Poor sods stuck on buses - and junction capacity

I'm working with pupils from a school that's on the multi-lane, one-way A302 / St George's Road.

This is how it looked down the road at 5pm tonight:

 and this was looking up the road:

There were a handful of people incarcerated on each bus. Whatever the obstruction was, I bet they'd have been able to squeeze by if they were riding bicycles.

Which brings me to the issue of Junction Capacity and vehicle flow - where different forms of transport are assigned values by transport modellers in relation to one Passenger Car Unit (PCU). So a car is 1 PCU while a cycle is a hugely efficient 0.2 PCUs, as five bicycles can pass through a junction for each car, and a big chunky bus has a PCU of 2 or more.

I'm no transport planner, but what I do know is that a bicycle is always at capacity, whereas a car often has only one occupant and likewise buses (like those above) may be verging on the empty. The conclusion, for efficient use of space in cities, has to be to promote walking and cycling if we want to avoid the kind of urban screw-up images above.

Considerate behaviour promotion on Thames Path

It was good to see the police and Lambeth Council's transport team talking to cyclists and pedestrians on the Thames Path, and undertaking an informal survey. I was intrigued by the answers cyclists gave when asked why they chose the Thames Path over the adjoining A road. The majority talked about the risk of injury and general nastiness of the A road. The reply I particularly liked though was from a couple on a tandem who said cycling along the Thames Path was romantic. I completely agree with their view, and I can't imagine the same comment being made about the Lambeth and Westminster Bridge roundabouts and the A-roads.

The roller-bladers and their dog, above, typify the kind of hazardous space users that need to be considerate in their sharing of this lovely public space.

It was good to see some cycle parking installed by the cafe adjacent to Lambeth Bridge (though this photo is too poor to allow you to see it - it's where the cycle is.)

Where are the cars and taxis in Disneyland?

From Royal Weddings to Olympic Games, the London Eye to Big Ben, the British Museum to Hyde Park, it is hard to envisage central London as anything other than a massive theme park - a delight for its residents and tourists alike. Except that a significant off-kilter aspect of London that proper theme parks don't have is the preponderance of noisy, polluting, space absorbing motor traffic.


But much of that can be designed out. The bicycle replaces the car; B-Bikes and Pedicabs replace taxis and minicabs. A similar hire system to B-Bikes could be introduced with mobility scooters for those unable to use these.

Deliveries could be slashed (maybe fanciful, but how about banning consumable crockery in central London for example - you lose a load of waste refuse collection as well as delivery vans. If you install taps and water fountains rather than bottled water sales outlets you can dispose of thousands of lorry journeys).

There are two posts other bloggers have written today that I urge you to read:
http://waronthemotorist.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/streets-versus-democracy
and
http://ibikelondon.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-mayor-and-tfl-are-wrong-about.html
- check out the video on this and imagine if the private cars and taxis in the clip were removed. How much saner London would be.

Police highlight Vauxhall Gyratory cycle lane

The draft Cycling Superhighway 5 plans show the existing cycle lane, highlighted in this photo by a parked police motorcycle, is intended to remain and will doubtless be as effective as today but painted blue.

Legible Vauxhall?

Draft plans for Cycling Superhighway 5 (Lewisham to Victoria) have been prepared by TfL. It will go through the Vauxhall Gyratory and, whatever faults it may have, must be clearer to follow than the current signage (above, in the bus and cycle lane in the middle of the gyratory).

Subvertising on Kennington Road

Makes more sense than the original car advert which said 100% electric, 100% real

UK Uncut to target Ice Creaminals?

The Guardian today reports that "More than a dozen separate UK Uncut groups from around the country will head to Oxford Street at 2pm, where they will stage 14 separate protests before descending on a new, as yet unannounced, target at 3.30pm. Actor Sam West and comedians Josie Long and Mark Thomas will be joining in the protests."

Those bastions of trading where they should not be, thieving trade from local business rate paying businesses are back in force on Westminster Bridge flouting the bus and cycle lane on the red route (above today, as every day this week).

The police are attempting to move them on but seem still to be losing the battle.

Maybe UK Uncut could kettle the vans?