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Sorry, I should have made it clearer - the 'badness' is measured by casualty stats collated, they are the locations with the highest number of cycle collisions in the GLA area between 2008 and 2010.
TfL's spiel, in MQTs was that these were all "heavily cycled areas" and therefore the injury rate was commensurate with the volume of cyclists - as if that was somehow inevitable and okay(!)
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You got it. Look forward to seeing you on the 12th if you can make it.
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Great initiative, Mark. I'll try to be there. Junctions are key.
#6 of course is no longer a roundabout but a wide junction (fairly unsatisfactory as the scheme originally planned was watered down). #9 is the odd one out but not totally surprising. What does the '(via Kings Cross)' bit refer to?
I suspect that the Old Street roundabout won't be far off the Top Ten.
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This ride sounds a bit shit.
Oops
+1
Good intentions and all, but sounds a bit of a grim ride.I'd assume that it'll be more about trying to understand what's wrong with each junction rather than commemorating all the victims. Site meetings like this can be very useful for that understanding, and working out what should be done. I'm quite passionate about better junction design. Seeing the outcome of a successful campaign is a fantastic feeling.
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I'd assume that it'll be more about trying to understand what's wrong with each junction rather than commemorating all the victims..
You've got it in one Oliver. It might not be the most fun ride in the world but it's a good way of highlighting some of the things that are most fucked up for riders in London. It's also a good opportunity for lots of people who've been working on this issue, or seperately working about individual junctions, to meet up and share experiences. Also helps to highlight publicly the fact that people are angry about these locations and they don't have to be this way (we're expecting press)
No-one's forcing anyone to go (re the shitsters) but everyone is welcome. It's not exactly the Dunwhch Dynamo but then that's hardly the point...
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Thanks to those of you who've messaged me to say you are coming, this ride seems to be growing by the day! I should have the route and full ride details for tomorrow.
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Here's all the latest info;
http://ibikelondon.blogspot.com/2011/11/were-all-set-tour-of-tfls-10-most.html..and a version of the route;
http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=324843
You'll see it loops back on itself a bit; that's to take in to account Blackfriars and much of the City being closed cos of the Lord Mayor's Show.
We're stopping for a tea break at Hyde Park Corner around 12.15ish and will finish at Look Mum No Hands for lunch.
Hoping it won't rain!
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There's of course also the Old Street roundabout close to the finish, which is another extremely poor junction. It probably doesn't show up that high in the crash stats any more since it got signalised, but a big makeover project for that whole area is long overdue.
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We're stopping for a tea break at Hyde Park Corner around 12.15ish and will finish at Look Mum No Hands for lunch.
Any idea of the estimated time of arrival at Look Mum at the end?
I'm interested in doing this ride, as I'm quite interested in junction design/re-design, but already have some commitments on the day. -
Any idea of the estimated time of arrival at Look Mum at the end?
I'm interested in doing this ride, as I'm quite interested in junction design/re-design, but already have some commitments on the day.We reckon we might get to Hyde Park Corner a little before noon and finish the ride by 2pm at LMNH.
Please come along if only for part of the ride. We're expecting at least 100 on the ride and the more the better.
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We even made it on to Road.CC! A good write up and all the info you'll need if you are coming on Saturday can be found here:
http://road.cc/content/news/47532-100-riders-expected-tour-londons-ten-most-dangerous-junctions-cyclists-saturdayA few of us did a test ride of the route on Saturday - it's surprisingly fast in places, and as you'd expect some of the junctions are truly horrible (Vauxhall being my least favourite)
We're expecting press on the day and it has already been featured in the Camden New Journal and East London Advertiser. Anything that helps to highlight just how sh*t London's so-called cycling revolution really is for riders on the ground can only be a good thing, so it would be great to have some of your support!
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There's of course also the Old Street roundabout close to the finish, which is another extremely poor junction. It probably doesn't show up that high in the crash stats any more since it got signalised, but a big makeover project for that whole area is long overdue.
I respect your opinion, as you are very involved in this sort of thing, but what makes Old Street roundabout an extremely poor junction?
I only ask, as I cycle this pretty much on a daily basis, and find it very easy to use.
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So do I, John, so do I.
First, though, the landtake. Old Street should be a major centre/destination, with buildings close to it, commercial frontages, etc. It's currently a bomb crater, an activity desert compared to what it could be. It is a huge barrier to pedestrian movement. People on foot are either expected to go downstairs through the Tube station, or take a long detour around the roundabout.
Secondly, it is still a barrier to cyclist movement. While you and I don't have much of a problem with it, there are plenty of people who do. OK, so you can teach anybody, in a mere couple of hours, no matter how slow or fast they are, the skills required to negotiate this roundabout and they'll be surprised at how easy it actually is. That's still no reason not to return it to a more functional junction.
Thirdly, junctions like this roundabout were built at a time when it was expected that after knocking down lots of buildings close to the junction and enlarging this for higher motor vehicle 'capacity', they would next knock down all the buildings along the streets between junctions, widening the streets, and creating an urban motorway system. (Google 'Bressey Plan' if you're interested. A sample is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/4960213669/) This agenda is obviously obsolete. The last 'justification' for the roundabout disappeared in 2002, when it was signalised--as a rule of thumb, signalised roundabouts offer no motor traffic capacity advantages over crossroads. The OSR is no longer the collision problem it once was, but it is a relic of a (thankfully) bygone era and needs to be replaced with a well-planned junction in a major urban development project.
The best way of intensifying London in a time of a growing urban population is to do it more evenly than sticking ugly 'tall buildings' in, and there are no better places to start than with the superfluous road traffic infrastructure at Old Street, Vauxhall, Lea Bridge roundabout, etc. There's plenty of ace development land there in prime locations that currently seriously undershoot their potential.
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Things are really starting to build up to the ride now. We've had a fair bit of press interest already and there are now going to be feeder rides if you don't know the route to the start point at St Mark's in Oval, or would like to ride in company:
Hackney LCC will depart London Fields lido at 9.45AM prompt
Tower Hamlets Wheelers will depart the Green Bridge at Mile End at 9.00AM to allow for time for organic goodies shopping at the Farmer's Market on arrival at St Mark's.
..all you have to do is show up there, or at St Mark's for 10.30AM on Saturday.
We rehearsed the route on Saturday and now think we will reach LMNH hands earlier than predicted (probably around 1PM at the latest). We're also stopping in Hyde Park (after HP Corner) for a toilet and tea stop if you just want to do part of the ride.
Hope to see some of you there!
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About
2011-11-12 TfL's top 10 most dangerous junctions for cyclists ride
Posted by
On Saturday 12th November myself and Danny from Cyclists in the City are organising a ride around London's 10 most dangerous junctions for cyclists, as outlined by TfL in a recent Mayor's Q&A session.
We decided to organise it as a bit of a fact finding mission and a chance for like-minded people to come together, and to actually see for ourselves so many of these places that lots of us have been campaigning about over the years.
Anyway... the response has been huge and we're expecting lots of people to attend. It will be all sorts of cyclists so the pace will be firm but not exactly fast, but it should be fun and will end out East way with drinks / cake.
You're all welcome to come along, and if you're an experienced marshal and would like to help then please drop me a note via here; http://ibikelondon.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html
Here's the blog posts outlining why and how we're doing the ride:
http://ibikelondon.blogspot.com/2011/10/join-me-for-ride-bicycle-tour-of.html
http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/2011/10/12-november-tour-of-transport-for.html
We're meeting at St Mark's Church, Oval, Kennington at 10.30AM on Saturday 12th November - there's a farmer's market (More cake!)
We'll be visiting the following junctions:
...many of which I'm sure you all know only too well!!
Hope to see a couple of familiar faces on the day?