Using cycle lanes

andyh01

Dog had my rant but doesn't appear to have posted CBA to re-type my rant so in short....

Cyclists are traffic and have the right to use the roads in line with the law/ high way code along with horse riders and other users etc

Speed limits are just that limits not targets

Cyclists don't cause traffic jams, they're caused by funnily enough traffic, particularly the sheer volume of vehicles on the roads.

Cycle lanes can be dangerous particularly at side roads where drivers edging out and not used to looking for cyclist in cycle lane as well as main lane where other vehicles are. Segregated lanes can be particularly dangerous as no escape route to the right where bollards are.

Shared paths are dangerous as pedestrians aren't respectful of them.probably because not enough cyclist use them.for pedestrians to realise or able to control.dogs on extendable leads or bus stops in-between the road and pavement

It's that age old question of where to.put cyclist who are deemed too fast for pavements yet too slow for the roads?

I don't know the specific layout of the mentioned cycle lane Ugo believes that serious cyclists should but don't use, where it goes uphill but how long is it and how do you then safely rejoin the road where it ends, esp if need to take primary ? Quite a few just abruptly end and either forced on pavement to cross at lights to be able to rejoin the flow of traffic in a safe way or forces you different direction to.that of which you want to go.

My experience overall are that cycle infrastructure in this country cause more harm than good creates the impression roads are not safe so prevents more people from cycling on the rd. Creates the us v them driver mentally that cyclist are in the way and shouldn't be there or very least should be in the gutter where cycle lanes are often located.

shimanobottombracket

Just cycle on the road. If you hold up traffic, just pull over to let traffic pass as often as is reasonably practical. For me this will often be when arriving at a parked car on the road and there is traffic immediately behind me.
When riding my motorcycle, I find car drivers are f***king slow. Was driving about 70mph the other day and still ended up passing a shiny blue Ferrari. If someone is willing to pay £200k and still just dawdle along then that is no different from one of us lycra louts with all the gear, no idea riding around enjoying ourselves (assuming no offences are taking place).
Ultimately bear in mind how you would feel if someone slower than you was hindering your progress. Whether on foot or on wheels at some point you would want them to allow you to pass. It can be unbearably frustrating when they don't. I think about the dangers of having someone that frustrated behind me.

oblongomaculatus

Don't get me started. Oh wait, you have…

I think it's a case of comparing the cycle lane with the road and asking yourself, which is safer, more convenient, has the better surface? Sadly, cycle lanes fail this test about 90% of the time. Someone said that cycle facilities frequently seem to have been designed by people who don't ride bikes. I would go further; I would say some have been designed by people who have never even seen a bike. For some hilarious examples, have a look at Warrington Cycle Campaign's Cycle Facility Of The Month. It doesn't appear to be active any more, but there are still 20 years' worth of amusingly imbecilic lanes to chuckle at. (I have even supplied one of the photos myself). The best part is the splendidly sarcastic captions.

http://wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/February2019.htm

wolfsbane2k said:

mercia_man said:

I find it really annoying to see cyclists still using the main road. It’s always club groups or solo riders in all the gear. Is it ignorance or selfishness? As ugo says, it’s public road abuse and simply encourages cycle haters. I can understand riders shunning poor cycle paths but this is a good one.

I find with single riders, it's typically because they don't know the area, and they therefore don't know what the quality of the infrastructure is ahead of them, and based on past experience of shoddy cycle lanes/shared paths, they decide not to.

Or they just miss the start of it, and they have the option of stopping in the middle of a live lane and hop the kerb, or just keep riding.

This is true. Last year I found a new off road lane, which ran alongside an unclassified, but busy and rather narrow road. It was wide, had a good surface and even those little solar panel lights embedded in the tarmac so you can see where the edges are in the dark. I did see the start, so I hopped on it. Then a few hundred metres along, it ended, and I was back on the road. Pointless, and expensive. Now when I go that way, I ignore it, which I feel a bit guilty about as, for as long as it lasts, it's very good.

One I do like runs along the Cambridgeshire guided busway, between Cambridge and St. Ives. It's about 13 miles long, has a good surface, and is decently wide. It's shared use, and at certain times there are a lot of pedestrians at the Cambridge end, but because of the width there is little conflict. You do have to slow down to slalom round the anti car barriers at road junctions, but there are only 5 or six of those along the whole length. I use it frequently, both from end to end and to get between places like Histon and Longstanton, and while it's not perfect, it's much much better than the alternatives, either a long detour through the villages, or the A14. Although I've recently discovered there's now a brand new cycleway that runs parallel to the new A14, alongside the old road, now designated the A1307. Like the busway, it's wide, smooth and flat, with the added bonus that there are no pedestrians on it (that I've seen so far). It starts at Swavesey, and runs for about 7 or 8 miles into Cambridge, where it joins Huntingdon Road. It's superb.

lesfirth

My 7 year old grandson can see ,without prompting, the stupidity in the above link to crankfoot.

Charlie_Croker

lesfirth said:

My 7 year old grandson can see ,without prompting, the stupidity in the above link to crankfoot.

Explain please

lesfirth

I did not make that very clear. The stupidity is in the cycle lane shown in the link.

oblongomaculatus

lesfirth said:

I did not make that very clear. The stupidity is in the cycle lane shown in the link.

That's actually amongst the saner examples on the site. You'll find some real classics if you explore the archive.

lettingthedaysgoby

I cycle on whatever is the safest, most convenient option.

If that means I ignore cycle paths/lanes and hold up traffic, that is a failing of the infrastructure, not me.

shimanobottombracket

lettingthedaysgoby said:

I cycle on whatever is the safest, most convenient option.

If that means I ignore cycle paths/lanes and hold up traffic, that is a failing of the infrastructure, not me.

Is that a confession?

gezerjUIKK0VY0

I almost never use the cycle lanes in Cardiff (where I live)
They are almost always too narrow and cars come far too close.