We, the undersigned, petition the Cambridgeshire County Council and the Highways and Transport Committee to:
1. Remove the dangerous chicane barriers that were recently installed on the approaches of the new active travel bridges over the A14 at Bar Hill and Swavesey.
2. Adopt the government's design manual Local Transport Note 1/20 in order to ensure that design and work on active travel and cycling infrastructure in the county produces fully accessible and inclusive routes that are suitable for people of all ages and abilities as well as being compatible with all modes of active travel that use those routes.
Two new active travel bridges for walking, cycling and horse-riding over the A14 were opened during 2020: one near Bar Hill and the other near Swavesey. These bridges were built to modern standards, with ample-width pathways and gentle slopes, and they were well received by the public. They have been safely and successfully used by walkers, cyclists and equestrians for several months.
In January 2021, without any warning or discussion, works suddenly appeared on the approach pathways of these bridges, and dangerous new chicane barriers that obstruct the pathways were installed. Each barrier squeezes the pathway down to a very narrow pinch-point with a sharp turn. They have created a new hazard where there was none before, with people liable to slip and fall trying to navigate through the tiny gap. The narrowing of the path creates conflict and forces people into close proximity during a pandemic, when the council is supposed to be creating more space for people to spread out. Last, but not least, the council has broken the law and violated its public sector equality duty by installing barriers that create severe difficulties for disabled cyclists who are using tricycles, tandem cycles or adapted cycles on the new bridges.
The government has published a cycling design manual called Local Transport Note 1/20, and the intention of the manual is to ensure that all cycling and related infrastructure is designed to be completely inclusive and accessible to all people. Summary principle 16 in the document states: 'Access control measures, such as chicane barriers and dismount signs, should not be used' because 'they reduce the usability of a route for everyone, and may exclude people riding nonstandard cycles and cargo bikes'. It also states, in paragraph 5.6.3 that: 'Deliberately restricting space, introducing staggered barriers or blind bends to slow cyclists is likely to increase the potential for user conflict and may prevent access for larger cycles and disabled people and so should not be used'.
The installation of dangerous new chicane barriers is specifically prohibited by the government's new manual.
By adopting Local Transport Note 1/20, the county would help assure the public that they will always design infrastructure in a manner that meets national standards, and is inclusive and accessible to all people. Therefore we call for the county to undo the damage that was recently done and to adopt the new design manual to ensure that such damage will not be done in the future.
This petition is supported by Camcycle and the Swavesey & District Bridleway Association. Please see camcycle.org.uk for more details.
Thursday, 11 February 2021
This petition currently has 697 signatures in total.
Petition Signatories |
Tim Blake |
Leon Blake |
Felix Blakr |
Chris Boden |
Daniel Bonnery |
Clare Boothby |
Leo Borwick |
Roger Bowen |
Tony Bowers |
Katy Bowsher |
This petition has been reviewed and the following response has been offered:
Date | User | Description | Status |
03/03/2021 12:23 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Tim Williams | Petition Active |
03/03/2021 12:06 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Chloe Dives | Petition Active |
03/03/2021 11:57 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Laila Tims | Petition Active |
03/03/2021 11:52 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Felicity Radford | Petition Active |
03/03/2021 11:40 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Paula Muldoon | Petition Active |
03/03/2021 11:26 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Jane Chisholm | Petition Active |
02/03/2021 21:36 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Tom Lee | Petition Active |
02/03/2021 20:16 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Andrew Steer | Petition Active |
02/03/2021 19:59 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Gaby Gonzalez | Petition Active |
02/03/2021 19:55 | Unregistered User | Petition Signed: Decio Battaglia | Petition Active |