Brighton to get cyclist counting machines

[beorhthelm]

Open minds, people. Open minds ...

it not about opening minds. its public money once again being spent on frivilous projects. once upon a time if you wanted a survey conducted you'd hire a bunch of students to a bit of sampling work. now we have a piece of "technology" to do it but we also have to have the administrative department to oversee, maintain, and inevitabley produce nice reports and fight for more funding to expand their operations. the only growth industry in this country is public sector and i for one want to see that trend reversed.

this wont encourage cycling, it basically justifies someones job. real encouragement would come from bike stands and other practical aids.

 

[dougdeep]

It would probably be cheaper to employ someone to count them. Gis a job?

 

[Simster]

Whilst it's good to see money spent on improving the lot of the cyclist in B&H, this is still poor use of the money. You could take a town planner on a one hour tour of the city, and in that time they'd find dozens of inexpensive ways of improving the cycle ways without resorting to this shite.

Surely the time to start counting bikes is when the roads are clogged up with them and you want to improve traffic flow.

 

[hart's shirt]

it not about opening minds. its public money once again being spent on frivilous projects. once upon a time if you wanted a survey conducted you'd hire a bunch of students to a bit of sampling work. now we have a piece of "technology" to do it but we also have to have the administrative department to oversee, maintain, and inevitabley produce nice reports and fight for more funding to expand their operations. the only growth industry in this country is public sector and i for one want to see that trend reversed.

this wont encourage cycling, it basically justifies someones job. real encouragement would come from bike stands and other practical aids.

On the money.

Daily bicycle traffic? Get students with clipboards to sit there and count them for 7 days - 5 weekdays, 1 Saturday, 1 Sunday.
Weekly bicycle traffic? Add them up.
Annual bicycle traffic? Multiply by 52.

It's really not difficult.


It sounds like someone fancies getting some new gizmos at the taxpayers expense and is trying to justify the spending through a green eco argument.

 

[Stoichkov]

Whilst it's good to see money spent on improving the lot of the cyclist in B&H, this is still poor use of the money.

Exactly.

This is an easy, effort-free, way of spending cash and then being able to do some willy-waving in the press, conference circuit etc - very much like the Grand Avenue shocker of a cycle route. This itself was a pointless gimmick on a road that, for a cyclist, was actually very safe already due to its wide width. I'd like to see evidence that cycling has increased on this route as a result of this particular cycle path.

Madeira Drive is another example - that route is wrong on so many levels I feel embarrased to use it.

If you look at Brighton & Hove as a whole, there are many fundamental 'gaps' in cycle provision that could be filled by some sort of scheme but if they are either a) difficult or require some sort of thought or b) out of the potential media limelight, then they are forgotten about in favour of attention grabbing gimmicks aimed to propel a load of council officers up the career ladder.

The Falmer Road is one example where a bit of joined up work between ESCC & B&HCC could provide a safe route seperate to the road itself. Not only would this provide potential for cycling to the stadium for those in the East of the town but would also help those suicidal types cycling to Sussex Uni who cycling on that road in the dark. In addition, it would provide another access route for cyclists out towards Lewes and the Downs.

Still, why go into the difficulties & complexities of this sort of thing when you can by an expensive gadget and then engage in a good round of mutal back-slapping

 

[xenophon]

We are watching you, everywhere, all the time, we control your vertical, we control your horizontal......we OWN you

Mmm-waaaaa-haaaaaa-haaaaaah

 

[mona]

Will it count all the instances of cyclists abusing/treating with contempt innocent pedestrians who are unaware of them about to race past?

 

[Firingblanks1]

Why the downer on cyclists?

It always makes me laugh when I see the same old people having a pop at cyclists.

1. In life you get good cyclists and bad cyclists....just like car drivers. Only difference you struggle to kill someone with a cycle! Mark thingamingy jock what is your problem with cyclists, were you attacked by one in your pram when you were a baby?
2. Cycling is good for you. perhaps if some of you got out of your cars and got on a bike you might be impressed by the health benefits...would save the NHS a few bob too!
3. Its good for the planet, more cycling = less carbon emissions.
4. Accident statistics clearly show that motorists kill 95% more pedestrians on pavements than cyclists....so why the hysteria? Cyclists on pavements just piss off people, but not really a major problem. Speeding cars are and KILL. We need to continue to invest in cycle lanes. Well done the BHA council. Measuring the increase in cycling via cameras is cheaper than standing by the roadside with a pen and paper. If you can prove progress you will continue attract investment.

Cycling has increased ten fold in Brighton and Hove over the last few years and its great to see...we just need to change a few attitudes of car drivers (who drive too fast and close) and continue with cycle training in schools etc.

Its basically only the UK where we get this problem (compared to the rest of Europe). The only time I have had a problem in France is with a British car coming off the ferry......

Rant over! I stand by to be flamed by a load ill informed bigoted motorists...bring it on! :US:

 

[Marc]

Will it count all the instances of cyclists abusing/treating with contempt innocent pedestrians who are unaware of them about to race past?

should'nt walk in the cycle lane then

 

[desprateseagull]

the drive cycle lane is a joke- never seen any other biker use it..

would have been better to make a dedicated lane on the prom, along towards king alfred.

max spped 10mph, with a risk of tazer to the wallie..

 

[Northstander]

you couldnt make it up, only in Brighton would this happen!!

 

[SICKASAGULL]

I hope we can get a number of additional hotels built before the influx of many thousands of tourists arrive to view these counting machines,the lack of a Ice Rink/Outdoor swimming pool/the Brighton Eye and of course the rotting West Pier will be overlooked.
The Council have played a master stroke and must be congratulated,Blackpool will be concerned at the affect it will have on the number of tourists visiting them in the coming years.

 

[eggshell blonde]

And have you seen the bloody useless plans for the cycle lane along the old shoreham road?? It is already practically gridlocked at busy times and now they want to squeeze the road width even more to allow for cycle lanes on both east and west bound carriageways. It is going to run from portslade to seven dials i think, and even then it stops for large sections before starting again further down the road. Not only will this be even more dangerous and confusing for both car drivers and cyclists but isnt there already a f**king great cycle lane along the seafront which runs for miles without interfering with the traffic?
The funding is coming from the government (see this weeks leader) but that in irrelevant.......its still 1.5 million quid which could go to hospitals / schools. And they wonder why everyone is pissed off with these useless civil servants? C**ts

RANT OVER

 

[Uter]

It would probably be cheaper to employ someone to count them. Gis a job?

Hard to say really isn't it seeing as the article doesn't mention how much they will cost?

 

[Stoichkov]

We need to continue to invest in cycle lanes. Well done the BHA council.

Needs to be the right facilities in the right places - no dodging or avoiding key difficulties either.

I stand by to be flamed by a load ill informed bigoted motorists...bring it on!

As someone who cycles as well as drives (and also uses the buses) I'm frankly embarrassed by some of the cycle schemes which only serve to irritate non-cyclists and reaffirm what they think of cyclists and cycle lanes. Schemes like the Grand Avenue and Madeira Drive cycle lanes really are own-goals imo.

 

[Voice of Reason]

It is rarely just a cyclists v motorists thing, as many of us with a car have a bike too. I also ride a motorbike. The fact is that motorists pour money into government coffers whilst cyclists take from them. It is never a good idea to mix bikes and cars. Who was it who thought it a good idea to put pavements right next to roads? Crackpot! The whole bloody mess needs a complete rethink. My son is a lorry driver and he tells me that it is becoming more and more difficult to drive around some towns as the roads are getting far too narrow.

You cannot push a quart into a pint pot, so stop trying.

 

[mona]

should'nt walk in the cycle lane then

Something I never do.
Cyclists are always after me a bit like that plane in the old Hichcock film.

 

[pork pie]

It's not council money ... it comes from a special fund set up by the government to test what is the effect of improving facilities for cyclists. Brighton and Hove has been selected as one of 16 town and cities in Britain to introduce a variety of new cycling initiatives. It seems only sensible to do some accurate monitoring work.

If the money wasn't spent in Brighton and Hove, it would go to cycling projects in one of the other 15 towns and cities.

MP unveils £140m cycling boost at Hove school From The Argus)

Frankly, the Government should not be wasting our money on such things in these times. The sooner these scum are kicked-out the better.

 

[Was not Was]

All the opponents are (deliberately?) sidestepping the key points here:

1. the point is surely not the COUNTING but DISPLAYING the totals, to reinforce the idea that cycling is OK, and that lots of people do it.

2. if you invest in a measure like this and it works, you save umpteen times what you've spent in lower healthcare bills, because cycling makes people healthier. So it's ok to oppose it if you think it won't work, but in that case explain why it won't in your view! Otherwise it's a bit like opposing any investment with a payback period of longer than a day.

It seems that some people are so determined to bash cyclists / find evidence that the govt pisses money away, etc that they'll twist the evidence to match their views. Back in the day, we used to form a view based on the evidence. Some of us still do.