irrational bike hate v determin cyclist or genuine argument?

jonathan17

enjoying the way this one is going, neither side seems to want to back down!
Would love to know if 'cyclecommuter' is someone I see everyday, sounds like we do a similar journey

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/ ... ticle.html

rjsterry

This would be the sprawling metropolis that is central Derby? It's so small, that the get-off-and-walk argument is difficult to counter. Does the cycle path that runs along the river (which from memory is a pretty decent traffic-free route) not count as a North-South route for some reason?

Having said this, from my limited experience of cycling around central Derby the road network (what one would use if not on the cycle paths) is pretty cycle unfriendly, with lots of one-way streets spiting out onto multi-lane dual carriageway. Alright for an experienced cyclist, but not much fun if you are a novice.

paulbox

What an @rse...

Having read the article, I was incensed by the comments from Dave Gadsby (spokesman for the Derby cycling group) who says "the lack of cycle routes through the city centre caused problems" and "if you want to go from north to south across the city there isn't safe provision to do so". Wrong, Mr Gadsby, very wrong. There are plenty of routes across the city north to south, or east to west or whichever direction you want to go but the trouble is, most of them are pedestrianised and a pedestrian area is just that, an area for pedestrians – no cyclists. This is something you cyclists can't seem to grasp.

:idea:

dhope

Angry from Derby seems like a bit of a tool though, simply spouting the usual anti cycle drivel. And to counter the great [Dave] Gad[/t]sby argument that there are no [cycle] paths through Derby with "There are plenty, but they're not for cyclists" seems a bit lazy.

Yes, S. Radford, 'some' cyclists do disregard the rules. And some other people are whinging Daily Mail readers with nowt better to do with their time than moan about others.

Clarion

How glad I am to have escaped Derby!

You have to worry about the judgment of a person who openly admits to being a rams fan, tho...

CiB

Hurrah. It's veered off down the Road Tax argument path. There's no turning back now.

<Pulls up chair expectantly, with pipe lit, slippers on...>

Clarion wrote:

How glad I am to have escaped Derby!

You have to worry about the judgment of a person who openly admits to being a rams fan, tho...

Indeed. Perhaps as a Leicester City boy m'self I should have a poke around in there just to stir the thing up a bit more. As if.

Kieran_Burns

and I can't work out what the problem with going North / South through Derby is..... :?

I've done so many a time and never had an issue. The ONLY iffy bit (IMHO) is negotiating the Pentagon island and there is a cycle path all the way around it. You can then turn onto Stores Rd and shake your bones down there, or roll along the path paralleling Sir Frank Whitlte Rd.

You could even cycle DOWN SFW Rd, it's always so damn' busy at rush hour you'll be the fastet thing on it!

richred_uk

Clarion wrote:

You have to worry about the judgment of a person who openly admits to being a rams fan, tho...

Oi :evil:

Jay dubbleU

What is this apparent obsession on the part of some cyclists that they have to cycle on cycle paths - use the road - that's what it's for

dondare

Jay dubbleU wrote:

What is this apparent obsession on the part of some cyclists that they have to cycle on cycle paths - use the road - that's what it's for

I have no love at all for cycle paths and happily ride on the road. I joined in the debate because it inevitably veered towards the "Cycling is just a hobby, cyclists don't pay for the roads" argument and I thought that this needed answering.
But the fact is that some people who would never ride on a busy road would use a cycleway that passed through an otherwise pedestrianized area. Such a scheme would increase bike use in Derby and I made that point, too.