Cycle Superhighways
- Thread starter christonabike
- Start date
back on topic - i have one of these on one of the routes I use to work. Some of it's ok without really adding anything. Part of it looks very badly thought out and potentially puts less confident cyclists who are more likely to follow them in quite a dangerous position (imho).
Between Balham and Tooting Bec going southbound there are 2 lanes but the kerb moves in and out so that in some places there are just the 2 lanes and others points its wider to create parking bay. At first the lane stays on the left side of the traffic lane - all well and good. Then it starts to cling the kerb, going through the parking bays so often under cars. If you followed it you'd be weaving in and out round that parked cars and then having to filter back into fast moving traffic. It's much safer to cycle in the left of the main lanes and keep a liine main flow of traffic. I'd already noticed that some cyclists tended to move in and out with the line of the kerb on this stretch - this will now encourage that and my concern is also that traffic will think that cyclists should be doing this rather than riding safely.
Between Balham and Tooting Bec going southbound there are 2 lanes but the kerb moves in and out so that in some places there are just the 2 lanes and others points its wider to create parking bay. At first the lane stays on the left side of the traffic lane - all well and good. Then it starts to cling the kerb, going through the parking bays so often under cars. If you followed it you'd be weaving in and out round that parked cars and then having to filter back into fast moving traffic. It's much safer to cycle in the left of the main lanes and keep a liine main flow of traffic. I'd already noticed that some cyclists tended to move in and out with the line of the kerb on this stretch - this will now encourage that and my concern is also that traffic will think that cyclists should be doing this rather than riding safely.
ringo
Macaroni cheese controller
Not sure how this cost £23 million, I think they said on the news last night. The news showed one stretch where the blue cycle lane goes across the car lane into the middle for a bit. Buggered if I'd be going on that.
The bit I go on at Newington Butts/Elephant & Castle is mostly the same but painted blue. The crossing to the south of Elephant has been completely redone, but doesn't add much. The pedestrian and bike crossing is all together so people walk diagionally across the crossing in front of cyclists and everyone looks confused/scared/annoyed.
The money should have been spent on wider cycle lanes separated from the car lanes, as has been done successfully in Europe for decades. I remember going on safe lanes like that on a cycling trip to Holland in 1982, so it shouldn't have been difficult.
The bit I go on at Newington Butts/Elephant & Castle is mostly the same but painted blue. The crossing to the south of Elephant has been completely redone, but doesn't add much. The pedestrian and bike crossing is all together so people walk diagionally across the crossing in front of cyclists and everyone looks confused/scared/annoyed.
The money should have been spent on wider cycle lanes separated from the car lanes, as has been done successfully in Europe for decades. I remember going on safe lanes like that on a cycling trip to Holland in 1982, so it shouldn't have been difficult.
Maggot
The Cake of Liberty
The only apparent difference between these routes and the old cycle paths is that these are continuous, and don't keep stopping and starting.
Some of them are. Much of the CS3 from Barking to Tower Gateway is separate from the road.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
i still maintain that it's safest to ride in the middle of the lane and ignore the cycle lanes altogether. i think integration of traffic is a better option than segregation in a crowded city like london. all road users need to learn to accommodate each other safely and considerately.
Maggot
The Cake of Liberty
How is that safer? All that will do is piss off motorists.
fredfelt
Mostly unknown member
I agree with Orang Utan on this. I usually feel safer cycling in the road and while holding my road space. Cycle paths just make life harder.
Holding your space means you are seen and that vehicles don't try to slide past without giving you any space. When a vehicle goes past me leaving very little space it's because I'm cycling too close to the kerb.
I rarely get any pissed of motorists when cycling well out into the road. Only a few seem to be pissed off, but they are probably pissed off about life in general and looking after my own safety will not help that.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
i've only been beeped at a couple of times since doing it. they may be pissed off, but fuck em, i'm alive and they're delayed by a miniscule amount of time. motorists drive too fast through cities anyway
I've been thinking for a while that the simplest way of improving cycling in london would be to make all bus lanes 24hr and 7 days a week then ban black cabs from using them. In practice this would be like a network of decent width cycle lanes (at least on main routes). Money can be usefully spent on cycle awareness training for bus drivers.
fredfelt
Mostly unknown member
True. At 10 mph it still probably gets you at your destination faster than someone driving through the city.
Just out of interest; would be keen to get a feeling on this - is life better along the A24 for cyclists because it's there (even if parts of it are less than desirable). I would definitely be keen to know how this goes and what's it's like after a week or a month. Saw some very interesting pictures on the news last night of motorists very politely staying out of the blue "advisory" lanes somewhere along the route (wonder how long that will last). Just wonder if the bits of blue have actually made it better.
Bonuses.
Pingu
Credo
ill thought through post about how all cyclists are cunts and should be chopped into iddy biddy bits and fed to fish
turing test
Nearly Toowrong
I am glad you may get some revenge from cyclists. The cars will continue kill and maim you however.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Threads merged
TFL are doing some customer research on the SUPER highways. You can participate here:
www.accent-mr.com/BCSH7
I use the lane from oval to the city and I can honestly say it hasn't made a lick of difference to my ride. Waste of blue paint.
TFL are doing some customer research on the SUPER highways. You can participate here:
www.accent-mr.com/BCSH7
I use the lane from oval to the city and I can honestly say it hasn't made a lick of difference to my ride. Waste of blue paint.
plurker
tú no tienes la culpa mi amor que el mundo sea feo
Main issue with them is that the vast majority of the one I use (CS7iirc) from where I join @ Clapahm North is painted in overbanding-type paint, with a kind of glossy finish, so the cycle lane has less grip than the rest of the lane - most visible of course once it's rained, and the water just sits on the cycle lane. The 20mtrs or so prior to any junction is painted in a different paint, with a grittier finish, indicating that perhaps TfL know the paint along the rest of the route is les grippy...
Boycey
juvenile rave slut
does it work if you don't have the 5 figure number?
turing test
Nearly Toowrong
That is classic bike facility design. It must not rain much there.
Recently I slipped on tiny rubber bumpers, to give corners some texture. Sweet
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Hmm. I didn't have to enter one...
plurker
tú no tienes la culpa mi amor que el mundo sea feo
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