Crap cycle lanes

After chatting at the Old Mill this afternoon the subject of crap cycle lanes came up so here as promised is the link to the Warrington Cycle Campaign, Facility of the month.
Crap cycle lanes

Fixedwheelnut:crap cycle lanes

A list of decent cycle lanes would be much less long and much more useful.

Having said that, I tend to avoid them universally.

TfL has a load of ex-messengers and other cyclists currently performing surveys of all advertised cycle paths in London. The idea is to start by producing a conclusive map of London cycling facilities (rather than each council producing their own, or not as the case may be). After that, it's to produce a coherent and joined-up policy on cycle facilities across all London boroughs, to be directed and controlled by TfL and the London Mayor.

What we have at the moment is every council producing their own facilities in their own way. And as fixedwheelnut said at the pub, this means that Greenwich is wonderful and you go a little east and suddenly all the cycle lanes just stop.

I despise a lot of cycle lanes as they are nothing more than a painted gutter, but I do enjoy bus lanes. Cycling in London would certainly be a little tougher were we not able to take a whole (bus) lane without anyone being able to give us flak. There's a lot of places where bus lanes give you access to different routes as well, as sometimes the roads go one-way with the exception of a bus lane.

So bus lanes are cool, cycle lanes are just crap though.

bus lanes good.

buses bad.

A while back I wrote an email to Camden Council asking about a partiularly shit bit of cycle lane about 10 yards long which is designed purely to push cyclists under the wheels of left-turning trucks. I actually got a nice reply explaining that there are indeed a lot of shit cycle lanes, and they are all under review as part of a new "joined up" network of cycle lanes - there is progress.

I do find though that the "good" cycle lanes which are separated from the road are rubbish because pedestrians don't understand them and always walk into bikes, so mostly I stay on the road. The best one I know is 2 yards long and cuts across a traffic island where cyclists used to cut across the traffic island anyway - up near Kings Cross. Sensible.

I was cycling round Madrid last week, and they're funny there. People only ride for fun, on full-fat mountain bikes, in circles round the park. No commuters or couriers, and not a fixie in sight.

The Margery St. cycle lane is also fun. It's separated from the road by a stretch of kerb, so all the locals use it as a dog toilet. End-to-end turds.

i used to use a contra-flowcycle lane from chiswick to hammersmith roundabout, a kerbed off 1m wide strip of broken glass that would fill up with pedestrians because the pavement was too narrow for a high st. a waste of space.

the one down the middle of the traffic island southside of blackfriars bridge is a bit odd, you ride over peoples toes as they wait to cross. i used to use this lane when i started cycling, but there is a post in the middle which i always went to the right of, one evening i went left of the post but because of the a box for the pelican crossing button the gap is a little bit narrower resulting in clipped bars and me hitting the deck.
i stick to the road (mostly)

velocity boy:I despise a lot of cycle lanes as they are nothing more than a painted gutter, but I do enjoy bus lanes. Cycling in London would certainly be a little tougher were we not able to take a whole (bus) lane without anyone being able to give us flak. There's a lot of places where bus lanes give you access to different routes as well, as sometimes the roads go one-way with the exception of a bus lane. So bus lanes are cool, cycle lanes are just crap though.

Ealing is having some issues with these at the moment. The council was fighting Tfl over the bus lanes and has won the right to shut them down or at least alter the times they are effective.
This is harmful for cyclists. Bus lanes are good and motorists should be kept out of them. I've written a letter already but if you are in Ealing or Northolt etc. perhaps you should join the LCC for the area and campaign to keep the bus lanes as they are. It's not just about the buses!

just saw that in colliers wood and snapped it on the phone, it amused me.

not that anyone in thier right mind would follow a cycle path..

resurrecting this thread to post a few more gems....

hahahaah those are absolutely hilarious... and they are real!

yep - botton one is courtesy of the bbc

i think this is one of the best

This is a great pn in Plumbstead. The lane in the middle statrs in the middle of a road, all lanes are about 10 feet long and the one on the far right drops you on to the right hand side of the road.

edmundane

I have to say this is the stupidest, taxpayers money wasted on all that work and all those signs.

what sort of cunt actually initiates this kind of mindless nonsense?

I read somewhere that sign post can cost up to 10k per post. Now Lets take 1k as the cost per post here due to size and the fact that they are close together. I count 14k.

i don't have a picture but all the cycle lanes on blackfriars bridge are crap

TheBrick(Tommy) I read somewhere that sign post can cost up to 10k per post. Now Lets take 1k as the cost per post here due to size and the fact that they are close together. I count 14k.

so with the sustrans money they'll be able to complete about 100meters of new cycle lane

a grand?? as in, that covers the cost of manufacturing as well as transporting and installing? i guess if you combine all the wages of the workers together.. but i still hope you're wrong. I'd rather have a full carbon road bike than 14 signs..

flickwg i don't have a picture but all the cycle lanes on blackfriars bridge are crap

Lethal in fact.

asm a grand?? as in, that covers the cost of manufacturing as well as transporting and installing? i guess if you combine all the wages of the workers together.. but i still hope you're wrong. I'd rather have a full carbon road bike than 14 signs..

Several 14 carbon road bikes.

Think how much free training that could provide for local cyclist.

edmundane

i think this is one of the best

That's from my hometown Colchester!