Idiot in car trying to make a point by driving down cyclepath

[Deleted member 26715]

Just to play Devils advocate does anyone know why the cyclists were on the road instead of the bike path?

Yes they can't ride 4 abreast on the cycle path it's not wide enough

 

[russ.will]

Just to play Devils advocate does anyone know why the cyclists were on the road instead of the bike path?

I'll field this one, because my village is behind the trees in the video.

It's actually not that rough or narrow as shared paths go, but it isn't great. The path is only about 1/2 mile long and you have to get off the path 200m into Cottenham and about 100m into Rampton. However, at most times of year and especially now as the fields to the right have just been harvested, ploughed and drilled, they will be covered in all of the usual tyre shredding crap.

At both ends, the path is heavily encroached by bushes narrowing it to barely a pedestrians width, because you can't cut the bushes before September. At which point, the flints will be joined by splinters.

A story familiar to us all I'm sure.

Russ

 

[russ.will]

PS. The number plate looks familiar (how many Manc regged Merivas are there in The Fens?) and I also know the owner of the video is taking it to the police.

Russ

 

[mjr]

At both ends, the path is heavily encroached by bushes narrowing it to barely a pedestrians width, because you can't cut the bushes before September they didn't cut the bushes back far enough to allow for growth without encroachment. At which point, the flints will be joined by splinters.

Fixed that for you.

A story familiar to us all I'm sure.

It's familiar to me. I've ridden that one. It's OK but as you say, too narrow thanks to bushes, close enough to the road that it collects debris and generally undermaintained. I assume it was built with something like Safe Routes To School money because in terms of most journeys, it basically connects naff-all to naff-all alongside a road which isn't that nasty compared to others you'll probably want to use to get anywhere.

 

[mjr]

It's actually not that rough or narrow as shared paths go, but it isn't great. The path is only about 1/2 mile long and you have to get off the path 200m into Cottenham and about 100m into Rampton.

I just reminded myself on bird's eye view of how the ends were. A full group trying to make the tight turn onto it and squeeze past a couple of dark poles at the Rampton end would be entertaining enough, but crossing a half-dozen driveways nearly blind before a tight turn back onto the road at the allotments at the Cottenham end could be dangerous. Surface quality doesn't look great, possibly due to cars parking with two wheels up on it. I'd be a bit wary of taking a touring group along it because of those ends, so right call by a "cycling as a sport" club IMO.

 

[Goggs]

If it's any consolation it's not a lot better in my part of France. The problem here is that there are cycle lanes everywhere but they're most often just a part of the main road so you're at the mercy of cars. Drivers do tend to give more space here though & they're far less aggressive generally. There's a lot of glass about though which you have to watch out for all the time. I've no idea why they like smashing glass so much.

My friend stays in Emmen in the Netherlands and it's a different world. I'm going to visit later in the year and this time I'll be taking my bike with me. I can't wait. The whole town is geared around two wheels.

 

[si_c]

I just reminded myself on bird's eye view of how the ends were. A full group trying to make the tight turn onto it and squeeze past a couple of dark poles at the Rampton end would be entertaining enough, but crossing a half-dozen driveways nearly blind before a tight turn back onto the road at the allotments at the Cottenham end could be dangerous. Surface quality doesn't look great, possibly due to cars parking with two wheels up on it. I'd be a bit wary of taking a touring group along it because of those ends, so right call by a "cycling as a sport" club IMO.

Utterly crap infrastructure, waste of money and better off not there, it's actually creating conflicts rather than helping to avoid them.

 

[coffeejo]

As one of the reply's to the thread on RCC.

That is a brilliant idea. I reckon on Sunday mornings cars should only be allowed to use cycle paths, leaving the roads free for cycling, running, walking, horse riding, kids in go carts, street hockey etc.

This may of course lead to calls by motorists and motoring organisations for cycle path facilities to be upgraded and expanded, but what the heck, that might mean they become fit for use by all cyclists during the week.

Brilliant!

 

[John the Monkey]

[QUOTE 4452051, member: 45"]Nothing coming the other way for the whole of that clip. Why did he not just overtake?[/QUOTE]
REASONS!

I encountered one of these in Manchester, although the driver in question wasn't particularly angry, just particularly stupid. (If you know the bit of off road path that passes the shops opposite the MRI on Oxford Road, he was driving along that).

 

[Profpointy]

Just to play Devils advocate does anyone know why the cyclists were on the road instead of the bike path?

Well I could hazard a guess they didn't want to go on a less convenient, slower, more dangerous, and likely glass strewn route

 

[Goggs]

[QUOTE 4452051, member: 45"]Nothing coming the other way for the whole of that clip. Why did he not just overtake?[/QUOTE]

Perhaps he regularly gets stuck behind bikes and this time, when he'd decided to take action, sods law dictated the road would be clear.

 

[Goggs]

Well I could hazard a guess they didn't want to go on a less convenient, slower, more dangerous, and likely glass strewn route

Of course & I get that but the drivers on that stretch probably don't understand the point the cyclists are making. Those drivers will just see the cyclists as arrogant.

 

[John the Monkey]

Of course & I get that but the drivers on that stretch probably don't understand the point the cyclists are making. Those drivers will just see the cyclists as arrogant.

If only people had to take some kind of test before getting a driving license, perhaps one in which they might have to learn about that Highway Code they have nowadays.

 

[Profpointy]

If only people had to take some kind of test before getting a driving license, perhaps one in which they might have to learn about that Highway Code they have nowadays.

If only those people specifying cycle lanes, spend maybe 5 minutes thinking about design before spending millions of pounds of our money.
Or are they just built by the Daily Mail motoring lobby purely out of malice?

 

[Gixxerman]

[QUOTE 4452051, member: 45"]Nothing coming the other way for the whole of that clip. Why did he not just overtake?[/QUOTE]
Because I asume he wanted to make a point. The point being that if there is a cyclepath, they should be using it, and not using the road he pays for with his road tax. I may be wrong, but I'd wager quite a lot of money on me being close to the mark.