Comments on: Histon http://b1049.wordpress.com Just another WordPress.com weblog Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:11:10 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Richard Bowers http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-33 Richard Bowers Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:47:41 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-33 Mr Poulton, Sorry, I didn't mean to be misunderstood. I quite agree with you that this road will very much benefit from a cycle path, ideally one on each side of the road so cyclists can travel in the correct direction for the flow of traffic. The point about expecting cyclists to be off the road at all times is an aside. I very occasionally cycle north from Histon so I have experienced the excitement this part of the road can cause. And in reply to Joss, surely the problems you have described aren't going to be solved by reducing the speed limit to 30mph if the minority of lunatics still throw their vehicles around at 70mph? I still believe a drop of 10mph is unnecessary if the 40mph speed limit is enforced. Mr Poulton,

Sorry, I didn’t mean to be misunderstood. I quite agree with you that this road will very much benefit from a cycle path, ideally one on each side of the road so cyclists can travel in the correct direction for the flow of traffic. The point about expecting cyclists to be off the road at all times is an aside. I very occasionally cycle north from Histon so I have experienced the excitement this part of the road can cause.

And in reply to Joss, surely the problems you have described aren’t going to be solved by reducing the speed limit to 30mph if the minority of lunatics still throw their vehicles around at 70mph? I still believe a drop of 10mph is unnecessary if the 40mph speed limit is enforced.

]]> By: Fred http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-31 Fred Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:30:59 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-31 Joss You're post is confusing. You describe some experiences that sound quite scary - particularly with your new baby. You put them down to people exceeding the 40mph speed limit - 70mph or more in one case. And then you suggest that the limit should be reduced to 30. The only effect that has is that anyone who currently drives between 31 and 40 will no longer be able to. Are they really the people causing you distress? If people travelling above 40 are the problem, then enforcement of the existing limit is the solution. If you think the limit should be reduced to 30 then you must explain why you think the people who currently travel between 31 and 40 are the problem. Joss
You’re post is confusing. You describe some experiences that sound quite scary – particularly with your new baby. You put them down to people exceeding the 40mph speed limit – 70mph or more in one case.

And then you suggest that the limit should be reduced to 30. The only effect that has is that anyone who currently drives between 31 and 40 will no longer be able to. Are they really the people causing you distress?

If people travelling above 40 are the problem, then enforcement of the existing limit is the solution. If you think the limit should be reduced to 30 then you must explain why you think the people who currently travel between 31 and 40 are the problem.

]]> By: Joss http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-28 Joss Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:32:01 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-28 My mum lives on orchard Road in Histon and I live in cottenham. When I leave my mum's I turn right onto the B1049. There is a blind spot on the left because cars are always parked there. It absolutely terrifies me because people drive much faster then the 40mph speed limit and I feel like I'm risking my life every time I turn out of the road. Now I have a baby, I don't risk it at all, so I drive to the other end of Orchard Road and onto Mill Lane and back out to the t-junction to turn right onto the B1049. At least from here I can see down to the traffic lights and safely turn onto the road without fear of someone colliding into me at high speed. The speed limit should be enforced and reduced to 30. On another occasion, my mum, baby and I were crossing the road (from Orchard Road onto the pavement on the other side, leading down to pages close. A car came flying round the corner at I would guess at least 70mph and nearly ran us over. I had to bump the pram up the curb really quickly and the car missed us by inches. It was terrifying. Please please reduce to 30mph. It's a built up area and people should feel safe. My mum lives on orchard Road in Histon and I live in cottenham. When I leave my mum’s I turn right onto the B1049. There is a blind spot on the left because cars are always parked there. It absolutely terrifies me because people drive much faster then the 40mph speed limit and I feel like I’m risking my life every time I turn out of the road. Now I have a baby, I don’t risk it at all, so I drive to the other end of Orchard Road and onto Mill Lane and back out to the t-junction to turn right onto the B1049. At least from here I can see down to the traffic lights and safely turn onto the road without fear of someone colliding into me at high speed. The speed limit should be enforced and reduced to 30.

On another occasion, my mum, baby and I were crossing the road (from Orchard Road onto the pavement on the other side, leading down to pages close. A car came flying round the corner at I would guess at least 70mph and nearly ran us over. I had to bump the pram up the curb really quickly and the car missed us by inches. It was terrifying.

Please please reduce to 30mph. It’s a built up area and people should feel safe.

]]> By: Andrew Poulton http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-25 Andrew Poulton Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:23:01 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-25 Mr Bowers, i echo much of what you say but must add that the possibility of drivers wrongly believing cyclists shouldn't be on the road is no reason whatever not to have a cycle path if the road or existing path is not appropriate for cycling. I cycle from Cottenham and if 60mph is to be deemed acceptable on the section in question, i assure you a cycle path is absolutely necessary in this instance. I have set out why in the Cottenham-Histon section of this site. Once you get to Histon it's fine as the road is wider, a cycle section is marked on the road in places, and few will ever pass you at 60mph. There is also a wider issue at stake here which is the need to make the outlying villages of Cambridge as accessible as possible by bike, both in order to reduce congestion and emissions, and to give more drivers the option to leave the car at home. Only a select hardcore of cyclists with scant regard for their own lives cycle from Cottenham to Cambridge at this time of year!! When global growth and demand returns, the $150 barrel of oil will return also - the recession at least gives us an opportunity to prepare for it! Mr Bowers,
i echo much of what you say but must add that the possibility of drivers wrongly believing cyclists shouldn’t be on the road is no reason whatever not to have a cycle path if the road or existing path is not appropriate for cycling. I cycle from Cottenham and if 60mph is to be deemed acceptable on the section in question, i assure you a cycle path is absolutely necessary in this instance. I have set out why in the Cottenham-Histon section of this site. Once you get to Histon it’s fine as the road is wider, a cycle section is marked on the road in places, and few will ever pass you at 60mph.

There is also a wider issue at stake here which is the need to make the outlying villages of Cambridge as accessible as possible by bike, both in order to reduce congestion and emissions, and to give more drivers the option to leave the car at home. Only a select hardcore of cyclists with scant regard for their own lives cycle from Cottenham to Cambridge at this time of year!!

When global growth and demand returns, the $150 barrel of oil will return also – the recession at least gives us an opportunity to prepare for it!

]]> By: Richard Bowers http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-17 Richard Bowers Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:11:45 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-17 I agree that the speed limits are currently correct on the 1049 through Histon and Impington. I use this road daily, usually by bicycle, and the problems are more to do with congestion rather than speed. South of the war memorial we already have light controlled crossings, traffic islands and effectively a dual carriageway. The vast majority of drivers appear to stick to the 40mph limit through the villages. Indeed, when it comes to people not following the speed limit it is more the case that people drive 20mph *slower* than the limit between the A14 and New Road, as many stick to 40mph through the national limit as well (and yes, I'm aware that it's a limit and not a target, but I was always taught you drove at or near the speed limit if it was safe to do so). Nearly every accident I've seen in nine years of living in the village is a very low speed prang caused by congestion induced frustration rather than speed. The very sad case of Mary Scott was reported to be caused by an inattentive lorry driver rather than a speeding one. There was a chap who was knocked off his motorbike and injured three or four years ago, and that again caused by inattention of the car driver who pulled out in front of him rather than excessive speed on his part. The one thing that made a big improvement to my daily journey through the villages on bicycle was when the northern part of Station Road was made no entry from the High Street. There was no weaving between parked cars because there almost no four wheeled traffic travelling south along the road. Sadly, this was the one part of the traffic calming that was rescinded after pressure from local businesses. I would dearly love to see this implemented again. And flow along the High Street may be improved if the two parking bays on the road outside the Barley Mow were removed: they seem to cause a lot of problems when they are used. As for the section of the 1049 between Histon and Cottenham, the national limit is, in my opinion, correct. Having a good cycle path like the one to Girton will help, but the down side of having cycle paths everywhere is that motorists start to believe that cyclist have no right to be on the regular road. There are good reasons not to use the cycle paths: pedestrians where there is joint use, brambles, hedge cuttings, broken glass, vehicles coming out of side turnings and not giving way as they would if one were on the road, to name a few. Sadly a significant minority of motorists get angry if a cyclist is quite legally using the main carriageway and daring to slow their journey by ten seconds. The law does not require the cycle path to be used. Apologies for this long posting. In summary, please don't change the limits on the 1049. There is no need for it to be a 30mph road. The congestion is more of an issue, and sadly I don't believe there is a solution to this. People just cannot or will not leave their cars at home, and the trucks still need to get to Chivers. I agree that the speed limits are currently correct on the 1049 through Histon and Impington. I use this road daily, usually by bicycle, and the problems are more to do with congestion rather than speed. South of the war memorial we already have light controlled crossings, traffic islands and effectively a dual carriageway.

The vast majority of drivers appear to stick to the 40mph limit through the villages. Indeed, when it comes to people not following the speed limit it is more the case that people drive 20mph *slower* than the limit between the A14 and New Road, as many stick to 40mph through the national limit as well (and yes, I’m aware that it’s a limit and not a target, but I was always taught you drove at or near the speed limit if it was safe to do so).

Nearly every accident I’ve seen in nine years of living in the village is a very low speed prang caused by congestion induced frustration rather than speed. The very sad case of Mary Scott was reported to be caused by an inattentive lorry driver rather than a speeding one. There was a chap who was knocked off his motorbike and injured three or four years ago, and that again caused by inattention of the car driver who pulled out in front of him rather than excessive speed on his part.

The one thing that made a big improvement to my daily journey through the villages on bicycle was when the northern part of Station Road was made no entry from the High Street. There was no weaving between parked cars because there almost no four wheeled traffic travelling south along the road. Sadly, this was the one part of the traffic calming that was rescinded after pressure from local businesses. I would dearly love to see this implemented again. And flow along the High Street may be improved if the two parking bays on the road outside the Barley Mow were removed: they seem to cause a lot of problems when they are used.

As for the section of the 1049 between Histon and Cottenham, the national limit is, in my opinion, correct. Having a good cycle path like the one to Girton will help, but the down side of having cycle paths everywhere is that motorists start to believe that cyclist have no right to be on the regular road. There are good reasons not to use the cycle paths: pedestrians where there is joint use, brambles, hedge cuttings, broken glass, vehicles coming out of side turnings and not giving way as they would if one were on the road, to name a few. Sadly a significant minority of motorists get angry if a cyclist is quite legally using the main carriageway and daring to slow their journey by ten seconds. The law does not require the cycle path to be used.

Apologies for this long posting. In summary, please don’t change the limits on the 1049. There is no need for it to be a 30mph road. The congestion is more of an issue, and sadly I don’t believe there is a solution to this. People just cannot or will not leave their cars at home, and the trucks still need to get to Chivers.

]]> By: Natalie http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-10 Natalie Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:18:38 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-10 40mph is an acceptable speed limit and should be enforced, rather than reducing it. There are plenty of pedestrian crossings and people should be using these instead of putting themselves in danger trying to cross elsewhere. Children should be accompanied AT ALL TIMES when crossing the road and should not be left to do it alone - it should not be down to everyone else to look after others' children. The introduction of more roundabouts, rather than traffic lights will ease congestion, as it does everywhere else! 40mph is an acceptable speed limit and should be enforced, rather than reducing it. There are plenty of pedestrian crossings and people should be using these instead of putting themselves in danger trying to cross elsewhere. Children should be accompanied AT ALL TIMES when crossing the road and should not be left to do it alone – it should not be down to everyone else to look after others’ children.
The introduction of more roundabouts, rather than traffic lights will ease congestion, as it does everywhere else!

]]> By: malcolm busby http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-8 malcolm busby Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:36:21 +0000 http://b1049.wordpress.com/histon/#comment-8 I have lived in Histon since late April on a road that is a turn off from the 1049. I get noise from it that you do get used too although its not so incessant as traffic noise was in Milton where I was before moving in here. The biggest issue has to be the speed of traffic and the congestion caused for no apparent reason some days. Why is the road so wide after the red lion to the cottenham end of the village which encourages speed in this area, why are there no flashing speed reminder boards. The 20 mph speed limit would be great together with some active slowing down measures, can we get a cardboard policeman. I have lived in Histon since late April on a road that is a turn off from the 1049. I get noise from it that you do get used too although its not so incessant as traffic noise was in Milton where I was before moving in here.

The biggest issue has to be the speed of traffic and the congestion caused for no apparent reason some days. Why is the road so wide after the red lion to the cottenham end of the village which encourages speed in this area, why are there no flashing speed reminder boards.

The 20 mph speed limit would be great together with some active slowing down measures, can we get a cardboard policeman.

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