Pedestrian crossings

This comment was a long time ago, but it is worth noting if there is shared space/cycle track on either side of the ped crossing a cyclist may cycle across the crossing. If there isn't, you may be liable if a car runs you over

That's substantially correct, but worth pointing out that the crossing has to be a 'Toucan' crossing. It should normally be if there's cycling on the footway on both sides, but I'm sure there are cases where one has been omitted or converted into a Pelican or Puffin crossing. The mere presence of footway cycling permission doesn't mean that you can rely 100% on the crossing being appropriate. I wish you could. :)

There’s been the most unbelievably complicated local consultation, notices everywhere and some kind of planning permission to turn one of our local crossings into a Toucan crossing. The lights were dug out and replaced, all the pavement dug up and the shared cycle lane markings badly burned off what’s left of the pavement. Looks absolutely no different to my eyes now, apart from what used to be a nice consistent surface is now all fucked up from the road works, but now I am technically allowed to go through it on my bike while I technically wasn’t before.

Where is that?

Staines roundabout, where the Hounslow Wheelers set off from.

Thanks. I take it it's the one shortly before the roundabout, in Chertsey Lane (A320)?

They've probably just decided to switch from segregated to unsegregated shared use. That crossing should obviously always have been a Toucan. It may all seem like so much window-dressing and is obviously about 40 years behind the times, but it does make some sense. :)

Yes, that’s the one, and it’s exactly as you described:

They've probably just decided to switch from segregated to unsegregated shared use. That crossing should obviously always have been a Toucan. It may all seem like so much window-dressing and is obviously about 40 years behind the times

... but it does make some sense. :)