Reply from the council (Campaign one)
So I've had a reply from the council, in regards to Campaign 1. As it is a personally addressed letter I won't post the letter in it's entirity, but I shall post a tl;dr version below:
Firstly, none of the issues I'd mention had been picked up by the Road Safety Audits at any stage (Stage 1 - Preliminary Design; Stage 2 - Detailed Design; and Stage 3 – Completion).
Not that I'm accusing of the road safety audits not doing their job properly, but something's definitely amiss if they missed 4 major issues.
On the cycle ramp on the approach to the traffic lights on Wigginton Road (this has featured in various videos), "cyclists must adapt their behaviour depending on whether they wish to turn left or right" and he doesn't see any potential problems for cyclists at this junction.
Before now I have seen motorists turning left without indicating, cyclists filtering down the inside of left turning vehicles, and filtering down the left, to make a sharp right to go down the (Sustrans Route 66) cycle track there will be an accident down here at some point in the future, it's just a case of when, and involving whom?
They have said that the section of cycle lane from the shared use section to the junction with Burton Stone Lane that they've measured out is enough. He says the strip is 27m in length, which is "enough time to establish themselves within the on-road cycle lane, where their presence in the carriageway should be recognised by westbound motorists"
Quick maths: Travelling at 18mph (Maximum recommended speed on a cycle lane), this section is cleared in under 3.5 seconds. At 30mph (speed of a car), this is complete in just over 2 seconds. This is not enough time to check your shoulder (/mirrors and blind spot) and assert yourself in a strong position. As a moderately experienced cyclist I find difficulty squeezing all three in before the right hand turn ahead. An amateur cyclist would have no chance if someone was about to left hook them.
As regards to the steep gradient, cyclists should slow down.
Seriously. That's the sum of what he said.
He acknowledges that a buffer strip should be provided between the edge of the parking bay and the cycle lane on Chricton Avenue, but argues that that this would have reduced the traffic lanes to below standard widths, so they approved the cycle lane anyway, without a buffer strip. Given that the cycle lanes are 1.5m wide, cyclists should be able to ride safely along the outer edge of the cycle lane, avoiding the door zone.
So if it's unsafe to have a buffer strip, is it not unsafe to implement a cycle lane in the first place? Most cyclists ride in the gutter as it is, that 0.5m buffer strip (where they would ride to the extreme left of the lane) could easily be a lifesaver.
So in conclusion, none of these issues I have raised were considered problems at the Road Safety Audit stages. As there have been no accidents along this section of road, he doesn't consider that any further action is necessary at the present time.
There have been no accidents, but a multitude of incidents (involving both myself and others) isn't good enough for him to warrant further action.
I'll be writing a reply with these key points (albeit phrased better), and seeing what reply I get.