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.