Cycle lanes and paths - the downsides?

[Davidc]

My main issues with cycle facilities are:

Paths parallel to roads which cross side roads often require too frequent starts and stops. In these cases a decent width lane on the road, or no separate cycle facility at all, is safer.

Those who are responsible for designing facilities should have to read Cyclecraft, and be bike riders. Many facilities are clearly designed by people with no understanding or experience of using a bike. Many are so poor that they put cyclists in harms way where otherwise they'd be reasonably safe. Design guidelines need to be tight and compulsory. It's much better and safer to have no special cycle facilities than to have poor ones.

Surfaces on many cycle routes, especially betweeen towns, are dreadful. They all need to be reasonably smooth tarmac if they're to be of any real use as an alternative to roads.

The contrasts can be huge. Here in Taunton the off road routes going under main roads, crossing canal and river off road and using off road routes into the town centre are good and are heavily used. On the other hand the cycle route to the nearest town, Bridgwater, which with a little effort could be made excellent, and if usable would no doubt be heavily used, is not a serious transport option because much of the surface is almost unrideable.

 

[semislickstick]

Luckily, I dont cycle this route!

That's not too far off what the shared cycle paths were like on the Easter holidays around here.

 

[Array]

I've just been out to some nearby shops on errands and had to use a mixed use path that runs alongside another cycle lane on the edge of the road. You have to use the mixed use path if you're goingto use the crossing 20m up the road, but pedestrians get really annoyed when they see you "cycling on the pavement" when there's a cycle lane on the edge of the road next to it. There are signs up saying it's mixed use, but they're not very noticeable, especially compared to the marking on the road.

So, badly designed and confusing cycle lanes are one to add to the list.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl...d=116200465615686758899.0004688b13d5b9b085919

 

[stoatsngroats]

Just to add my experience, which is little, by choice.
It seems that cyclepaths are never swept, by machine, consequently the glass, nails, and other p*&^%$£e material just collects, making them uncomfortable.

The last one I used, (A259 Chichester to Oving), which runs past a garden centre, (and associated thorny hedge,) had just had the hedge cut, and the path hadn't been swept....!

I choose to use the road, and get the usual, shouted comments/bibbed horns etc...

Call me a sad git, but I feel that the rush to gain cycle paths etc, hasn't been thought through enough, in many, but not all locations.

 

[dodgy]

Probably already been said, but cycle paths are there for the benefit of motorists.

 

[summerdays]

I've cycled along there and have only used the path for a short bit (basically after dropping down off the bridge) before using the road.

Cycle paths can be good to get you places on the bike that you can't go by road or at least without a long diversion. I went through a park today, cutting off two sides of a triangle.

 

[Dan B]

No, "Must not" there. So following that. Its perfectly legal for pedestrians to use the 40mph Dual Carrageway too?

Yes: pedestrians have the common law right of passage and repassage along the highway. However they might, if taking the piss, be done for obstruction or somesuch.

 

[stoatsngroats]

I went through a park today, cutting off two sides of a triangle.

It's a fair point you make, but if it's a public park, then it probably would have groundsmen/contract gardeners, who (generally), seem to tidy up around them, and so these paths are nice to cycle on!

 

[summerdays]

Well the path is generally clean and tidy as you say ... although there is a slope at the end that I can't get up unless I'm in my absolute lowest gear as it wasn't really designed for cyclists - in fact there was a ban on cycling there until they wanted kids to cycle to school so changed its use.

I agree that you really need people who cycle involved in designing cycling infrastructure. Even then just because we are a cyclists we don't necessarily understand the whole picture. When I was first involved with creating the Safe Routes to my child's local primary school we thought a one way street might solve some of the problems caused by the road being narrow. But actually from a safety point of view it is apparently better to have the two way traffic conflict as it slows the traffic down. I needed someone with superior expertise than mine to tell me that.

 

[marinyork]

The problem with cycling farcilities is many schemes worth doing create a major headache for the planners and they give up and do the silly and easy ones. A planner here spent a year of his life trying to give the gift of cycling through a park (to join up with another one) to people and had constant ranting and raving by well off ignorant middle class car commuters. The weird thing about that case is they had very heavy accident stats on his side and it was still a walkover for the objectors.

After years and years of virtually no signs they are now really splashing out on signs rather than painting things red.

 

[summerdays]

After years and years of virtually no signs they are now really splashing out on signs rather than painting things red.

Signs warning car drivers about cyclists or signs for cyclists directing them where to go/distances?

 

[marinyork]

Signs warning car drivers about cyclists or signs for cyclists directing them where to go/distances?

Directing cyclists where to go and some (distances). It's quite odd as the city has gone from virtually zero blue direction signs to being (if it carries on) one of the best ones (whether you think it a waste of money or not).

 

[summerdays]

I don't think its a complete waste of time - in Bristol, there are very few signs directing you to the Bristol to Bath cycle path... you more need to explore, look at maps etc to find out where it is.

 

[summerdays]

I have thought of another bad example of a cycle path... I was exploring the ring road for a potential trip with the kids... following a bit of cycle path which ended with no warning dropping me onto the road - all very well but going aganist the flow of traffic.

Trying a google map:
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.503833,-2.544917&spn=0.000638,0.001385&t=h&z=20

 

[marinyork]

I'm not sure either way whether it's worth it or not, just that is the current fad here and I find it totally odd but interesting. I expect there might be a "sustrans effect" where some of the newly signed routes get cult status way beyond their worth which might get a few more people on their bikes/new places.