Salford council has now added measures to protect their armadillos - good old-fashioned traffic cones.
Three have been placed to try and stop vehicles damaging the armadillos,
and a further two have been placed on the section of cycle lane further up the road, presumably so that drivers can get the idea before they reach the plastic humps.
We shall see how long these last, as they haven't been secured to the road surface.
Update
Walking back this evening I saw several motor vehicles driving over the armadillos. They clearly offer no protection or segregation whatsoever. In fact they seem to make the cycle lane far more dangerous as any driver hitting the armadillos is in danger of losing control of their vehicle rather than avoiding anybody cycling.
In this second video a police van hits the armadillos.
Simply dreadful.
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A new set Armadillos have been installed in Middlewood Street.
The first time they failed in under a week.
This time many more have been used, and they have been installed very differently.
Somehow I get the feeling that someone in Salford Council or TfGM is desperate to prove that these things can work.
They have now been installed parallel to the flow of the traffic, presumably in an attempt to reduce the impact of them being hit by motor vehicles.
This is unlike all the pictures on the manufacturer's web site which show them installed at an angle, though the video does show them parallel to the traffic. Perhaps they are learning as they go along...
This appears to be a brand new set, not the ones from Liverpool Street relocated.
It will have to be seen if this makes much difference.
However, I have yet to see any evidence that these things can actually segregate traffic and last for many years. At the moment they look like a desperate attempt to dispose of recycled PVC waste.
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This doesn't look like it will do anything to stop anyone (eg taxis) even vaguely inclined to pull over into the cycleway. They are low profile with big gaps between them, and they look like a cheap nasty temporary option.
ReplyDeleteMy preference would still be kerbs all the way assuming the lane is wide enough for cycling and cleaning, and that drainage won't be an issue.
TfGM indicated (in a meeting) that there would be little in the way of enforcement of the bike lane on Oxford Road so discouraging drivers from entering in the first place would seem to be the best option.
Thanks again for the update.
These would be better if they were far far larger.
ReplyDeleteAll the cars shown in your videos are cutting the corner & obviously aren't aware of the armadillos but they soon leave the cycle lane, if the armadillo's weren't there they would probably remain in the cycle lane for longer.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of armadillos is that they are a fast, easy & cheap way to trial segregation on a road not the be all & end all of cycling provision. Hopefully after a successful trial the Council (have they released any KPI's for it, ie cyclists up/injuries down/traffic speed reduced/traffic flow unaltered?) will upgrade it to full kerbed segregation from traffic.
I noticed each of the vehicles that hit the 1st few Armadillo's at the start of the lane all then realised from the bumps where they were & promptly left the cycle lane alone (even that massive truck, & they'r still place..). Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteProbably needs a cycle flexi post or something to stop them hitting the 1st few.
Isn't it better the Armadillo's got hit rather than a cyclist...?
Great video!