The City of York Council has distributed questionnaires about a scheme to "improve" Blossom Street.
As is usual, only one questionnaire has been sent to each household, so about half York's population is disenfranchised.
Anyway, if your partner allows you the opportunity to express an opinion, you should consider whether the alternatives proposed really provide value for money at a time when we can't afford toclear footpaths and protect old people from snow and ice.
It is trendy to appear to provide facilities for cyclists. The alternative and expensive schemes propose the usual dangerous expedient of narrowing the carriageway and providing hazardous, narrow, unprotected marked strips in which cyclists ride at their peril. Even more dangerous is the suggestion of such a strip unprotected between two vehicle lanes.
One effect of these "improvements" would be to extend the traffic-light stop times for vehicles. Given the large number of bus passengers who would thus be delayed compared with the very small number of cyclists who use the street, I believe that money is being wasted to fulfil silly statistical targets rather than for real public benefit.
What is really needed on Blossom Street in my view is:
1. A pedestrian-crossing for the benefit in particular of children from All Souls School;
2. Abandonment of the (probably costly) experiment with Purple-People-Eater buses, vehicles which self-evidently are unsuited to York's narrow streets and which frequently delay traffic because they have to start from the outer lane and cross the inner lane to get round left-hand bends;
3. A ban on loading/unloading at Blossom Street premises between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
This is obviously a personal view, and in no way reflects any policy of the bishopthorpe.net website.
What do you think?
Please complete and return the questionnaire. Comments here would also be welcome.
Ian Hodson
As is usual, only one questionnaire has been sent to each household, so about half York's population is disenfranchised.
Anyway, if your partner allows you the opportunity to express an opinion, you should consider whether the alternatives proposed really provide value for money at a time when we can't afford toclear footpaths and protect old people from snow and ice.
It is trendy to appear to provide facilities for cyclists. The alternative and expensive schemes propose the usual dangerous expedient of narrowing the carriageway and providing hazardous, narrow, unprotected marked strips in which cyclists ride at their peril. Even more dangerous is the suggestion of such a strip unprotected between two vehicle lanes.
One effect of these "improvements" would be to extend the traffic-light stop times for vehicles. Given the large number of bus passengers who would thus be delayed compared with the very small number of cyclists who use the street, I believe that money is being wasted to fulfil silly statistical targets rather than for real public benefit.
What is really needed on Blossom Street in my view is:
1. A pedestrian-crossing for the benefit in particular of children from All Souls School;
2. Abandonment of the (probably costly) experiment with Purple-People-Eater buses, vehicles which self-evidently are unsuited to York's narrow streets and which frequently delay traffic because they have to start from the outer lane and cross the inner lane to get round left-hand bends;
3. A ban on loading/unloading at Blossom Street premises between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
This is obviously a personal view, and in no way reflects any policy of the bishopthorpe.net website.
What do you think?
Please complete and return the questionnaire. Comments here would also be welcome.
Ian Hodson
This is very odd. I left a comment on this page but 2 seconds later it's gone. But it appears in the index of recent comments. What's going on?
As someone who tries to cycle as much as possible but is easily defeated by cold, wind and rain, I am always aware that for some reason the routes given to the cyclists are longer than those the cars are expected to take! So it's no surprise that some people will try to cycle across the most dangerous crossings.
You may be in your car for 5 minutes longer - try pedalling against the wind for the same length of time and then please smile nicely and give way to that cyclist who'se alternative would have been to sit in a car in the warmth - which would probably have been stuck in the traffic just in front of you.
Yes I know I'm not over 60 - so I can still cycle (just) but did you know it's cheaper to park in York than to get the bus? And it's quicker to go by bike if you want to just nip into Barnitts or go to the bank - even at my sedentary speed.
Sorry - rant over - but that's what this site is for isn't it!
Sadly more people will get fed up of trying to get into town via Tadcaster Road both during and after alterations...Therefore it will impact on Church Lane and Bishopthorpe!