Do you have to use cycle paths?

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Drago

Legendary Member
And are all cluttered up with self righteous tools on mountain bikes.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
Let's see...glassed, loose dogs (or, worse, dogs on extendable leads), dozy walkers with headphones,iced-up in winter, lose priority at every side road, terrible sightlines on corners, oncoming cyclists may be on the left or right...no, best avoided unless you are happy to go slowly and very carefully.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Let's see...glassed, loose dogs (or, worse, dogs on extendable leads), dozy walkers with headphones,iced-up in winter, lose priority at every side road, terrible sightlines on corners, oncoming cyclists may be on the left or right...no, best avoided unless you are happy to go slowly and very carefully.
The father of a lass that I know was killed on a cylepath when he struck tree debris that had not been swept up. There are some decent ones about, but as a general rule of thumb cycle paths aren't nice places to be.
 

Landsurfer

Veteran
The biggest threat on our local canal paths, all beautifully tarmaced is eastern European fishermen .... Their very friendly, but usually very drunk, passing bottles of brandy and vodka between themselves as their fishing and occasionally lighting fires to cook huge sausages .. male and female their chosen day for drunken fishing seems to be Sundays .... its the rods .... you never know when one will be coming your way ...^_^
 

JRTemple

Biking Enthusiast!
Location
North London
Whatever happen to road sweepers? I have only just started riding a bike and the crap in the first 2 feet of the road is amazing, loose gravel glass dog poo and those tiny gas canister bottles! also do road surfacing companies not know how to level a drain or manhole cover with the road? some places there are 2 inches between them :wacko:
 
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vickster

Legendary Member
Whatever happen to road sweepers? I have only just started riding a bike and the crap in the first 2 feet of the road is amazing, loose gravel glass dog poo and those tiny gas canister bottles! also do road surfacing companies not know how to level a drain or manhole cover with the road? some places there are 2 inches between them :wacko:
Report the drain covers on fill that hole
 

BigMeatball

Senior Member
I never use cycle paths: normally they're either filled with pedestrians or they're just used as parking lanes so screw them.

Been riding almost a year and so far nobody has ever said anything to me, not a word, not a honk. I guess I've been lucky.
 

DSK

Senior Member
The ones I've tried are just a nuisance (even more so if you ride a road bike).

People use them as extensions of their driveways, you get pets/kids appearing infront of you, pedestrians walk on which side they feel like and some cases the surfaces makes potholes preferable. Ok if you are cycling with the kids as it keeps traffic away from them but waste of time other wise.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Worth a scan of this thread (from 2011!): https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/18mph-in-cycle-lanes.77660/
Got a current link @DCLane ? @mjr
He's totally wrong [saying one had to ride in a provided cycle path/lane]. If a cyclepath is there you may use it if you want to but if you are [riding] in excess of 18mph you should be on the road.
, Archived DfT quote.
For on road cycle lanes there isn't a guideline on speed but again you only have to use if you want to and often it isn't in your best interest to do so, ie at junctions they guide you to the point where most potential conflicts can take place. There are countless other reasons too.
One bullet in @HLaB link says: "Ride at a sensible speed for the situation and ensure you can stop in time. As a general rule, if you want to cycle quickly, say in excess of 18 mph/30 kph, then you should be riding on the road." This was a DfT consultation (2009) so maybe it's now in 'harder' print?
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Think it's worth adding the Sustrans Advice-on-using-shared-use-paths which looks to have been derived from the DfT words:

Many people including young, older and disabled people benefit from shared paths, which provide valuable opportunities to travel in a traffic-free environment and to relax, unwind and play.
All users of shared-use paths have responsibilities for the safety of others they are sharing space with.
People riding bikes tend to be the fastest movers on these paths and particularly need to consider their speed so as not to startle other people, particularly those who are frail or who have reduced sight, hearing or mobility.

Top tips for sharing the space
  • Use the path in a way that is considerate to the comfort and safety of others.
  • If there is a dividing line segregating cyclists from pedestrians, keep to the appropriate side; this is normally indicated on blue and white road signs and by logos on the road surface.
  • When it's dark, or in dull conditions, make sure you are visible to others, use lights at night.
  • Be particularly careful at junctions, bends, entrances onto the path, or any other ‘blind spots’ where people could appear in front of you without warning.
  • When riding a bike, travel at a speed appropriate to the conditions and ensure you can stop in time.
  • Be courteous and patient with other path users who are moving more slowly than you and slow down as needed when space is limited or if you cannot see clearly ahead.
  • Please be aware, especially of more vulnerable users such as older people, people with small children, people in wheelchairs, or the hearing or visually impaired.
  • Give way to slower users and wheelchair users and take care around horse riders leaving them plenty of room.
  • When riding a bike, ring a bell well in advance if approaching people from behind.
  • Keep your dog on a short lead when walking on a path shared with people who cycle.
 
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steveindenmark

Legendary Member
I think it is actually worth stopping and explaining the law to them. Let them have their opinion, explain the law and tell the them to google it. Maybe even explain why you are not using it.
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
I think it is actually worth stopping and explaining the law to them.
Steve - life is far too short to even try to do so. If someone says/shouts something which isn't 'true' just wave and shout a cheery 'good morning' or 'have a good ride' (or whatever). I think we can all agree that it would be nice to be able to ride on cyclepaths without the aggravations (surface, debris, obstructions, 'Give Ways', design wiggles, other users :rolleyes:) but we live, in UK anyway, in the real world. And a cyclist who takes on the load of 'explaining the law' to others is on an infinite road (;)) to personal frustration. I'm with @Drago here: have a 'ready to deliver' positive greeting in your response quiver, and ride on, on path or road "in a way that is considerate to the comfort and safety of others".
 
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