Author Topic: Cyclists  (Read 1649 times)

SteveOne

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #15 on: May 10, 2020, 12:22:21 PM »
Cyclists are not liked on here, I'm very sad to see.
With regard to cycle paths, many are poorly planned - they cross the road frequently, they share footpath or road space.  We need cycle paths as in continental europe, with driving rules to match; this works for both cyclists and motorists.  There is a business park near me with footpaths separated from cycle paths - sometimes by as much as 3 metres, clearly marked, and both separated from the road.  It's usually a delight to cycle around this park, but not at the moment. Pedestrians need the 2 metre separation so use both cycle path and footpath.  Some cycle groups have small children who are not very proficient on their cycles (some adults are not also).  so I'm using the road, and sometimes the middle of the road so I can maintain social distance. No-one currently needs to be in this business park, supposedly everyone there is using it for exercise.  I'm currently using the road for just about all my cycling - it's impossible to maintain social distancing on the cycle paths, some of which are too narrow for two cycles to pass under normal circumstances.
Cycle paths are not designed for cyclists - they are there so government departments can show how their planning targets are being met

JimSh

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #16 on: May 10, 2020, 12:23:27 PM »

I would never dream of cycling on a pavement and as for traffic lights, one-way streets and the like, I treated them exactly the same as if I was driving a car. My pet hate with today's cyclists is how they come up to a red light, then suddenly morph into a pedestrian and cross on the green man.

+i

JimSh

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #17 on: May 10, 2020, 12:30:44 PM »

With regard to cycle paths, many are poorly planned - they cross the road frequently, they share footpath or road space.  We need cycle paths as in continental europe, with driving rules to match; this works for both cyclists and motorists. 
Cycle paths are not designed for cyclists - they are there so government departments can show how their planning targets are being met

Absolutely, most of the cycle paths here are green paint at the side of the road - some only about 100m long between side roads  so that the council can claim to have provided x miles of cycle track.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2020, 12:36:36 PM by JimSh »

culzean

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #18 on: May 10, 2020, 12:56:34 PM »
Cyclists may be the least of our worries. Extended e-scooter trials are to start around the country in any area the local council wishes to test them. These tests were to start, next year, with limited trials. Now it is to begin immediately, with a free for all around the country.

 As for using  e-scooters - where are they gonna go,  on the footpaths with pedestrians ( and some cyclists ) on the road with cars or in cycle lanes ? - All those areas will be dangerous for somebody, and will there be a lower age limit for using them ? I always fancied a Segway ( did off road rides on them a few times - this one http://uk-en.segway.com/products/segway-x2-se ) but not legal on UK roads and footpaths - and the cost was something else. 

looks like Segway are in the game of e-scooters - http://uk-en.segway.com/   

I guess there will soon be a lucrative trade in stolen e-scooters,  they are light enough to carry away easily - and worth a lot of money.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2020, 12:58:11 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

culzean

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #19 on: May 10, 2020, 01:06:34 PM »
Just like motorbike riders, where the ones in flashy gear who think they are a BSB or MotoGP superstar are the ones that cause trouble ( and the ones the police look for ). Cyclists in groups wearing Lycra are the ones who take up a full half of the road - and their Boardman or Giant carbon fibre bike is probably worth more than your car.  I worked with some keen cyclists and we had endless arguments about the way they behave ( some of their bikes worth £10K ),  they claim riding 3 abreast is so that they form a shorter group that s easier to overtake,  but really I guess it is so that vehicles cannot pass them without fully going on the wrong side of the road and maybe discourage drivers 'sneaking through' the gap.

Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #20 on: May 10, 2020, 01:55:07 PM »
Jocko, You 're the local but I have to disagree re Fife. Fife spent a lot of Millenium money on cycle tracks. I've had a quick look through my maps but could only find one for the East Neuk but there is good cycling all over Fife including a 100mile Kingdom route, resurfaced railway line from Culross to Dunfermline and the Coastal path fom Limekilns to Kincardine.
I am not talking about Fife in general. There are huge sections of the Fife Coastal Path that are vehicle free and the recently opened trail The Pilgrim's Way, from Culross to St Andrews. But for a 71-year-old occasional bike rider I am talking about Kirkcaldy itself. There are a few hundred metres of lines painted on the road, spread vast distances apart, and with cars parked every few yards. There is one long stretch of pavement, shared between cyclists and pedestrians, with another in progress, stopped by the cessation of construction work. And that is pretty much it.

JimSh

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Re: Cyclists
« Reply #21 on: May 10, 2020, 05:10:20 PM »
I've walked a few sections of the Fife Coastal Path and had vague plans for doing it all in sections using Public transport to get me back to the car at the end of each section but that's all out the window just now. Maybe some day.

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