Some of us had a few doubts about pedestrians, cyclists, baby buggies and prams sharing the same stretch of footpath between Brigg and Wrawby, alongside the busy A18.
Those of us who practised long and hard to obtain the coveted cycling proficiency badge and certificate at Glebe Road School in the 1960s, had it drummed into us by our police instructor that cycles belonged on the highway and people on the paths. And never the twain shall meet. Indeed, if they observed you riding on the path you can the risk - and disgrace among your 10-year-old peers - of an automatic failure.
Yet North Lincolnshire Council’s idea of painting a dividing line down the path from Wrawby to Brigg has proved a low-key success.
It’s a fact of local government life that the press and public make much of things when council initiatives go belly-up (as we pay our council tax and have every democratic right), while something that works well for a long time is rarely given a mention.
DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOW READ MORE INTERESTING NEWS ABOUT BRIGG AND DISTRICT BY VISITING AN EXCITING NEW WEBSITE?
brigg people
“YOURS TRULY” IS THE COMMUNITY PUBLISHER. YOU CAN REGISTER WITH THE SITE AND THEN UPLOAD YOUR OWN NEWS, SPORT AND VIEWS.
2 comments:
It things like this that should be integrated into new developments.
At the present time, there appears to be an urgency to identify land, sell it off for housing and then see how many houses and cars one can get into a plot.
Fossil fuel is finite and not only will it affect the transport infrastructure; the pattern of going to work could well be affected. They maybe a need to develop an integrated system so that mass travel can be achieved between home and factory/office. Similarly, the computerised world may see the massive return of cottage-industries - folks working at home, or in an adjoining workshop (cf Pingley development).
Car shopping trips to supermarkets may become a rarity - ordering weekly supplies on-line and a home delivery service may become the norm.
But some institutions are geographically fixed. Schools, for example, are static and pupils have to travel to and from them. Consequently, there is a need to plan for and integrate pedestrian and cycle-ways in both old and new developments.
We are, at present, modifying existing footpaths which is positive, but not ideal. There is a need to devise a development strategy of treating such cycle-ways that encourages the many to cycle. or walk in preference to using the car to, 'just nip down the road'. Schools and other institutions need to re-introduce cycle-sheds. In fact, some entrepreneurial guy may realise that he/she could develop a cycle repair workshop at the cycling hub to ensure bikes are not thrown into the garage at home because of some slight puncture, or the brake-blocks need replacing.
Make cycling to work/school fun - how about those old seaside multi-bikes that sat 4 or 5? Separate from traffic, cycle-tracks should prove safe enough.
Cycle-ways need to be integrated into any housing/industrial development plans - not added-on as some later idea.
We have to adapt to improve our lifestyles of the future. At present, we are only development a system that we already know has a finite, sine-die end.
This cycle path works fine until the hawthorn hedges are trimmed back with a chain flail which tends to lead to the cyclists feeling a little deflated .
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