Cycle Gate and Reservoir

When you hack through the jungle of confusing terminology around the cycle gate and reservoir, it is a beautifully simple idea.

If I’ve understood it correctly, a cycle gate and reservoir is a de luxe Advanced Stop Zone.

The Cycle Gate and Reservoir on Holgate Road, York

The example shown in the image is above is on Holgate Road, York, at the junction with The Mount/Blossom Street. There’s a first stop line for motor vehicles, but cyclists get a green light to continue about 25m further to a second stop line and set of lights.

When the lights at the second stop line change to green cyclists can go, and they have a decent headstart over drivers.

Important note: it has been pointed out to me that the phasing of the lights at the second stop line creates a major problem. If you want to go straight ahead or right by bike, left-turning cars start moving and coming past you before you’re allowed to make your movement. This puts you in a difficult position, with nowhere to go.

This is a major defect in the system which the City of York should correct immediately.

Confusing Terminology

Being a bear of little brain, I find some of the terminology confusing.

For example, where is the cycle gate? There are no bars, no hinges, no latch, and there’s no creak as it opens and closes. There’s no gate; it’s a virtual gate. Perhaps it’s part of Bookface’s metaverse?

Similarly, there’s a remarkable absence of drinking water in the reservoir.

This is what LTN 1/20 says about cycle gates:

This is one occasion when LTN 1/20 isn’t all that clear – or I’m not bright enough to understand what it’s saying. I think a true cycle gate and reservoir is slightly more complicated than the York version, in two ways.

First, the images in LTN 1/20 suggest that the cycle entry to the reservoir should be a separate kerb-protected lane.

Second, para 10.6.34 suggests that with a true cycle gate and reservoir there would be different phases of the lights at the second stop line for cyclists and drivers. In York, there are no separate signals for cyclists at the second stop line.

8 to 80 Year Old Standard

It’s important to say that this is only a small intervention to help people on bikes. You’re still left to navigate a big and busy junction in mixed traffic.

If you take the set of junctions as a whole – The Mount, Blossom Street, Dalton Terrace, Holgate Road, Queen Street and Nunnery Lane – they are busy and hostile to cycling. Only a proper solution giving dedicated space to cycling, and separating people on bikes in time and space from motor vehicles, would meet the 8 to 80 year old standard in LTN 1/20.

Sleeping Beauty’s curse wasn’t reversed but softened from death to sleeping for 100 years. This is also a Sleeping Beauty solution: City of York Council can’t (or more accurately won’t) reverse the curse of riding in traffic, so instead it softens it by giving you a headstart.

It’s worth doing, but it isn’t a permanent solution. The left turn arrow light at the second stop line also creates a major problem.