Highlights from 2023

There has been some limited progress in improving cycling Infrastructure in the Taunton area but as ever progress is very slow. Here are some of the highlights from 2023.

  • You are now allowed to cycle through High Street. The original prohibition of cycling has been removed but of course, we recommend that people take it steady and walk through when crowded.
  • Progress on the Wellington-Taunton route had stalled. Following pressure from TACC, the strategic outline case technical report is now being drafted and will form the basis of the business plan for the scheme. However, Somerset Council say that its work won’t start in 2025 as previously pledged.
  • A priority for Somerset Council was the development of two secure cycle hubs with lockable access in the town centre as payable facilities. The first one has been constructed in the Crescent car park and a second was proposed at Saint James Street. However, Somerset Council have now told us that the funding for these projects has been re-allocated and no further work will be done.
  • A new Aldi has opened at Chip Lane. TACC campaigned strongly for improved cycle parking and access as the original plan was extremely poor. Fortunately, a high quality covered secure facility together with a link to Chip Lane Bridge has been provided. We congratulate Aldi on providing such a good facility for cyclists.

Continue reading the complete list of highlights from 2023 »

Safe cycling during dark days

Each year, when the daylight is getting shorter and weather and road conditions are becoming more challenging, we pay special attention to safety measures regarding the technical state of your bike and your personal visibility before you take to the road.

This year is no different. Therefore, we ask you to spend a few minutes to watch a video made by Avon and Somerset Police. TACC’s Bikeability Instructor Nick Warner gives winter cycling tips about clothing, lights, the technical condition of your bike and your position on the road. A must-watch with a good checklist.

Free ‘safe pass’ vests available for local cyclists

Thanks to funding from Avon and Somerset Police Road Safety Fund, Taunton Area Cycling Campaign (TACC) has a new supply of their popular yellow hi-vis vests and backpack covers.
These can be obtained, free of charge, from My Carbon Coach, 18 Lower Middle St, Taunton TA1 1SF.  We are grateful to the owner, Tim Walker, for stocking these. We ask that people collecting vests and back pack covers leave their email address for us. This is so we can send you a short follow up survey on your experience of using them (for grant monitoring purposes). Your email will only be used for this purpose.

Example of hi-vis vest with the urgent request of keeping 1.5m distance when overtaking.

Ms Pip Sheard, TACC’S Chair says: “Many current vest users have commented that wearing them while cycling makes them feel safer with more drivers giving them space when overtaking.
Our supply of vests ran out but we had further requests. So, we applied to the Police Fund for a further grant to produce more so we can distribute them free. One cyclist told us that her hi-vis vest changed her life for the better.”

The Safe Pass advice is one of a series of safety messages in the recently updated Highway Code including  the Dutch reach. This is designed to get people to think twice about opening car doors into the path of cyclists.

TACC has also designed and printed Safe Pass road signs and hope that they will be used in new on-road locations this summer to alert motorists to the 1.5m safe pass advice. The Police have requested that Somerset Council install them on the A38 between Wellington and Taunton.

New cycle route through Coal Orchard

A cycle route via Coal Orchard is finally recognised on the ground, thanks to the former Somerset West and Taunton Council. The original planning application for Coal Orchard didn’t include a specific cycle link. TACC made a statement at the planning committee in 2017, which resulted in discussions with Council officers and their consultants and the plans were changed. Timely representation can work (sometimes)!
The new cycle link forms part of the railway station to Vivary Park proposed cycle route. Here are updates on other sections of this route:

Entry to Coal Orchard from St James Street

1. Upper High St crossing (High St to Vivary Park): will be re-aligned to better meet the pedestrian desire line, widened to 5.2m and will be a shared cycle and pedestrian and cycling crossing (Toucan). This looks like a real improvement. Now delayed from June 2023 until March 2024.

2. Market House roundabout: this junction is in second position on the 15 ‘hot spots’ of worst locations for cycling in the Taunton area. There are further delays on proposals that affect and potentially improve this much disliked junction. This is caused partly by renewal works planned by Wales and West.

3. St James Street to Goodland Gardens: the signalled crossing is to be replaced by a zebra and parallel marked cycle crossing. Now on hold.

4. Proposed River Tone cycle and pedestrian bridge to the east of the Morrison’s bridge: the idea is to link the town centre to the railway station via the Firepool Boulevard. There is also a planning application for the bridge, which you can see on the Somerset Council planning portal. The ref number is 38/22/0347. TACC has supported the proposal but considered that some design issues need to be addressed.

Trenchard Way works: no provisions for cyclists

Update (26 April 2023): The orginal shared cycle and pedestrian path on the south side has re-opened. The situation is much safer.

The new access into Firepool off Trenchard Way is being built. During the works, a long section of Trenchard Way is operating with shuttle traffic signals. A length of the shared footway on the south side of Trenchard Way is now rubble.
There is no provision for cycling and no information on how cyclists are supposed to get through the area.

Shared cyclepath/footway closed but no directions for cyclists.
Start of road works on western approach of Trenchard Way.
The footway during the works
Footway on Trenchard Way has sufficient space for temporary shared use.

Somerset County Council’s response

We sent a sketch proposal to Somerset County Council (SCC) asking that cyclists be allowed to use the footway on a temporary basis with priority to pedestrians, utilising the crossings at each end of the works. This was based on observing what most people seem to be doing, without problem. They replied as follows: ‘We have worked closely with the contractor to consider all temporary traffic management options, regrettably due to the lack of available width and the need to balance the needs of all users, it is not possible in this instance to safely accommodate cyclists through the temporary layout. Cyclists are therefore advised to dismount at either end of the works and follow the pedestrian route along the north side.’

It would take several minutes to walk along the footway, a significant time penalty and an unpleasant experience. Not surprisingly most cyclists are cycling on the footway. We’ve asked SCC to formalise this on a temporary basis, with priority for pedestrians. The combined flows are low but as ever, SCC say ‘no’.

Our personal experience

We’ve tried riding with the traffic. The first time, traffic was coming towards us in the narrow section before we were able to ride through (with traffic behind us). The signal timings didn’t allow sufficient time for a cyclist to clear the section affected.

The second time was even more farcical. Cycling westbound on Monday afternoon, we were the first to reach the signals. Another cyclist came up behind us. After waiting three cycles for oncoming traffic to come through, it was clear that cyclists aren’t even detected. We were forced to go back to a car waiting behind to ask the driver to come forward to be detected. It put us in a vulnerable position.

We then cycled through on the road as SCC won’t allow us to use the footway on a temporary basis, with a huge amount of impatient traffic behind. When we got to the end we were pretty desperate to rejoin the shared footway, but SCC had made no provision to do that, so we were stuck on the carriageway.

One of our group, an experienced rider, now avoids the route. Another reported that ‘I had to get to the station and used the footway on the northern side of Trenchard way approaching from the east and it was fine and very few, if any, pedestrians. I dismounted for one pedestrian in the narrow section near the lights at the eastern end of the workings as it was technically only a pedestrian walkway. But he understood why I was there and appreciated me dismounting for him. It shows that, consideration for others is key to success when people share the roadways.

Coming from the railway station, the situation for cycling is highly ambiguous. Cyclists seem to be invited to use the footway.
We also noticed that the push buttons for pedestrians aren’t working and we have reported this too.

Coming from the railway station with traffic lights
Coming from the railway station.
Cyclist on footway on Trenchard Way
We propose to allow temporary cycling on the footway.

Cycling on Trenchard Way – the user experience

To illustrate the issues we have with this scheme, we made the following video clips (all posted on YouTube).

1a. Cycling from west to east on the carriage way
Holding up traffic, cars trying to overtake as soon as they see a gap and passing too close.
View from front facing camera
View from back facing camera
1b. Proposed safe option using the footway
Coming from the station

2a. Cycling from east to west on the carriage way
Holding up traffic. When you reach the end of the roadworks, there is no dropped curb to rejoin the shared footway.
View from front facing camera
View from back facing camera
2b. Proposed safe option using the footway
From east to west

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