Port Street Contraflow Pavement

This route was, on the original plans quite a reasonable proposal. However, Manchester City Council are not acting reasonably on cycle provision at the moment, and this is a fine example of a reasonable idea being made into a real mess.

The idea is to take people cycling from the pedestrian crossing by the Rochdale Canal down Port Street into the city centre. A straightforward, mandatory contraflow cycle lane with protecting kerbs or islands would have done the trick... along with a sign saying except cycles below the No Entry sign.



The first problem is that this is not a mandatory cycle lane.



The second problem is that somebody made the stupid decision to widen the pavement.



Now cycles are forced to give way at each side turning,



there are a series of kerbs to negotiate



and pedestrians walking into the cycle route.






Only right at the end does the pavement get back onto the main carriageway



and again it is only an advisory cycle lane.



Perhaps the only thing they have got right are the bollards at either end...



All in all this is a simple task to put in a contraflow cycle route that has been turned into an exercise in forcing people to cycle on the pavement. Or has money that was set aside for improving cycle routes been used to resurface a road and widen the pavement?