Two wheels good - Feb 3
THERE was a letter in last Friday’s Lynn News that gave me pause for thought.
The writer was concerned about the fact that people were somehow unaware of the cycle path that runs across the entrance to the East Coast Business Park.
This anything but a “secret” path – it’s the main cycle route into town from the west, and carries hundreds of commuters from Terrington, Clenchwarton and West Lynn to and from town.
The “secret” is now out that it’s the fastest way to get into town. Cyclists don’t have to battle the traffic on London Road, but can nip down the riverbank, on to Harding’s Way and be at their destination in town, whilst drivers, who left home at the same time, are still fuming somewhere near the Southgates.
I rode out there that morning and really couldn’t see a problem with visibility but I agree with the writer that this junction is a bit of a mess.
When the junction was first remodelled a few years ago this was one of the few places in Lynn where the cycle path had correct priority across the junction and motor vehicles leaving or entering the business park had to give way to cycles.
Subsequently (and illegally as, so far as I can ascertain, there was no Traffic Regulation Order) “give way” lines were painted on the cycle path either side of the entrance. According to DfT guidelines they should have been painted across the entrance.
The coloured tarmac of the old arrangement is still there, so it’s no surprise cyclists are confused and I do have some sympathy with the cyclist the writer’s wife nearly hit (although I don’t condone their abusive language). The priority needs to be corrected and cycle warning signs would help.
A few minutes of observation revealed that the real problem here seems to be that drivers drive too fast in and out of the entrance and are so busy looking for other motor vehicles that they don’t look for cycles. A significant minority don’t bother to indicate, either.
The poor junction is one of several problems on this route: The Cut Bridge has a footway on both sides, but cyclists coming out of town are expected to cross the road, cycle over the bridge on the carriageway, then re-cross back on to the cycleway – a very dangerous manoeuvre on fast blind bends.
Local campaigners have been asking for the footway to be widened and converted to a shared-use path for years or failing that to extend the 20mph limit across the bridge, but Norfolk County Council has so far refused on cost grounds.
The problem of West Lynn residents parking on the cycleway needs to be dealt with, too. It’s illegal and antisocial, yet the police won’t take any action. (It’s worth saying that any accidental damage caused to an illegally parked vehicle by a cyclist or pedestrian trying to get past won’t be covered by the driver’s insurance).
Come on NCC. This is a major cycle path and cyclists from the west of Lynn deserve better.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
