Yesterday it was a nice day so took the route Shotton, Ellesmereport, Chester and back to Shotton. It was a mixture of road and side pavement and a mixture of signs. In some cases the blue oblong cycle sign, some round cycle signs, some segregated showing which side the foot and cycle users should take, some areas completely separate to motor traffic others motor traffic was alongside.
While on the enforced cycle route, I saw a bunch of riders riding 3 abreast on the road, with cars having to move to the oncoming lane to pass, when done as an event with warning signs OK, but no warning signs and there was really no reason why they were on the road, never mind 3 abreast, there was a designated cycle track where they could have been 3 abreast for much of the time without affecting motor traffic.
The most likely part of the trip where cycles could have had problems with pedestrians was on the tow path, and this section there is no way you can cycle away from walkers, as one got closer to Ellesmereport so the road crossings got worst, as start there were cycle, pedestrian, horse crossings with high buttons for house riders, then as the traffic got heavier the crossings lights went, still signs to show you were to cross with the blue round cycle signs to show you must use the track, but the crossing was not suitable for children. The last under the motorway on the roundabout was really bad, and signs to show where you needed to cross road to join tow path did not exist.
The surface of the tow path was hard but not suitable for racing cycles, you need a reasonable wide tyre but not requiring mountain bike tyres. It improved just before the return leg where I joined the old railway route, a wider track than better surface to the tow path. The final part can either go over the road on the new Welsh bridge then a second steep climb to Hawarden Bridge station or follow the road and cross duel carriage way at the Burnt out Gateway to Wales hotel which I selected. And one is directed to the cycle track on the right side of the road.
However in a few places that cycle track stops being on the raised pavement and one ends up riding contra flow to motorised traffic which is not really what I wanted, however one can see why, as the cycle track other side of road stops at railway bridge, but again lack of signs to show how one can go through carpark and side roads and join the combined pedestrian/cycle track past the leisure centre.
Because I have local knowledge I crossed main road and joined traffic, however the signs take you right into centre of Shotton where it is clearly not safe to ride on the raised section of pavement once you pass the bike shop and railway station. There are signs as one goes further that say in English only "no cycling on walkway" but lack of international signs or anything to define the walkway, it seems the coastal cycle route 5 keeps disappearing as one cycles towards Greenfield with some really odd directions.
From Queensferry to Shotton there is no end of cycle route signs, and a complete hopscotch of instructions depending on how you enter Shotton.
So in real terms the main problem is signs, we have contra flow in Queeensferry and Deeside industrial estate in the latter cyclists from the Wirral have to ignore the no entry sign and cycle wrong way down a one way street, I can see why, other route would include a dangerous roundabout, however you can't expect a cyclist to disobey one sign and obey others, where the cycle route is down a no entry or dead end road, there should be at least an except cycles sign.
Pavement means a hard surface, all major roads are paved, with a paver often called barbergreen after the firm who make them, so we can't have a sign saying no riding on pavement as the road is a pavement, all we can have is a no cycling on the walkway, but we still have to define it as a walkway, and signs saying rejoin main carriageway or enforced cycle way are pointless if there is not a suitable drop curb to allow the transfer.
Until the county council get their act together and actually put up signs, it's all a pointless argument, going into Shotton on the left from Queensferry at Shotton Lane cycles rejoin the road way, but on the right side, this does not happen, anyone with a bit of sense can see at the railway bridge the raised pavement has become to narrow, however cyclists would have needed to cross the busy road some 100 yards back at the traffic light controlled crossing, would not take much to put a sign there, however the bike shop may complain, as it is on right just before railway bridge.
Of course common sense would say pedestrian crossing should be at the exists from railway station which would get rid of the problem, however it seems council planners don't have common sense any more.
so if there's traffic, I'd prefer to be in a shoal or peloton than not.
