Gallery: Orchard Park Audit
Cambridgeshire County Council will soon(ish) adopt the roads in Orchard Park, which are currently owned by the master developer Gallagher Estates. For Cambridge Cycling Campaign I would like to inspect the access routes, cycleways, paths, surface materials, one way streets, cycle parking, cyclists dismount, cul-de-sac and foot- and cycleway signs, kerbs, bollards etc and document any faults, to make sure that the County Council gets Gallagher Estates correct any them before handing over the responsibility.
This gallery was created on Thursday, 4th April 2013
A road this wide could easily have had cycle lanes added, especially if the footway had been made less wide and parking created elsewhere.
To the left and behind this point are a shared use path. The assumption seems to be that cyclists (or those in wheelchairs) won't want to cross the road and head up either of the two roads opposite - or even just join the road to pass the ... [more]
The shared use path to left and right doesn't continue down the side road here (presumably, based on surface colouring) but there are no signs showing the end of the cycleway.
Here the Orchard Park shared use path crosses Chariot Way/Circus Drive. The chicane doesn't really help to slow traffic except at busy times, and the low kerbs don't encourage motor vehicles to stay off the pedestrian/cycle areas.
Circus drive crosses the main cycling artery (School - Community Centre - Guided Bus) at Orchard Park. While there is a raised speed table there should be clear marking giving priority to cyclists. There have been many near misses and an ac ... [more]
The low bollards on the edge of circus drive need reflective material. Clear markings should give the cycle artery priority over Circus Drive. Orchard Park should become a 20 mph zone. See also #48588.
Lovely cycling artery, interrupted by Circus Drive (which should give way to the cycleway), but its littered with dark, low bollards here and at the Community Centre. These are dangerous and need reflective material and markings. See al ... [more]
Increasing number of chicanes on what could be the main cycle route between eastern Orchard Park and Cambridge city centre. Remove barriers on both ends of the path. The bollard needs reflective material and markings on the ground.
This redmac pavement may or may not be a cycletrack, it is lacking signage. Here the dropped kerbs follow the desire line but are not flush (see #48519). At Graham Road the dropped kerbs are far around the corner. There is also a colour cha ... [more]
Lots of chicanes are discouraging cycling. It is all about keeping Kings Hedges Road free for cars to speed through.
Lots of chicanes are discouraging cycling. It is all about keeping Kings Hedges Road free for cars to speed through.
Sweetpea Way and Aster Way in April 2013. Not quite ready. Sweetpeaway doesn't have pavements wide enough for a pushchair or wheelchair.
Passage which on the Sweetpea Way end has a pavement like kerb while it is freely accesible from the cycletrack on Central Avenue #48526.
Cambridgeshire County Council's streetlight replacement programme taking up the full width of the footway on Sweetpea Way in Orchard Park, see also #48525.
Cambridgeshire County Council's streetlight replacement programme taking up the full width of the footway on Sweetpea Way in Orchard Park, see also #48524,
It's not only cyclists who have to put up with lamp posts in the middle of the path! The lamp posts could have been positioned to the left (with longer reach) and have left the path clear. Note also the slope on this pavement which makes ... [more]
Passage which on the Sweetpea Way end - #48523 - has a pavement like kerb while it is freely accesible from the cycletrack on Central Avenue.
In April 2013 some road in Orchard Park (e.g. Cornell Court, Sweetpeas Way etc) had not been finished. The entrance to Cornell Court a features "cul-de-sac" sign - #48528, as at other place in Orchard Park an "except cyclists" needs to b ... [more]
The entrance to Cornell Court features "cul-de-sac" signs. As at other place in Orchard Park they have to add "except cyclists", as the cul-de-sac is permeable for bicycles and pedestrians and bicycles are vehicles.
Cycleway on the Guided Bus maintenance track at Orchard Park is signed here as segregated use. No it isn't, it's shared as on the other 16 miles. Sign needs to be changed.
The cyclebahn next to the Guided Busway should have automatic detector loops at all crossings of side roads like Chieftain Way or Graham road #48535.
Redmac pavement in Orchard Park misses shared use signs. The red colour changes on the most easterly and most westerly sections. The cycletrack needs clear priority over side-roads markings. The through is interrupted at the Community Centr ... [more]
Redmac pavement in Orchard Park misses shared use signs. The red colour changes on the most easterly and most westerly sections. The cycletrack needs clear priority over side-roads markings. Despite the cul-de-sac sign this is the cycle rou ... [more]
The cyclebahn next to the Guided Busway should have automatic detector loops at all crossings of side roads like Graham Road or Chieftain Way #48530.
Pavements at Graham Road in Orchard Park. There are no blue "footway" signs, but there is one blue "Cyclists Dismount" sign on the back of the blue "shared use" sign visible at the junction with Tooper Street, see #48247.
A shared use sign for the pavement at the Graham Road with Tooper Street junction. The back of the sign says "Cyclists Dismount". This is likely to be the incorrect sign. Cambridge Cycling Campaign is requesting clarification why no "footwa ... [more]
Pavements in Orchard Park lack clear signing. This section has an advisory "Cyclists Dismount" sign on the back of the blue shared use sign. From where this cyclist is coming from it is not clear whether cycling is permitted.
Another Cyclists Dismount sign (you will now enter the main carriageway) in Orchard Park (Chariot Way with Ring Fort Road) where there should be a blue "footway" sign with the addition of an "End of Cycleway" sign.
On the right hand side of the first linked picture is the Iceni Way that interrupts the cycle path and requires a stop despite low volumes of traffic at this side road - #14053 -if one wants to comply with the law. The planted hedges make i ... [more]
Cars come round this corner quite fast (after all, it is a one way road), but where the picture is taken from is a T-junction where vehicles, including cycles, need to turn right onto this road, across the flow. Better visibility is needed ... [more]
Black then Red surfaces, yet the sign says dismount. I think these signs need turning around! It was still the wrong way around in April 2013 as can be seen from the opposite side #48540.
Black then Red surfaces, yet the sign says dismount. I think the advisory "cyclists dismount" sign and blue shared use" signs need turning around, with the cyclists dismount replaced by "footway" with end of cycleway signs. From the o ... [more]
(Location approximate.) Zero consideration given to cyclists' real needs here around Arbury Park. Crossing the road involves a multi-stage crossing , and several >90degree turns. Not a development to move into if you plan to ride a bike ... [more]
Cyclists can't legaly cycle to the Cyclebahn by the CGB from Iceny Way here. This no entry needs to be made "except cyclists".
Gallagher Estate thrived at making Orchard Park car centric. There are very few gardens and few green spaces, everything is paved over to provide space for cars. Southcam cycleparking standards however are insufficient. Bike chained against ... [more]
This block of housing has plenty of car parking spaces (some of them covered) -- but clearly it needs some cycle parking, too!
Pointless "cyclists dismount" signs at Graham Road corner with Topper Street in Orchard Park, Cambs. This "cyclists dismount" sign on the easternside of Graham Road is at the back of a shared use sign, see also #48537. The council seems to ... [more]
Cul-de-sac signs on Topper Street in the car-centric estate of Orchard Park in Southcam. This is actually an important cycle route to the Cyclebahn by the Guided Busway and the pedestrian and cycleway giving access to the city centre via No ... [more]
New pole with a "Cyclists Dismount sign" (see #31618 from July 2011) and a shared use sign on the opposite side. Orchard Park Community Council proposed this "Cyclists Dismount route" as the route for the http://iitm.be/ringfortpath . For m ... [more]
As at Orchard Park, developers in S Cambs forget about things like dropped kerbs and have to add them as a shoddy afterthought. Nice covered cycle parking at the sheltered housing across the road, though.
Remarkably wide footways - but it would have been even better to have built hybrid/Dutch-style cycle lanes here.
Toucan crossing from Orchard Park towards the city centre. Unlit, low bollard lacking visibility markings.
Cyclists expected to do a 90-degree turn. A motorist would never stand for such incredibly thoughtless provision, here at Arbury Park.
More posts in the cycleway, pretty much halving the available space for cyclists. Why couldn't the No Entry sign have been aligned with the street lamp? And why couldn't the posts to prevent motor vehicles accessing the cycleway have been ... [more]
There are many of these signs at the cyclebahn adjacent to the UNguided busway at Orchard Park stating: "It is a criminal offence to trespass on the guided busway ... or to trespass on associated land which is in close proximity to the busw ... [more]
Dropped kerbs in Arbury/Orchard Park are shockingly slapdash afterthoughts. The footways change from red to black tarmac without rhyme nor reason.
The T-junction on Chieftain Way with Rosehip Road is another example of a soft bend to minimise driver's loss of speed, with dropped kerbs away from the junction.
As at so many other T-junctions, pedestrians and cyclists loose priority over side roads and turning traffic, like here at the entrance to the local primary school. The dropped kerbs are far removed from the junction with Ring Fort Road. He ... [more]
Convenient cut-through for pedestrians, but the kerb on Chieftain Way is inconveniently tall for bicycles. The Stanley Avenue end of the cut through at Vales Place #48585.
This cut-through is likely to become easily accessible for cyclists (once it has been finished) from Stanley Avenue. But cyclists will encounter a tall kerb on the other end at Chieftain Way. To see the Chieftain Way end of Vine Road #48584 ... [more]
One of the, as yet, unadopted roads in Orchard Park. Should become two way for cyclists. See #48591 from the opposite end.
A project originating from Cambridge Cycling Campaign // Hosting kindly helped by Mythic Beasts
Short link: https://cycle.st/g227
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