A View from the Handlebars: Our First Infrastructure Win!

CycHull has notched up its first success, making a frequently used back street route better for bikes. 

The route along Derby St and Grosvenor St, joining Beverley Road via Trafalgar St, is often used by cyclists as an alternative to riding straight down the main road. Up until now, the final section, along Grosvenor and Trafalgar, has been one way. But following a suggestion by CycHull, that’s hopefully about to change, with the addition of a contraflow creating a continuous two-way route for bikes. We suggested the idea initially as part of a diversion from Beverley Road during the remedial works to Brunswick Arcade, which will see the number of lanes on Beverley Road reduced over the next six months. This would give the council chance to assess the measure before hopefully making it permanent; and provide a model for cycle contraflows on similar back street routes around the city. 

And they’ve agreed!

We made a site visit with highways officer, Tim, and consultant, Andy. It was immediately apparent to them that the cycle contraflow idea was a ‘no brainer’, offering both a way of reducing pressure on the main road and a safer, quieter route that would appeal to the less confident cyclists we all want to encourage. 

Since they were available (and it was a nice day), we then took the opportunity to show Tim and Andy some of our ideas for more back street routes on the east side of Beverley Road. It would only be a matter of making a few small tweaks – a dropped kerb here, a p-barrier removed there – to create a continuous usable quiet back street route between Fountain Road and the new cycle lanes on Freetown Way. 

Tim and Andy both seemed open to our ideas – they took lots of pictures anyway. Like other council staff we’ve spoken to, both are committed to making active travel work in Hull. They showed us sections of the new LEP-funded Hull to Cottingham route that’s about to be developed. While there was obvious pride in the innovations they are pioneering – including a planned new road ‘table’ across Beverley Road and cycle-friendly ‘sinusoidal’ road humps on Victoria Ave – there was no disguising their frustration at the obstacles they face, ranging from bureaucratic red tape to NIMBYism. Not just us then! 

So, Hull’s probably getting a new contraflow bike lane. So what? Well, first of all, let’s celebrate the little victories – and actually it might not be all that little. In the context of ideas we’ve shared with the council for the central area, bike contraflows provide a cost-effective model for how Hull’s back streets could be opened up much more widely to active travel. 

This could be the start of something much bigger.