Kamikaze Cyclists!

tripled

robotrobo wrote: »

Preston's cyclists get green light to use pavement on busy road
Lancashire Evening Post - Jan 7, 2015

Sadly that example isn't well designed - hopefully the new one will be better or there will still be many people using the road (as in the picture).

We have paths just like that here in Redhill. Pedestrians like to walk to walk in them, especially when in a large group, and step into them without warning and without looking. Council contractors like to put road signs and machinery in them. People pull out of driveways and car parks without looking, even when there is an offset give way line. At junctions, they will often be blocked by traffic waiting to turn onto the main road, again even if there is an offset give way line.

They're fine for kiddies on a mountain bike going to school, or for people wobbling along on short journeys to the local shops, but not much cop for anyone travelling for a longer distance or at a reasonable speed.

Enterprise_1701C

We have similar "cycle paths" locally. I have frequently had my handlebars grabbed on them. I had one young lad (with the girlfriend who he was trying to impress though I heard her ask why he was being a prat when I cycled off) step in front of me to stop me. I stopped thinking he might be in distress, he then proceeded to tell me I should not be cycling on the path, I pointed out he was standing on the cycle path, he replied that he was a pedestrian and he was on it so it must be a footpath. His girlfriend was extremely embarrassed and I simply cycled round him as he was telling me to get off the path and onto the expletive road.

Either pedestrians do not see this as a cycle path or actively choose to ignore the fact. I use this one because it is the best way round a roundabout that I had to go round 9 times once just to get off at the right junction, no-one would let me off, so I just avoid it now.

Cycrow

The worst case i've seen of pedestrians using a cycle path was at this T junction. Theres a very wide pavement along the side, with a short cycle path next to it, which takes cyclists around the junction.

There is a small wall separating it from the road, with an gap at each end to get in and out, and a kerb on the other side against the footpath.

There is zero reason for any pedestrian to want to walk down this, as it makes no sense, yet they use it more often than the pavement, which makes no sense.

one time i saw someone with a pushchair, they came off the path down the kerb into the cycle lane, down the cycle lane than back up the kerb on the path again. Instead of just going straight on the path and not having to go up and down kerbs