Thursday, March 10, 2011

Surrounded By Cycle Paths

The newest residential development in Gungahlin ,Harrison Four in Canberra's north has a planning theme 'Surrounded by cycle paths'.Would this mean that they are planning cycle friendly streets  :
  • Reduced speed limits to 30km/h
  • Cycle priority streets
  • Cycle/pedestrian right of ways on low volume streets and intersections
  • Grade separation(underpasses) for busy roads so as to not impede cyclists or pedestrians .
  • Direct route planning for cycle ways to major facilities like schools and shopping precincts
  • Shared zone areas (woonerfs) ( max 10km/h) around shopping precincts and no through streets

Well no but what you notice about new developments is each group of residential blocks and even parks are completely surrounded by roads. The default speed limit in the ACT for residential  areas is 50km/h. There are several crossing points and no 'no through roads' for cars. People will only choose to walk or cycle if it is easier or quicker to do so and if you don't restrict car use then people will still continue to drive even for short distances.
While I haven't seen the street view details I can imagine they will be the same as any other new development ,take the new suburbs of Molonglo ,Wright and Coombs.
The street view clearly shows that provisions for cyclists have been overlooked and the cyclists are protecting the parked cars.
Planned Streetview

Safer cycling solution as it should have been planned


 Now you wouldn't design every street like this though given our default speed limit of 50km/h then cyclist needs to be protected. You will encourage more people to cycle especially children ,women and the elderly.



I took this shot in Gungahlin recently, this is a relatively new development yet only cycle lane was installed when there is plenty of room to install a separated cycle way . In this instance the access street should have been a bidirectional cycleway cars give way to cyclists and drive at a slow speed.

This would be the example as in Holland:



I think the only development that can lay claim to the notion 'surrounded by cycle paths' is Houten in Holland though many other dutch towns are just as impressive.

                          

3 comments:

David Hembrow said...

Houten is very much the model these days, but every new development looks the same. I've features Kloosterveen, a new development near here, a few times on my blog (the link shows several articles about the place).

Here's a link to one of the planning documents - the one about cycling in this development.

Paul Jackson said...

Nice job pointing out the fallacy of the advertising! Keep 'em honest, brother!

Ben said...

The plans look so civilized!