Irish Cycle Facility of the Week

March 17, 2014:

photo 1

In Sligo, Cemetery Road (pictured above) and other nearby roads were treated to lanes of confusion.

Advisory cycle lane like these are included in the National Cycle Manual but the council in this case managed to get top marks in going against the advice in the manual, so everybody can have the maximum fun and confusion. Let’s look at the National Cycle Manual advice and see just how well the council has done disregarding it, our comments are inserted in italics:

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Characteristics

  • “Motorised traffic can enter cycle lane when safe and necessary to do so” — the opposite happens: the default on this road seems to be that motorists only exit the cycle lane where there’s a cyclist or parked car.
  • “Most effective where there is no demand for kerbside parking or loading” — but at this location there’s demand from the houses on one side and Sligo Cemetery on the other side.
  • “Red surfacing only required at conflict points or where area might be confused with on-street parking”

Key Issues to be Considered

  • “Only to be used in exception circumstances where Mandatory Cycle Lane is inappropriate”
  • “Not recommended in the vicinity of schools etc where drop off and pick up may undermine the cycling function” — or maybe also beside a graveyard without a car park where people are coming and going all day long or where there’s a mass of cars when there’s a burial?
  • “Road centre line should not be used when the residual space for traffic is less than 6.0m. In this situation, low traffic speed is important and traffic calming may be required” — but the council has chosen to keep the centre line and use ineffective speed bumps which do not cover the full width of the road.
  • “Consistent quality essential, no changes in lane width, no “gaps”/ breaks in continuity” — the council again goes for the opposite, with changes in lane widths and a strange small shared use footpath section mid point down the road on one side.
  • “Smooth, flat, well-drained and well-maintained surface”
  • “Gullies preferably located in kerb and not on the cycle lane” — here the gullies remain in the cycle lane.

More pictures of the road and other Sligo cycle lanes can be found here and here.

Image: IrishCycle.com
Location: Cemetery Road, Sligo
Local body/authority: Sligo Borough Council / Sligo County Council
Street View: Currently shows view shows road before cycle lanes

Send suggestions to hello@irishcycle.com. And make sure to view the original and UK-focused facility of the month page on Warrington Cycle Campaign’s website.


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1 comment

  1. Hi, these are now being changed, the bottom half of the road is now completely blank of all lines and it looks like the same will be done to the top half. Not sure what will be put in as a replacement. The whole fiasco illustrates a poor use of Active Travel Towns funding which could have been prevented were it not for the failure to adhere to the design manual and the lack of public consultation. If the fact that it is now having to be changed could be publicised maybe other towns could learn from it.

    Reply

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