Today I was defeated...

Note: there is swearing in this blog, it's to show my true feelings in this blog.

I was planning to go for a cycle ride & since it was exactly 4yrs ago I cycled to Chelmsford for the Tour De France, I thought I go cycle to Chelmsford. But as it turned out no sooner than I started cycling towards town things weren't turning out as I had planned.

I was defeated in achieving in cycling, I never managed to get to Chelmsford. By time I got as far as Kelvedon I really was not enjoying the ride. By Witham I decided enough is enough & stopped of at Morrisons for a cold drink & then got the train back to Colchester.

Now part of the reason was the heat & it's effects on my disability which was not making it easy to cycle but nothing I have not had before to deal with when cycling. No, the worst was the shit impatient drivers who simply give not give a fuck about my safety & passing so fucking close I might as well got in the car with them.

  

  

  

And this fucking idiot decide to brush alongside me as I am starting to get ready to go around a parked car, in such a fucking rush to endanger me but then slows when I shouted at him through his window to try get me closer to pick a fight. Yup that is one arsehole of a driver & I was not gonna go near him coz I know he is an arsehole. Likely was deliberate too!

 

  

All that was before I even left Colchester & when I finally got to Mark Tey & onto the shared path to head Eastward towards Chelmsford & should have been an easier route along the A12. But alas I haven't been along here in a while & the shared path is even worse than when I last used it.

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

This is the 'improvements' Highway England promised us a few years back, the 'improvements' that have in fact made the route even worse than ever & refuse to respond to my complaint to correct them (A12 survey report of the incomplete & shoddy works between Witham & Marks Tey) & even ignore all my emails since. This was supposed to be an easier route to use & it's now an uncomfortable piece of crap infra that is more hard work to use & honestly I felt I be better off cycling on the A12 itself. I would not recommend anyone use this, especially those with disabilities.

Of course going through Kelvedon was as predictable as ever, impatient drivers trying to get past me on old narrow roads with way too many cars parked on & no room to pass me. Thankfully the drivers were not as bad as London Road tho I was already tense at Kelvedon so didn't feel much better.

So by the time I got to Witham I was hurting, stressed & basically had enough & turned off onto a quieter route towards the Station & stopped off at Morrison for a cold drink then caught the train back to Colchester as I sure was in no mood to cycle back.

A quick trip to grab a pizza & ice cream for when I got home & then cycled back on a quieter route home & of course I had to have one more fucking driver choosing to put my life in danger than wait for 2 fucking seconds!!

 

 

 

By the time I got home I had enough, had it with all this crap thanks to the self-entitled drivers on our roads that have been created thanks to those like Essex County Council, Highway England for giving roads to drive every fucking where & NOTHING decent for those walking & cycling. And got to say a big fucking thankyou to Essex Police for encouraging this aggressive shit dangerous driving by doing sweet fuck all about these drivers when reported & happy to fob us off with bullshit lies & excuses, even the PCC is refusing to face me to discuss this like the useless coward he is!

So am I gonna give up, way things are I should but won't! Not when I have drivers like this!

 

 

But mostly one's like this & their passenger. Just look at the passenger's smile, she's loving the Cruiser & making her day.

 

 

 

But most of all giving up means these fucking arseholes win & I sure hell ain't gonna make it easy for them. I will relax, recharge, get my disability in check & will make Essex County Council, Highway England & Essex Police live's hell! And why not when they are failing to make our roads safe for those walking & cycling.

I am defeated today but there will be other days & I now know the route between Colchester & Chelmsford is now a no go area until I get my Cruiser upgraded to an eBike thanks to those who supposed to maintain & give us a decent cycle infrastructure are failing to do so.

A12 survey report of the incomplete & shoddy works between Witham & Marks Tey

In January 2016, I wrote this Blog regarding the work about to be carried out & sent it to Highway England: http://the2wheeledwolf.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/my-views-of-work-to-be-carried-out-on.html

After the work was supposedly done I made a complaint & sent this copy of the Survey Report I did on the works carried out by Highway England on the 'cycling infra' that goes between Marks Tey & Witham as they really didn't want to go do a proper inspection & were gonna sign it off as completed back in September 2016 & Highway England passed it onto the Safety Auditors to carry out an independent safety audit of the scheme.

Sorry it took a lil longer to write this up, I have a paid job to do & do not get paid to do the job of those at Essex County Council who are supposed to inspect the work before signing it off. Not just sign it off & sod those who have to use it at their own peril. I was really Gob-smacked that was going to happen.

So as I had said I will point out the problems created by the works carried out & I do expect them to be corrected before signing off the works. I will go in order of the drawings from Witham to Marks Tey.

Starting with east Witham as you exit the town. Why is it Highway engineers for councils feel bicycles can turn on the spot at speed as if it is a Tron cycle?

Its no joke but you should try it with fast moving traffic up your rear. The dropped curb is not wide enough to cater all forms of cycles & expecting them to turn that sharp will result in being hit by drivers from behind. This should be a tapered/angled entry to the shared path in fast moving traffic trying to get to the A12 faster than a cyclists does.

Then there's the resurfacing, when you resurface are you not meant to keep it flush with manhole covers?

 

Coz they have not done this & it is a trip hazard to pedestrians & cyclists as well as the uneven surfaces where the resurfacing was done in stages.

 

Then the dropped curbs at the junctions, most are too steep, uneven & not flush to the road.

  

 

 

 

This is apparent along the whole route along the A12 & already I have had my wheel repaired due to these appallingly done dropped curbs & having to again this week. I sure wouldn't like to see how a wheelchair user would cope with them.

 

Also noticed my concerns were ignored of these side junctions with fast moving traffic turning off, there are no signs to warn drivers or any form of speed reduction been put in to make sure those already crossing are able to safely. Instead they look at the motor traffic on the road & not look at paths. This has been pointed out now in the Gazette by business The Empire Diner along the A12.

Coming into Kelvedon, again you're expecting cyclists to do a sharp right & then left turn to leave the shared path.

Yet again this is dangerous as it make the cyclist slow to a crawl & try get onto a fast moving traffic coming off the A12. It should have been tapered to feed the cyclists onto the road & maintain a reasonable speed. As usual its to benefit traffic flow & not those trying to cycle.

And as for the painted logos on the road thru Kelvedon & Feering, I see you just totally ignored what I had said to put them in the middle of the road & as a result I have a number of drivers try push me into the gutter when cycling.

Here's a video to show my disgust with this: https://youtu.be/UgkiFzZn9Yw. And we have Highway England & Essex County Council to thank for that!

And what the Hell is this as you leave Feering towards Marks Tey?

 

Are you really expecting cyclists to turn into approaching traffic on the side road to access the shared path? Are you really trying to kill cyclists? Why did you not fix & use the dropped curb further along to safely access the shared path without trying to kill them.

Then there's section of the shared path along the A12 that have not been touched as per drawings, as in 'apply weed killing & asphalt crack sealant on existing footway'.

 

 

I can definitely say this was NOT done & with winter coming along it gets very dark due to lack of lighting so is a risk of tripping pedestrians or knocking a cyclist off & more likely into the traffic on the A12. And talking about lighting, do you expect pedestrians & cyclists to use the shared paths along the A12 in darkness but happily light the roads for the drivers? If this is to be a route to increase walking & cycling (highly doubtful in this state) then it requires lighting to help see the paths & drivers to see those on the paths.

Finally at Marks Tey, do you really think this is acceptable access from the path to the road. Unlit dark lil corner with fencing. Why is it not tidied up & made clearer where to go & more visible in the dark?

 

Then as mentioned before, stopping it at the end of the road as you just come off the A12 is just stupid & dangerous & despite pointing this out, it was just excused as not part of the this scheme so cyclists now have to put themselves in danger trying to cross a busy fast moving A120 & I can tell you I have had myself almost on a car bonnet thanks to the actions of a dangerous driver & Essex County Council & Highway England buck passing excuses to not supply a safe route for cyclists going over the A12 towards Colchester. Which I have reported to Essex Police but as usual they don't give a damn!

This is a brief report as I have limited time to do your job & if you're unhappy to what I have to say I aint sorry as I am sick & tired of the appalling works carried out on the claims of 'better' cycling infrastructure that we will never get at this rate. I for one see what has been done has made it worse, uncomfortable, damaging to bikes & dangerous to use.

And I am still awaiting drawings for the section between Witham & Chelmsford.

Regards

Since sending this email in September I have compiled a video which I had also sent them (https://youtu.be/Hp4WBJ5vZGQ) to back this report & had to chase up to see if the safety Auditors had completed their work, only to find out they haven't even started. It is supposedly meant to be done this January 2017, despite my safety concerns many month back they are really dragging their heels on this & I will keep putting the pressure on them.