Floating bus stops.
A problem?
As our vulnerable pedestrians, Len and Olivia know, this becomes apparent at floating bus stops. Here the cycle lane, is put between the pavement and the bus stop in order to improve safety for cyclists and reduce the inconvenience of having to wait behind a stationary bus.
As a result, vulnerable pedestrians as soon as they get off a bus, need to cross a twenty miles per hour cycle lane by using variously constructed formal and informal courtesy crossings.
Public attitudes towards cycling are changing. Lauded by politicians as a novel form of healthy transport, some of the new urban cycle lanes are causing a new form of anxiety, particularly to vulnerable pedestrians.
In larger cities, many cyclists travel several miles along a regular daily commute. The relatively safe and obstruction-free cycle lanes encourage speeds of well over 20mph. Journey time is paramount, either to reach a destination at an agreed time or meet a personal target or simply to reduce cycle-hire costs.
Much has been written about cyclist’s lack of respect for red stop lights or zebra crossings. The reason offered is that cyclists should be able to negotiate with pedestrians for road space. A drawback is that vulnerable pedestrians are not good at negotiating for road space. Faced with uncertainty young children are likely to run. The elderly are likely to stop.
