Near Miss of the Day 444: Recurring issue at junctions on shared use path

The car that emerges at 2:16 looks like it stopped at the give way line, then crept forward to get a sightline to turn into the main road - safe and legal. The driver was very polite to reverse back, as I would not have; a pedestrian or cyclist at that point should wait for the driver to complete the turn and proceed behind the car.

The point of the video is correct however - very stupid, dangerous road planning clearly designed to fail. Given the lack of sightlines for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the path should give way to vehicles using the road, with barriers across the path to ensure cyclists can't just continue straight through at speed across the intersection.

2 stills from what is actually a good (in comparison to many) local cycle path between Melbourn and Frog End in S Cambs. 

The first is a typical car turning left across the path of the cyclist, the second demonstrates the problem of the path crossing private entrances where visibility is poor.

I personally hate this path, I seem to get a puncture every time I use it. I now mostly try and avoid the route entirely.

Yes a ridiculous piece of infrastructure at those junctions but just as ridiculous is the fact that you are cycling past countless driveways from which any vehicle or pedestrian could emerge without warning. no give way lines there.I would feel totally unsafe cycling along there even at a sedate speed.If someone pulls out of one of those driveways onto the shared path and collides with a cyclist pushing them into the carriageway and into the path of a moving vehicle who is to blame?

i'm certain it wouldn't come down entirely in favour of the cyclist.Can imagine the dialogue in any court proceedings would Inevitably involve references to cyclists passing tall hedges and driveways at very close proximity, no chance for cars emerging to see cyclist therefore car driver entirely blameless.Better off on the road unless you're literally trundling at 5 mph

Most Cycling infrastructure is just not fit for purpose, this is a typically bad example.

As an experienced cyclist I would rather ride on the road, and take my chances (and the abuse) from the drivers

I have come to the conclusiom that cycle lanes should be for new cyclists or those who are still too nervous (understandably) to use the road. The object here is to keep cyclist separate from cars, not to enable them to cycle quickly without stopping. In this case the cycle lane partly achieves its goals. But : cycling against the flow of traffic, even on the pavement, to me is quite scary and those should be stop signs for cars. They then should stop and then inch forward into the cycle lane which makes it much safer.

In this situation I would use the road but I have noticed a change in drivers attitudes in recent weeks and it is not a change for the better. Not quite sure why this should be, may be they are just jealous of the freedom and relative safety we have enjoyed during lock down and feel that they are back in charge now and need to assert their authority.

Google Netherlands pavements. Try and and a pavement surfaced in black tarmac. I couldn't find one, all were a different colour to the road, grey slabs, red tarmac etc. If the pavement is the same surface as the road the give ways are doomed to fail, a few give way lines and signs aren't enough. Needs to look different. Suppose we have to have black tarmac pavements because its cheaper plus the pavements have to undulate like rolling hills to make driving in to driveways easier rather than steep sloped curb stones up to pavement hight like in the Netherlands.

I wouldn't mind taking an old mountain bike along that path and putting a dent into the side  of those cars that have no intention of giving way to the cyclist. 

thoughts outside the box:

pinch-point the main road and the footway/cycle lane - at each junction ( as mentioned by earlier correspondent ) to bring the give-way line into the required sightlines

close the side roads to emerging traffic ( at this end )

close the side roads to traffic, and let happy children play there

close a lane of main road and make that the contiguous footway/cycle path - no longer tight up against the properties 

ask people to use their cars less, and their feet and cycles more - so that the new ideas become a new start. I'll check back in six months to see how they all got on with this proposal

Obviously, a very dangerous cycle lane completely ill thought out. Shared cycle lanes are sadly not the way to go, traffic, pedestrians and cyclists have to be completely separated. How that can be achieved is beyond me, but I have given up my 20 mile each way commute for a much shorter version, albeit on a "shared" canal towpath. Why? Because I fear for my life, nowadays, on the roads, drivers are impatient, agressive and downright dangerous. 

Those are Dutch style junctions, therefore they are perfect (they might work if they are designed in from the start but very obviously cannot be retrofitted unless there is a very wide path/ verge) 

Bloody cyclists, never pleased! 

1) I'm not a fan of shared use pavements, but maybe the total width of road + pavements makes it difficult to fit in segregated cycle paths.

2) Given that's what it is, I think Dave is right not to ride faster than 12mph.

3) I'd rather the junctions were like that than priority to vehicles entering/exiting side roads. It seems to work ok. What's the better solution that I'm missing?