If you support segregated cycling infrastructure in Hackney

My argument is that a majority of utility cyclists want a quick and direct journey. It is the likes of Copenhagenize, as I've said, that try and cast this shared aim as just a desire to 'go fast' when it's used as part of a pro road cycling argument.

You're right, the majority want a direct route and this includes people who want to cycle fast and those who are happy to cycle more slowly, and the old and the young etc. There is nothing about being a less-confident cyclist that makes a roundabout route more appealing, people want to get places. Also "direct" in this context doesn't just mean "straight-line" it also means a route that doesn't cede priority to every side road i.e., it means a major road. This major road can either be segregated (properly) or unsegregated; there's no point pissing around with half measures. So a "pro-road" cycling argument often equates to an anti-segregation argument, and it should be rejected because it is an argument against the infrastructure that will allow the majority of people to be comfortable cycling on the most desirable route. It doesn't need to (and shouldn't) be rejected on the grounds that it's made by people who "just want to go fast".

As for 'people won't use a less direct route' - well my point is that a parallel quieter route between a and b can be just as direct as the main route between a and b. Perhaps even more direct in some cases. You just need to show people it's there, something not done terribly well on a lot of the LCN routes at present.

It might be straighter, but it's unlikely to be more convenient (see my first paragraph) so it's no good suggesting that it will be ok for slower cyclists because they want the most "direct" route as well.