2004 - The A12 cycle safety campaign continues

Summary of what happened last year

As the Highways Agency refused to admit their incompetence in cycling matters the campaign of cycling along the A12 in rush hour was started.

The police arrested me - But their case collapsed - This was all great publicity.

But the Minister for roads refused to even acknowledge a letter put on his desk by local MP Alan Hurst.

And the Highways Agency blocked off two gaps in the central reservation without any consideration of the effects on pedestrians or cyclists even though they had been told about them.

Details of what happened last year

2004 gets worse!

And now the Minister has announced that the meagre funds for the Non-Motorised User (NMU) Crossings Improvement Programme have been axed thus condeming people who live near trunk roads to being permanently prevented from going about their locality unless they get in a car.

So it is back on the road until the Government starts making the Highways Agency accountable to all road users.

Press release

*** PRESS RELEASE *** 26th JULY 2004 ***

A12 CYCLE SAFETY PROTEST CONTINUES

Delays likely from Monday 26th July as minister fiddles while roads harm. It's back on the road for campaigner as the only way to bring the Highways Agency to account for their appalling record.

The Highways Agency have ignored their own guidance and made A12 even less cycle friendly than before. Last June Peter Fox from Witham brought this matter to the public's attention after his analysis on the problems in the Highways Agency were ignored. He cycled along the A12 which caused tailbacks. Then the Police arrested Mr Fox for ‘obstruction' but to nobody's surprise their case collapsed when it came to court as cycling on this road is perfectly legal.

The minister for roads, David Jamieson, has had this urgent safety matter on his desk for ten months and not even bothered to reply. In fact he has just axed funding for improvements to road crossings for non-motorised users.

With a spell of fine weather ahead it looks like last years delays will be repeated for some while until the minister for roads can explain:

  • firstly why he thinks why the people who live near trunk roads are only allowed to move if they're in a car.
  • secondly why the Highways Agency has ignored its own guidance in blocking the central crossings to cyclists and pedestrians between Kelvedon and Marks Tey.
  • thirdly when the Highways Agency will adopt an action plan to address it's deadly ignorance of cycling matters.

Mr Fox says "I don't want to be out on the road but when Jamieson, the Roads Minister makes Geoff Hoon look like a human dynamo, and when he condemns local people to isolation somebody needs to make a stand. This man is has show he's idle when it comes to safety and arrogant when it comes to anyone not in a car.

"The people of Marks Tey, Coggeshall, Bradwell and surrounding villages are in for a bit of a shock as their A130 is now in the hands of the Highways Agency - They don't appear to be answerable to anybody and make the Daleks look like cuddly toys.

"Both the minister and the highways agency have a ‘car-only agenda' which can only mean people being squeezed, literally, off the roads, and being denied the basic freedom to move about their locality.

"Last year I was amazed at the level of public support - Complete strangers said ‘well done - we need alternatives to cars - we can see where the authorities are going and it's the wrong way' "

Peter Fox

Home : 01376 517206
Mobile : 07776447651
Email : NO LONGER VALID 2 Tees Close, Witham, Essex CM8 1LG

Why the Highways Agency must be reformed

Firstly they ignore cyclists (and other non-motorised users)

Secondly they ignore their own design guidance

Thirdly they refuse to put their house in order

I have written a simple action plan for them: (PDF document).

Basically they need to:-

Example from last year of a killer design for a new junction

Between Kelvedon and Marks Tey the HA closed off three gaps in the central reservation. Despite me telling them that they should leave gaps for cyclists they blocked them off completely.

This means that, for example, a cyclist from the Harwich ferry heading towards London ends up trapped on the busy dual carriageway with no way to get to a cycle path on the other side. They were told but pressed on regardless of any safety analysis that a ten year-old could do.

Contact: Peter Fox email address image Tel: (01376) 517206

Letter to road safety minister - David Jamieson - 12th July 2003

STILL NO REPLY AFTER A WHOLE YEAR

Dear Minister,

I do not know if you are aware of the direct action being carried out to force the Highways Agency to do something about their bogus safety analysis and the ignorance of their engineers as regards cycling, but as of this Monday the A12 in Essex will be effectively reduced to a single lane until the HA address these serious organisational issues.

The details are on the web site www.eminent.demon.co.uk/roadsafety.htm

This action is necessary because the HA have refused to address this issue. - So if they won't do it voluntarily then they must be forced.

I have written a specification for an action plan which is attached and also available on the web site. What I would like you to do is endorse this specification. I don't think you will have any trouble doing this as you will see that the specification is eminently sensible, to the point and very necessary.

What you might like to do in addition is to set a deadline for the HA to implement their action plan.

Please remember that this direct action will continue until the Chief Executive of the HA has delivered a believable action plan to me. They have had 7 weeks already and cyclists are fed up of waiting for ever for nothing.

Peter Fox

Thanks to Trevor Johnson for this apt cartoon (I always wear a silly hat) which reminds us that cycling is fun
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