OP
OP
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
Read the OP.
What I am learning from cycling in Denmark
- Thread starter Flying_Monkey
- Start date
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Read the OP.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
German cycleways are not regarded highly by Dutch cyclists, as far as I know. They're better than the UK, a little, but far from the excellent quality found in the Netherlands. There are lots of roads you can ride on in the Netherlands, and quite a few that have cycle paths. Still, most people won't choose to ride on the road because there's no point. The cycle paths are almost always better.
Dutch drivers are not universally better than UK drivers, far from it. They are the same imperfect human beings we are. Dutch driver misbehaviour in cars is significantly limited by a large number of different and better strategies used in the Netherlands for managing road traffic.
Dutch drivers are not universally better than UK drivers, far from it. They are the same imperfect human beings we are. Dutch driver misbehaviour in cars is significantly limited by a large number of different and better strategies used in the Netherlands for managing road traffic.
kedab
Veteran
- Location
- nr cambridge
long way round town advised there then, Crankarm?
i think the extra time spent riding 'around town' rather than dicing with death down that road is probably best. the wife wouldn't like it too much if I got a bit dead. at least, I don't think she would?
Nigeyy
Legendary Member
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
Hmmm cycle commuting in the north east USA.......
It's good in that the roads are generally wider, and generally have less traffic, but the problem is that the driving standard is below the UKs -rules are just suggestions
Plus, as a whole, I think Americans culturally regard driving much less seriously in terms of responsibility and are more aggressive (huge generalizations I know but it can make it unpleasant). On the opposite side and to balance things out, roads are generally smaller in the UK, and drivers driver faster (leaving less time to react) and as a whole, traffic density is greater. I do fear the rise of texting and driving, something I think is a very similar danger to drinking and driving, maybe even worse in some ways. All in all, it's not that bad, but fast city traffic over here isn't something I'd want to tackle, nor would I want to cycle around late at night, particularly at the weekend due to people leaving bars (actually I don't like to drive a car at night for that reason).
Personally I'd love to be separated from motor vehicular traffic; the speed and weight differential and the increasing number of people talking/texting on phones will do that for me. But would I vote for something like that? Absolutely not. The problem is that if bikes are banned from the road, there certainly wouldn't be the money nor political will to make separate and reasonable accommodation a reality -hence stick with the devil you know. But in an ideal world, a big yes (I look back to when I cycled through the Netherlands very fondly, great bike paths).
Hey, am I the only person who when they retire really want to live somewhere where there aren't motor vehicles? I'd love to live somewhere where you can use a cycle path to commute to a local town centre. It's really a dream of mine -try to keep fit while you get older, get exercise, breathe the fresh air and enjoy the cycling experience!
It's good in that the roads are generally wider, and generally have less traffic, but the problem is that the driving standard is below the UKs -rules are just suggestions
Plus, as a whole, I think Americans culturally regard driving much less seriously in terms of responsibility and are more aggressive (huge generalizations I know but it can make it unpleasant). On the opposite side and to balance things out, roads are generally smaller in the UK, and drivers driver faster (leaving less time to react) and as a whole, traffic density is greater. I do fear the rise of texting and driving, something I think is a very similar danger to drinking and driving, maybe even worse in some ways. All in all, it's not that bad, but fast city traffic over here isn't something I'd want to tackle, nor would I want to cycle around late at night, particularly at the weekend due to people leaving bars (actually I don't like to drive a car at night for that reason).Personally I'd love to be separated from motor vehicular traffic; the speed and weight differential and the increasing number of people talking/texting on phones will do that for me. But would I vote for something like that? Absolutely not. The problem is that if bikes are banned from the road, there certainly wouldn't be the money nor political will to make separate and reasonable accommodation a reality -hence stick with the devil you know. But in an ideal world, a big yes (I look back to when I cycled through the Netherlands very fondly, great bike paths).
Hey, am I the only person who when they retire really want to live somewhere where there aren't motor vehicles? I'd love to live somewhere where you can use a cycle path to commute to a local town centre. It's really a dream of mine -try to keep fit while you get older, get exercise, breathe the fresh air and enjoy the cycling experience!
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
I think they do cause problems.
Any near misses or scares I have had on segregated cycle routes have involved motorised cycles (broomfiets) which due to their weight and speed differential can cause concern for other path users.
Also, they tend to be driven by young people, boy racer types, who drive at full throttle as a matter of course.
(I have no statistical evidence to back up my theory
)
RWright
Guru
- Location
- North Carolina
Too bad this place isn't a little larger, just have to fight with golf cart traffic. At least you would be dealing with slower traffic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Head_Island,_North_Carolina
OP
OP
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
- Location
- Odawa
I think they do cause problems.
Any near misses or scares I have had on segregated cycle routes have involved motorised cycles (broomfiets) which due to their weight and speed differential can cause concern for other path users.
Also, they tend to be driven by young people, boy racer types, who drive at full throttle as a matter of course.
(I have no statistical evidence to back up my theory
Those things are a problem everywhere. I wish they would not be treated legally as bicycles - plus it tend to make people on any kind of scooters or motorbikes assume they can use the bike lanes and use them at the same speed as they would on the road. Mind you in southern Italy they tend to just ride them on the pavements, which is much worse...
Austria is like Germany IIRC - mandatory shared use paths everywhere. Bad for pedestrians and cyclists alike IMO.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
No ime. In Austria (Salzburgerland) anyway.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
I didn't get that impression while cycling there, but found them altogether more cycle friendly countries than the UK.
U
User169
Guest
I think they do cause problems.
Any near misses or scares I have had on segregated cycle routes have involved motorised cycles (broomfiets) which due to their weight and speed differential can cause concern for other path users.
Also, they tend to be driven by young people, boy racer types, who drive at full throttle as a matter of course.
(I have no statistical evidence to back up my theory
Haven't had too many problems with brommers. The bigger issue is the poles that the Dutch like to randomly plonk in the middle of cycle paths. I read that they are responsible for a huge number of injuries, often quite serious. If you ride in a bunch here, the first instruction you learn is "paaltje"!
