Cycle bridleway vs Road

markhewitt1978

ugo.santalucia wrote:

If they have bothered to build such a nice Dutch style lane, you should use it... those who prefer the road in that particular case are just Strava snobbish wannabe PRO... the same lot would then moan when a car force pass them while they're riding two abreast. I have started to use the cycle path to work a few months ago (there is a lot of glass and I didn't bother when I was on skinny tyres)... I get there quicker and have to jump fewer lights, what's not to like about that?

It bothers me somewhat that a moderator is trolling, anyone else it's to be expected.

Mikey23

I love the local authority cycle policy... A can of white paint and a bicycle stencil. Sorted...

markhewitt1978

Mikey23 wrote:

I love the local authority cycle policy... A can of white paint and a bicycle stencil. Sorted...

But a lot of cyclists would probably appreciate that. I'm thinking the kind that ponder along on their Halfords MTB at 8mph, and they need to be catered for just as much as your dedicated rider. The failure is where councils think about the former but reject the latter.

slowbike

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Mikey23 wrote:

I love the local authority cycle policy... A can of white paint and a bicycle stencil. Sorted...

But a lot of cyclists would probably appreciate that. I'm thinking the kind that ponder along on their Halfords MTB at 8mph, and they need to be catered for just as much as your dedicated rider. The failure is where councils think about the former but reject the latter.

The failure is where the car drivers assume all cyclists should be the former and exclusively use the painted facilities that the council provide.

Personally I think it's time to review the law on cycling on the pavement - it's a complete joke, largely not enforced and encourages polarised views.
I see nothing wrong with cycling on a path - providing it is safe to do so and the cyclist proceeds at a safe speed with due care and attention - ie not at >15mph down the high street on a busy Saturday afternoon. It would mean that councils don't feel obliged to paint parts of the road a different colour or put up stupid shared use signs and lines on facilities that were obviously not purposely designed. It may also dissuade drivers from shouting "Use the cyclepath"

markhewitt1978

I often read Reddit which is populated by Americans and they often get drivers shouting at them "Use the sidewalk!", which it's not legal to do there either.

drlodge

I might use that cycle lane IF I was on my CX bike, out for a pootle and the entry/exit to the path was in a good position. But most of the time I am on my "racing" bike with 23c tyres so then I'd use the road.

Think there's a big difference between cyclist pootling along at 10mph and "road" cyclists doing 20mph or so. We have a right to use the road just as much as car drivers irrespective of whether there's a cycle lane or not. I actually fitted a bell to my CX bike so when I'm pootling along a bridleway I can alert pedestrians more easily that I'm coming up behind them - seems to work well. How many of us have bells on our bikes I wonder?

The cycle lanes I will always use are those like in London - essentially part of the road that is clearly designated for cyclists (and not pedestrians), are wide enough, allow a 15mph pace, don't suddenly disappear and keep you separate from the motor vehicles.

slowbike

drlodge wrote:

We have a right to use the road just as much as car drivers irrespective of whether there's a cycle lane or not.

Technically cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders use the road by right, car & other vehicle drivers use the road by licence.

Cygnus

plowmar wrote:

PS Does any one know how to get rid of the damn adverts on this site which make my screen jump around all over the place. :? :?

Use an ad blocker

Cygnus

Incidentally This Part of the coastal road is much better, the cycles path is much smoother and you hardly see any pedestrians and once you get into Southport then it's safe to ride on the road because traffic is traveling much slower, but once I get into Southport I leave the coastal road. This is the route that I had started taking out of Southport but I avoid the coastal road altogether now.

davep1

ugo.santalucia wrote:

WIth my 32 mm gravel tyres I'd have no problem overtaking... 8)

Are you sure?! I don't think I would fancy that gravel in Dodgy's pic on my 235 mm mountain bike tyres!

That alone would put me off that section of the cycle path, if you go off the Tarmac for whatever reason on to that gravel, you'll be lucky to stay upright. It doesn't look wide enough for bikes to cross each other to me.

Mind you, the road next to it looks pretty evil too. I'd choose a different route all together unless it was very early and very quiet.

And who said car drivers pay to use the road?! God help us...

Initialised

Carbonator wrote:

Phil Fouracre wrote:

Course cars pay for the use of the roads Carbonator. Didn't you know, They Pay Road Tax!! ha, bloody ha!!

Not sure if your comment was tongue in cheek but....

Do they all?
Does the money get used on the roads?
Don't we all pay for the roads regardless of having a car?

For a cyclist (I assume initialised does not have a car) to say motorists pay to be able to use the roads is a bit odd.
As cyclists surely we should be united in the fact that we pay for the roads equally and have just as much right to use them.

[/willful misinterpretation]

Anyone has the right to use the road on foot, cycle, horse, or a motorised vehicle with a sub 50cc engine or 250W motor, if you want to drive on the road you have to pay *extra*: driving licence, VED, insurance. Surely this is what anyone uses in stupid "cyclists-can't-use-the-road-because-they-don't-pay-road-tax" debates? Point is driving should be seen as the priviledge that it is not the right it is seen as.

I do drive btw.

ugo.santalucia

Road tax is not a tax to use the road, is a tax on CO2 emissions... the amount is proportional to the emissions. Cars with low or zero emissions don't pay a road tax, not sure who is the imbecile who still has to grasp this concept... clearly someone who doesn't pay road tax, otherwise he would be aware of it. Applying the same metrics, none of these cars should be on the road

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recom ... t-road-tax

Initialised

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Road tax is not a tax to use the road, is a tax on CO2 emissions... the amount is proportional to the emissions. Cars with low or zero emissions don't pay a road tax, not sure who is the imbecile who still has to grasp this concept... clearly someone who doesn't pay road tax, otherwise he would be aware of it. Applying the same metrics, none of these cars should be on the road

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recom ... t-road-tax

[/willful misinterpretation]

Nothing to do with road tax, is about the distinction between a right and a privilege.

DRIVING A CAR ON THE ROAD IS NOT A RIGHT
Cycling, walking or riding a mobility scooter on the road is a right
Cyclists have the right to use the road, motorists have to pay for the privilege
Not just VED, also licensing, insurance it is a privilege that can be revoked if abused

gozzy

Cygnus wrote:

Incidentally This Part of the coastal road is much better, the cycles path is much smoother and you hardly see any pedestrians and once you get into Southport then it's safe to ride on the road because traffic is traveling much slower, but once I get into Southport I leave the coastal road. This is the route that I had started taking out of Southport but I avoid the coastal road altogether now.

So is it safe to say, from looking at Google maps, that Marine Road is ok, but Coastal Road is crap? I'm curious as I'm moving over there in the autumn so any info on roads to avoid is quite handy.

Phil Fouracre

Course it was tongue in cheek!!

Surely everyone is familiar with the stupidity of these we pay 'road tax' arguments, it doesn't bloody exist and hasn't for decades

markhewitt1978

Initialised wrote:

DRIVING A CAR ON THE ROAD IS NOT A RIGHT
Cycling, walking or riding a mobility scooter on the road is a right

Perhaps there's two seperate issues. In order to drive to you have to prove you are competent, and if you're shown not to be competent your licence can be removed. Whereas nobody can remove your right to walk or ride a bicycle on the road except by imprisonment.

StillGoing

Somewhere in all that traffic law, there's a list of priority on the roads. Other than motorways which are exclusive to motor vehicles, the priority is something like, herded cattle, riders on horseback, pedestrians and cyclists before you start seeing mechanically propelled vehicles or motor vehicles listed.

antfly

Gozzy wrote:

Cygnus wrote:

Incidentally This Part of the coastal road is much better, the cycles path is much smoother and you hardly see any pedestrians and once you get into Southport then it's safe to ride on the road because traffic is traveling much slower, but once I get into Southport I leave the coastal road. This is the route that I had started taking out of Southport but I avoid the coastal road altogether now.

So is it safe to say, from looking at Google maps, that Marine Road is ok, but Coastal Road is crap? I'm curious as I'm moving over there in the autumn so any info on roads to avoid is quite handy.

The stretch from Weld Rd to Ainsdale is not pleasant at all on the road but the path isn't great either. The rest of the road going north has a 30 mph limit for a while, which is easy to hit with a brisk south-westerly, and is ok to ride on but the path is very wide and quite smooth there anyway, should you choose to use it.