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Tech { L A N D S C A P E
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SEEING CYCLING IN THE ROUND FOR YEARS, ROAD DESIGN HAS FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON THE DEMANDS OF LARGE VEHICLES. NOW A NEW TOOL AIMS TO ENSURE THAT CYCLISTS GET THE SAME LEVEL OF PRIORITY, AS MARTIN READ REPORTS This month, software that can be easily added to existing AutoCAD packages will come to market, having been both informed and tested by Sustrans – the walking and cycling charity. Its relatively simple aim is to make sure that the space designed into cycle routes adequately reflects the need for cyclists to turn and negotiate routes without obstacle. The launch comes as the nation as a whole is seeing huge growth in cycle use for both commercial and recreational purposes. It also comes as Sustrans’ newly published Bike Life report, an assessment of cycling in 12 major cities and urban areas with more than 16,000 residents, shows that more than half (58 per cent) want more investment in cycling, as opposed to 42 per cent for driving. For planners,
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the software – Transoft’s AutoTurn 11 – would appear well timed. Essentially, the tool takes swept path analysis – an assessment of the space required to ensure vehicle flow – out of the exclusively vehicular world it has inhabited until now. Sustrans’ head of built environment Giulio Ferrini (pictured, right) initiated its development when speaking to Transoft about the possibilities of an adapted Autoturn. Ferrini has since, with colleagues, led the testing and inputting of cycle data necessary to help develop the new AutoTurn’s capabilities. Ferrini is enthusiastic about AutoTurn
11’s potential. For highways engineers who don’t ride bikes themselves, it will show them the consequences of their actions. For local authorities, it should inform wider discussions about a scheme’s potential social inclusivity. “This tool will help in the designing of cycle routes and tracks that can be used by all cycle users – from cargo bikes, tandems to people with trailers – and encourage an appropriate cycle speed to improve the safety of the most vulnerable users,” explains Ferrini.
What it does Where a standard cyclist might be able to make the turn, riders of other
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