CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
I haven't posted on here for a few months, but really needed to get this off my chest and see if anyone in the Milton Keynes locality has similar or opposing views. I am sure that this doesn't apply to anyone of the CC 'family', but here goes.
I've been working in MK for the last nine weeks. The office is about 3½ miles NE of CMK, I could get a bus but choose to cycle it.
Up to a year ago, I used to commute 11m from Harrow into Regent's Park, C. London through a real mix of busy, quiet, fast and congested suburban streets and A roads. I did this for about six years.
Compared to that, this little eight mile round trip from the train station to work is the scariest thing on a daily basis I've ever done.
Much of it is along a designated cycle path - I understand it's called the Red Way locally. The problem is, I think, in comparison to a road-based London commute, that a whole different set of expectations exists among the local users.
No-one has any concept of sticking to a particular side of the path (there's plenty of room), everyone's wearing headphones, no-one's using lights or hi-vis, and there's a complete ignorance of the numerous blind bends on the route.
Three times I've nearly been taken out by someone coming in the opposite direction on the side I'm on -they're not looking ahead, because they're too busy texting.
None of this is an exaggeration, believe me.
I tried modifying the route last week so that more of it was on roads, but that has just seemed to attract criticism from the motorists, who think that the cyclists should be on the paths.
As for the pedestrians, some of the path is shared, and we all know that no-one on foot looks where they're going any more, so in themselves, they are an additional hazard.
I think in short is that because in MK there are lots of well used CPs there's a general lack of roadcraft among the local cyclists, as they don't or haven't had to use public roads in the rush hour to a similar degree that others have.
I just wondered if anyone else commuting in MK had any views or experiences they could share?
Or am I just being really patronising and rude?
I've been working in MK for the last nine weeks. The office is about 3½ miles NE of CMK, I could get a bus but choose to cycle it.
Up to a year ago, I used to commute 11m from Harrow into Regent's Park, C. London through a real mix of busy, quiet, fast and congested suburban streets and A roads. I did this for about six years.
Compared to that, this little eight mile round trip from the train station to work is the scariest thing on a daily basis I've ever done.
Much of it is along a designated cycle path - I understand it's called the Red Way locally. The problem is, I think, in comparison to a road-based London commute, that a whole different set of expectations exists among the local users.
No-one has any concept of sticking to a particular side of the path (there's plenty of room), everyone's wearing headphones, no-one's using lights or hi-vis, and there's a complete ignorance of the numerous blind bends on the route.
Three times I've nearly been taken out by someone coming in the opposite direction on the side I'm on -they're not looking ahead, because they're too busy texting.
None of this is an exaggeration, believe me.
I tried modifying the route last week so that more of it was on roads, but that has just seemed to attract criticism from the motorists, who think that the cyclists should be on the paths.
As for the pedestrians, some of the path is shared, and we all know that no-one on foot looks where they're going any more, so in themselves, they are an additional hazard.
I think in short is that because in MK there are lots of well used CPs there's a general lack of roadcraft among the local cyclists, as they don't or haven't had to use public roads in the rush hour to a similar degree that others have.
I just wondered if anyone else commuting in MK had any views or experiences they could share?
Or am I just being really patronising and rude?