Here is a set of ideas to turn the centre of Chester into a cycle friendly zone. As part of the Cycle Demonstration Town project, consultants Steer Davies Gleave were commissioned to produce a cycle masterplan for the city of Chester. The masterplan aims to provide a programme of suggested improvements to the city’s cycling infrastructure in order to establish cycling as the transport mode of choice for Cestrians.
The consultants analysed both the immediate city centre and an area extending out to a one kilometre radius outside the city centre. During their work, the consultants met with the Chester Cycling Campaign on several occasions to enable them to hear about the day to day experience of Chester cyclists.
Although their detailed final report was published in January 2010, it continues to present practicable solutions to almost all of the barriers and challenges faced by those cycling in the city. Despite the time elapsed since the publication of the report, it continues to be one of the most detailed and expert analyses of the potential for infrastructure improvement in the city centre.
Chester cyclists are encouraged to read this report in order to inform themselves about the potential for Chester’s city centre to be truly cycle friendly.
A copy of the report in PDF format can be accessed by using the link below (15 MB).
For context, the CYCLE DEMONSTRATION TOWN activity took place in 2008 (I believe). The funding that was available was not used very smartly and some was even returned to the central funding organisation due to lack of project progress. The consultants’ CYCLE MASTERPLAN might still be a useful document to inform CWAC’s efforts but I suspect it is not used for that purpose. Disappointing!
Great idea for the cyclist of Chester. Safety is always primary.
Devin Schumacher, Owner
SEO Firepower – Chester
http://seofirepower.com/chester/
Hi
The anonymous comment below sums up how ignorant car drivers are to road laws and selfish against other road users. I don’t think the council tackle this at all. The ‘Think Bike’ motorcycle campaign worked great for raising the public perception of motorcyclists. However, as a cyclist I am considered by many to be a pest on the road.
I would suggest the council invest in raising the public perception and knowledge of cycling in Chester by
– Creating new advice signs on busy roads (e.g. keep a min 1.5m gap when overtaking cyclists, Check your mirrors for cyclists when turning)
– Market a ‘Think Cyclist’ campaign – raising public awareness of how scary it can be riding a bike on the road if drivers don’t look out for us.
– Allow faster cyclists the option of cycling in the bus lane on Hough Green and Wrexham road so they don’t scare pedestrians.
Half of the battle is convincing motorists we need to be looked out for on the road due to our vulnerability. Once the public perception starts to sway, more people will jump on bikes!
Also – I have spoken to the council before on issues and been given the answer of ‘it will upset the bus drivers’ or ‘it goes against our traffic plan’. If the council is serious about getting people onto bikes and out of cars, it needs to put cyclists at the top of the priority.
When cyclists start obeying the rules of the road by cycling in SINGLE FILE on the roads around mickle trafford and start paying insurance, road fund licence and some form of mnistry test certificate to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy, use front and rear lights that should be fitted and working then maybe they might get some respect. At the moment the lycra wearing saddo’s that hold up the legal road users pretending they are in the tour de france are causing a huge amount of ill feeling …..and obviously the cars and trucks will not be the ones who will come off worse…
When motorists start obeying the rules of the road by not exceeding the speed limit (especially through Mickle Trafford), not overtaking when its dangerous to do so, not tailgating, stop parking on double yellow lines, stop parking on pavements and cycle lanes, stop driving through red or amber lights, use indicators when turning especially on roundabouts and understand that there is no such thing as a road fund licence, but something called vehicle excise duty which charges by emissions (hence some road users are exempt such as low carbon emitting cars, horses, pedestrians and cyclists) they might also realise that you can cycle without lycra and go and buy a bike.