Cycle lanes - not used

Richard53

The cycle paths in my nearest town are poorly-designed and dangerous, with hundreds of points of conflict with motor traffic. One, on a main road out of town, starts off on the left of the road and then stops and continues on the opposite side. The cycle path user has to cross a busy road several times before the path peters out altogether. Whoever designed that one needs shooting. I'm happy to use the better ones but for my own safety I often ride on the road. The trouble is that the very existence of cycle paths leads to some motorists acting like this:


http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/14040369.UPDATED__Road_rage_Pembroke_Dock_driver_knocked_cyclist_off_her_bike/

silverwhistle

I was in Southampton with my girlfriend for shopping on Friday, down near the district heating plant on our way to Decathlon. There's a joint pedestrian/cyclepath there and I've never seen a cyclist use. I eexplained to my girlfriend why, and how badly designed it was.

There's a short stretch of path from my village to the next town, and that seems to work well as it covers a windy lane where the traffic can be quite nippy before the houses start again, and another very short stretch between a school and the railway which is a useful short cut; but by and large the ones I've seen are pretty bad, like my Southampton example.

Norman_Castle

JP1978 wrote: »

Just dont see the reasoning for ignoring the cycle lanes

So OP. Do you now understand the reasons?

andrewf75

Simple answers:
1) Most cycle lanes are very poorly designed especially when it comes to junctions.
2) Because our roads are so hostile to cyclists, a high proportion of cyclists on the road are the types who bomb along at high speed and because of the above, find the lanes more trouble than they are worth.
Take a look at the people cycling in Holland and they are not the same as the cyclists here. They are ordinary commuters not hardcore cyclists. The lanes are built for people like this.

Norman_Castle

andrewf75 wrote: »

Simple answers:
1) Most cycle lanes are very poorly designed especially when it comes to junctions.
2) Because our roads are so hostile to cyclists, a high proportion of cyclists on the road are the types who bomb along at high speed and because of the above, find the lanes more trouble than they are worth.

Commuting cyclists are the same as other road users. They want to make decent progress and avoid delays. "Bombing along at high speed" isn't a fair description.

andrewf75

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Commuting cyclists are the same as other road users. They want to make decent progress and avoid delays. "Bombing along at high speed" isn't a fair description.

I think you've misunderstood me. My point is that in the UK a disproportionate number of cyclists are enthusiasts rather than ordinary commuters.
Of course commuting cyclists are the same as other road users (I'm one myself) but there just aren't many of us because the roads are so hostile to cyclists.

esuhl

Everyone's back to work now, and despite the local council spending millions of pounds on a four-lane bypass, motorists still insist on speeding through our lovely 20mph-limit village... before causing complete gridlock when they try to rejoin the bypass at the other end of the village.

It's just so selfish. They all break the speed limit, cause air and noise pollution, and make it an unpleasant place to be. There are regular near misses between some rat-running motorist and the elderly folk from the retirement homes.

During peak hours there is always a queue to get back onto the bypass... so what's the point of speeding when everyone knows they're only racing to the end of a queue?!

It's funny how motorists often get irritated by the mere existence of cyclists and horse-riders, yet never seem to consider how antisocial and obnoxious their driving behaviour can be...

Superscrooge

Click on the below link, then select 'images' and you will see why many cycle lanes are not used.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=crap+cycle+lanes

Nasqueron

custardy wrote: »

Heres one in Edinburgh



Yes,the cyclist is on the road as its full of parked cars.....

Why highlight the fact I said it's rare outside London? It is rare, I didn't say it never happened.

It also looks more like one of the shared spaces, not a specific lane on the road with a small barrier to protect the cyclists like they have in London

custardy

Nasqueron wrote: »

Why highlight the fact I said it's rare outside London? It is rare, I didn't say it never happened.

It also looks more like one of the shared spaces, not a specific lane on the road with a small barrier to protect the cyclists like they have in London

Nope,its a specific cycle 'lane'. part of the cycling super highway.....