It seems that Salford Council think this narrow pavement is a suitable cycle facility.
On the other hand they may just be using capital grants from the DfT to repair the pavement.
The works round here are so poor they can't even remove the parked cars before painting the double yellow lines...
Those cycling this way are firmly sticking to the road
as this gives priority over the side roads
and avoids the manu obstructions.
However, further along as you reach MediaCityUK you can see people taking advantage of this new facility.
The gardening contractors seem to think it makes a great car park
for the van and trailer.
As you get round the back of Booths
another pavement vehicle comes into view.
Salford council have wasted thousands of pounds of cycling money from the DfT on resurfacing a pavement on a back road that few people cycle on rather than investing in proper cycle routes where people want to travel.
It is about time that TfGM and the DfT audited the return on investment from cycle projects in Greater Manchester. This one has just been a waste of money!
It's crazy that mediacity didn't have proper cycle facilities built in from the outset - goodness knows how much the metrolink spur cost, but there are no good clear cycle routes or even bike parking. All the BBC employees cycling up from Chortling just have to make the best of it. Who to blame? Peel or TFGM for letting them mess it up?
ReplyDeleteThe thing about Mediacity is that it looks like a cycling success story. Whenever I am there, it is impossible not to be struck by the number of people arriving or leaving by bike. SCC and Peel will, I am sure, want to take credit for this success at some point in the very near future. Which is why I like this post: it is a reminder that people cycling to and from the Quays do so in spite of poor, low quality cycling provision, not because of good facilities. Imagine how great it would be if it was easy and safe to get there by bike.
ReplyDeleteI spoke to somebody from Peel and TFGM a while back, they were talking about the secure parking facility.
ReplyDeleteThey were under the impression that there were high-quality approaches to mediacity. I tried to tell them that actually it's surrounded by major high-speed routes with little sensible way of getting across. They had a map of all of the cycle routes, and it's clear that routes like this one, they are satisfied with. They listened but I'm not sure how much got through.
Mediacity does have reasonable levels of success but it needs more to expand beyond young men.