Ham Photos is a growing archive of photos of Ham (at the meeting of Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames in south-west London), where I have lived since 1996. It captures the small changes that are easily missed and delights in the unusual, the unexpected and the unnoticed.
18 May 2019
The Quiet Way crosses Hardwicke Road
Richmond Council has been implementing a Quiet Way for cyclists from Ham Gate to Teddington Lock Footbridge and this has included raising the road and widening the pavement where it crosses Hardwicke Road.
I watched this being installed, as it's virtually on my doorstep, and the amount of materials and labour it consumed was staggering. And while it undoubtedly makes crossing Hardwicke Road at this point easier, I question its necessity, and how it performs as part of a continuous 'Quiet Way' - This already being a quiet back road. The entrance to the alley (to the right), that it's supposedly connecting to, is largely ignored, as it requires cyclists to slow down/dismount to negotiate the barriers at both ends - To protect unsuspecting pedestrians on the pavement who would have no time to react as the cyclists emerge. The alley also deposits cyclists slap, bang in front of the 371 bus stop on Broughton Avenue. A similar raised apron/road narrowing was marked out there, but seems to have been abandoned, as it would create a terrible bottle neck right next to a school/bus stop/junction to Simpson Road. The result is that most cyclists arriving from Teddington Lock just ignore the alley, turn left, and follow Simpson Road. Quicker, and less obstacle strewn, and better sight lines at the Simpson/Broughton junction. The same net result could have been achieved with a few metres of double yellow lines to clear the line of sight either side of where the cycle path meets Hardwicke Road, and a wider section of dropped kerb to ease the turn to Simpson. Leaving the telegraph pole right in the middle of the cycle path to catch handlebars/shoulders, without even painting it white, just underlines the lack of on-site thought been applied here.
I watched this being installed, as it's virtually on my doorstep, and the amount of materials and labour it consumed was staggering. And while it undoubtedly makes crossing Hardwicke Road at this point easier, I question its necessity, and how it performs as part of a continuous 'Quiet Way' - This already being a quiet back road.
ReplyDeleteThe entrance to the alley (to the right), that it's supposedly connecting to, is largely ignored, as it requires cyclists to slow down/dismount to negotiate the barriers at both ends - To protect unsuspecting pedestrians on the pavement who would have no time to react as the cyclists emerge.
The alley also deposits cyclists slap, bang in front of the 371 bus stop on Broughton Avenue. A similar raised apron/road narrowing was marked out there, but seems to have been abandoned, as it would create a terrible bottle neck right next to a school/bus stop/junction to Simpson Road.
The result is that most cyclists arriving from Teddington Lock just ignore the alley, turn left, and follow Simpson Road. Quicker, and less obstacle strewn, and better sight lines at the Simpson/Broughton junction.
The same net result could have been achieved with a few metres of double yellow lines to clear the line of sight either side of where the cycle path meets Hardwicke Road, and a wider section of dropped kerb to ease the turn to Simpson.
Leaving the telegraph pole right in the middle of the cycle path to catch handlebars/shoulders, without even painting it white, just underlines the lack of on-site thought been applied here.