Stafford Traffic.

[John Marwood]

Apparently, Staffs County Council has 21,500 employees, or thereabouts. Stafford Borough Council has only 400 or so. The Hospital employs c.3000, though if it goes down to 2999 the whole place goes into meltdown, or something.

Stafford is a good town to cycle in - this year marks my tenth of regularly doing so - easily as good as Oxford (Oh, Oxford... etc), a previous haunt of mine. The difference between Oxford and Stafford?

Culture. Of all sorts...

But back to cycling - a culture of cycling in Oxford has led to a continued culture of cycling in Oxford which will lead to an etc etc. More importantly, this means that there is an increased awareness of all road users that there are all sorts of road users on the road (many of the pedestrians are a bit 'lost in thought' sort of thing - you tend to keep more of an eye out for them) so there is much more 'us', far less 'them 'n' us' going on. The difference in 'terrain' between the two is negligible - Radford Bank vs Headington Hill... FIGHT! - there is no reason why an equally equitable co-existence cannot be established here.

I've noticed a huge increase in cycle use in the last ten years - when i first started my commute i would genuinely be surprised to see one, let alone two, other cyclists on the road - and am a big believer in the whole 'critical mass' idea. It is not, of course, the answer to all our transport woes but it beats the shit out of sitting in a queue of traffic for half an hour if you ain't carrying no weight but yourself.

SCC is the biggest employer is Stafford
SCC is a countywide organisation
Many SCC staff do not simply commute to the town centre and then commute back home again - they are often required to travel countywide

Similarly, the nature of many other people's employ can involve, at short notice, the need to travel out on business

I, for example, cannot carry all my samples of diamond necklaces in my pannier bags, and keep my Gucci suit clean and shiny whilst visiting potential clients in Sabine Street, Paris and Doxey Fields

 

[kyoto49]

Apparently, Staffs County Council has 21,500 employees, or thereabouts. Stafford Borough Council has only 400 or so. The Hospital employs c.3000, though if it goes down to 2999 the whole place goes into meltdown, or something.

Stafford is a good town to cycle in - this year marks my tenth of regularly doing so - easily as good as Oxford (Oh, Oxford... etc), a previous haunt of mine. The difference between Oxford and Stafford?

Culture. Of all sorts...

But back to cycling - a culture of cycling in Oxford has led to a continued culture of cycling in Oxford which will lead to an etc etc. More importantly, this means that there is an increased awareness of all road users that there are all sorts of road users on the road (many of the pedestrians are a bit 'lost in thought' sort of thing - you tend to keep more of an eye out for them) so there is much more 'us', far less 'them 'n' us' going on. The difference in 'terrain' between the two is negligible - Radford Bank vs Headington Hill... FIGHT! - there is no reason why an equally equitable co-existence cannot be established here.

I've noticed a huge increase in cycle use in the last ten years - when i first started my commute i would genuinely be surprised to see one, let alone two, other cyclists on the road - and am a big believer in the whole 'critical mass' idea. It is not, of course, the answer to all our transport woes but it beats the shit out of sitting in a queue of traffic for half an hour if you ain't carrying no weight but yourself.

So much sense in this post, particularly the last sentence!! It's interesting too about it being a cultural thing. Until recently I was the only person in my road who cycled bar a few poverty ridden students, but now when I emerge at 7.50 for my cycle to work, my immediate neighbour also cycles (she works in a car dealership!!) and the lady I know over the road gets on her Miss Marple (complete with wicker basket) and we all cycle to work along the lines. Not only is it a lovely place to cycle but it's great to have some neighbourly friendships that wouldn't happen if we were sat in a traffic jam alone in our cars. . None of us wear lycra, or have any of the kit one is percieved to need, we just have a bike, some lights and a rucksack . When the sun is shining and the birds are singing cycling to work leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day. When i used to drive I always felt sluggish.

 

[My Name is URL]

When the sun is shining and the birds are singing cycling to work leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day. When i used to drive I always felt sluggish.

And for the other 360 days a year, how does it make you feel :p When the wind is howling and the rain is horizontal?

 

[shoes]

Traffic queuing from the Chebsey turn at the other side of Great Bridgeford all the way to Staffordshire Technology Park this morning. Superb.

 

[Gramaisc]

Traffic queuing from the Chebsey turn at the other side of Great Bridgeford all the way to Staffordshire Technology Park this morning. Superb.

Perhaps you need to move? There's some nice houses on Kingston Hill....

 

[Withnail]

I, for example, cannot carry all my samples of diamond necklaces in my pannier bags, and keep my Gucci suit clean and shiny whilst visiting potential clients in Sabine Street, Paris and Doxey Fields

It's not the solution for everyone, sure, but more could than do.

And for the other 360 days a year, how does it make you feel :p When the wind is howling and the rain is horizontal?

I believe the term is 'bracing'.

 

[shoes]

Perhaps you need to move? There's some nice houses on Kingston Hill....

With my current employment setup I am considering going self employed for tax efficiency. It might increase transport efficiency, too, if my office is my bed.

 

[John Marwood]

Can I be the first ( this week ) to say Save Stafford Common?

I can see visionary council 'cabinet members' ( stupid name ) inventing a Park and Ride scheme at some point in the future so just wanted to get this in nice and early

How is the Morrison supermarket build coming along?

 

[kyoto49]

And for the other 360 days a year, how does it make you feel :p When the wind is howling and the rain is horizontal?

In fairness, we've not had a car for over 6 months and I think I have got wet 3 times over that period. It's been a really dry summer if not a hot one. It's not too bad even when raining to be fair, I just put my waterproof jacket and trousers on. The weather I do dislike is the ice. I went absolutely flying last winter when I hit a sheet of ice as I turned right. Had a car been coming I'd have been mashed no doubt in my mind. So when it's icy I walk to work!!

 

[wildwood]

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE driving - would drive everywhere if I could...but.... 12 minutes to home last night on the bike, my colleague text saying he was still stuck - it'd took him 20 minutes to get from by the Toyota garage to B and Q.

 

[Jonah]

There is one less car on the road for the next four weeks. I've been stopped from driving.

That'll ease the congestion.

 

[Yalla]

Can I be the first ( this week ) to say Save Stafford Common?

I can see visionary council 'cabinet members' ( stupid name ) inventing a Park and Ride scheme at some point in the future so just wanted to get this in nice and early

How is the Morrison supermarket build coming along?

There is a good site for a Park and Ride on the the Old Police Headquarters site

 

[Kickstart]

Suppressed demand is one aspect. The other is induced demand, that people start making journeys just because the road is there that they did not previously desire to make.

Sorry, I really don't think people suddenly get a desire to drive just because a road is there.

A lot of journeys can be quicker or at least no slower than the car. For example, you can cycle to or from town at peak times faster than the car. When I go into town on the bus it isn't any slower as I minimise wait time by going out so I get to the stop 2 or 3 mins early (you can check where your bus is on a phone app) then in town I'm not messing around parking and walking from a car park. When you account for that the comparison is pretty favourable.

I don't go into the town centre at peak times that often, as if traffic is that bad then I just won't bother and will go somewhere else for anything I need. In normal times it is maybe 5 minutes by car and about 20 minutes to cycle (I do so occasionally, when time is irrelevant and the weather is OK, and whatever I want from town can easily be carried on a bicycle). Bus is pretty much useless for me, partly due to a pretty occasional service and partly because it is unlikely to go where I want leaving me with a significant time walking once it gets to where it wants to stop,

With Stafford There have been no real improvements to the roads in decades, but loads of things that have screwed up traffic flow (PC World exit, B&Q exit, Tesco exit, Asda exit, traffic calming, etc). As such hardly a surprise that there is congestion, especially when the population of Stafford has increased by ~10% in 20 years.

All the best

Keith

 

[John Marwood]

We are really Three towns in one

The town centre
The Lichfield road shopping experiences ..
The technology park and environs

 

[kyoto49]

We are really Three towns in one

The town centre
The Lichfield road shopping experiences ..
The technology park and environs

Seems good to live in the north end then, less traffic, less shopping, less town...........all seems like a bonus to me

 

[John Marwood]

Seems good to live in the north end then, less traffic, less shopping, less town...........all seems like a bonus to me

Doxey, at the heart of the West End... Includes spleen and other rubbery bits

Although it does feel more like a Quaker village now

The new Newport Road to Wicks link road maybe our downfall though as people discover the delights of the Chateau region

 

[PeterD]

I also cycle, I have a campervan, and my wife has a car, but on the whole, she walks and I cycle. Congestion is pretty bad if I dont cycle and the journey is less than 3 miles I will walk it anyway.

 

[John Marwood]

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[marky]

took me 1 hour to get home today on bus, from 5pm to 6pm, gaol square to weeping cross on 825 bus,

 

[captainpish]

Ive heard a rumour that stafford is going to be the first town in the UK to pilot a cablecar public transport system as there is no other option to ease traffic due to decades of not giving a shit about it. If successful, the green light will be given to build a retail park off every junction or roundabout within a 3 mile radius of the BT tower block.