In a new video Norwich Cycling Campaign shows what it is like to cycle and drive along the new road layout on the Avenues between Colman Road and Bluebell Road.
The City Council decided not to widen the road and build separate cycle lanes, but instead to paint on ‘advisory’ cycle lanes. But the middle of the road is only wide enough for vehicles to move in one direction at a time. The Avenues carries a lot of traffic including double decker buses. The narrow width of the road means that in effect there are no cycle lanes at busy times when they are needed most, as the cars and buses have to use the full width of the road, including the cycle lanes.
The Avenues is a major cycling route, almost certainly carrying the highest level of bicycle traffic in Norfolk. It serves not on the UEA, Hospital and Research Park, but also the City Academy School. The City and County Councils should take a look to see what lessons can be learnt from this failure to make a better cycling route.
Although separate cycle tracks were abandoned because of the high cost of working near the tree roots, the money from the cycling grant is being used for the current work to upgrade car parking areas.
Richard Jennings for the Norwich Cycling Campaign said:
“When this project was announced, the City Council promised that the Pink Pedalway would be “a high-quality, safe route that could be ridden confidently by everyone”. We were looking forward to a flagship project in The Avenues that would set a high standard to encourage the growth of cycling in the city. This ambition has not been realised and the present arrangement is unacceptable as it puts motorists and cyclists in conflict and it is potentially dangerous. The whole situation needs urgent reconsideration”.