Cycle lanes increase vehicle congestion?

[fossyant]

You know when things won't change. I've a mate whose written a couple of books and is a journalist for a local paper. You know things won't change when he moaned all over Twitter about dropping his car off at the 'local' garage for some work, then got wet socks on the way there and back, then lays into the Government policy about encouraging people to walk and cycle - just cos walking caused wet socks ? Nothing to do with him not using appropriate footwear ? He's an out right petrol head and hates electric cars with a passion.

Doomed we are.

 

[fossyant]

traffic in london has always been slower than a bike, in cycling plus last month article stating the total length of cycle lanes is miniscule compared to the total road network so as usual an ill reseached click bait piece from someone with an agenda.

Same in Manchester. takes me an hour to drive 9 miles. Takes an hour to ride 13 miles down a muddy/bumpy canal !

 

[Badger_Boom]

Can never understand the reasoning of using a car in a city where there are good public transport links and other options.

The spectre of 'personal choice/freedom' and the widely held belief that public transport is for losers.

 

[All uphill]

I have to ask whether it is a bad thing if cycle lanes cause congestion.

I've said on other threads that I experienced the dramatic increase in the use of public transport and cycling in the Netherlands in the 1980s, specifically in Groningen.

Part of that change was as a result of a conscious decision by local politicians to prioritise preferred travel methods and have choke points to restrict car access.

 

[simongt]

Maybe if some of those delayed drivers tried switching their journeys to modes of transport more suited to a crowded city they might not spend so much time stuck in jams?

Yew wot - ? Give up the pleasure of driving my car two miles to work for the pleasure of getting stuck for half an hour in a daily traffic jam - ?
Yer 'avin' a larf - !
Sadly, this is usually the case.

 

[icowden]

Yew wot - ? Give up the pleasure of driving my car two miles to work for the pleasure of getting stuck for half an hour in a daily traffic jam - ?
Yer 'avin' a larf - !
Sadly, this is usually the case.

I have to say that my first reaction to this was "stop B****Y driving then!". If you don't want to get the tube, use a bike or scooter, or walk. ebikes and escooters are available now. Unless you are delivering goods, delivering services or have a blue badge, you don't need to drive in London!

 

[fossyant]

I wish we had some proper cycle lanes in Manchester - I might commute on the road bike then ! As it stands, the canal into the city will do.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

To some extent it would help a lot of the government helped
If I wanted to start work again and tried to commute into Liverpool I would pretty much have to drive at least most of the way
It is too far to ride my ebike - especially in wet weather
the car park at the station is always full by 9 (earliest I've been there - retired and all that)
and the bike parking facilities are
a) pathetic
b) broken - or permanently locked by personal locks that the staff won;t remove - and there are only 2 of them anyway

Ideally there should be park-and-ride with proper hi security bike (and scooter when they are legal) parking - for every large town and city
and decent busses going in and out until late

Then they have no excuses
They will make excuses anyway - but they will have less valid excuses

and - of course - if loads of cars come off the roads then people who genuinely need to drive (e.g. disabled people) would have an easier life

 

[cougie uk]

It's a flawed report from a motorist organisation.


View: https://twitter.com/carltonreid/status/1468159567909511169?t=xR6cFOu6GRpPyMyto6RKxA&s=19

Shame on the BBC for repeating it.

 

[I like Skol]

It's a flawed report from a motorist organisation.

Shame on the BBC for repeating it.

The BBC have done us vulnerable road users no favours by reporting the flawed report in such a biased way. It can only lead to a further escalation of the contempt some drivers seem to hold for cyclists.

The headline might as well have read "The roads are more congested than ever and it is the cyclists fault"!

 

[Brandane]

Can never understand the reasoning of using a car in a city where there are good public transport links and other options.

Have you not read the "Train behaviours" thread? . Although I believe most of the issues are London centric.

 

[presta]

"A....cycle lane...that was removed because the local council said it was impeding the flow of motor vehicles has since been blocked by parked cars up to 80% of the time.....average trip times eastbound increased from 5min 39sec to 8min 14sec, with those westbound rising from 5min 48sec to 6min 27sec"

 

[vickster]

To some extent it would help a lot of the government helped
If I wanted to start work again and tried to commute into Liverpool I would pretty much have to drive at least most of the way
It is too far to ride my ebike - especially in wet weather
the car park at the station is always full by 9 (earliest I've been there - retired and all that)
and the bike parking facilities are
a) pathetic
b) broken - or permanently locked by personal locks that the staff won;t remove - and there are only 2 of them anyway

Ideally there should be park-and-ride with proper hi security bike (and scooter when they are legal) parking - for every large town and city
and decent busses going in and out until late

Then they have no excuses
They will make excuses anyway - but they will have less valid excuses

and - of course - if loads of cars come off the roads then people who genuinely need to drive (e.g. disabled people) would have an easier life

Get a Brompton?

 

[Oldhippy]

I'm no expert but I'm confident that traffic causes congestion.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Get a Brompton?

Well if you want to be pedantic I do have a folding ebike I could take

but that isn't the point - OK it is, because I could


but the point I was TRYING to make was that better bike parking would be nice

I was just ignoring certain parts of my own bike ownership details

In fact one of the reasons I have the folder is so I can just lob it in the back of the car and go somewhere - then cycle when I get there
would be nice if the destination was the park and ride and I could ride the last bit