A View from the Handlebars: Small changes make a big difference
Over the summer, CycHull member and regular cyclist, David Omissi, wrote to one of his ward councillors with ideas for improving cycling provision in the Avenues area of west Hull. In this edited version of his letter, he shares some of his suggestions and explains why improvements don’t have to be expensive to be effective. At the end of the article, we show you how you can get in touch with councillors with your own ideas.
Extramural activities: Cycle contraflow sign on Princes Road
I would like to start by emphasizing that I appreciate the efforts that the council have already made regarding provision for cyclists. Hull is, by UK standards, a good city for cycling – flat, fairly safe, and mostly uncongested – and my suggestions are offered in a spirit of thanks and support, rather than one of negative criticism.
I am a regular cyclist, and I have lived in the Avenues area of Hull for well over twenty years. I worked at the University for many years, and I used my bike for travel to and from work on almost all occasions. I do most of my shopping locally by bike, partly because I enjoy it, and partly because I like to support our local shops. My wife also cycles, and both our daughters (aged 14 and 10) have been brought up to ride bikes. We have been on many cycling holidays in European countries including the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and Italy. My family and I therefore have plenty of relevant experience.
Knowing that most councils are strapped for cash, I have focussed on the areas that offer potential ‘cheap wins’ for the Council. To borrow a military term, my suggestions are ‘force multipliers’ in that they make much better use of existing resources, for little outlay. My suggestions fall into four main categories:
1. Signposting of cycle routes
2. One-way road systems
3. Bike racks and bike parking
4. Cycle maps
1. Signposting of Cycle Routes
Sign me up: the traffic calmed junction across the Transpennine bike path, close to Terry Street, is one of several locations that could do with better signage for cyclists
There are many low-traffic streets in Hull, good for cycling, which I use regularly for shopping, the school run, and recreation. I have been able to discover these routes because I have lived in Hull for a while, or by using the very useful City Council cycle maps. Often, however, these routes are hardly signposted, if at all, meaning that they are difficult to follow, or even to find, particularly for those new to the city, such as students. Adding extensive and highly visible cycle-specific signage (preferably in a different colour, such as blue) would make these routes much more prominent and cycle-friendly, especially for newcomers. The cost would be very little, since there would be hardly any need to upgrade the route beyond adding signage. Most existing road signs are, of course, not very useful to cyclists, because they mainly direct traffic onto main roads, when cyclists need almost exactly the opposite type of signage – indicating the same general direction of travel, but onto minor roads or cycle routes. It is also worth remembering that pedestrians can also read, and use, cycle signs, and that such signs can be intentionally dual-purpose.
For example, there is an important network of cycle routes between the south side of Pearson Park and the north side of Spring Bank, but hardly any cycle signs around there. The junctions where Park Road, Terry Street, Cave Street, and Park Grove all intersect around the cycle path (just to the south of Pearson Park) are important for any cyclist coming from or going into town, or between Beverley Road and Princes Avenue. Clear (blue) signs to the following would be of benefit: city centre, Pearson Park, Beverley Road, University, and Princes Avenue. The intersection of Park Road and the former-railway cycle path would be one obvious place to put several signs, because the junction itself suggests a pause to any cyclist using it. Further signs (both ways) could direct cyclists along the quiet Leicester Street-Peel Street-Leonard Street-Freehold Street route to and from Spring Bank.
Coming north along Beverley Road, there are plenty of cycle routes to Pearson Park and the University heading to the left (or west) but hardly any signs. Clear cycle signs to the left, visible going north and at right-angles to the road, indicating the direction of Pearson Park and the University, would be useful at the entrances to Wellington Lane, Margaret Street, Cave Street, Terry Street, and the railway cycle path. If a cyclist did not already know that these were useful turnings, he or she would not guess that they were there, nor know to take them.
There is a useful cycle route into town, when coming south down Princes Avenue, turning to the left into the south side of Pearson Park, towards the mosque and the Police station; this then turns right into the network described above. However, there is currently no visible cycle sign indicating a left turn here from Princes Avenue. Such a sign could easily be installed. Another could more clearly indicate a right turn towards the city centre after the Police station. A little further along Princes Avenue, there might usefully be a sign to the Duesbery Street-Terry Street route connected by the former railway line.
Through you go: ‘Except Cyclists’ and directional signs are needed at the entrance to Duesbery St on Princes Ave
Coming out of town, along Spring Bank, I often turn right after the traffic lights onto Freehold Street, which takes me into the cycle network described above. But again, there is no sign to suggest that this is a good route to the Pearson Park area, bypassing the heavy traffic along Spring Bank. A clear sign high up on the wall of the building to the right, at the Spring Bank entrance to Freehold Street, and visible from the traffic lights coming west along Spring Bank, would help direct cyclists off the main road. Because this junction is potentially very dangerous, an early-alert green traffic light for cyclists at the junction with Park Street would make the right turn, across traffic, into Freehold Street easier and safer. Signs left to Pearson Park coming along Spring Bank into town, at all side street entrances would also help.
Coming north along Princes Avenue, you would never guess that the best cycle routes from there to the shops of Chanterlands Avenue are along the Avenues, particularly Marlborough and Westbourne. A clear cycle sign to Chanterlands Avenue at the east entrance to Marlborough would be a good idea, as would a cycle sign to the Hull Nuffield Hospital at the entrance to Westbourne.
In the same way, there is a clear sign to St Cuthbert’s Church at the western entrance to Marlborough Avenue, high up on the wall. Cyclists would benefit from an additional (blue) sign in the same place, indicating a useful right turn towards Princes Avenue. The same could be said of Westbourne Avenue, indicating a turn to Pearson Park.
Signage to and from the University is rather limited. Given that students are often new to the city, and are a potentially important constituency for cycling, this is a missed opportunity. Coming up Newland Avenue, for example, there could be (blue) cycle signs indicating a left turn to the University at the entrances to Edgecumbe Street, Raglan Street, and Waldgrave Street; and more signs at the end of these streets, providing directions to the University. The University is a focus for the entire city, and there should be blue cycle signs to it everywhere, not just near the campus. Cycle signs to the University across the city would also help to build a sense of connection between the city and the University.
2. One-way Road Systems
Everything flows on a bike: Contraflow sign on Princes Road. It would make a big difference if more of Hull’s one-way streets could be made two-way for bikes
Motor traffic in parts of Hull has been successfully calmed by means of one-way systems, particularly in residential areas. There is, however, no need for one-way systems to be applied to bikes as well as cars. Most one-way streets which cannot accommodate two-way car traffic could easily allow cyclists to go along what is currently the ‘wrong’ direction, without endangering cyclists or delaying drivers. Cyclists (including me) are currently tempted to cycle illegally in the ‘wrong’ direction, because it is obviously the ‘right’ thing to do from a practical cycling point of view. But it would be better to legalise this. Most one-way city streets in the Netherlands, for example, allow two-way cycling, and are signed appropriately. This system could be adopted city-wide. There are currently a few one-way streets (Ella Street and Chestnut Avenue, off De Grey Street, among them) which allow two-way cycling, but I have been shouted at and ‘beeped’ at on both of them by irate drivers unaware that I am cycling legally. If the two-way cycle system were more widely adopted, and clearly signposted as such, drivers would soon accept it as the new norm.
Areas where cycle-only contraflows could be adopted include the Dukeries (Clumber, Thorsby, and Blenheim Streets among them) and the network of side-streets to the University off Newland Avenue (including the Exmouth, Raglan, and Edgecumbe Street routes). Cycling home along Exmouth Street with my daughter after school (she goes to St Nicholas) I have to remind myself to wait until Lambeth Street before turning left; it would also be better if we could continue down Exmouth Street and then turn left onto Edgecumbe Street so we could come onto Newland Avenue lower down (and hence miss more traffic), but this section is currently closed to cyclists travelling south.
These principles could also apply elsewhere in the city, notably in the city centre.
3. Bike Racks and Bike Parking
Less is more: Fewer bike racks in more places is what Hull’s cyclists need. These stands on Princes Ave are ideal for passing shoppers.
Safe and convenient bike racks and bike parking are very important to cyclists. We need places where we can securely lock our bikes, and which are close to the places we are visiting – shops, schools, work, post offices, museums, places of worship, and so on. Bike parking in Hull is better than it used to be. But there is still room for improvement.
In particular, it should be remembered that bike racks are not ‘car parks for bikes’. Cars take up a lot of space relative to their passengers, and car parks therefore often work best when a single space is set aside exclusively for parking a large number of cars. Car parks, especially multi-stories, therefore effectively ‘cluster’ parked cars in a single place, and reduce the impact of driving elsewhere. Bikes are much smaller, relative to their riders, and cycling is much more flexible than driving a car; furthermore, cycling has much less impact on others than driving. Bike racks therefore do not need to be ‘clustered’, and indeed often work best when they are more scattered – a few bike racks in lots of places is often a more effective way of exploiting the flexibility of cycling than a large ‘bike park’ in a single place. All too often, however, bike racks are grouped together as bike parks, the racks often too close together, and large spaces are left without any bike racks at all.
A good example of a ‘bike park’ is on the University campus, where there are rows of racks for a hundred or so bikes, awkwardly placed behind the Larkin Building; but far fewer individual bike racks elsewhere. Staff, students and visitors to the University may therefore have an unnecessarily long walk from the bike park to the building they are using or visiting. This could be improved with a more flexible provision of scattered cycle racks, arranged individually or in well-spaced pairs.
Beyond the university, the provision of cycle racks on Newland Avenue is good, but inconsistent. Some shops have several clusters of cycle racks within a short distance, while others have none. There are, for example, no cycle racks close to Fruitopia and Larkins – both popular destinations. In some cases, the clusters of three cycle racks are very close together, making it difficult to make full use of the central rack. Pairs of cycle racks, more evenly and more widely spaced, might be more effective, and a single cycle rack at either end of each pedestrian crossing would be useful for cyclists wishing to use shops on either side of the street.
Chanterlands Avenue is another popular shopping street, but the provision of cycle racks is more patchy than on Newland. There are three racks by the library, but few elsewhere. There is no rack outside the Post Office, the former Co-op or the DIY shop. Provision along Princes Avenue is similarly uneven, with two well placed racks outside Sainsbury’s but nothing outside the block of shops including the Premier newsagent and no pavement racks outside the popular run of bars that includes Pave.
In the city centre, bike racks also tend to be clustered, rather than spread out. For instance, on Jameson Street, people often lock their bikes to trees because there are no racks nearby. A few, single racks, interspersed between the trees and the benches, would be useful. The same applies to other parts of the city centre.
There are currently almost no bike racks in the residential areas of the Avenues, making it difficult to lock up a bike when visiting a friend. The bike racks outside the little shop on Salisbury Street are not sufficient. Car parking, however, is permitted almost everywhere. The same is true of Pearson Park, where cycle racks are clustered in a single group near the café. There should be bike racks at intervals around the park, at the entrances and in the playground.
4. Cycle Maps
Route master: Detail from the 2014 Hull Cycle Map which needs updating
The cycle maps produced by the council are excellent but are out of date. (The most recent one that I have is dated 2014.) They were useful for planning journeys, and gave a good sense of the progress being made in cycling provision year on year. More should be made of them. It would be great if they were more freely available and mounted as wall maps in prominent places such as Council buildings, schools, and the University.
The maps could also help to suggest places where new cycle routes might be surveyed and built, such as along the banks of ‘Barmy’ Drain and the River Hull.
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In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my support for the council’s efforts to improve Hull’s cycle network. There are several things that already work well. Jack Kaye walk connecting Ella Street and Goddard Avenue is an excellent short cut, which I often use. I really like the push-button cycle lights at the Beverley Road junction opposition The Station pub and tidying up the cycle path between that junction, the old station, and Dewsbury Street has made a big difference. The bollards blocking cars from using the full length of Exmouth Street really help me when I cycle back from school with my daughter. There are some useful cycle racks near Thieving Harry’s on Humber Dock Street and the cycle hub on the University campus is a really good idea, although its opening hours are limited. We need another hub now for the city centre, so that Hull can really start to capitalise on its bicycling boom!
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OVER TO YOU… David says he received a ‘positive and enthusiastic’ response from his councillor who has promised to take his issues further. What about you? Can you think of any small measures that local ward councillors could adopt to make a big difference to cycling in your area? Perhaps, like David, you can pinpoint gaps in provision for bike parking, signposting and bike contraflows. Or maybe you think your street needs more traffic calming. Whatever the issue, you can find contact details for all Hull councillors here. There’s also a section in the council’s Transport Survey to make a suggestion to improve one thing in Hull’s transport network. You can fill it in here. Make sure you tell them you’re a member of CycHull City and drop us an email at cychullorg@gmail.com to let us know how you get on.