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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Start of road works on western approach of Trenchard Way.
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.
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
Many people have told us that they find the Market House junction to be scary, and some people avoid the area with their bikes. This is due to a slippery and very uneven surface making it difficult to properly steer a cycle and hand signal. This is especially so when vehicles are in conflict with cyclists’ movements. We know that people have sustained injuries, either due to other vehicles hitting them or by slipping and sustaining a broken limb. By ignoring this danger for vulnerable road users for so many years, Somerset West & Taunton Council and Somerset County Council are both in breach of their ‘duty of care’.
On behalf on many cyclists, TACC is asking the local authorities to re-instate the funded scheme to improve safety for two-wheelers at this junction. This could be with an outer smooth surface in a colour matching the existing cobbles, retaining the central cobbles. Please support our petition. (We also have paper copies.)
Why is this important?
Yet it is the heart of town routes that people wish to use. It is one of the 15 hotspots from our 2016 user survey. It is part of the SWT proposed Vivary Park-Station route. Without greater safety here, this route will not be effective.
Here are just a few of over 60 comments that we have received or seen:
‘Death trap as it’s so wobbly. Never risked going round in the rain.’
‘The cobbles are so bumpy and dangerously slippery in wet weather and makes it impossible to signal to other motorists where you are exiting. Both hands need to be on the handlebars to be able to maintain control of the bike.’
‘The cobbles and ridges between mean that the bike wheel gets stuck in the ruts and therefore difficult to steer. Need to hold very tight to handle-bars – therefore impossible to make signals to other road users. Also very prone to wobbling across the traffic because to the ruts.’
‘The cobbles are dangerous as I feel that my tyres will slip, especially in wet weather. Also, the jolting on my bike is uncomfortable and painful. I try to avoid cycling on this part whenever possible.’
‘Vibration through seat handle bars for no suspension bike. Also bad for walkers on carnival night.’
‘You have my full support on this issue-I was nearly thrown off on the cobbles adjacent to the bus lay-by last Thursday-light rain had made them quite slippery’
Somerset West & Taunton Council is pulling the scheme
We supported SWT’s High St Fund bid which included funding to provide a safer surface for cycling at the junction. We’ve been in discussion with SWT on how this would be designed, for several of years. Now SWT say they are pulling this project.
This is a major let down. They are pulling the scheme because bus priority measures are being considered for East Reach and this might affect the Market Street roundabout (although buses currently use the junction in all directions without issues).
Our feeling is that they have the funding and improvements have been planned for several years. SWT should keep to this. The funding is there to do it. SWT and SCC are in breach of a clear ‘duty of care’ to address safety problems that affect so many people and should address this.
TACC again increased its activities last year. We are pushing for much better conditions to enable more people to cycle. Most of our day-to-day costs have been funded from our own pockets but we really need to establish and retain a campaign fund.
We are hoping that you will support us via our fund raising platform. Even if you can only give a couple of quid, it will really help. Thank you!
Villagers in Somerset want a safe cycling route for local schools so badly that they're trying to raise £50,000 themselves to make it happen.
How can projects like these be enabled? Any thoughts @Chris_Boardman
Active travel the #Somerset way on the Steam Coast Trail.
I passed these people as I was struggling in the other direction with my bike on my way to work. They kindly allowed me to use this video to make the point that this is not really reasonable as an #activetravel route.
Taunton Area Cycling Campaign is a voluntary group run by local residents with over 800 members. Our aim is safer, better and more cycling in the Taunton Area. We are campaigning on a number of key areas:
integration into major new developments such as the North Taunton Development, Coal Orchard and Firepool;
improving design standards so that road and cycling infrastructure is designed in a way that it more user friendly;
seeking more investment, in the short term through Somerset Council’s Small Improvement Scheme programme. We are seeking to work with the local authorities for a major scheme funding bid, in line with Taunton Garden Town aspirations;
promotion and updating the Taunton cycling and walking map.
We believe that, if you cycle in Taunton, you help create a BETTER environment, save time by making QUICKER journeys and you will be FITTER.
