Issues

This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.

Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.

You can create a new issue using the button on the right.

Listed issues, most recent first, limited to the area of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Bike Users Group:

  • Active Travel in Fenland

    Created by Anna Williams – Head of Campaigns & Engagement // 3 threads

    Camcycle would like to support communities across the county as part of our strategy to influence decision-making at a regional level and our campaign for Zero Carbon Streets in Cambridgeshire which aims to empower local groups to work for better walking and cycling in their areas. Fenland has historically been badly served in terms of active travel investment and is an important district in which to support improvements.

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  • Strikes Crossing

    Created by MJR // 1 thread

    The former level crossing near a petrol station and the Strikes bowling alley is a frequent source of conflict between cycling and motoring. As of 2020, this is a toucan crossing just west of the former railway's line, necessitating cyclists to slalom across it. There are short cycleways on the south side of the A148 Lynn Road and Gaywood Road providing access to the main entrance of King Edward School.

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  • Missing section of cycleway

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    The Hardwick Road cycleway abruptly terminates at the corner of Beech Road, within sight of the next section at South Gates roundabout. Cyclists wishing to continue towards town without being obstructed by motorists need to either use six beg-button crossings of the A149 Hardwick Road to cross over and back, or use four beg-button crossings to head towards Hardings Way (where another three beg-buttons and currently a dismount greets them), or they can illegally slalom contraflow through a parking bay, footway and oncoming traffic - and unsurprisingly many do the latter.

    All of the houses by the parking bay blocking the way have their own drives and it is not that much used. It could be repainted as a two-way cycleway, protected with posts and the slopes into the ends made shallower.

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  • Dangerous Cycleway

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    A cycleway was built alongside Scania Way, but it is dangerous in many ways, including:

    • The north end is on the corner of a busy T-junction with HGVs turning. The cycleway was originally planned to turn north onto Oldmedow Road as cycle lanes but the "safety auditors" refused to allow that and instead insisted on this dangerous ending!
    • Some of the crossings of the car showroom accesses have no marked priority.
    • Some of the crossings of the car showroom accesses are blind for emerging motorists because of the showrooms' signs.
    • There are numerous sign legs in the cycleway.
    • The south end terminates in a pinch point corner with a lamp post because enabling fast turns and good lighting for motorists is more important than keeping crash hazards away from the cycleway.

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  • QE Ave - Marsh Lane crossing

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    There is a crossing here, but it's pedestrian-only, slow to respond to its beg button and doesn't help cyclists much. Could it be replaced with a Toucan or maybe some cyclist-detection loops on the approaches from QE  Ave and Marsh Lane to make the lights change and easeir for cyclists to pull out?

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  • Connect A1078 cycleway to Loke Road

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    The cycleway alongside the A1078 abruptly ends at Estuary Road with only a link east into the estate which is a long detour off the desire line towards the town centre.

    There are several ways that this could be resolved, including linking to the Bawsey Drain Path as part of any future development and any of them could be an improvement.

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  • Connect cycleway to Kirby Street

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    Continuing the Wellesley Road cycleway to the Kirby Street junction would enable cyclists to use the connection from Marshall Yard off Norfolk Street to avoid cycling on the A148 between Norfolk Street and Coburg Street. It would also ease the westbound journey once contraflow cycling is allowed on Norfolk Street.

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  • Guanock Terrace Contraflow

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    This is an obvious desire line between the South Gates (for South Lynn, the Hardwick and part of the Friars) and The Walks (for the eastern part of the town centre and most places east and north of it), but it is currently one way for cycling, despite the available width being fairly good and a car driving contraflow during our survey visit! Of course, there are cyclists already using it illegally.

    Even allowing contraflow cycling to Thomas Street would then allow Robert Street to be used to connect to the South Gates, although that is a deflection off the desire line so may not be obeyed.

    Ideally, there would need to be some connection to the cycleways around the South Gates. Norfolk County Council's 2016 Cycling and Walking Action Plan claimed they had already built it, as shown on http://www.klwnbug.co.uk/2018/07/05/kings-lynns-imaginary-cycling-network/

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  • Friars Walk needs an all-weather surface

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    Currently Friars Walk is uncomfortable in summer, messy in winter and not legally cyclable from its east end. A short connecting cycleway to the Southgates Roundabout and some tarmac on Friars Walk would enable this dirt track to be used as shorter motor-free route between Hardwick and the Friars all year round.

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  • Access to Central Park from Morston Drift

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    The access to Central Park (Balls Up Park) is on the north side. The cycleway is on the south side. There is no crossing provided between them, so cyclists either have to bump kerbs if able, or ride on a footway until the next junction. Seems like an easy fix.

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  • Empty signposts

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    These sign posts have been put up long ago but there are no cycle route signs on them yet.

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  • Barriers to cycling in South Lynn

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    South Lynn is infested by barriers that cause unsuspecting cyclists to crash into them, often causing damage and injury. Some of them have visible crash-damage to their paint work.

    There are two different styles present in South Lynn: tight slaloms and handlebar-grabbers. Most of them are pointless and can never stop any motorcycles because they can just access the routes from other points that do not have barriers.

    They should all be removed and replaced with single central bollards to prevent car access.

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  • Access between The Walks and Millfleet

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    The crossing between Millfleet and Broad Walk is a bizarre left-right slalom movement involving the uncontrolled turn into County Court Road which surprises cyclists and motorists. It's also not signed at all. There are many ways that this could be improved, such as the Toucan crossing planned for CIF2 (pictured) or adding signals to the Almshouses entrance and allowing cycling between it and Broad Walk, but it is a scandal that none of them have yet been done.

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  • Route between the Friars and Town Centre

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    There is a key desire line between Baxter's Plain and the Friars area and there's such an obvious route along Tower Street, Tower Place, Hillingdon Square and Birdcage Walk but it's currently very bitty. South of Millfleet is open to cycling, but has some poor surfaces. The crossing of Millfleet does nothing to enable cyclists to access Hillingdon Square and Tower Place is one-way southbound with no legal contraflow cycling. The northern end of Tower Place and Tower Street have no-cycling despite being used by delivery vans.

    With a few traffic order changes and a little work to the Millfleet crossing, this could be a very easy and popular route.

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  • Contraflow access to South Quay

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    South Quay can currently only be reached legally from King Street by a series of agility challenge actions: over the rough cobbles by the Customs House, then up onto the quay by the flood gate, then along the quay, taking care not to hit the ornamental chains, then a tight turn onto the boom.

    The more obvious route through King Staithe Square is blocked by no-entry signs by Purfleet Bridge and at the flood barrier - and that is the direction that the cycle route currently sign points!

    There are several ways this could be changed and I wouldn't mind which was done.

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  • Access to High Street

    Created by MJR // 0 threads

    Cycling is currently banned in the High Street, resulting in some cycle parking being difficult to access legally and some useful routes across town (such as Union Lane to Baker Lane) being cut off.

    The ban was not enforced between roughly 2015 and 2018 because some required signs were not put back after restoration of the market places. We do not know of any significant increase in injury incidents during that time. Of course, the ban is widely flouted despite being enforceable again because it looks like a road, with a marked carriageway, and there is cycle parking provided on High Street.

    Access to the south end between SMP and Purfleet to avoid the narrow Queen Street (or worse, the A148) is probably more vital than the northern section where King Street isn't a bad alternative.

    Government policy since 1987 has been that such pedestrian areas should be pedestrian-and-cycle areas unless there's evidence of problems and provision of alternative routes. Norwich's pedestrian areas are now mostly pedestrian-and-cycle.

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  • Contraflow access to Norfolk Street

    Created by MJR // 1 thread

    Better access to Norfolk Street and use of it contraflow would avoid some difficult junctions, especially the near-blind right turn out of Austin Street onto JKR eastbound.

    The ban on cycling was not enforced between roughly 2015 (renovation of the Tuesday Market Place removed some required signs) and 2018.

    This was in the CIF2 bid circa 2008 but was not delivered due to budget overruns on other aspects.

    The most important section is probably between Chapel Street and Paradise Lane, to enable access to cycle parking and complete a town centre loop route.

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This map shows all issues, whether points, routes, or areas:

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