It’s so much better (From York Press)

Hepworth is a childish, and an attention seeking, nutter who does far more harm than good to York's cyclists.

The junction was congested before the junction changes, congested while they were in place and remains congested since they were reversed.

I've queued nearly right back to Poppleton Road several times since the junction was reverted.

I don't think there is any significant change for cars at the Clifton Green junction...it was very badly congested before the cycle route improvements were put in and has been so for years.

Long term, the congestion will continue to get worse and certainly removing a safe cycling facility will only force people back into cars. Congested dangerous junctions are known to be a key deterrent to cycling.

The biggest losers in changes which make cycling in York more difficult are car drivers...the bikes will always squeeze through but the vehicles are always caught in the congestion.

There are many initiatives that would be vulnerable to politically motivated reversals for a few short term votes...

'Hey vote for me and I'll get rid of all bus lanes...all speed limits...all parking charges...all cycle lanes'. Might get votes from a few people but the long term result is gridlock and a trashed York economy.

The campaign to squeeze two lanes back in at Clifton Green (opposed by Council officers and all the emergency services) seemed to blame the congestion on the cycle lane. Paul Hepworth is absolutely right to point out that the congestion is still there - caused by vehicles... not the cycle lane which no longer exists at Clifton Green.

I cycle from poppy to the rail station every day, pass by the junction at poppy road school at about 8:15 and school holidays aside the traffic is always backed up from water end. inconsiderate drivers make it worse for other car drivers by going through amber lights on poppleton road turning onto water end when they obviously cannot get through and then sit there blocking the road for drivers wishing to go straight on. But I dont mind i just pedal around them.

Nice to see some supportive comments for my doppleganger.......D
oes Bob always drive into York from Askham Bryan or has he tried the P&R service for some journeys?

TheTruthHurts wrote:
I cycle from poppy to the rail station every day, pass by the junction at poppy road school at about 8:15 and school holidays aside the traffic is always backed up from water end. inconsiderate drivers make it worse for other car drivers by going through amber lights on poppleton road turning onto water end when they obviously cannot get through and then sit there blocking the road for drivers wishing to go straight on. But I dont mind i just pedal around them.

Rubbish I travel through Clifton green every morning at this time and have never seen it past the bridge !

Ichabod76 wrote:

TheTruthHurts wrote:
I cycle from poppy to the rail station every day, pass by the junction at poppy road school at about 8:15 and school holidays aside the traffic is always backed up from water end. inconsiderate drivers make it worse for other car drivers by going through amber lights on poppleton road turning onto water end when they obviously cannot get through and then sit there blocking the road for drivers wishing to go straight on. But I dont mind i just pedal around them.

Rubbish I travel through Clifton green every morning at this time and have never seen it past the bridge !

No its not, I have a helmet cam and if i can work out how to take a still from it will happily publish it.

Magritte wrote:
Hepworth is a childish, and an attention seeking, nutter who does far more harm than good to York's cyclists.

Sadly, you're absolutely right. He just makes the majority of York's cyclists look, unfairly, stupid and self-obsessed.

yorkshirelad wrote:
The junction was congested before the junction changes, congested while they were in place and remains congested since they were reversed.

I've queued nearly right back to Poppleton Road several times since the junction was reverted.

I don't think there is any significant change for cars at the Clifton Green junction...it was very badly congested before the cycle route improvements were put in and has been so for years.

Long term, the congestion will continue to get worse and certainly removing a safe cycling facility will only force people back into cars. Congested dangerous junctions are known to be a key deterrent to cycling.

The biggest losers in changes which make cycling in York more difficult are car drivers...the bikes will always squeeze through but the vehicles are always caught in the congestion.

There are many initiatives that would be vulnerable to politically motivated reversals for a few short term votes...

'Hey vote for me and I'll get rid of all bus lanes...all speed limits...all parking charges...all cycle lanes'. Might get votes from a few people but the long term result is gridlock and a trashed York economy.

The campaign to squeeze two lanes back in at Clifton Green (opposed by Council officers and all the emergency services) seemed to blame the congestion on the cycle lane. Paul Hepworth is absolutely right to point out that the congestion is still there - caused by vehicles... not the cycle lane which no longer exists at Clifton Green.

Completely correct, though I fear your point is falling on people covering their ears screaming LAAHLAAAHLAAAH.... Because in York the attitude of most car drivers to cyclists is absolutely appauling. Cyclists are seen as the root of every motoring bane and cause of congestion in the city, when the truth is the complete opposite.
I have cycled around various places across the North including Leeds, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Bradford, Halifax, Skipton, Ilkley, Blackburn, Preston and even parts of the Lake District... and nowhere out of those places have I felt so intimidated by car drivers than I do right here in York. I have cycled along a part of the A1 and felt safer than I do going along Strensall Road for example.

The council isn't focused on cycling at all - if it was it wouldn't have increased pedestrianisation hours with it's included prohibition on cycling within the zone, it wouldn't have removed the Water End cycle lane where it was most important, it wouldn't have left the Foss Islands cycle route littered with leaves which have now coagulated into a slippery goo, and when snow falls it would clear the cycle lanes INCLUDING the on/off access points (which is where it fails every year), at points like the stupid junction at Heslington Field Lane there would be a point where cycles going from Field Lane northbound to the science park would be able to access the on-pavement cycle lane at the junction, and likewise at Clifton moor.....

TheTruthHurts wrote:

Ichabod76 wrote:

TheTruthHurts wrote:
I cycle from poppy to the rail station every day, pass by the junction at poppy road school at about 8:15 and school holidays aside the traffic is always backed up from water end. inconsiderate drivers make it worse for other car drivers by going through amber lights on poppleton road turning onto water end when they obviously cannot get through and then sit there blocking the road for drivers wishing to go straight on. But I dont mind i just pedal around them.

Rubbish I travel through Clifton green every morning at this time and have never seen it past the bridge !

No its not, I have a helmet cam and if i can work out how to take a still from it will happily publish it.

If the video is on your PC you can press CTRL and "Print Screen", then open up Paint or some other graphics program and paste the image into that and save it, then upload to photobucket/flikr or similar.

The cycling fraternity are liars on this one. The reintroduction of two car lanes at the junction has worked wonders to reduce congestion, and has put things to where they were, as predicted.

It shows what could be achieved with the mass removal of cycle and bus lanes and other measures deliberately put in place to manufacture congestion so as to justify congestion charging in York.