The council have just spent a good deal of money. And I’ll be buggered if they haven’t spent it in a forward thinking way. Some of it at least.
On the Birmingham and Walsall Road at the Scott Arms Junction as they have been undertaking road improvements, they have created a cycle lane from the traffic lights out towards Birmingham. They have added them up and down this road but in this spot, they deserve a mention.
If you don’t know the junction I shall elaborate. From the lights there is a row of shops that spans some 400 to 500 yards. All down this section of road there is a parking lane to the left of the two main lanes of the carriageway. This has made the road difficult to cycle as cars to the right can bully the timid cyclist towards the parked cars, and cars pulling out of that lane endeavour to make a car sandwich with the cyclist being the filling.
But now this is where the council planners have been a bit clever. They have created a lane that is separated from the parking lane by chevrons. Chevrons that appear to be just over the width of the average car door.
Excellent!
But with any cycling facility story, there is a dour twist.
Y’see, the planners seem to have neglected just one thing. And that is the selfishness of some motorists.
And this was taken on a Sunday Afternoon (15th of June 2008) at 3:30 in the afternoon. You should see it during the week.
Yes, a nice facility for cyclists, if only they weren’t forced into the fast moving traffic by morons who use it as an extra parking lane.
Y’know, there are a couple of car parks just 100 yards or so from here. But the three M driver can’t be expected to add 30 seconds or so to their walk to fetch a packet of cigarettes. Good grief, we can’t have that, can we?
Keep Pedalin’
Gazza
