Cycle lanes replaced with shared pedestrian lanes

pastryboy

I've noticed a couple of cycle lanes have been replaced (including one massive one that streches a few miles). Instead of a reddish colour lane for bikes and a separate area for pedestrians there's now just one big shared area with little blue signs show pedestrians and bikes together.

Anyone know what the reasoning behind this is/was?

arran77

Maybe they've run out of red paint

pblakeney

To give dogs on extended leashes room to roam.

The Rookie

Because pedestrians were incapable of sticking to the pedestrian bit and shouted at cyclists on the cycling bit thinking they shouldn't be there, rather than trying to train the pedestrians (you can't train Stupid) they are asking the vastly more intelligent cyclists to avoid them.

pastryboy

This includes one alongside a very busy road. Where they had a dipped cycle lane with concrete ridges either side they've now dumped a load of tarmac on top and across to make it one big shared path. Don't think it had anything to do with dogs or paint.

veronese68

The Rookie wrote:

Because pedestrians were incapable of sticking to the pedestrian bit and shouted at cyclists on the cycling bit thinking they shouldn't be there, rather than trying to train the pedestrians (you can't train Stupid) they are asking the vastly more intelligent cyclists to avoid them.

This, very much this. :twisted:

meanredspider

I've learned to be very careful in the tourist parts of AMS because they simply don't understand the concept of the bike paths. I had some guy try to "face me down" as he walked down the middle of the bike path obviously not realising that he wasn't on the pedestrian bit. Given that I was leading a bunch of 10-20 other bikes, I guess he learned pretty quickly...

Daz555

Quite a few shared lanes in Bristol. I rode past a mini "demonstration" down by the waterfront in Bristol the other week - a few mums with pushchairs were concerned about speed of cycling. A very angry woman complained that she had on a number of occasions had cyclists blasting past her at speed on both sides at the same time and saw no reason for cyclists not to use the nearby roads.

I calmly joined the discussion - explained the alternative was cyclists mixing it with busses and lorries on the roads nearby - which would result in deaths rather than mere scares. Also advised that if she was worried about cyclists basting past "on both sides" that she could prevent this by walking to one side of the shared path, rather than the middle.

Paulie W

Daz555 wrote:

I calmly joined the discussion - explained the alternative was cyclists mixing it with busses and lorries on the roads nearby - which would result in deaths rather than mere scares. Also advised that if she was worried about cyclists basting past "on both sides" that she could prevent this by walking to one side of the shared path, rather than the middle.

Cyclists mix it with buses and lorries all the time and some, like me, will choose that over these shared paths so to present this as some terrifying 'alternative' is, IMO, flawed. I also think the whole "pedestrians are all idiots and dont know how to share the space" argument doesnt really stand up to extended scrutiny because for every pedestrian let his dog wander under my wheels story there is probably a cyclist whizzed past me at 25 mph tale. The problem is the space itself - which only really works with those cyclists who want to pootle along - and the associated expectation that cyclists should be using them rather than the road.

veronese68

Daz555 wrote:

A very angry woman complained that she had on a number of occasions had cyclists blasting past her at speed on both sides at the same time and saw no reason for cyclists not to use the nearby roads.

There is a shared use trail around Richmond Park. I once had a neighbour proudly tell me that his wife would deliberately obstruct cyclists with the pram whilst walking on it with the kids because cyclists were a menace. I told him she was a f@cking idiot for endangering their children and so was he for thinking it clever. If the cyclist really is going too fast what did he think would happen if they lost control as a result of her actions. If one of their kids got hurt it would be her fault for deliberately trying to obstruct the guy in the first place. I also told him if she wanted to avoid cyclists she could go anywhere in the park whereas people can only cycle on that path or the road. So she was clearly going out looking for an argument. Everybody agreed with me and he wound his neck in very quickly. The same bloke also told me he would use his car to block motorcycles in traffic, he got a similar response to that.
Some people just seem to resent others that are doing something different and they will do whatever they can, however irrational, to make you conform to their world view. I would say that most are just thoughtless dummies though. The former should be shot, this would make the latter think about their actions and the world would be a better place.

roger_merriman

Veronese68 wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

A very angry woman complained that she had on a number of occasions had cyclists blasting past her at speed on both sides at the same time and saw no reason for cyclists not to use the nearby roads.

There is a shared use trail around Richmond Park. I once had a neighbour proudly tell me that his wife would deliberately obstruct cyclists with the pram whilst walking on it with the kids because cyclists were a menace. I told him she was a f@cking idiot for endangering their children and so was he for thinking it clever. If the cyclist really is going too fast what did he think would happen if they lost control as a result of her actions. If one of their kids got hurt it would be her fault for deliberately trying to obstruct the guy in the first place. I also told him if she wanted to avoid cyclists she could go anywhere in the park whereas people can only cycle on that path or the road. So she was clearly going out looking for an argument. Everybody agreed with me and he wound his neck in very quickly. The same bloke also told me he would use his car to block motorcycles in traffic, he got a similar response to that.
Some people just seem to resent others that are doing something different and they will do whatever they can, however irrational, to make you conform to their world view. I would say that most are just thoughtless dummies though. The former should be shot, this would make the latter think about their actions and the world would be a better place.

I'm fairly sure the tasmin trail was made with donated money as a off road bike trail.

sswiss

In our increasingly congested, overcrowded and urbanised society, extended contact between road and pathway users and thus potential conflict seems to be inevitable.
Shared path and cycle ways don't help this IMHO. Like most, I'm just trying to get to work as safely and as quickly as possible, can it really be that difficult.
I get sh*t from the Ped from being on a shared route and sh*t from the Motorist from being on the Road....they do get it back though

Initialised

pastryboy wrote:

This includes one alongside a very busy road. Where they had a dipped cycle lane with concrete ridges either side they've now dumped a load of tarmac on top and across to make it one big shared path. Don't think it had anything to do with dogs or paint.

Next year the local council will use it's cycling budget to change it back.

asprilla

Veronese68 wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

A very angry woman complained that she had on a number of occasions had cyclists blasting past her at speed on both sides at the same time and saw no reason for cyclists not to use the nearby roads.

There is a shared use trail around Richmond Park. I once had a neighbour proudly tell me that his wife would deliberately obstruct cyclists with the pram whilst walking on it with the kids because cyclists were a menace. I told him she was a f@cking idiot for endangering their children and so was he for thinking it clever. If the cyclist really is going too fast what did he think would happen if they lost control as a result of her actions. If one of their kids got hurt it would be her fault for deliberately trying to obstruct the guy in the first place. I also told him if she wanted to avoid cyclists she could go anywhere in the park whereas people can only cycle on that path or the road. So she was clearly going out looking for an argument. Everybody agreed with me and he wound his neck in very quickly. The same bloke also told me he would use his car to block motorcycles in traffic, he got a similar response to that.
Some people just seem to resent others that are doing something different and they will do whatever they can, however irrational, to make you conform to their world view. I would say that most are just thoughtless dummies though. The former should be shot, this would make the latter think about their actions and the world would be a better place.