Scrutiny of Hertfordshire County Council’s Cycling Strategy Cycling Infrastructure Design...

Scrutiny of Hertfordshire County Council’s Cycling Strategy

Cycling Infrastructure Design

Hertfordshire Highwayswww.hertsdirect.org

October 2009

The presentation will:

• Outline the technical guidance followed and difficulties encountered in the development of cycling schemes

• Address the question of how we meet the needs of all types of cyclist

• Identify improvements that can be introduced to the

design process


Main document:

Local Transport Note (LTN) 2/08 Cycle Infrastructure Design

Issued by the Department for Transport in October 2008

Brings together updates and guidance previously available in a number of documents

Provides guidance applicable to local roads


Current Design Guidance

Other relevant guidance:

• Cycling England Design Checklist and Portfolio – in large part incorporated into LTN 2/08 but useful source of guidance and best practice

• Manual for Streets – issued by DfT in 2007 providing guidance on inclusive street design focusing on lightly trafficked residential streets

• TA90/05 The Geometric Design of Pedestrian, Cycle and Equestrian Routes and TA91/05 Provision for Non-motorised Users – issued by the Highways Agency in 2005 providing guidance on off-carriageway routes associated with trunk road and motorway improvements



Retains key features of earlier guidance (e.g Cycle Friendly Infrastructure - 1996)

1) Setting out 5 core principles which summarise the

desirable design requirements for cyclists:

• Convenience

• Accessibility

• Safety

• Comfort

• Attractiveness



2) Setting out a hierarchy of provision that offers useful

guidance on steps to be considered when designing

improvements to cycle infrastructure



LTN 2/08 also provides a guide to type of provision depending on traffic flow and speed. The information is taken from the London Cycling Design Standards. In graphical form it is as follows:



A similar type of chart was provided in the 1996 and 1997 Sustrans Document “Guidelines and Practical Details”. Aimed at providing for inexperienced cyclists it indicates a need for segregation from motor traffic at lower speed/volume levels than the earlier chart:


Earlier Guidance

Annex 2 of the HCC Cycling Strategy:

• General presumption that improvements will be made

to allow on-road cycling• Hierarchy of measures will be followed to achieve this• Reduce traffic flow/speed to an appropriate level that

allows on-road cycling• Very difficult to achieve in practice


Application in Hertfordshire

• Slight change of emphasis

• LTN and Manual for Streets advise that the hierarchy of provision offers useful guidance but is not meant to be applied rigidly

• Advises that solutions in upper tier of hierarchy of provision not always viable

• Recognises different categories of cyclist

• Recognises that provision made may reflect the category of cyclist expected to use the facility




LTN 2/08 Categories of Cyclist

School children:

• Generally provide off-road facilities

• Core principle of safety overrides other considerations


Meeting the Need


Meeting the NeedFast Commuter:

• Ideally provide on-road facilities to cater for current use and

encourage new use.

• Commuter routes generally follow main traffic corridors to

business parks/industrial areas as destinations can cover a

large area.

• Traffic flow typically 13 to 20,000 vpd. Even the lower figure

is on the limit of the chart range.• Traffic reduction to level suitable for on-road cycling not

realistically achievable as there is generally no alternative

route to redirect traffic to in short-term (possibly bypasses

long-term).


Meeting the NeedFast Commuter (cont’d):

• If route also coincident with a principal or distributor road where movement of freight and traffic is the primary function the redirection of traffic is not likely to be appropriate

• Often an off-road facility is the only achievable option if new users are to be encouraged

• Or, find an alternative parallel route for cyclists – not always available in a way that meets core principles


Meeting the Need

Other commuter/utility/inexperienced cyclist:

• Target commuting to single destinations (e.g.

stations) where less direct but quieter routes may

be achievable to encourage new use

• Possibly some segregation


Meeting the Need

Leisure cyclists:

• Longer routes have incorporated a range of

measures• Traffic calming on quieter but fast roads to improve

safety while maintaining directness• Redistribution of road space e.g. contra flow cycle

lane• Off-road routes alongside rural roads with fast

traffic where traffic calming not appropriate.


Implementation Difficulties

Contra-flow cycling:

• Special authorisation for advisory facilities

• Timescale


Implementation Difficulties

On-road facilities:

• Traffic regulation orders – objections

• Road Humps Notices - objections

• Public consultation opposition


Implementation DifficultiesOff-road facilities:

• Public consultation opposition• Land acquisition difficulties when widening needed

(dedication, permissive rights agreement)• On private land – permissive rights agreement,

planning permission, dedication)• Multi–user facilities – special authorisation/width• Using rights of way – Cycle Tracks Order to convert

footpath, objections, bridleway dedication, permissive

rights agreement


Problems and SolutionsProblems

Two main areas have been highlighted where the needs of cyclists are sometimes not adequately addressed:

• Design teams working on non-cycling schemes may

overlook the need to accommodate cyclists within their

proposals.

• Lack of expertise in some personnel who work on cycling

proposals.

Solution

• The roll-out of the non-motorised user audit process

described earlier will ensure that the needs of cyclists are

not overlooked in non-cycling schemes and will provide or

prompt less experienced personnel to seek detailed

guidance when necessary

Questions?


Scrutiny of Hertfordshire County Council’s Cycling Strategy Cycling Infrastructure Design...

Documents

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