Charlie Beaton of Living Streets Bristol has produced an interesting short report about shared use (pedestrians and cyclists) on the proposed Floating Pontoon between Bristol Temple Quay and Cattle Market Road – planning application 19/01050/F. He writes:
“The local authority is proposing to install a pontoon on the dock between Temple Quay and Cattle Market Road and designate it as a shared-use route for pedestrians and bicycle users. The pontoon will be four metres wide along its length.
“I am concerned that this desirable pedestrian route should not be shared-use. A separate dedicated path for bicycle users should be identified and installed at the same time. Pedestrian flow is likely to increase with vacant sites in the vicinity soon to be built on. Also, as access to the station on a bicycle via Station Approach Road is a poor experience, the route to the station via the pontoon may present a convenient, if a little longer, route for bicycle users making their way there from south of the River Avon. If you’re coming down Wells Road, along York Road or Clarence Road, you would find it more convenient to ride down Cattle Market Road and along the pontoon, rather than negotiate the traffic on Temple Way and Station Approach Road.
“Shared use should not be installed where pedestrian traffic and bicycle-user traffic are predicted to be dense and on the increase. The local authority must study potential pedestrian and bicycle-user flows before spoiling the route for pedestrians by allowing bicycle users to dominate the space.”
Charlie took some time observing other shared use routes in Bristol:
“I spent a little time at six sites with various arrangements of shared-use (similar to what might be installed on the pontoon) and segregation of provision and observed that:
• Shared-use routes bring no benefit to the pedestrian (eg Castle Street, Brunel Way)
• Shared-use routes only impede the progress of the bicycle user (eg Castle Street, Brunel Way)
• Segregation is the best arrangement for the pedestrian and the bicycle user where the cycle-path appears to be part of the roadway, rather than the footpath (eg Redcliffe Bascule Bridge, Clarence Road)
• Segregation, where the cycle-path appears to be part of the footpath, is the worst arrangement for the pedestrian and the bicycle user being hazardous for both (eg Queen Square, Prince Street Bridge).”
The full report, with photographs, makes interesting reading and is here:
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