Uploaded on 2016-04-11 by PeterStill

If I were to undertake a citizen design project, I would focus on the cycling infrastructure of Liverpool, and how it may be created or improved upon in view of promoting cycling. Liverpool's cycling revolution strategy for 2014-26 aims to make 10% of all trips be made of bike. In view of achieving this the council has introduced a cycle hire scheme, among other steps, that is the largest in the U.K outside of London. ![][1] It is my contention, however, that although the cycle hire scheme is a step in the right direction, improving cycling infrastructure would be a more effective way to increase the amount of trips made by bike. The above image highlights my principal concerns. Here we see a cycle hire station placed next to a fairly busy road. As you can see there is no where to safely join on to the road and once you are on the road, there is no cycle lane and you are forced to ride very close to the side of parked cars. I can understand why somebody would drive or take the bus, rather than cycle, in this location. ![][2] In the second image you can see a cyclist located about 30m away from the previous image. This cyclist is using the central reservation between the lanes of traffic as this has obviously appeared more appealing and safer. This space however is NOT a space dedicated for the use of cyclists. The example given is one area located near to where I live, however it is likely that many spots that need rethinking of reworking in regards to cycling infrastructure exist in other parts of the city. A good way to start a citizen design project in view of improving cycling infrastructure could be to establish a face book group or a twitter hashtag that links to the project. After this, it may be beneficial to contact local cycling clubs/groups or just to speak to cyclists that you see and ask them to send in photos of areas of the city that they have seen, or cycle through regularly, that could in particular benefit from a more considerate cycling infrastructure. After photos have been sent (with accompanying addresses), it may then be possible to assess which areas of the city cyclists feel need the most improvement and which areas need the least. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1460393808875206.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14603939827477947.jpg