Cycle Super Highways - A Yokel's Question

sc999cs

As a yokel in the back of beyond, cycling is a very different experience for me than it is for the London cyclists ( and am I glad of that). However I read on one of the newspapers and saw on the Beeb's website something about CS7(?). I'm a little confused about this.

Are the cycle highways only advisory cycle lanes so that motor vehicles can travel in them if they like? Lots of vehicles were shown driving in the lane and I'd thought that to be of any use these cycle lanes would have to be mandatory (i.e. no vehicles allowed)? If the former - what's the point?

Second question - do experienced London riders expect carnage on the roads once the hire centres start up and tourists / inexperienced riders take to the roads?

prj45

sc999cs wrote:

Are the cycle highways only advisory cycle lanes so that motor vehicles can travel in them if they like?

In places.

The only thing that can legally say to a motorised vehicle "you are not allowed to put a tyre into this part of the road" is a solid white line (with a sign at the start of the restriction).

I gather parts have solid white lines, other dashed white lines and others no line at all.

sc999cs wrote:

Second question - do experienced London riders expect carnage on the roads once the hire centres start up and tourists / inexperienced riders take to the roads?

Bit of both. You see cyclist act like little mobile speed humps, we tend to have a calming effect on traffic, but yes, there are going to be a lot of cyclists out there without some pretty basic tools to help them avoid getting whacked.