FENRA recently attended a meeting convened by Cllr Ian Manning to discuss and gauge opinions on the future decoration and use of the bridge.
People were keen to keep the colours of the bridge black or go with British Racing green....there was little support for using a different colour scheme or using colour as traffic calming measures.
As for actual traffic calming measures it seemed opinion was divided with some wanting to allow cyclist unrestricted permeability and others wanting stringent measures to stop speeding and force cyclists to dismount. During this debate most people seemed to be under the misapprehension that Green Dragon Bridge is a cycle bridge. Is that incorrect? Are people misinformed? If you know the answer to this question please let FENRA know.
Lighting was discussed - the original lights removed over ten years ago for refurishment have been lost and Council is trying to find them. In the meantime low level lighting on the bridge could be used (similar to that used at Brownfields) to help visibility at night.
There was also discussion around clearing shrubbery and introducing parking restrictions to make it easier for cyclists to view exits from both sides of the bridge. Reactions were mixed with some people pro and some people against. Many people were concerned with safety and the danger of cyclists not being able to have line of sight when leaving the Bridge and going onto Water Lane. Others thought that cyclists shooting out onto Water Lane without properly checking both ways was a result of speed and nothing to do with line of sight at all. Ideas around putting in place parking restrictions to aid line of sight raised concerns for residents of Water Lane and the general lack of parking places and how restrictions would be enforced. People were also concerned about pedestrian safety and protecting pedestrians from speeding cyclists. Solutions such as signage, barriers and rumble strips were reviewed. All agreed that considerate cyclists were not the main problem but sadly they were few and far between.
Green Dragon Bridge is a footbridge ergo anybody using it is a pedestrian and like every path and road user should stop look and listen at a road junction or when joining a road.
As an added thought - the White Bridge was built as a dual use pedestrian and cycle bridge expressly for the purpose of allowing cyclists (and all who live in Chesterton and beyond) access between north and south of the river. In the wrong place for some users but still a wonderful resource to be used if cyclists wish to keep cycling and not need to dismount.
Why then should Green Dragon bridge be used as a cycle bridge at all? Let us know. We'd like to hear your views and ideas: If you oppose any plans to clear shrubs and introduce parking restrictions for the sake of allowing cyclists permeability or are pro-cycling over Green Dragon Bridge, we'd be glad to hear your views but more importantly your ideas on how the Green Dragon should be used and decorated in the future Black, green or multi-coloured - foot-bridge or cycle-bridge? What do you think?
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