Bus and Cycle Lane Petition
To sign the petition against the proposed plan to allow 40 tonne HGV to use bus/cycle lanes, during the rush hour, starting next month contact Judith Lubbock on 01603 504126
Norwich Evening News bus & cycle lane petition article
Norwich Cycle Campaign letter 12th Feb. 2008
Dear Sir
The decision to allow HGVs to use bus/cycle lanes must rank as one of the more brainless decisions to come out of County Hall in recent years.
Any transport professional must be aware that lorries and cyclists don't mix. In most cities, HGVs are the involved in 50 per cent of cyclist fatalities but represent around 5 per cent of the vehicles. In London, 17 cyclists were killed in the year up to June 2006, nine of these by goods vehicles, with a further 48 seriously injured. These figures are far higher than those for crashes involving buses with cycles.
There are already unnecessary dangers along Newmarket Road because of the 40mph speed limit and part-time operation of the bus lane but the County Council have chosen to do absolutely nothing about these things. Having a 3m wide priority lanes for buses and cyclists can at least be rationalised because both allow swift and efficient transport for people who are choosing a socially better way to travel. In contrast, freight should not in that much of a hurry, and any time gain is purely economic benefit to the companies concerned, yet won at high cost to the safety of cyclists.
Beyond the demonstrable hazards, there is the sad expectation that people will be deterred from cycling on this route, an outcome that is totally at odds with what a responsible transport authority should be achieving. To dress up the intended opening up of bus/cycle lanes to other traffic across the city as some sort environmental policy is specious, to say the least. Members of the Joint Highways Committee would be advised to abandon this particular aspect of their Freight Consolidation Centre proposal before they have an entirely avoidable tragedy on their hands. The committee which made this decision is seriously out of touch with the transport needs of Norwich and ought to be disbanded.
Yours faithfully
MW Consultations Officer
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