A lovely evening in Callow End...or was it?

Last night there was an open invitation to visit Callow End Village Hall to watch a film, hosted by PACE. Now I like watching films, and really like watching films at a cinema or with friends, but the dream ticket is a pop up screening of a film I know nothing about in a venue I've never been. Added to this it was a lovely evening, well within range to travel by bike (about 8 km), some friends were also going, and daughter and partner were also in, with the added bonus of maybe catching the Northern Lights on the way home. All in, I'm marking it as a mini adventure.

 So we left home, headed down the river, met my good buddy Robert Collier at the road bridge, and headed out to Powick (so far the route has been almost exclusively off road (shared use footway / cycleway). The old Powick Bridge which links the shared use path to the new Hams Way Bridge recently partly collapsed (we've heard nothing to date on any timescale for repair) and so is closed to pedestrians and folk on bikes (to their credit Worcestershire County Council quickly marked an alternative route, albeit using the footpath adjacent to the road but made safer with a temporary reduced speed limit and cones to provide more space). It's then over the Hams Way Bridge, then a bit more shared path, over the pelican crossing adjacent to the Murco petrol station on the Malvern Road...and that's where the infrastructure stops.

We actually carried on along the footpath on the other side (no other users) and stopped at Powick Church to poke our fingers in the musket holes from the Battle of Worcester. To continue after this though, it's the road or nowt. So we set off, single file in a group of four, along the B4214 Upton Road to Callow End. Drivers overtaking were patient and provided plenty of space, so big thanks to everyone who encountered us.We arrived, had a chat, had a beer, watched our Bike Bus explainer video then Robert waffled on for a bit, then we watched a short film called Project Greenway, then watched the headline film 2040 (trailer here), all interspersed with snacks, cake, tea and an ice cream. Lovely.    The sun had set and the sky at darkened as we said our farewells, turned our lights on, and we hopped on the bikes to cycle home. It was pretty dark until we got back to the city limits, but we were well lit up, stayed together, and again all drivers were excellent. It was warm, we're in the fresh air, cycling together as a family, over Hams Way Bridge in the dark (it's lovely) and back along the river (hatching plans for a zombie walk here at Halloween). A lovely roll along the river and back home for a cup of tea. What a fabulous evening. This morning we had a chat about how great the evening and ride out and back was; the feeling was far from mutual. My partner had not enjoyed either the ride there, and most definitely not the ride home. Having driven along the road to Callow End  many times and witnessing dangerous driving she had decided some time ago never to cycle it. Having done it last night she wished she'd stuck to her guns. It's in her top three worst bike rides (other entries are a short section on a dual carriageway in Spain, and a similarly busy road in France).She was already stressed with the thought of cycling the route before getting on the road. While on the road it was a feeling of dread, fear of injury for the people she was with, her own personal safety, and the fact that three of our family could be wiped out leaving our son and dog (the lovely Olive) to pick up the pieces of the aftermath. The cycle back in the dark was worse, dazzled by oncoming cars, shadows cast by bike lights and cars from behind. What I experienced as a joyous and memorable ride along the river in the dark, all she wanted was for it end.So here's the rub. My skin is so thickened by daily interactions with crap, aka antisocial, aka illegal driving any concern in advance of getting on my bike, regardless of route, barely registers, and is definitely masked by the slightest inkling of excitement (who I'm with, where I'm going). The fact then that all the drivers we encountered were all driving to test standard left me with zero stress. Hence the enjoyment.The thing is, I'm not the target audience. If we want to increase rates of cycling at the very least we have to make journeys like this not only safe for everyone who is physically capable of making a short journey by bike (let's go ages 8 to 80), but it should be appealing, enjoyable, and memorable (for positive reasons). The experience should be such that it's mentioned positively to other friends, to encourage more journeys by bike.Thinking about it, I should've known better because Sam, who hosted the PACE event and is a parish councillor for Powick, always talks about this section. He's had it raised many times by residents as a blocker to cycling into town from Callow End. In fact, a lady called Cilla was bending his ear about it last night. She said she's cycled all her life and would happily cycle the rest of the way into Worcester, but not that section. Sam's particularly impassioned about it as his partner has twice had to bail into the hedge when making her way home along there. On one occasion two cars crashed beside her because they failed to see a vehicle in the hidden dip. Why it changes to national speed limit for a couple of hundred metres when there's a clear hazard is anyone's guess; and why isn't this risk assessed and reviewed post people shouting about danger, reported near misses, and crashes? Let's hope the planned improvements to the pavement will help some to feel safe, bridging the gap. And let's take a proper look at what might improve that section overall.As a footnote, I'll return to the Powick Bridge, and the temporary works by Worcestershire County Council. From my perspective I'm overjoyed that the officers recognised the problem, and quickly implemented a solution which has been improved since, which has included a temporary speed limit, hedge cutting to widen the footway (now shared with bikes) cones in the road and signage. The observations from another set of eyes is that it's inadequate and dangerous; too narrow, a feeling of danger crossing the bridge due to the low barrier, and too close to oncoming motor traffic. Presumably the cones that lined the section over the bridge have been removed because it was deemed a pinch point. Surely that's exactly what's required there. Something to slow the traffic and provide greater protection at the narrowest point. Instead, traffic speed and proximity have both increased since those were removed. We must do better.I'll get in touch with the relevant officer to pass on concerns on Monday.P.S. This is Olive. She loves her Mam.