Read on Twitter
First day using the @portsmouthtoday cycle lane along Elm Grove. Felt safer, but not enough space to overtake. The width of the lane is narrower than the width of a car, narrower than the parking width.
Day 2: If turning right round the roundabout at the end of Kings Road, or right into Grove Road South or Victoria Road South there is no safe way to merge with the rest of the traffic for positioning. Motor vehicle speed appears higher. 20mph zone @portsmouthtoday
Day 2 (evening): wands pulled down on North side of #elmgrove. Cars parked in the gaps outside shops and takeaway forcing cyclists into main traffic. If parking ban isn't enforced it's not segregated and not safe. @PompStreetSpace @PompeyBUG @portsmouthroads @portsmouthtoday
Day 3 (morning): South side of Elm Grove blocked due to car parked across access to flats near The Deco, taxi parked in bus-stop just after the co-op, taxi parked on yellow lines just after Castle Road. The transition from segregated lane to roundabout between Kings and Museum
Road is difficult when going straight on. The North side was better from King's Road to near Rosie's apart from a pickup truck parked in the loading bay by Tesco's. From here there is no point using the lane when turning right into Grove Road South.
Day 3 (evening): Wands/bollards haven't been repaired/replaced. Cars still parked where there is temporary parking ban. @portsmouthtoday @portsmouthroads can't draw conclusions on the take-up of this scheme when people are parking in it. Infrastructure needs enforcement.
Day 4: Sunday bike ride with my son. Four other cyclists using it. Had to emergency stop as a car turned left into The Thicket by the Co-op. There needs to be signage for segregated cycling, and that priority is for cyclists going straight on. @portsmouthtoday @PompStreetSpace
Day 5 (morning): A few more people using both lanes. The bus stop after the Co-op is being used as a general parking area. When forced out into traffic it's not easy to get back into the lane, and is easier to go to the Advanced Stop Line by Chantelle's.
Day 5 (evening): Lane being used by e-scooter (far safer than them being on the road or pavement). Restricted Loading area outside Tesco is a free-for-all. Moped parked in wanded-off area. Wands taken out near Perfect Pizza used for delivery vehicles. The lane has been removed
outside Tang's. It's still much better than before, but for people dipping their toes into switching to cycling they may find the areas where the infrastructure breaks down too much of a risk. It needs to be safe enough for an 11 yo to use. @portsmouthtoday
Day 6 (morning): All wands removed from Southsea Emporium to The Deco. Wands removed for a section outside Tesco. Wands removed for the even numbers along Kings Road (east to west. These could be to allow painting by @colasportsmouth or @portsmouthroads @portsmouthtoday
but wands were in place going west to east. Delivery outside Tesco's means joining traffic outside of the segregated lane. From here to have time to turn right into Grove Road South means staying with traffic and not using infrastructure.
Day 6 (evening): Wands back in on E-W side of Kings Road. Cars parked in Tesco loading bay. No segregated lane from Laundry Care to One Eyed Dog - this seems to have disappeared, with the black plastic bases removed. Filtering through to the Advanced Stop Line isn't easy.
Day 7 (morning): Wands not replaced from Umami to One-Eyed Dog. E-W route back in place. Road markings to show that cyclists will be with traffic around the Tesco loading area, but it's not segregated. Six other people using it at 8:05 am E-W during my commute. @portsmouthtoday
Day 7 (evening): The North side (W-E) remains part-dismantled. @ubereats_uk @ubereats scooter parked in segregated cycle lane meaning I had to go back into the traffic. It would be great to see @portsmouthtoday or @PompeyPolice keeping this scheme safe.
Day 8 (morning): W-E @AquaCarsUK taxi parked immediately in front of wands, ahead there is a Tesco customer parked in the loading bay. This distance is 65m and takes 9 seconds at 15mph. There is no point slowing to use the lane to then pull out again.
There is a further 65m to my right turn into Grove Road South. Again, due to the car parked in the loading bay, the lane isn't much use for anyone turning right towards Palmerston Road. There was someone going straight on who was using the lane though. #elmgrove
Day 8 (evening): Left school at 5:45, sections of wands taken out on E-W route outside Lock, Stock and Tackle and beyond Castle Road after pedestrian crossing. The W-E section past Tesco is ruined by parked cars in loading bay and where wands have been removed. @portsmouthtoday
The routes were being used, however, in both directions. @ubereats_uk cycle delivery, skater, and a few commuters. The potential is there for something usable for anyone who wants to travel by bike, but enforcement needed.
Day 9 (morning): Clear all the way in both directions. There are still wands missing in places (vandalised, or to enable parking?), and turning right into any of the roads adjacent to Elm Grove/Kings Road means merging with traffic. 7-8 others in the few minutes I was there.
Day 9 (evening): Terrible. Blocked by cars in 3-4 places along 6:30pm. Elm Grove to Kings Road. Almost no opportunity to use segregated lane properly as every 50-80m there was a car blocking the way. After the positive experience this morning, disappointing tonight. #elmgrove
Day 10 (morning): Wands gone from Emporium onwards. Cars parked where No Parking is clearly defined. However, they did leave the disabled parking bay free. Clear all the way from Grove Road South to Museum Road. More wands removed outside Tesco. @portsmouthtoday @PompeyBUG
Day 10 (evening): Clear going from Grove Road South to Museum Road. More wands missing from Tesco and outside the takeaways. The entrance to the infrastructure is blocked outside Monkey Puzzle and there are cars outside Tesco making this section unusable. @portsmouthtoday
Even on a windy and damp November night there are people of all abilities with a range of bicycles using the infrastructure where they can to make part of their journeys safer. @sustrans advice is to join up destinations. Albert Road and Gunwharf.
Day 11 (morning): Wands that have been taken down haven't been replaced going E-W. The section from Emporium to The Deco is rendered useless by illegally parked cars. Car parked at start of Co-op section means staying out with traffic. Fine from Co-op to Chantelle's and then...
fine all along to Museum Road roundabout. Great to see a mum with childseat on her bike (remember fun times taking my son around), four other people going in opposite direction. Later she is heading in the opposite direction having dropped off the child (assume drop-off then...
commute for this mum). The W-E section is all good until near Tesco. No signage from @portsmouthtoday to say that this is designated cycle infrastructure or a trial scheme. "If you build it they will come," only works if you let people know it's there. Some people linking to...
King's Road from Museum Road. Have they changed their commute because this scheme feels better than the alternatives? The route needs to link up and be destination-based. The PCC plans have some great ideas about this. #elmgrove #acitytoshare
Day 11 (evening): Online parents' evening through Teams means a 7:15pm commute. Apart from a maintenance van outside Huis, and the usual Tesco shoppers it was clear all the way. @portsmouthtoday #acitytoshare Also wands replaced outside @perfectpizza on #elmgrove.
In the #cyclistsdontuselights debate, a car turned right into Elm Grove from Victoria Road North against their red light (because of oncoming traffic from Victoria Road South). No lights at 7:15pm. The infrastructure was still being used though.
