Over a decade ago our local borough council set up a Cycle Forum. To be frank, or is that just cynical, they did this not because they had any great plans to get the population of the town onto bikes but because they couldn't get central government funding for two park and ride car parks unless they had one. However, as far as most of the participants were concerned this was a serious business and we pored over maps, drew up plans and identified our priorities.
Amid the host of potential schemes two always rose to the top of the pile. The first of these was what is now officially known as the Cinder Track, the old Scarborough to Whitby railway line which provides a well used and safe off road route form the town centre and up through the northern suburbs. The second was Seamer Road. This is the main road in and out of the town from the South West and, it turns out, is the most heavily used by cyclists as they make their way from residential areas in the north to the outlying industrial estates on the edge of town.
During the development of the park and ride car parks and their associated bus routes our plans for Seamer Road were repeatedly put on hold until we found out what the final decision was about bus routes. In the end, the buses were routed a different way and a long stretch of Seamer Road was simply left as it was.
As it is, few people enjoy riding down Seamer Road even though there's no sensible alternative. The main reasons for this are the proximity of heavy traffic, the stretches that have been chicaned to separate oncoming traffic, but which leave too little room for a vehicle to pass safely, and the increasingly bad state of the road surface.
Leaving the town centre the first chicane was built to separate the traffic leaving the town from that coming in and wanting to turn right down Valley Road. The road width is so narrow at this point that cyclists have little alternative but to actively block vehicles coming up from behind; since it isn't safe to allow them to squeeze past. This takes a degree of assertiveness that those who aren't experienced simply don't have even though this strategy is explicitly endorsed by the biggest motoring association in the UK the AA.
Junction of Seamer Road with Valley Road
For about 10m there simply isn't enough room for vehicles to pass
Shortly past this point, just when there's the greatest possibility of direct conflict with traffic, the surface becomes really bumpy and there's always the feeling that you might get thrown into the path of passing traffic.
Unavoidable potholes and bumps
The poor surface continues as the road descends the gentle slope down the hill towards the old football stadium with the biggest bumps just where you'd want to ride.
This van is about to encounter one of the unavoidable bumps
Beyond the junction with St Margaret's Road the footway has been designated as dual use but just before you get there there's a long chicane protecting traffic wanting to turn right into a retail park.
Chicane seen from the north
Looking back from the south
Even for experienced cyclists it's hard to maintain a safe line down this long 30/40m stretch without getting severely harassed from behind.
Seamer Road has been dug up a couple of times in the last few years to replace the elderly gas main that runs beneath and it wasn't reasonable to expect major surface improvements until this work had been completed. Now the work's been done, I don't think its unreasonable to expect that not only might this be done soon, but that the opportunity should also be taken to directly address the needs of cyclists along this busy transport corridor. For most of the road this could be as little as using paint to clearly mark out an on road bike lane so that at least we can get past the traffic when its stationary.
In the near future there is likely to be increased local demand on the road. Firstly because of likely residential development at the old football stadium and completion of development at Oliver's Heights and secondly from the proposed Sports Village which lies just the other side of the railway and is connected to Seamer Road by a pedestrian and cycle underpass.
Railway underpass to Sports Village site
I suspect that if a few more of our decision makers actually cycled the route themselves then something would have been done by now. As it is, it is to be hoped that an appeal to their intellect, as opposed to direct experience, will have to be enough.
Meanwhile, I shall continue to encourage fellow cyclists to get out of the gutter and assert their right to road space. Though it seems that despite the advice of the AA, Transport for London and other safety conscious bodies there is still resistance from some motorists to cyclists taking the lane.
Update . A later post looks at whether or not you should "take the lane" at the second chicane.
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