This story begins on the A1139 where the Paston Parkway meets the Frank Perkins Parkway. The roundabout serves virtually all of the traffic from the A47 that is heading to the South of Peterborough or beyond to the Southbound A1 or A605 / A14.  Being fairly wide and as visibility is usually quite good, traffic can be at a rapid pace if you’re caught unawares and are a bit slow on the old gear change. Generally speaking, it worked and I don’t think there were any more accidents there than were to be expected.

This was fine for years until some bright spark decided it would be a great idea to slap a petrol station on this notoriously busy roundabout, adding an extra entrance/exit between two of the busiest approaches.  Not only that, the petrol station became some kind of bastardised Somerfield with a KFC restaurant nestled in behind.  It’s probably worth mentioning that the backdrop for this setting is a glorious landfill site which has a fine whiff to it if the air is in the right direction.  Mmm fried chicken.

Before you read on, this story is covered much more accurately at the Paston Parkway J8 (Eye roundabout) website so you may find it beneficial to visit that site once you’ve finished digesting my spiel…

Obviously an attraction like this is hard to resist with motorists flocking to their site in their thousands  on a daily basis (probably).  But the town planners had failed to anticipate one thing: the desire for residents in the Welland and Dogsthorpe areas to consume Zinger tower burgers and nip to the Somerfield for some groceries – a desire that would see them risking their lives crossing four lanes of fast moving traffic.

Fast forward to today and a campaign is in full force to have a footbridge installed to allow residents their fried chicken fix without risk of walking in front of a moving vehicle.
Whilst it does seem a little OTT just to allow pedestrians to a site that was never intended to serve the pedestrian population, it would be the most practical solution to the problem.  Peterborough City Council however laugh in the face of practicality and prefer to make life a bit of an adventure!

You really couldn’t make up the solution the council have decided to opt for: a signal-controlled pedestrian crossing, across the lanes of a dual carriageway (both directions) leading up to and exiting one of the busiest roundabouts in the city’s road network.  Just imagine the frustration of motorists as they leave the roundabout at the (I believe) legally permitted 60mph only to find a set of red lights and scores of people crossing with bags of shopping.

Oh, I forgot to add – the site has more recently been redeveloped as some kind of garden centre extravaganza named “Peterborough Garden Park” with Van Hage as the flagship retailer.  With space for over 400 cars the developers are hoping for some serious footfall to the site, so why haven’t the council forced the developers to provide the footbridge as part of the deal?

Fun times.

Further reading – Paston Parkway J8 (Eye roundabout)

I can’t believe it.

After months of warnings being issued by the Police that cycling on pavements is bad m’kay, Peterborough council have gone and quietly painted a white line smack in the middle of the pavement across the Town Bridge.  As everyone knows, the white line creates an invisible shield between dangerous cyclists and vunerable pedestrians.

It’s not a perfect solution however as the pavement markings disappear at the North side of the bridge.  Why this side is so dangerous I’m not sure, can anyone suggest a reason?

Back in March I vented my disgust at how I thought Peterborough council were failing cyclists yet the council is all too quick to shout about their green credentials and Travelchoice initiatives.

I’d love to think that I’ve had some hand in this action from the council, but they rarely come out in public unless it’s in their own interest.  Shame really as this is finally going some way to improving cyclists access from the South of the city.

First impressions of cycling in and around Peterborough would appear to be rosy with an abundant number of cycle routes all interlinked across the city, but scratch the surface and you’ll notice a number of monumental (in my mind) fails.

Peterborough City Council are always the first to shout about their Travelchoice department, which promotes public transport, car sharing, etc along with publishing a respectable map of cycle routes across town. Peterborough is also due to host a round of the Tour Series cycle race, which is odd given the suspected dislike for cyclists.

The problem with Peterborough City Council and cyclists is when it comes to bridges.  Cyclists aren’t provided with a safe means of entering the city centre on at least two major routes in – across the Town Bridge on London Road and across the Crescent Bridge on Thorpe Road.

Why are bridges such an issue for Peterborough?  Considering the town bridge has spent more time with construction works than not over the past few years, I would have thought the provision for cyclists would be there.   Currently, cyclists on these two bridges have a  number of unacceptable options:

• Cycle on the road – the lanes are narrow, traffic is fast moving and cyclists are slow(er).  Cars find it hard enough to negotiate a slow cyclist, so god help the bus and HGV drivers.
• Cycle on the pavement -  it’s illegal (more on this below) and dangerous to pedestrians if cyclists are travelling at any decent pace.
• Dismount and walk – the whole point about cycling is that you don’t need to walk.  If you walked, you would be a pedestrian.
• Find an alternative route – taking you miles out of your way just to appease the above.

When the town bridge finally reopened a few months ago, the West pavement had been widened and a massive (and hideous) concrete barrier installed.  Why did no-one at the council use their initiative and install a dedicated cycle route?

Peterborough Police and cycling on pavements

According to a recent Peterborough E-Cops email I’ve received from Mohammed Haleem, the Police are warning cyclists that cycling on pavements is illegal and could result in a £30 fixed penalty notice.
I’m sorry, but what a load of crap.

If cycling on pavements is so dangerous then why does the council find it acceptable to paint a white line down the middle of the pavement along Bourges Boulevard around the train station, enabling cyclists to cycle on the pavement?  The pavement here is already fairly narrow by Peterborough standards, so dissecting it with a white line makes each “lane” even tighter.

Bridge Street is one of the few pedestrianised areas within Peterborough and effectively cuts off the South of the city centre to cyclists wishing to remain on the saddle.

The council seem to be giving mixed messages – on one hand they want to appear to be all environmentally friendly, eco and green, yet they seem clueless when it comes to something as basic as a safe cycle route.

Next steps

So what can be done?  I suppose the first option is to speak to the local councillors for Fletton: Fran Benton (07526 997137), Matthew Lee (07899 934643) and Piers Croft (07707 381444). You could also try Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson (jacksonsj@parliament.uk)

CycleSay is an organisation set up to campaign for Peterborough’s cyclists, so get your comments in to them too.