Pedestrians on shared/segregated cycle paths

[jimboalee]

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&l...oid=wuU1xxK3qHP3f9u3JwNNog&cbp=12,150.75,,0,5

"Get ON the cycle lane mate, or you'll hit the lamp standard ahead".

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&l...,5&ll=52.432101,-1.781051&spn=0,0.016501&z=16

Two pillocky peds and a scooter in the cycle path.

 

[skrx]

On three occasions on the Thames Path young-ish children have cycled into me. Twice they've panicked when mum's said "move left so the man can go past!" and lost control, once the boys seemed to be showing off to each other.

I don't mind in the slightest (it's cute!), and I go past children (and dogs) very slowly so it's not a problem.

On another occasion the super-posh school was doing a cycle lesson on the path. There were about 20 brand new bikes, with 20 children, stopped right across the path listening to the teacher. She saw me coming and said "make a space everyone!", but one of the children fell over onto another, and then they all fell over. Very funny :-D

 

[dellzeqq]

Is it only me who has never, ever encountered this? In longer than I care to remember commuting around the West Midlands on a bike, no one ever said "get on the cycle path!" or similar.

I've heard it more times than I can remember - the last time being in Faversham, where the driver attempted to force one of my companions off the road. Milton Keynes is favourite, though.

 

[mark i]

I do find it annoying that pedestrians do not seem to be aware of the presence of bikes on such shared and marked cycleways. It tends to make them more or less unusable (I average 20mph on the flat, not really a suitable speed on a shared path, I have 15 miles to do so 10mph is not really getting me home in a reasonable time!). For that reason I use the road and have been beeped on some roads, usually by local taxi drivers in solihull. The last occasion was on a cycle path where the council has not trimmed the hedges so you cannot actually ride on the cycle path!

 

[dondare]

I do find it annoying that pedestrians do not seem to be aware of the presence of bikes on such shared and marked cycleways. It tends to make them more or less unusable (I average 20mph on the flat, not really a suitable speed on a shared path, I have 15 miles to do so 10mph is not really getting me home in a reasonable time!). For that reason I use the road and have been beeped on some roads, usually by local taxi drivers in solihull. The last occasion was on a cycle path where the council has not trimmed the hedges so you cannot actually ride on the cycle path!

The problem is not the awareness of pedestrians but the attitude of motorists.

 

[jonesy]

Is it only me who has never, ever encountered this? In longer than I care to remember commuting around the West Midlands on a bike, no one ever said "get on the cycle path!" or similar.

I suspect it rather depends on how often you have to cycle next to a 'cycle path' that you don't use as well as what sort of road it is next to. My commute takes me alongside a pavement that people think is a shared use cycle path, because it becomes one a bit further along the same road, and I get tooted at or shouted at at least once a month. The road is quite busy and drivers usually have to hold back for a minute or so before they can overtake, which gives the angrier ones time to notice the 'cycle path' and get cross about it.

 

[marinyork]

I've had people shout get on the cycle path plenty of times. Sometimes it's just a generic road rage thing, sometimes it's fairly near or next to a cycle path. Usually it's dual carriageways or wide single carriage A roads in urban settings where motorists get the most irate - ironically the easiest place to pass.

 

[jonesy]

I do find it annoying that pedestrians do not seem to be aware of the presence of bikes on such shared and marked cycleways. It tends to make them more or less unusable (I average 20mph on the flat, not really a suitable speed on a shared path, I have 15 miles to do so 10mph is not really getting me home in a reasonable time!). For that reason I use the road and have been beeped on some roads, usually by local taxi drivers in solihull. The last occasion was on a cycle path where the council has not trimmed the hedges so you cannot actually ride on the cycle path!

Sorry, but that is intrinsic failing of shared-use paths, not something that can be blamed on pedestrians. Why should pedestrians suddenly have to start treating a pavement as if it were another form of road, with priorities, lane markings to watch, give-way markings etc etc? This is further intrusion of the highway environment into the little space that pedestrians have been left with.

The widespread use of shared use pavements as token cycling provision has been detrimental both to pedestrians and to cyclists, by undermining our right to use the road. It isn't even consistent with official guidance on cycling infrastructure, but still it is what most councils do because a) it is easier and cheaper than doing it properly and they can still say they are doing something and unfortunately Sustrans has helped legitimise it by allowing its use on so much of the NCN, which, as a national flagship cycling project, councils naturally assume is a good example of what is acceptable.

 

[dondare]

Sorry, but that is intrinsic failing of shared-use paths, not something that can be blamed on pedestrians. Why should pedestrians suddenly have to start treating a pavement as if it were another form of road, with priorities, lane markings to watch, give-way markings etc etc? This is further intrusion of the highway environment into the little space that pedestrians have been left with.

The widespread use of shared use pavements as token cycling provision has been detrimental both to pedestrians and to cyclists, by undermining our right to use the road. It isn't even consistent with official guidance on cycling infrastructure, but still it is what most councils do because a) it is easier and cheaper than doing it properly and they can still say they are doing something and unfortunately Sustrans has helped legitimise it by allowing its use on so much of the NCN, which, as a national flagship cycling project, councils naturally assume is a good example of what is acceptable.

I concur with every word and sentiment.

 

[ferret fur]

i disagree with every word

 

[hackbike 666]

He has a point or ten.

 

[BentMikey]

Well said Jonesy, what an excellent post and so true.

 

[HLaB]

Slighty OT I stupidly used a shared use contraflow path tonight instead of taking a 1.6mile detour. Because the road is one way I should have realised that the HW code says you can shoot out of the road on the right, without looking left (yip there is one there, its just hard to spot). I'm glad It was dry 18-0 in a few m is a bit hairy. For the sake of a couple of miles I think I'll use the busy main road in future instead of NCN1.

 

[Origamist]

Yep, there's manifold reasons why shared use paths are at the bottom of the hierarchy of provision. Their implementaition tends to disadvantage both cyclists and pedestrians - the Dutch realised this years ago.

 

[goo_mason]

Jonesy - that's a cracking post. Like many others, I totally agree.