Mayals Road – going backwards

Wheelrights and Mayals

My membership of the local cycle campaign group is in the balance as I do not wish to be professionally associated with the issues being accepted by Wheelrights for the Mayals Road, Swansea’s tree lined gateway to the Gower. Insofar as there is ‘consultation’ imminent, I offer the following notes.

At Broadway, a recently upgraded urban junction in the suburbs, drivers, at least, unsurprisingly enthused of the outcome. On Mayals Road, everyone will complain. The provisions being made for cyclists are positively dangerous. Even worse are the consequentials for pedestrians and the environment – and that is not just the trees.

I can’t rehearse all of these matters here so will focus only on the 6m carriageway width – and, even then, not all my concerns.

A premise is that, especially with the current proposals, cyclists will use whatever provision is convenient, up or down, and appropriate to their skill and confidence, no matter what we or the Highways people prescribe..

On a fast downhill and gear-changing uphill for drivers, the provision makes only minimal effort to reduce speed other than the evidence-free claim that 3m lanes will reduce speed. No it won’t or, if it does, it will be only marginally.

The only (other?) speed-reducing measure is additional Zebra or Toucan crossings, about which more below.  

Downhill, confident cyclists will be in particular danger on the roadway. With any incident or stopping vehicle, at a high cycle speed of 20-30mph, it is much slower and longer distance to stop than an emergency or unforeseen motor vehicle stop.

Parked vehicles will be a problem for everyone, probably necessitating more road signage everywhere – double yellow lines, yet further about which later.

All cyclists will be compromised at the wall-bounded narrow widths near the bottom and top of the hill. All talk of provision for children and non-confident cyclists is inapplicable here unless clear cycle priority provision is made – both sides. (Talk that cyclists should use the provisions is misplaced. Some won’t, others just won’t know, etc.)

In the current climate, in which the world is moving on for cyclist provision, the acceptance of more, much more, road markings and signage in one of our most beautiful, tree-lined, signage-free, streets, skirting Clyne Park and feeding to the Gower, is just environmentally dreadful.

This last point is exacerbated by the inclusion (by Highways) of additional Toucan or Zebra crossings – one to replace a current perfect, well used, if poorly located mid-road island refuge. The real give-away, is that it is only in hindsight that the engineers offer a further such crossing at the busy and convenient children, pedestrian and cyclists’ junction crossing at Mayals Green. Then too, what about crossing places at bus-stops, near the park entrances, let alone on the pedestrian desire lines at all road junctions?

There are many ways to minimise road signage and related visual clutter and this should be a vital ingredient of design in environments such as Mayals Road.

Finally, although there is more, there is concern about cyclist safety at residential driveways. There should be a detail for that to put the onus on drivers. There is a very welcome start on that matter by the proposed road marking and therefore apparent priority where cycle paths take crossing priority at side junctions. That too will still be a delicate matter until such cultural consideration by drivers is established. That is our challenge and it is certainly not to be resolved by more expensive and Highway philosophy traffic lights, signage and markings.

Yes, these notes are entirely negative. I initially carried out a site survey and proposed a range of options that are available elsewhere on my blog here

GLG October 2020