I hate cycle paths

Clever Pun

Espeicailly the one on cable street, it's littered with peds, glass and junctions where cars seem to ignore right of way and it's just a full blown pain in the arse.

as someone nearly wiped me out turning in front of me on friday I contiued on slowly for a guy coming the other way to drive into the side of me at the time I thought I got away with a sligthly sore shin he he got away with an earful from me... Later on I noticed my rear wheel got buckled and the local (to work) cycle shop says it's gone... I'll check with my normal LBS soon to see what they can do and go from there, probably a new rim.

My bike's really been through the ringer recently

ChrisLS

...a section of cycle lane I use has a dozen junctions crossing it in the space of less than half a mile... :?

PrettyBoyTim

Did you get the driver's details or numberplate? You should be able to claim it from his insurance or take him to the small claims court.

If you're a CTC member, it'd be worth giving them a ring.

Clever Pun

PrettyBoyTim wrote:

Did you get the driver's details or numberplate? You should be able to claim it from his insurance or take him to the small claims court.

If you're a CTC member, it'd be worth giving them a ring.

Sadly not I just thought he hit my leg nothing more, everything seemed fine on first glance I was just glad I wasn't under the cretins car

the money is just an irritant in all honesty it's the time off the bike that really pisses me off

BentMikey

So do I:

http://www.londonskaters.com/cycling/sa ... -lanes.htm

BentMikey

Always get the details of the driver in a bump, even a small bump.

I helped someone last year who'd been hit by a driver a mile back, and it turned out the crash had broken his dérailleur hanger. I had to make his bike into a singlespeed so he could get home.

mailmannz

Was that you CP that had a cyclist pile in to him from behind as you stopped to let a pedo cross the road on Wednesday or Thursday last week? This was on Narrow Street just behind canary in the morning.

Mailman

pst88

mailmannz wrote:

stopped to let a pedo cross the road

Clever Pun

mailmannz wrote:

Was that you CP that had a cyclist pile in to him from behind as you stopped to let a pedo cross the road on Wednesday or Thursday last week? This was on Narrow Street just behind canary in the morning.

Mailman

I take that route but no it wasn't me. Well I wasn't hit by anyone, I do let peds cross on crossings where they have right of way...

The one way system there irks me as so many people take the wrong way as a short cut, this makes me wary about gunning it round that nice bend

orv

Clever Pun wrote:

Espeicailly the one on cable street, it's littered with peds, glass and junctions where cars seem to ignore right of way and it's just a full blown pain in the ars*

agreed, it's in a right state these days especially with the roadworks on it. and what's that all about? putting a crossing in so the cycle lane crosses over the traffic to the other side??? WTF?
anyway, in the mornings it's light these days so I'm cruising along cable street (blue airnimal joey if you see me!) at a more leisurely pace looking out for debris. then in the evenings when it's dark I'm simply hoofing along the highway instead.

richardast

Cable Street is the worst cycle lane I know of in East London.
A two way cycle lane in a one way street is always going to be a nightmare, without the added hazards of that one. Cycles have to give way to cars at some side streets. Cars have to give way to cycles at others.
Throw roadworks, debris and pi55poor signage into the equation and it's no surprise that most cyclists don't use it.

I avoid it altogether and just use Commercial Road. Even respecting the traffic lights I find it's a bit quicker than Cable Street and there are definitely fewer surprises.

redvee

I came a cropper on a cyclepath which is crossed by vehicles in numerous places. The car driver was looking to her right as I came from her left :shock: I came away with broken sinuses and a few pulled muscles, for my bike it was fatal, broke the welds on the seattube/toptube junction, Ti frame, bent RH Crank and buckled the frontwheel. Got back on the road for £100 as I'd only just swapped over to the ti frame. Won £2000 through a NWNF type solicitor I found in the back of C+.

andrewc3142

Almost without exception in this country horrible things.

BentMikey

andrewc3142 wrote:

Almost without exception in this country horrible things.

Whilst they're much better, for example, in the Netherlands, they are still an abortion and don't necessarily make things any safer for cyclists.

Clever Pun

richardast wrote:

Cable Street is the worst cycle lane I know of in East London.
A two way cycle lane in a one way street is always going to be a nightmare, without the added hazards of that one. Cycles have to give way to cars at some side streets. Cars have to give way to cycles at others.
Throw roadworks, debris and pi55poor signage into the equation and it's no surprise that most cyclists don't use it.

I avoid it altogether and just use Commercial Road. Even respecting the traffic lights I find it's a bit quicker than Cable Street and there are definitely fewer surprises.

I was going to try and work out which one of the parallel roads is best... coming into the city I'm on the road bit and that's fine. It's the way back that's problematic

I'll give commercial road a punt on monday I think

must look into the cycling lawyers stuff too...

Clever Pun

As richardast suggested I used the A13 the last couple of days.. it's a bit of a run down area but bus lanes = speed and it's a slightly longer ride...yey

cheers

prj45

Apologies for the bad angle, dodgy camerawork crap compression and lack of sound,, but a cake bar to the person who spots what's wrong with this little stretch of cycle lane...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gGIKATVDPEs

BentMikey

The bicycle is painted upside down on the middle island. Apart from that, it's a complete abortion, worse than many examples.

To be honest I'm a bit shocked you're riding on this cycle lane. Why?

prj45

BentMikey wrote:

The bicycle is painted upside down on the middle island. Apart from that, it's a complete abortion, worse than many examples.

Nope, you missed it (not by too far though), check the little section of painted lane on the little traffic island.

BentMikey wrote:

To be honest I'm a bit shocked you're riding on this cycle lane. Why?

The road alongside it is a 40mph dual carriagway which is often clogged with traffic, and the cycle lane is actually rather nice after this crappy bit.

h i r 0

At 11s, where Mikey points out the bike is upside down.... the lanes are completely reversed!

prj45

Cake bar for H I R O.

Its like a little bit of the continent in west london, for a metre or so.

I've not met a cyclist coming the other way yet, can't wait to find out what happens!

when I first saw this I did have to look at it several times, I still can't quite beleive it.

karl j

there's a brand new (ish) ped / cycle one on the way to Tesco's in town (i think it was part of the agreement that tescos had to provide it so they could build their new shop) -

the local garage love it for the free parking spaces it provides when they have cars for sale

Gambatte

Theres a section of pavement near Meadowhall in Sheffield its 1/2 for cyclists, 1/2 for peds. Its got the usual grey for peds, red for cycles.

What I thought was a good way of reinforcing the difference (I know its probably not exclusive to this particular path) was that the cycle section is actually about 2" higher, with a slight angled kerb between the two

BentMikey

In that case, I definitely wouldn't be taking the short bit of cycle lane to cross the slip road, I'd take the slip road in primary and then turn right onto the cycle track myself.

Funnily enough I was riding on a 40mph dual carriageway yesterday, the Ewell bypass towards Kingston.

prj45

BentMikey wrote:

In that case, I definitely wouldn't be taking the short bit of cycle lane to cross the slip road, I'd take the slip road in primary and then turn right onto the cycle track myself.

Funnily enough I was riding on a 40mph dual carriageway yesterday, the Ewell bypass towards Kingston.

It's not really a slip road, cars can turn off the A406 there (rare) , and also come onto it (lots do this).

I've tackled it in various ways, includng taking primary on L1 then a left turn then a right turn onto the cycle path island (ignoring that the lanes are the wrong way round), but there's enough space there for a car to at least attempt to go round you or under you whilst doing this, and at speed.

In the end I'll adjust my approach depending on the situation, i.e. lots of cars flying up L1 I'll take it like a ped, empty and I'll turn into the road.

The other week some guy in a car (the most lost person I've ever encountered on London roads) had asked me on the roundabout leading up to all of this how to get to London City Airport, so I had him in tow on the dual to make sure he got onto the A406 OK (cue plenty of beeps from people behind him cos I could only manage 20-25 up the incline).

BentMikey

Coolio, you've got far more knowledge of that location than I do. The tiny bit I could see on the vid just looked well dodgy.

dav1

thing that buggs me about cyclepaths is the number of people that think they dont need lights to use them. Get the fear when some idiot appears from the shadows suddenly when they are going the opposite way and you have to slam on the anchors or swerve suddenly (risking a wash out in the process)

Belv

Agreed - I'm pretty close to abandoning the local cycle paths and playing on the dual carriageways instead.