Birmingham cyclists banned from tram route?

[User]

 

[I like Skol]

Probably nothing to do with keeping cyclists out of the way of the trams (presumably pedestrians are allowed?) but an attempt to stop silly bike riders from getting their silly thin wheels stuck in the tracks and hurting themselves.......

 

[I like Skol]

[QUOTE 4577842, member: 45"]Yeah, amazing how cyclists are so stupid that they can't cope with 4 narrow steel strips on an otherwise empty, wide road.[/QUOTE]
You'd be surprised (or maybe not), and in today's world of compo for anything it is necessary to at least try to protect the hopeless from them selves.
EDIT: I am a rebel and simply ignore such signage

 

[Dogtrousers]

This story might be related: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/bizarre-cycle-path-not-cycle-7785286

Off topic, that article also contains a link to this, which I couldn't resist clicking Phallus-themed pothole crusader daubs huge 'comedy penises' over damaged roads - and gets results

 

[I like Skol]

Because town planners don't ride bikes, obvs.

There has been a cycle lane installed on the town by-pass where I live and it still makes my blood boil that MY tax £££££s have been wasted on infrastructure that is so blatantly unsuitable and downright dangerous. I can easily list a dozen faults that mean I won't use it and neither should anyone else. I keep thinking I should write a strongly worded letter to my local rag about it!

 

[KneesUp]

Tram tracks are a pain - they key thing is that they can be hard to cross, which you need to do sometimes. It's not about the apocryphal person who makes a living out of deliberately injuring themselves to get compensation. There have been over 200 reported accidents in Sheffield due to the tram tracks


What’s the problem?
Tram tracks pose the biggest danger to cyclists in Sheffield and they deter people from making journeys by bike. We’ve now received over 200 reports of cycle crashes on the tram tracks and the key pattern emerging is that they appear to happen to anyone regardless of cycling ability and experience and do not appear to be caused by cyclist behaviour.

The presence of tracks on the road also constrains a rider’s movement and makes it harder to move to the centre of the carriageway e.g to pass obstacles such as parked cars.

People should not be expected to cycle on roads with this hazard. Alternatives must be provided if more people are to have the freedom to choose to cycle in Sheffield.

 

[I like Skol]

Tram tracks are a pain - they key thing is that they can be hard to cross, which you need to do sometimes. .........
People should not be expected to cycle on roads with this hazard. Alternatives must be provided if more people are to have the freedom to choose to cycle in Sheffield.

Or they should learn to bunny hop

EDIT: We have trams in Ashton, I think they are great fun.....

 

[ColinJ]

Why didn't the authorities just go for trolley buses instead of trams?

 

[I like Skol]

[QUOTE 4578216, member: 45"]In Birmingham the existing tram route goes into Snow Hill Station and then uses a railway line most of the way into Wolverhampton.[/QUOTE]
He wasn't being serious M.P, just being a facetious old fart as usual.....

 

[ColinJ]

He wasn't being serious M.P, just being a facetious old fart as usual.....

Actually, I was being serious but I was thinking about inner city tram lines on roads and forgot that a lot of the time the trams go out along rail routes.

 

[I like Skol]

Actually I forgot that a lot of the time the trams go out along rail routes.

It must be your age

 

[ColinJ]

It must be your age

It is definitely happening ... By the end of the year I can't even remember the podium positions on the 3 Grand Tours these days and I watch every stage of the races!

 

[subaqua]

Why not have ones that can have wheels for rails or wheels for roads. Track maintainance vehicles manage it easily enough ...

 

[mjr]

Why not have ones that can have wheels for rails or wheels for roads. Track maintainance vehicles manage it easily enough ...

Or fill the slots with rubber where there's a bike route with something like the German Velostrail panels. There's still a bit of a skid hazard from the metal, but no risk of getting a wheel stuck in the slots.

Plenty of possible solutions but it's cheaper to injure cyclists.

 

[Downward]

I'm commuting into brum every day now.

It's such a mess, some areas shared cycle/ped paths which pedestrians ignore, 1 way roads and some no go areas for cyclists, then some areas where cyclists have to walk on the paths.