. Firstly, it's pretty flat with only a few gentle inclines here and there. Secondly, it's the most direct route for me to use. 
For years, I've cycled this route without much thought given to finding an alternative. Then one day, for no particular reason, I decided it was time to find a quiet route. 
My first search for information was to check Southend Council's cycle map of the town - which is very good. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to find online on our council's website. 
As with many of these sorts of maps, it only highlighted cycle paths that would have sent me out of my way on this occasion. 
A quick search of Google Maps using its bicycle filter revealed a similar set of out-of-the-way routes. When I actually searched Google Maps for directions, it even highlighted the main road I was trying to avoid as the best choice!
So out came the my trusty street map and I began to think. 
I knew of an alternative route between the two towns, but parts of it were quite hilly - that is "hilly" in Southend terms, and certainly not anything like the never-ending gradients on the Tour de France!
But I digress. Getting back to those Southend inclines, I began to wonder if there was a way to dodge them.
Slowly, I began to realise there was. A left turn here, a right turn there and you practically had a neat little backstreet route.
The only snag was a particularly unpleasant up and down section. This wide stretch of road is where cars have a tendency to speed up and travel at what feels like a lot more than the 30mph speed limit. (For all those locals who are interested, it's Kings Road, Westcliff-on-sea.)
The eureka moment came when I realised cycling across Chalkwell Park would dodge all this - although the park, to the best of my knowledge, is not an official cycling route. (Now, there's a subject for another blog post!) 
After forming a plan, the only thing left was to get out there and give it a go. 
Everything went brilliantly on my way into Southend until I encountered a maze of one-way streets near my goal. Contrary to the stereotypical opinion about cyclists, there was no way I wanted to ride the wrong way along these roads. (And that'll be another future blog post topic, too.) 
After a quick rethink, I hit on a route which varies slightly, depending if you're heading to Southend or heading to Leigh. 
I use this route all the time now. No more sneaking past queues of cars waiting at traffic lights or struggling to breathe among all the fumes. It really has made cycling between the towns a pleasure and not a chore. 
For me, I like to think of it as my Savvy Cycle Route! 
But what is this wonderful route? Ah, well that's going to be the subject of my next post. Until then, keep on riding.

Resources 

If you want a copy of Southend-on-Sea's cycle map, the council advise you to email cyclesouthend@southend.gov.uk
If you have a rummage around the web, you can find it here online at Southend Council's dedicated cycling portal, Cycle Southend. 
Or alternatively here is a direct link to the main map. 

Who likes cycling in heavy traffic?

On the hunt for traffic-lite cycle routes

Ssssh! Today, let's talk about quiet routes.
What exactly are they? Well, finding some authoritative definition is harder than you think. There may well be a handy little table buried on the Department for Transport's cycling website. You know, something pithy that specifies the number of vehicle kilometres (that's volume of traffic to you and me) that lead to a road being classed as quiet. 
But I've not got the time or nerd interest to dig something out so definitive for you. 

For me, a quiet route is one of those neat little backstreets that avoids the main roads clogged up with cars.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not a pavement pedal pusher. I'm quite at home cycling my Brompton bicycle on roads rammed full of traffic. It doesn't bother me (which doesn't mean I take traffic for granted).
It's just given the option of cycling beside lots of pollution-belching vehicles or in a nearby street with the occasional car, I'd pick the quiet route every time. 
Plus fewer cars must surely equate to a lower concentration of fumes and that's got to be good for my lungs.
I try to be very picky about quiet routes. For me, they don't just need less traffic using them, they also need to be good roads for cycling on. So, the second thing that can make a quiet route brilliant is elevation - or rather the lack of it.
Hands up, who honestly likes cycling up a hill? Down them, yes. Up them? Only if I have to.
Sorry if that makes me sound lazy - I'm not, by the way - but hilly terrain can be a big turn off to people who aren't avid cyclists. I've had plenty of conversations with mates who've expressed a desire to get on a bike but added they'd never do it because of getting all hot and sweaty, panting up a hill.
Of course, it might be a struggle to avoid inclines in some towns and cities in the UK. But here in Southend-on-sea, there aren't too many. So avoiding them is possible if you take a slightly different (and admittedly sometimes more circuitous) route.
The last thing that really makes a quiet route shine like the rising sun is its surface.
Here is a newsflash for all motorists - cyclists hate potholes too. And sunken drain covers. And ruts. In fact any metal work that is just on the apex of bend, especially when it is wet. 
Ooooh, there's nothing quite so thrilling as losing your traction on a manhole cover going round a turn as a vehicle cuts you up. Priceless!
So bearing these three criteria in my mind - light traffic, flat(ish) terrain and a sound surface - it's not that hard to find the perfect place to get back in the saddle and enjoy the wind in your hair as you go for a ride.
Finding all three of these characteristics in one route can be tricky and you will have to make a trade off at times. It's up to you to decide if a bumpier, more direct journey is preferable to going around the houses to reach your destination. 
This feels a good point to break off for now. Next time I'll reveal how a little thought and local knowledge led me to find one of my favourite quiet routes in Southend-on-sea.
For now, why not make yourself a coffee (or whatever you're preferred beverage might be) and have a think about where you could go for a gentle urban bike ride.

Meet the man who inspired me to cycle again

Go to the gym or cycle in the great outdoors - you decide 

A long time ago in a company far, far away, I once had the privilege of interviewing one of the founders of the cycling charity, Sustrans.
John Grimshaw is the man responsible for opening my eyes to the benefits of pedal power.
For those who want to know more about Sustrans (which has plenty of supporters and critics), check out its website - www.sustrans.org.uk 

Or see www.johngrimshawassociates.co.uk for more information about the man himself.
When I interviewed John, he immediately impressed upon me his passion for bikes.
I remember him lamenting about those poor individuals, sweating it out in a gym twice a week when they could just cycle to work and get fit. Instead of devoting a special time and place to exercise, they could turn their commute into a gym class.
As well as incorporating physical exertion into their daily routine, it would also free up three or four hours a week to do something more interesting instead. And let's be honest, there are plenty of things more interesting than pounding a treadmill.
When I started my very first job out of university, I signed up to the motor transport dream like everyone else - despite many happy hours riding a Raleigh Wayfarer around Cambridge where I studied English literature. 
I'd been getting around for years on a motorbike when I met John at Sustrans' head office in Bristol. 
So it really is thanks to him and his enthusiasm that I gave up petrol-powered transport for a Brompton - the world's finest folding bicycle (in my humble opinion!) - and I've never looked back.
My obsession with seeking out quiet routes for getting around Southend-on-sea has been inspired by the work of Sustrans - and the cycle maps produced by Transport for London. Ah, the hours spent looking at the "quieter roads" highlighted in yellow on TfL's maps! 

But what is a quiet cycle route? 
Well, more on that next time hopefully. Until then, keep those wheels turning.

Get on your bike and ride

Biker Hack's very first cycling blog

Hello and welcome to my blog. 
My name is Biker Hack and for the past 10 years I've enjoyed cycling around the wonderful Essex seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea. 
I like to think I know a thing or two about life on two wheels (some of which has been learnt the hard way).
Hopefully, a little bit of my enthusiasm for cycling will rub off and inspire you to saddle up and head out there. 
Now before I go on, I feel the need to clarify exactly what I mean by cycling. 
I'm not a Lycra-clad speed fanatic who revels in a time trail on a country road.
Neither am I mud-spattered mountain biker who delights in downhill thrills. 
I'm just a bloke who cycles to and from work in our ever-growing urban world. In my mind, that makes me an urban cyclist.
Don't misunderstand me, I've got no axe to grind with what I call racing bike enthusiasts or off-roaders. 
Southend is served admirably by cycling societies, which promote the pleasure of riding. If you want to know more about them, then see this link and this one. if I've left anyone off, sorry! It's not deliberate, honest!
What I'm more interested in is finding quiet routes away from busy roads and getting around where I live without using a car. 
It's green and good for you, and I should know. My only exercise is the cycling I do around town. I don't go to the gym and I pretty much eat and drink what I like. And I stay relatively trim - I'm working on the belly - from just a little bit of gentle exercise. 
So if you're feeling it's time to turn over a new leaf, then come and join me as I explore the ups and downs of urban cycling.