Soapbox: Ladies Mile cycling freedom
My family and I went over to Ladies Mile at the Downs yesterday on our bikes as it was closed to traffic for one day.
This was the initiative of several people including Bristol City Councillor Dr Jon Rogers who was there while we rode up and down the closed road. It was a fantastic experience to ride our bikes with our daughters through a beautiful part of Bristol without the fear of cars driving next to us.
We also received some welcome advice on how to adjust our helmets for maximum protection as well my husband receiving an essential repair on his bike (all free of charge).
As we chatted with Dr Rogers, we asked him whether there were plans to close the road every Sunday and it seems that we need to support of the Merchant Venturers who part-own the Downs. I would urge the Merchant Venturers to consider this – it would be an excellent amenity for Bristolians and visitors alike. The team who had organised the day had carried out extensive checking throughout the day to make sure that there were no adverse implications in the vicinity as a result of the road closure (such as demands for parking elsewhere) and there appear not to have been any.
In fact, I would go further and respectfully ask the Merchant Venturers to consider removing the 'no cycling' signs painted on the Downs paths – Bristol is after all the first cycling city in the UK and this would be a very welcome gesture.
In other places where cyclists and pedestrians share a path, it has generally been demonstrated that both parties respect each other and there is little of the conflict some feel would occur as the result of shared paths.
Lucy Pedler, by email.
5 Comments
by philip, BRISTOL
Tuesday, September 08 2009, 2:11AM
“go for it close ladies mile every sunday. Sundays seems to be pretty quite at the mo i have noticed well on this side of bristol anyway.. oh and have anyone noticed that the zoo carpark has gone up from £1 to £2 it is not ran by bristol zoo its a private company so they have decided to rip you off oh and they give you used tickets so they'll make more money for them selfs...
if bcc could improve the quality of the road surface in bristol i would ride my bit a lot more..”
by Pete, Brislington
Sunday, September 06 2009, 8:54PM
“We have just discovered, by chance, that the main A4 into Bristol via Eagle Road in Brislington is to be partially closed for road works. This is the main route for the Park and Ride buses, as well as the other commuters that need to get into Bristol from this side of town.
As far as the Downs go, people on this side of town don't have easy access to the area and for people that think it's wonderful to have "Free Range Children" having access to a relatively small grassed area of the City is silly.
Monday (Tomorrow) means that many children need to get to school, and according to the Council, should be on two wheels. WHY were the locals not informed that this major artery into the City was to be affected?”
by Sherlock's bones, Under the Water Tower
Sunday, September 06 2009, 10:10AM
“Children everywhere will now be a danger to themselves and everyone else as they try to cycle to Ladies Mile. The world has gone completely mad. . All these bicycles will be rusting in sheds with their tyres flat as soon as their owners learn to drive. We used to have Sunday drivers giving us all problems, but now we have the Sunday cyclists.”
by Ade, Bristol
Saturday, September 05 2009, 9:31AM
“The Circular Road is a much better road to close. It is easily avoided by cars and has more in the way of views and space. Use Ladies Mile for parking.”
by Cllr Dr Jon Rogers, Exec Member for Transport
Saturday, September 05 2009, 7:51AM
“Dear Lucy
Good to get such positive feedback. I have heard almost no criticism of the event, which was enjoyed by many people of all ages. The BBC Radio Bristol reporter described the sight of children exploring Ladies Mile on their bikes, scooters and pedal cars as "free range children"!
I have been in discussion with various members of the Downs Committee, and I am attending their next meeting on Monday.
Several years ago, the Downs Committee had proposed closing Ladies Mile on every Sunday for a year as an experiment, but they were concerned that there might be adverse knock on affects on Zoo parking, the open top tour bus, and on neighbouring residential streets.
This trial on the busiest Bank Holiday Sunday has confirmed that there are no major knock on effects. I talked to the Zoo Parking Attendants, both at the main Zoo Car Park and at the overflow Car Park, where over 300 cars were parked on the grass of the Downs, at the bottom of Ladies Mile.
I talked with residents and with some of the diverted car drivers. The only criticism was of the quality of some of the diversion signs. A number of drivers started up Ladies Mile following cars going to the Downs overflow car park, and had to turn around in the space provided when they realised that the road was closed. If this became a regular feature of Sundays and Bank Holidays we would need some better signs to explain about the "Access to Zoo overflow parking only" or similar.
Also my apologies for the misunderstanding about the role of the Merchant Venturers. They do not "part-own the Downs", they are part of the membership of the Downs Committee.
As Wikipedia says so succinctly, "Since an Act of Parliament in 1861, when Bristol Corporation acquired Durdham Down, the Downs have been managed as a single unit by the Downs Committee, a joint committee of the corporation and the Merchant Venturers.
Be good to hear whether residents and visitors would appreciate a year long trial of closing Ladies Mile on Sundays and Bank Holidays, so that our "free range children [of all ages!]" can enjoy learning to cycle and practising their skills in safety?
Jon”