Cycle superhighway in London

[Coxford_lou]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31802023

 

Seems great, but complicated!

[buctootim]

Would be interesting to compare how many people per hour use each mile of cycle lanes compared with car lanes. It always seems less but I reckon that is mostly because of the backed up cars making the car routes look busier.

[View From The Top]

Would be interesting to compare how many people per hour use each mile of cycle lanes compared with car lanes. It always seems less but I reckon that is mostly because of the backed up cars making the car routes look busier.

 

Think it also depends on where you live. London has a very different cycling commute culture than the rest of the UK, something like 25%+ of all commuter journeys, so their infrastructure is on a much bigger scale than most.

 

Where I live the main cycle routes are along river & canal banks. Cycle paths on local roads are simply some red paint on footpaths which ever fu cker parks on anyway.

[Coxford_lou]

Would be interesting to compare how many people per hour use each mile of cycle lanes compared with car lanes. It always seems less but I reckon that is mostly because of the backed up cars making the car routes look busier.

 

In London the volume of cyclists is really high. Takes balls too. I used to cycle to work every day, but a couple of scares (plus winter) made me lose my nerve. Those tipper trucks are terrifying.

[buctootim]

In London the volume of cyclists is really high. Takes balls too. I used to cycle to work every day, but a couple of scares (plus winter) made me lose my nerve. Those tipper trucks are terrifying.

 

You definitely need separation of cyclists from road traffic. Car drivers are often arses because they think they have priority but with truck drivers the problem is frequently they just don't see you, especially if a cyclist has crept alongside in traffic. Different coloured tarmac clearly showing who has priority is the way to go imo.

 

[Coxford_lou]

You definitely need separation of cyclists from road traffic. Car drivers are often arses because they think they have priority but with truck drivers the problem is frequently they just don't see you, especially if a cyclist has crept alongside in traffic. Different coloured tarmac clearly showing who has priority is the way to go imo.

 

 

I was nearly knocked over by a truck when I was in a cycle lane!

[Fowllyd]

I lived in London from 1986 to 2004 and cycled most places for the great majority of that time. I was pretty active in the London Cycling Campaign, and can claim to have been one of the starters of the Critical Mass rides back in the mid nineties (are they still going? I have no idea). When it comes to cycle lanes or other cycling facilities, they are all too often appalling designed, normally as they have just been added as an afterthought to a road scheme. Well-designed facilities are obviously a good deal better, but they're not too common. My own view is quite simply that the roads themselves need to be safe for cyclists to use; separation all too often leads to a kind of road apartheid, as can be seen very clearly with mixed-use pavements (motorists assume all too easily that cyclists should not be on the road if there's a shared-use pavement, and can be aggressive towards those who prefer to use the road). Generally, what is needed is respect and mutual appreciation of others' right to be on the road; easy to say, far less easy to achieve - a lot of hostility and ingrained attitudes on both sides out there.

 

I never felt that cycling in London required bravery to be honest, but the faster you can ride the better you tend to get on, especially on the main roads.

[Beachcombers Windowsill]

Wonder if it will be any better than our own offering at trying to *improve* cyclist safety coming off the Itchen Bridge?

[CB Saint]

I lived in London from 1986 to 2004 and cycled most places for the great majority of that time. I was pretty active in the London Cycling Campaign, and can claim to have been one of the starters of the Critical Mass rides back in the mid nineties (are they still going? I have no idea). When it comes to cycle lanes or other cycling facilities, they are all too often appalling designed, normally as they have just been added as an afterthought to a road scheme. Well-designed facilities are obviously a good deal better, but they're not too common. My own view is quite simply that the roads themselves need to be safe for cyclists to use; separation all too often leads to a kind of road apartheid, as can be seen very clearly with mixed-use pavements (motorists assume all too easily that cyclists should not be on the road if there's a shared-use pavement, and can be aggressive towards those who prefer to use the road). Generally, what is needed is respect and mutual appreciation of others' right to be on the road; easy to say, far less easy to achieve - a lot of hostility and ingrained attitudes on both sides out there.

 

I never felt that cycling in London required bravery to be honest, but the faster you can ride the better you tend to get on, especially on the main roads.

 

Get this all the time is ashurst - yes the sign says cyclists can use the footpath, but how many complaints would there be if keen cyclists were barrelling past pedestrians at 20 mph (some riders approach 30mph), not to mention given the state of the path you would need a mountain bike.