Will we ever have a system that comes close to the dutch system here in the UK?

[tyred]

You've never drunk too much Oranjieboom?

I can't remember (hic)!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

The "perfectly good surfaced path" is the road.

Here there is an alternative with several miles of tarmaced path. Here people seem to risk their lives on the road just because they are snobs about the path.

Sorry, no sympathy from me if they get hit, sorry.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

So you've asked everyone why they don't use the path? Or are you simply assuming?

I'm talking about local cyclists who really should know better, and cycling on a busy A82 is just downright suicidal (except for the middle of the night).

Maybe people like the danger, I don't know, but I'd rather avoid it.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I'm not saying the paths are perfect, but then, what roads are either? There is an annoying bit between Bowling and Clydebank which is towpath gravel (if it was down to me I'd upgrade it to tarmac like the rest), but certainly with the rest of it, there are miles on end of tarmac path which are just as good as the road through being.... tarmac, and there are few pot holes, etc, and more of it wouldn't go amiss, like the Dutch model!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Of course, the road is 'cool'.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And do the paths go where all those people you are berating want to go? Or should cyclists only be allowed to go where cycle paths take them?

The local geography of the area (with the Clyde on one side and the hills on the other) means that you can't go to many other places!

Oh and path 'furniture', they used to have quite a lot of things on the paths, but a lot of those seem to have been removed now.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

What about snow and ice clearing? What happens at junctions?

Admittedly during the winter they can be a bit dodgy (I wouldn't expect people so much to use it then although those Schwalbe winter tyres are reportedly quite good on them) but there are few junctions as they are not beside the road (well, ok, they are geographically), and part of it is an old railway trackbed. The bits of road that you do need to go on are reasonably short signposted bits between the paths, and due to the local geography, you would probably take a similar route if exclusively on the road anyway (less busy roads....unless you really were a total wacko and did the A82 the whole way).

They are separate paths away from the roads.

 

[captain nemo1701]

It was actually Barbara Castle during her time in government who issued the policy encouraging local authorities to rebuild their urban centres in favour of car use. It was also Barbara Castle who implemented the Beeching cuts.

If you were not told who Barbara Castle was in "Thatch wuz evil" classes then Google will reveal that she was actually a Labour MP and minister.

Revisionist history is one thing but ignoring simple facts and moving the beginning of car culture from the 1950s to the 1980s is quite another.

I have no doubt that car culture probably began in the 50's but I did notice the explosion in car use during the 1980's. The way I see it is that Thatcher carried on what Castle started. It had more of an impact in the 80's though as some in our society acquired wealth and could afford to buy a car. During the 70's as a child, we never had a family car until 1980 and neither did a lot of my school friends. Cars used to be a bit of a luxury but they are now seen as a necessity. My late Uncle was a driving instructor for 35 years since 1970 and he always was at his busiest phase in the 1980's.

The Tories did have a 'lets build our way out of congestion' road building philosophy up until the 90's, which only encouraged more car use. Hopefully, we've reached 'peak car'.