Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 157 total)
  • commuters, why so apposed to cycle paths/cycle lanes & lights!!??
  • timthetinyhorse
    Full Member

    Every day i drive to the office after dropping Tinyhorse Jnr off at nursery and im amazed by the amount of commuters who chose not to use cycle paths, now i do understand as a cyclist myself that they are not great for some on road bikes who make real progress and can hold u good average but the majority just are not doing this!

    Its madness when most days we hear of people getting hit and or killed by cars that these people want to take this risk every day to save a couple of mins. Before Tinyhorse Jnr was born i used to commute so i know that the cycle network round Newcastle and surrounding area is fairly good so why do these people choose not to? Examples for today are the guy with no helmet and dim lights wobbling around on the road doing about 7mph in a spot where people have been killed previous next to a cycle path and then worse the guy (granted with helmet and a crap attempt at a light) who was on the road side of an empty cycle lane (nothing wrong with the road surface) and i just don’t get it!

    Is it a cyclist superiority “i will ride on this road” attitude or genuine ignorance to how dangerous it can be.

    Further to this point why do people not use helmets or even lights!! some with no lights and some with lights so dim they are pointless! your on a road in the dark almost invisible with cars doing up to 60mph! what is wrong with people! how many have to be injured/die before these clowns start to take note!

    Now i am not part of the anti road cycling mob or anything even like that and fully understand that if there is no cycle path or lane then we all have to ride on the road but when provision is made to keep you safe and you clearly are not competent whey insist on the road??

    Sorry for such a ridiculous rant and i do understand that people on this forum are cyclists and most likely don’t fall into this category but i suppose if one person takes note its worth it.

    Stay safe people!

    nickjb
    Free Member

    I more amazed by the number of people who choose to drive every day.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    The no-lights crew are just stupid. As for everyone else why should they ride in often poorly designed cycle paths, shared with pedestrians or crossing side roads. I use cycle paths when there’s a good one or because the alternative is a dangerous section of road.

    jimjam
    Free Member

    When I commuted I wore a helmet every day, lights on even during the day time and used cycle lanes as and when. Often though riding on the road was necessary.

    Belfast bike lanes.

    Daffy
    Full Member

    nickjb – Member
    I more amazed by the number of people who chose to drive every day.

    *Slow clap*

    I see it everyday in Bristol too. Bristol City Council and South Glos Council spent millions creating a cycling utopia (cycle paths completely separate from the road) and yet some Muppets continue to ride around the ring road.

    I’m a Cyclist, I’m a Roadie, It boils my wee when I see it, Especially when I make the same “progress” on the cycle path as they do on the roads.

    bigrich
    Full Member

    because they are entitled to be there?

    nickjb
    Free Member

    Even more motorists killed every year, yet I still them driving on fast roads often not wearing helmets.

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    choose

    Is the key word

    Bregante
    Full Member

    Is it a cyclist superiority “i will ride on this road” attitude or genuine ignorance to how dangerous it can be.

    No. Where I live it’s more of a “I’m not riding in that rubbish strewn, glass littered cycle lane which is 20 metres long and spits me out straight into the most hazardous part of this road” kind of attitude.

    Commuting without lights at this time of year is stupid however.

    convert
    Full Member

    because they are entitled to be there?

    Right on, you solider of freedom – stick it to the man!

    lee170
    Free Member

    I agree to, I commute by bike and on my ride to and from work I see at least 5-6 cyclists with no helmets,lights etc etc.
    Just ridiculous, helmets should be law.
    I don’t use cycle paths as the ones along my commute are full of pot holes,glass and loose gravel!!!

    timthetinyhorse
    Full Member

    so what were saying here in general is that the incompetent “i bought a bike on the cycle to work scheme and will ride on this busy road even when there is a much safer place for me to be” is the right thing to do?

    Most of the points made in the replies above are covered, i understand the need to sometimes be on the road, I drive as i have to drop my son off at nursery otherwise i would be on the bike but family come first, not all cycle paths are poorly designed (yes i agree there are some crap but also some good much like roads and bus lanes) and to be perfectly honest the vast majority of these people would most likely not even notice if it was poor or not………….

    nickjb i didn’t say people don’t die in cars or anything of the sort however flippant your comments may be but you miss the point entirely, as im sure if you read the above properly you will see that it is aimed at all of those who have no idea what they are doing and there are a lot of those people about.

    twistedpencil
    Full Member

    Cycle paths are rarely well considered, maybe designed for the leisure cyclist as opposed to commuter. There’s a great stretch which has made a road on my commute far more dangerous than it was originally, parrswood between Cheadle and didsbury, that the LA started last summer and abandoned around November, they’ve spent a fortune narrowing a decent width road then given up, literally given up at the bridge across the M60, I tried using the cycle lane, shared with pedestrians. When it first sort of opened,I used it, but got caught out by the bridge section and how unfinished it is. They’ve left bollards next to the road, not raised the cycle lane up and made it impassable in the dark at speed.
    I suspect that there is a problem with widening the footpath over the bridge but can’t believe adding a 1m wide strip of tarmacked path is going to overload the structure.

    Hope they come back and sort soon as I can see lots of conflict between users along this stretch.

    My main belief is that there are too few cyclists in transport teams designing the infrastructure of our roads, hence we get well intentioned follies springing up. Mixing us up with pedestrians isn’t the answer.

    Also letting cyclists use some pavements and not others send out a mixed message, the end of my road has a strip of about 30m suggesting cyclists use the pavement, why is unclear when it forces you out into the same road again.

    No lights is just plain stupidity though.

    Unintended rambling over…

    binners
    Full Member

    What Bregante said. Fancy riding through a sea of broken bottles, and general shite, on cycle lanes designed as a token gesture by imbeciles to go from nowhere to nowhere, and see if you can make it in without puncturing or riding into a house brick? Off you go….

    As for riding without lights? Darwinism innit? Leave ’em too it

    beej
    Full Member

    There will be hundreds of different reasons. Each of those people you see on the road rather than the cycle path will have their own.

    The considerations I make when choosing to take the road or cycle path:

    I ride a quiet suburban route to work. It’s a short ride – about 7 minutes. One short steep hill (15%, 100 metres) down on the way there, up on the way back. Shared use cycle path on one side, interrupted by 3 junctions, 2 bus stops, parked cars, barriers and with numerous driveways and one busy office car park entrance. On the way to work there are kids wandering on the path on the way to school. On the way back a few random pedestrians.

    99% of the time I’ll use the road on the way there. It’s much faster, I can keep up with traffic, it’s much much safer on the road as the hazards are more predictable. Kids at bus stops are not predictable.

    On the way home I’ll take the road 97% of the time. I’ll use the path if the road is blocked by cars or I’m feeling shit (and therefore don’t fancy a 15% hill on a 42×16). If I take the path I have to be very careful due to all the hazards. Almost every time I use it there is some kind of incident – a pedestrian veering in front of me, cars pulling out on to the path or cars pulling into drives across me/into me. Once I get to the top of the hill I’ll have to sit and wait for a gap on the road before I can rejoin it as the path doesn’t go to my house.

    That’s just for a 3 minute section of a 7 minute ride. And that’s my thought process and considerations. All those cyclists you see will have their own reasons and thinking that influences their decisions on whether to use the road or the path.

    Try flipping your question – why are commuters so opposed to public transport?

    The answer is the same – there isn’t a single answer, as with most things in life it’s a bit more complicated than that.

    robdob
    Free Member

    Cycle paths in West Yorkshire are downright dangerous. Not many shared pavements, they tend to just white lines on wider stretches of road filled with road filth, glass and rubbish. Then when you need them the most, eg when road narrows or at a junction, they disappear completely, often leaving you in the most dangerous part of the junction.

    I’ll use them if they don’t put me at more risk than being where the cars are!

    nickjb
    Free Member

    you miss the point entirely, as im sure if you read the above properly you will see that it is aimed at all of those who have no idea what they are doing and there are a lot of those people about

    Unfortunately the vast majority of those who have no idea what they are doing are in cars. It’s a shame the victim of these people gets the blame. Of course the person on a bike can help themselves and it is sensible to do so. I did read what you wrote and was going to give an argument to each point as there are plenty, we’ve been over it many times, but I cba. What we need is a big change in attitude from motorists and planners but that won’t happen anytime soon so until then it seems we need to put on body armour and stay out the way.

    bigrich
    Full Member

    Right on, you solider of freedom – stick it to the man!

    I ride safely and in full remit of the law: how is that sticking it to the man?

    timthetinyhorse
    Full Member

    twistedpencil again i think your missing my point a little or i have not explained properly,

    I know there are plenty commuters out there who know what they are doing, use lights and know how to ride and control a bike. I have no issue here and think its great, wish i was still doing it however it is these “leisure” cyclists who ride to work that i think may be the issue and i think this may be the thought process or something along these lines (i accept im about to get flamed here but its just the internet)

    Guy/Girl buys £999 road bike on cycle to work scheme)
    Girl/Guy uses remaining £1 to purchase pretty poor lights
    Girl/Guy is now a pro cyclist and will not use any cycle provision and will use the road at all times no matter how dangerous and as there was no money left chooses not to use a helmet
    Guy/Girl then never checks lights, batteries start to die and lights go dim and therefore she/he cant be seen.
    This process then just goes round and round.

    Of course this is not the case for everyone and i get that, this is not an anti cycling post, this is not an anti cyclist commute post, I am not anti cycling nor am i pro car, i have a car as i need one,

    Thanks for all the input also

    convert
    Full Member

    Off you go….

    Do you automatically disregard all cycle paths just because some (a lot) are rubbish? I think the OP perfectly eloquently acknowledged that some are not worth bothering with but some are great and are often ignored or underused. We’ve got some great ones in my local town (and some crap ones too, I admit) which, crazy I know, are actually a shorter distance and smoother surface than the alternative road. When I first moved down south my commute to work was along a route that was 80% cycle path, through a local park, along the side of an estuary inlet, across a common – I really miss it.

    dknwhy
    Full Member

    Those without lights are just stupid. With lights being so cheap and good now, there’s no excuse.
    Helmet is personal choice. Personally, I always wear one.

    Cycle lanes are a difficult one. I use them when properly designed but on the whole, they are not designed for cyclists to make the same progress as in a car. There’s a stretch near me where it’s a 30mph downhill on the bike, on a good well-surfaced road. A shared path is on the left hand side of the road. Were I to use this i’d likely excess 15mph without trying and would be forced to give way at 3-4 minor junctions.

    dudeofdoom
    Full Member

    Don’t forget some people are just stupid 🙂

    I’m all for ‘proper’ infrastructure – and not just a tick box exercise and probabaly a bit of driver/cyclist re-eductaion in how to all play togeather.

    scruff
    Free Member

    Some people are idiots, some of those ride bicycles, some ‘design’ cycle lanes.

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    We have them on pavements, every 100m it has a give way to a blind junction for a side road. Useful for kids, useless for commuting.

    Oh, and they end, as in literally take you as far as there’s enough room and then dump you on a dual carriageway. This proves they’ve been put in by people who don’t give a toss about the users, hardly surprising people don’t use them is it.

    Imagine the moral indignation if roads popped up that suddenly stopped halfway to nowhere.

    jonba
    Free Member

    I ride in newcastle so feel i can answer some of your questions.

    No need to wear a helmet, will do jack if you are hit by a car or lorry. It is 1″ of polystyrene.

    Lights, don’t know.

    Cycle paths are poorly designed. If they were good people would use them.

    Why is society so opposed to reducing the abhorent death toll on our roads?

    timthetinyhorse
    Full Member

    binners – Member

    What Bregante said. Fancy riding through a sea of broken bottles, and general shite, on cycle lanes designed as a token gesture by imbeciles to go from nowhere to nowhere, and see if you can make it in without puncturing or riding into a house brick? Off you go….

    As for riding without lights? Darwinism innit? Leave ’em too it

    You miss read me, i already acknowledge that not all cycle lanes are good however some are……..i know for a fact that the ones i have used are good and i got to work puncture free for many weeks. This post was not designed to get everyone’s backs up but you all know that there are plenty people putting themselves in danger for no reason.

    nickjb
    Free Member

    i have a car as i need one

    I should probably let this go but I’m struggling to do it 🙂 You have a car because because you choose to drive. That choice is probably an easy one due to other lifestyle choices and general town planning but it is a choice. I’m sure as a cyclist it is a more considered choice rather than the millions who just jump in their car every day without a thought to the alternatives. This certainly isn’t a pop, I choose to drive too.

    bigrich
    Full Member

    once you get into the ‘cyclists should be on bike lanes where possible’ it’s a short hop to ‘cyclists must be on cycle lanes where available’ and a quick slip to ‘cyclists are no longer allowed on the road’

    hjghg5
    Free Member

    I have no idea why people don’t use lights. I do know why I don’t use many cycle paths though. I do use the ones which are well maintained and go where I want to go without too many give ways, gates and pedestrians. These are few and far between. I’ve tried the majority of cycle paths vaguely near my commute and have decided that the road is safer and easier as long as I ride confidently.

    There is one stretch of road with a pavement cyclepath alongside it. I tend to stay on the road – it is dual carriageway but not too fast/busy and there is plenty of room for drivers to pass. The cyclepath crosses a side road (admittedly with priority although drivers don’t always pay attention), takes a detour round the back of a bus stop, and then spits you out into a junction with cars trying to turn left across you – and at my speed I tend to get there just as the lights turn green which is just about the worst timing possible. Last night the road was busy so I used it and ended up having to shout at a group of five or so people in a line across both cyclepath and the rest of the pavement with their backs to me so I could make any progress past them.

    As cyclepaths go I’ve seen much worse than this one, and maybe if I wasn’t confident I would use it. But for me I’ve tried, and I know where I’d rather be.

    That doesn’t mean I’m against cyclepaths by the way – just against bad ones and being compelled to use them!

    convert
    Full Member

    I ride safely and in full remit of the law: how is that sticking it to the man?

    OK, I’ll put it a little more simply – if you elect to ride on the road when there is a good* cycle path alternative because you are entitled to, you are a dick – irrespective of how safely and legally you do it. I appreciate that the concept of a good* cycle path is an anathema in some parts of the country but when you have one, use the damned thing and don’t be stubborn just because it’s your right to be on the road!

    *good – a smooth, clean, safe surface where good progress can be made and it’s going in the direction you want to travel.

    hjghg5
    Free Member

    (In the interests of balance there is one cycle lane I use every day on my commute because it makes sense – a segregated cycle contraflow down a one way street which saves a detour round the one way system)

    aP
    Free Member

    *good – a smooth, clean, safe surface where good progress can be made and it’s going in the direction you want to travel.

    So, where is this nirvana? I can’t think of one…

    nickjb
    Free Member

    if you elect to ride on the road when there is a good* cycle path alternative because you are entitled to, you are a dick

    Wow! What if you choose to drive on the A4 when there is perfectly good motorway running alongside it, or you drive in a side street when there is a main road that goes the same way?

    convert
    Full Member

    So, where is this nirvana? I can’t think of one…

    This particular nirvana is in Hampshire, but they do exist elsewhere. They are not ubiquitous, I grant you – but when they do exist they are worthy of the cycle community’s support.

    bigrich
    Full Member

    if you elect to ride on the road when there is a good* cycle path alternative because you are entitled to

    I see you draw value judements of your fellow road users. I, for one, ride my bike on the road, or on a cycle path, or a towpath: usually a mixture of all three, if that is the fastest and easiest option.

    you are a dick

    when you see a cyclist on the road and you know there’s a nearby cycle path, do you automatically think ‘dick’ and get annoyed? if so, you need to have a bit of a think about how angry you are whilst in charge of a vehicle.

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    here’s a clue: you’re in your car, you can’t see the good* cycle lanes, the ones that people are using.

    (*as a rule of thumb that seems to work imle, good cycle lanes don’t run directly beside roads)

    the wobbly unobservant duffers, with the crap lights, and rubbish etc. aren’t militant anythings, they’re just trying to get somewhere – probably work. give ’em a break.

    ton
    Full Member

    west Yorkshire bike paths seem not too bad to me. I ride them and the canal on a daily basis as opposed to going on the roads.
    the roads in the uk are full of stupid idiotic moronic selfish dickeds.
    british drivers must rate as the worst in the world.

    timthetinyhorse
    Full Member

    I ride safely and in full remit of the law: how is that sticking it to the man?

    OK, I’ll put it a little more simply – if you elect to ride on the road when there is a good* cycle path alternative because you are entitled to, you are a dick – irrespective of how safely and legally you do it. I appreciate that the concept of a good* cycle path is an anathema is some parts of the country but when you have one, use the damned thing and don’t be stubborn just because it’s your right to be on the road!

    *good – a smooth, clean, safe surface where good progress can be made and it’s going in the direction you want to travel.

    The above hits the nail on the head……I shall employ a simple here to outline the point…… The A1061 Blyth – Cramlington (fatalitys), A193 Blyth – Seaton Sluice (fatalities) and A190 Seaton Sluice – Seaton Deleval all have very good cycle paths and involve 1 road crossing at the maximum (perhaps an extra 2min on your route?) the surfaces are all good (i suppose you could say there is a tiny bit of the A190 that is a tad thin but it is also a fairly blind corner if you are on the road) yet so many people choose the road.

    I cant say any more times that i agree some paths are crap but some are good so why not use the good ones?

    g5604
    Free Member

    you get shouted at if you ride on the road, you get shouted at if you ride on the “shared” cycle paths. I would rather be shouted at on the roads and at least make decent time.

    Bez
    Full Member

    I’ll do a quick dump-and-run:

    Cycle paths
    Hypocrisy a-go-go means it’s an inevitable free-for-all
    People paint cycle lanes and then run campaigns to tell us they’re lethal
    More

    Helmets
    I don’t wear a helmet because nor do you
    More

    Lights… I’m with you. Going without lights is dumb and illegal. But it’s about time we adopted StVZO lighting regulations, IMO. If a roadgoing vehicle is required to display lights, it’s setting up for a fall if it’s not supplied with them.

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