Traffic disruption and the Proms

[Bryn]

I'd like to know the location of these, since in my experience they are rarely more than 100 metres long

The length of (A308) Albert Road between Windsor and Old Windsor (from which shared pedestrian/cycle path horses are specifically excluded) for a start.

[Sir Velo]

There's no problem for cyclists here. They cycle on the pavement

I'm no apologist for poor cycling, or poor driving. In this case don't you think it might possibly be because the roads are too scary and that cyclists have been effectively bullied by motorists off the road?

Lest anyone doubts that investment in cycling will reduce the amount of traffic on the roads, have a look at this.

[Sir Velo]

I'd like to know the location of these, since in my experience they are rarely more than 100 metres long

It's a rarity that there are cycle paths which are well maintained and last for more than a few hundred yards at best. Invariably they peter out and have to give way to every other user, often forcing cyclists to dismount every few yards. Alternatively, they take the most roundabout route to a destination. Have a look at this for a multitude of examples of poorly designed cycle infrastructure. You will see that these are all genuine examples of current integrated transport "planning".

[Sir Velo]

The length of (A308) Albert Road between Windsor and Old Windsor (from which shared pedestrian/cycle path horses are specifically excluded) for a start.

Well the bit of road you mentioned is bookmarked at each end by the most unpleasant gyratory systems. This would, therefore, deter all but the most dedicated hard core cyclists from venturing onto this section any way. The other issue is that of how do you rejoin the highway. Where the traffic is fairly constant and fast moving it is practically impossible for a cyclist to rejoin safely. Consequently, those who do brave this road will probably consider it quicker and safer to stay on it rather than use a cycle path which dumps them unceremoniously by a dangerous intersection.

If you want to encourage cyclists to use cycle infrastructure you have to make it integrated, which means joining it up with places where people want to go. Moreover, you need to provide access and egress and not leave cyclists effectively stranded at either end, where you have to be Bradley Wiggins to be able to sprint round a roundabout without getting "totalled" by a manic HGV or van driver.

[Bryn]

There are drop kerbs associated with traffic light controlled crossings at each end of the road in question. In the past year the shared pedestrian/cycle path at the Windsor end has been extended well into Kings Road, down at least as far as the Windsor Castle pub. At the Old Windsor end the path extends towards the Windsor Farm Shop. Along Albert Road itself there are several points at which cyclists may conveniently join or leave the main carriage way on the Shaw Farm side of the road. Cyclists intending to use the path when traveling from Old Windsor to Windsor need only cross the road at the controlled crossing at the Old Windsor end, a far safer option for both them and other road users. Of course, if they are intending to travel at over 20mph, the main carriageway (in single file) is the appropriate place for them, away from the occasional pedestrian using the shared path.

I encounter cyclists on the main carriage way there on a daily basis, with Sundays offering more encounters than weekdays. Most school students take the sensible option of the shared path. Bradley Wiggins wannabes wander along the main carriageway at speeds as high an 12 mph (i.e. just fast enough for it not to be legal to overtake them where solid double whites line run down the middle of the road, as is the case for some distance after crossing the Long Walk).

[Nick Armstrong]

It's a rarity that there are cycle paths which are well maintained and last for more than a few hundred yards at best. Invariably they peter out ...

There are many examples on t'internet....

[Bryn]

There are many examples on t'internet....

These two seem to offer sensible protection to cyclist. The first aimed at keeping motor vehicles away from cyclists as they negotiate the corner, the second for those joining the main carriageway after using the crossing. Two of the others appear to be examples of change of use with not attention to removing 'obsolete' road marking. The canal path is clearly there for cycle drawn barges. Whoever designed it should be required to use it on a daily basis.

[mangerton]

I'm no apologist for poor cycling, or poor driving. In this case don't you think it might possibly be because the roads are too scary and that cyclists have been effectively bullied by motorists off the road?

This is Dundee we're talking about. It's nothing like as busy as London, where the roads can be "scary". Dundee is hilly in a lot of places, and a cyclist moving downhill, silently, on the pavement, at perhaps 15-20 mph, is dangerous, to say the least. Not to mention illegal.

Amsy's idea of a taser seems just the thing.

[Nick Armstrong]

These two seem to offer sensible protection to cyclist. The first aimed at keeping motor vehicles away from cyclists as they negotiate the corner, the second for those joining the main carriageway after using the crossing. Two of the others appear to be examples of change of use with not attention to removing 'obsolete' road marking. The canal path is clearly there for cycle drawn barges. Whoever designed it should be required to use it on a daily basis.

OK Bryn, rationalise this!

[Bryn]

OK Bryn, rationalise this!

Never heard of BMX?

[Sir Velo]

These two seem to offer sensible protection to cyclist. The first aimed at keeping motor vehicles away from cyclists as they negotiate the corner, the second for those joining the main carriageway after using the crossing. Two of the others appear to be examples of change of use with not attention to removing 'obsolete' road marking. The canal path is clearly there for cycle drawn barges. Whoever designed it should be required to use it on a daily basis.

You're serious? In the first example, the motorist is being encouraged to cut back in on any cyclist negotiating the corner, as soon as they have gone five yards past.

The second: the cyclist is being told to dismount, walk across the crossing and then get back on, join a cycle path barely 5 yards long before joining at an angle perpendicular to the highway.

That's really good design is it? Guaranteed to ensure cyclists ignore so-called "cycle infrastructure" I'd say.

[Sir Velo]

This is Dundee we're talking about. It's nothing like as busy as London, where the roads can be "scary". Dundee is hilly in a lot of places, and a cyclist moving downhill, silently, on the pavement, at perhaps 15-20 mph, is dangerous, to say the least. Not to mention illegal.

Amsy's idea of a taser seems just the thing.

Have a look at this case study of pavement cycling. It has no particular angle, and is non judgemental; but it might just be an eye opener for you.

[jean]

Until very recently, the only cyclists you saw on pavements in this country were young men riding fast on mountain bikes. In fact, they were almost the only cyclists you saw anywhere.

Perhaps it's no wonder that cyclists and pedestrians don't mix here.

How different it is in Italy, where the average cyclist is more likely to be a middle-aged woman, possibly in a fur coat, cycling in leisurely fashion back from the market, or a man in an elegant suit on his way to work, holding up an umbrella if it's raining.

Cyclists and pedestrians weave amongst each other in otherwise traffic-free town centres because each expects the other to be there, and everyone is more interested in presenting a bella figura than in rushing anywhere.

[Sir Velo]

How different it is in Italy, where the average cyclist is more likely to be a middle-aged woman, possibly in a fur coat, cycling in leisurely fashion back from the market, or a man in an elegant suit on his way to work, holding up an umbrella if it's raining.

Cyclists and pedestrians weave amongst each other in otherwise traffic-free town centres because each expects the other to be there, and everyone is more interested in presenting a bella figura than in rushing anywhere.

Similar scenes can be seen and appreciated in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and many German cities. Truly I think we have forgotten how to act civilly towards each other in the UK.

[Bryn]

Similar scenes can be seen and appreciated in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and many German cities. Truly I think we have forgotten how to act civilly towards each other in the UK.

On that we can most definitely agree. The Thatcher Youth has long since come of age and brought up its offspring to think only of themselves. That said, I do find there are a few rebels around who even go as far as to say please and thank you, and some of them are teenagers!

Advising a fellow motorist that you have noticed that one of their brake lights has failed can lead to a stream of abuse as often as a "Thanks for letting me know". Again, remaining a sensible distance behind a cyclist on a road (with no associated cycle path) where overtaking might present some risk, will often result in angry horn tooting from drivers queuing behind. In such situations, however, I do have one big bugbear regarding some cyclists, and that is those who try to be 'helpful' by beckoning one past when approaching a blind bend. No thank you. I will proceed only when I can see the road is clear.