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£5,400 spent on concrete blocks to keep cyclists off Leicester pathNew Walk, Leicester (via StreetView).png

£5,400 spent on concrete blocks to keep cyclists off Leicester path

Local cyclists say situation will only improve when cycle lane is finished
by Alex Bowden
Fri, Jun 07, 2019 12:10
17

Leicester City Council has spent £5,400 on six heavy duty blocks to deter cyclists from using a pedestrian route. Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said that speeding cyclists were “a long-standing issue” on New Walk.

A by-law means that cycling on New Walk is punishable by a fine, but we’ve previously reported how fast food cyclists in particular have been spotted riding the route at speed. This led to a police crackdown in 2017, but Soulsby says there is still a problem.

“Speeding cyclists on New Walk are a long-standing issue and these temporary seating blocks are being installed to deter cycling,” he said.

“We have been in discussion with the Friends of New Walk, who support this scheme to help preserve the traffic-free nature of this historic route.

“The seating blocks are being installed this week in three locations – outside the Holy Cross Priory Catholic Church, just east of the bridge over Tigers Way and the railway lines, and on Upper New Walk near its junction with University Road.

“They are temporary structures, which can be reused at other locations when needed. We are in the process of delivering a new cycle lane network along London Road to provide a safer cycling route into the city centre.”

Local cyclist Chris Williams said the council was fighting an uphill battle until the London Road cycle lane was finished.

“Waste of time,” he said. “Any obstacle you can get a buggy past you can get a bike past.

“The only way to stop cyclists speeding down New Walk is station a copper or PCSO at the bottom at the bottom, put CCTV along it, and prosecute everyone caught doing it, ideally confiscating their bikes as evidence.

“Also, the London Road bike path isn't finished yet, and Regent Road remains a death trap. Do the arresting thing once London Road is done.”

Kath James said: "I'm not keen on them because of how they look but I've already seen one person on a bike slow down and dismount. He ruined it by getting back on his bike when he's got through the blocks."

The chairman of the Friends of New Walk, Peter Wilkinson, said: “It is part of a co-ordinated strategy by the council.

“It is currently putting cycle lanes up London Road and is looking to deter and discourage the use of New Walk by cyclists.

“It probably won’t stop people cycling where they should not but it will make them think and hopefully slow down. I applaud the city for taking these steps.”

Leicester
New Walk
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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17 comments

Avatar
mdavidford | 5 years ago
2 likes

Quote:

The chairman of the Friends of New Walk, Peter Wilkinson, said: “It is part of a co-ordinated strategy by the council.

“It is currently putting cycle lanes up London Road and is looking to deter and discourage the use of New Walk by cyclists.

 

I think someone may need to look up the definition of 'co-ordinated'.

Avatar
fenix | 5 years ago
2 likes

Given that they're there to stop speeding cyclists - is it ok for me to pootle past slowly ?
Any objections ?

Avatar
kingleo | 5 years ago
2 likes

why not a cycle path down the centre of that road?

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to kingleo | 5 years ago
2 likes

kingleo wrote:

why not a cycle path down the centre of that road?

Easier solution is to take half the highway back, no construction, no costs, nice wide route that doesn't have to criss cross anywhere near as often as a centrally squeezed in path.

Additionally, would local authorities apply the same thinking to the main highway knowing full well that reducing the speeds of motorists would have a massively greater effect on pedestrian safety ... no they wouldn't, as always bias and discrimination actions.

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dassie | 5 years ago
2 likes

I think someone should report the newly appeared pedestrian trip hazards on fixmystreet...

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ConcordeCX | 5 years ago
5 likes

What a mean-spirited age we live in

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StuInNorway | 5 years ago
2 likes

Given I could probably drive my work van through the gap without slowing down (clearly not legally, and preferably with no pedestrians in the way) I cannot see how this is anything other than a waste of money. Surely a few signs on already available street furniture (lampposts) and some white pain to mark a cycle lane along one side (2 way lane) until such times as the cycle route they are building is ready.
The normal process for building a new cycle route invariably makes it more dangerous to cycle that area while the works are under way, so providing a relief route would be the sensible thing anyway.

 

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 5 years ago
6 likes

I wonder if someone could make a freedom-of-information request to the council to enquire as to exactly how many collisions there have involved cyclists since the Police "crackdown" in 2017.

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brooksby replied to ChrisB200SX | 5 years ago
6 likes

ChrisB200SX wrote:

I wonder if someone could make a freedom-of-information request to the council to enquire as to exactly how many collisions there have involved cyclists since the Police "crackdown" in 2017.

Good god, man!  Don't try and bring *facts* into it!! 

Avatar
jh27 | 5 years ago
6 likes

It is clearly too wide for pedestrians to have to share with cyclists - it should be more like this shared use path, next to a 40mph limit road (Windsor Road in Maidenhead): 

 

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ktache | 5 years ago
18 likes

I have seen more effective barriers to cycling on parts of the national cycle network.

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Sedis | 5 years ago
6 likes

 It is absolutely outrageous that the Leicester City Council would spend money on these pointless measures when it is the only alternative to the extremely dangerous Regent Road and London road, where there have been numerous incidents including the one that caused the death of Sam Bolton.

Although work has started on a London Road Cycle lane, it is not finished and will no doubt not be fit for purpose and Regent Road has nothing.

It should be pointed out that New Walk is easily wide enough to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians – much more so than many shared use paths.

The ‘Friends of New Walk' should be thoroughly ashamed that they value the views from their expensive houses more than the lives of cyclists.

Avatar
thehairs1970 replied to Sedis | 5 years ago
0 likes

Sedis wrote:

 It is absolutely outrageous that the Leicester City Council would spend money on these pointless measures when it is the only alternative to the extremely dangerous Regent Road and London road, where there have been numerous incidents including the one that caused the death of Sam Bolton.

Although work has started on a London Road Cycle lane, it is not finished and will no doubt not be fit for purpose and Regent Road has nothing.

It should be pointed out that New Walk is easily wide enough to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians – much more so than many shared use paths.

The ‘Friends of New Walk' should be thoroughly ashamed that they value the views from their expensive houses more than the lives of cyclists.

i don't see it outrageous to have a pedestrian only street. Why not? Let's face it. We'd love cycle only lanes. As long as there is a plan to provide something for cyclists too, let em do it. And I think the view from the houses has hardly been improved by a concrete block rather than a fleeting view of a cyclist.

Avatar
Pigpen | 5 years ago
8 likes

Well, I guess it will give the skaters and BMX's something to play on....

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
3 likes

Well, nice to see that they're considering people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs.

Such a bargain, too.

Edit: Just seen what they look like at https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-mayor-peter-soulsby-explains-2948619 and they don't look like they'll cause any issues for people with disabilities etc.

They also don't look like they'd cause any issue for someone on a bike - if I hadn't known they were for preventing cyclists, I'd have no idea.

 

Avatar
brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
3 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

Well, nice to see that they're considering people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs.

Such a bargain, too.

Edit: Just seen what they look like at https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-mayor-peter-soulsby-explains-2948619 and they don't look like they'll cause any issues for people with disabilities etc.

They also don't look like they'd cause any issue for someone on a bike - if I hadn't known they were for preventing cyclists, I'd have no idea.

 

TBH I would have assumed that they were those newfangled "not comfy for the homeless" benches... 

Does rather seem that the Friends of New Walk care far less about how their historic route actually looks than that those Evil Cyclists are kept away from it...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Well, nice to see that they're considering people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs.

Such a bargain, too.

Edit: Just seen what they look like at https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-mayor-peter-soulsby-explains-2948619 and they don't look like they'll cause any issues for people with disabilities etc.

They also don't look like they'd cause any issue for someone on a bike - if I hadn't known they were for preventing cyclists, I'd have no idea.

 

TBH I would have assumed that they were those newfangled "not comfy for the homeless" benches... 

Does rather seem that the Friends of New Walk care far less about how their historic route actually looks than that those Evil Cyclists are kept away from it...

Yeah - they could have gone with some hostile architecture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostile_architecture) but maybe that would have been expensive.

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