Use the Cycle Lane

hirsute wrote:

Did you actually read the OP? You seem to respond (again) based on what you imagine I wrote rather than what I actually wrote. You claim I was bothered yet I didn't say that.

So what was the purpose of your posts in this thread?

People riding bicycles on the road. I don't understand why it was worth remarking on but obviously you were looking for a reaction.

Simon E wrote:

hirsute wrote:

Hmmmm Is there any cycle path that will satisfy the posters of roadcc ?

Yes, it's called THE ROAD.

These are the roads that we all pay for out of our taxes, including many people who don't even drive. Roads don't belong to car drivers.

Basically that. Cycle lanes and shared use paths are built (in theory) for the benefit of cyclists. There is never going to be, nor should there ever be, a cycle lane or shared use path created for the benefit of motorists.

If there's a cycle path and a cyclist isn't using it, it will almost certainly be because it isn't fit for purpose or fit for that particular cyclists purpose (e.g. some shared use paths I'll use with my daughter but not on my own). This particular path has giveway lines at every junction, including at the roundabout which would be very difficult to cross safely - much safer and more convenient to ride on the road for many cyclists.

I have zero concern for delays or inconvenience that my cycling may cause to motorists. Motor vehicle journeys are responsible for a lot more congestion (and many are entirely unnecessary), and regardless, driving is a supremely convenient form of transport - no amount of cyclists or cycle lanes are likely to change that (they may slightly exacerbate the problems caused by motorists, but that is far from the same thing). Likewise, when I drive it does not bother me at all when I am being inconvenienced or delayed by a cyclist (certainly no more than traffic lights or traffic or the work necessary to maintain the road or 10,001 other things that I might experience on a journey).

In that case then I would absolutely agree that the shared pavement is both a more suitable and more prudent choice. I agree on the recommendation being too high - if we compare that to a pensioner who may be walking less than 2mph then this is 10 times their speed. It is far too big a difference to be safe in any way.

I thought it was 15mph. It is what I use as maximum if on shared. 

I've been on shared use that looks smooth but turns out isn't.  It is suprising actually how smooth they get roads compared to pavements and shared use although the latter is only noticable when riding a non-suspension bike. Of course if you have used it and it is like cycling on the road then that throws that theory out of the window. 

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

It is suprising actually how smooth they get roads compared to pavements and shared use although the latter is only noticable when riding a non-suspension bike. 

Especially true here where they have assesed the parapet wall on a flyover is being too weak, and placed a barrier to prevent motor vehicles using the left lane, and rebadged this as a cycle lane (so it looks like road space has been taken away for cyclists) the barrier was installed when the road was resurfaced, but they did not properly resurface the cycle lane, in fact it appears they put the barrier in first, then resurfaced to protect car tyres from the edge of the barrier, (even though they would already be a third of a lane outside where they should be).

and then of course there are the times you come round the left hand bend to find a car has still hit the barrier on their left (oversteer? BMW?) and shunted it into the cycle lane.

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

I thought it was 15mph. It is what I use as maximum if on shared. 

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule, I think the guidance is just that you should ride on the road if you want to ride "fast". 

I have twice been asked by police officers to ride on the road as Humberside Police consider anything more than 12mph to be "fast" in the context of a shared use path. 

And said path goes mostly across an industrial estate where you are extremely unlikely to meet a pedestrian. 

Here we go, out..

And back

well fine, but how do you join it ? how do you leave it ? does it shout this is a path you can use on bicycle ?

hirsute wrote:

It is signposted and easily joined from the small roundabout and from the traffic lights.

Only easy if you know it's there.

If you are concentrating on traffic on a roundabout, it's easy to miss dropped kerbs to join cycle paths. They're usually not easy to join from the road either - being primarily designed to facilitate where a cycle path crosses the road at right angles.

There's been many a time when riding in an unfamiliar area I've thought, oh, that would have been a nice bike path. But I'd already missed the dropped kerb and not easy to stop in traffic to lug bike over kerb and verge.