Press Release on Cyclist Protest Ride tomorrow at Aztec West
October 23rd, 2014How Many Dead Cyclists Does It Take To Get South Glos To Change Its Mind?
Cyclists will be taking part in a protest ride at the junction of the A38 and M5 tomorrow, to try to get South Gloucestershire council to provide for cyclists at this dangerous location, where ten cyclists have been injured in seven years. The council is redesigning the junction to alleviate the projected increase in traffic from new local developments, but the cyclists are incensed because the changes will make it more dangerous for them. The design has been condemned by all local and national cycling groups. The ride starts from the Aztec West roundabout at 4pm.
CTC Right to Ride spokesman Richard Burton said The council ignored its own policies, government guidance, the consultation, a petition and our MP. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience to other road users, but this is entirely the council s responsibility. We aren t asking for anything radical or bizarre, we just want the council to follow its own policies.
The cyclists point out that every council policy which could possibly apply says that cyclists and pedestrians should have been considered at the initial design stage, and all subsequent stages, and are baffled as to why they weren t. They are also very concerned about the safety audit, which did not follow Department for Transport guidelines.
A spokesman for the Bristol Cycling Campaign said The safety audit guidelines are explicit about including pedestrians and cyclists, but the audit doesn t mention them even once. This is gross incompetence and if any pedestrian or cyclist is injured or heaven forbid, killed, we will hold the council liable. The injury figures are bad enough, but they are very much an underestimate and the real figure is many times more.
The cyclists also point out that many of the new roads in the new developments do not follow council policies, including Hayes Way, which was constructed during the council s participation in the Cycling City project, but has no facilities for cyclists.