No wonder they're barmy...

[Arch]

We had to hire a van at work today while our vehicle was serviced, and I picked it up and took it back. I just spent 45 minutes in crawling traffic across town, a trip I could have cycled in 15. No wonder drivers get so wound up!

Although I only saw one piece of idiocy, a van driver who squeezed through past me at a traffic light/crossing, mounting the kerb to get by, in order to get into the right filter lane further on. Otherwise, a fair bit of letting in at junctions and lane changes and so on. Still, I wouldn't like to have to do it every day.

I actually chose to walk a slightly longer way home by the river, instead of the pavement by the road, just for the relative peace....

 

[mcshroom]

I saw a local news item on York's congestion problems last night (why we get news about York in Whitehaven I'll never know). It did look mad. There were two ideas mentioned in the piece to improve things. The council were suggesting a congestion charge.

Now if they spent that money on improving cycle infrastructure that would be good

 

[chap]

...
Although I only saw one piece of idiocy, a van driver who squeezed through past me at a traffic light/crossing, mounting the kerb to get by, in order to get into the right filter lane further on.

...

Say, you weren't in London by any chance? This sort of idiocy takes place several times every day here. One would gladly pull a death-defying move just to get in front of you at the next set of lights (normally about 10m away.)

 

[marinyork]

Town I can understand people getting upset, what always cracked me up was the amount of moaning that went on about the two halves of the outer ring road!

 

[Arch]

I saw a local news item on York's congestion problems last night (why we get news about York in Whitehaven I'll never know). It did look mad. There were two ideas mentioned in the piece to improve things. The council were suggesting a congestion charge.

Now if they spent that money on improving cycle infrastructure that would be good

Alas, I suspect they wouldn't... I'm not convinced by congestion charging myself (and that's as a non-car owner). I can only see it pushing people out to the ring road. So much of central York is already pedestrianised during the day, there doesn't seem much left to charge people for using.

It makes you despair. If there's a city that is absolutely ideal for cycling, it's York - even living on the edge, you're within a 15 min ride of the centre. It's almost entirely flat, and most of the central roads are narrow single carriageways, so no intimidating urban motorways. There are riverside routes and other cycle paths that cut big corners and avoid a lot of the worst traffic. We have 3 bike shops and two Halfordses within about ten minutes walk of the Minster, and a few more further out. We have cycle couriers, cycle cops and paramedics, and even a bunch of nutters collecting recycling on tricycles...

And yet they still sit, one per car, inching round the inner ring.

 

[chap]

Alas, I suspect they wouldn't... I'm not convinced by congestion charging myself (and that's as a non-car owner). I can only see it pushing people out to the ring road. So much of central York is already pedestrianised during the day, there doesn't seem much left to charge people for using.

It makes you despair. If there's a city that is absolutely ideal for cycling, it's York - even living on the edge, you're within a 15 min ride of the centre. It's almost entirely flat, and most of the central roads are narrow single carriageways, so no intimidating urban motorways. There are riverside routes and other cycle paths that cut big corners and avoid a lot of the worst traffic. We have 3 bike shops and two Halfordses within about ten minutes walk of the Minster, and a few more further out. We have cycle couriers, cycle cops and paramedics, and even a bunch of nutters collecting recycling on tricycles...

And yet they still sit, one per car, inching round the inner ring.

I guess, it's just seen as the normal thing to do. Almost like the natural drummer instead making do with a tambourine.