Recent HGV/cyclist accidents

out of interest do people who think cycle lanes are dangerous think we should not have a cycle lane at all?

BR warning

They can be dangerous but I would think in general they do more good than harm, some are clearly not very well thought out when they are put in however. As with anything they are not entirely fool-proof and require a degree of judgement by all road users to work safely. For the most part away from junctions less experienced cyclists tend to feel much more confident cycling in them as the lane provides a visual barrier between them and the traffic, that it should be their space on the road. This is clearly preferential to said cyclists riding close in to the curb and feeling scared of vehicles squeezing past them.

[begin rant/]
However I really do not agree with shared cycle / footpaths, I used several country roads with these when commuting to work in the summer and received almost daily abuse for not being on the pavement. However considering that they were really quite narrow and had occasional pedestrians / children on them as well as multiple openings for entrances / exits, I felt both out of place on them and at risk / a risk (if a car pulled out of a concealed entrance over the path it would have been very hard to avoid). To use them it would be better to ride at a more moderate pace but on a 25mile commute I wasnt particularly keen to go unnecessarily slow. As I pointed out to one driver, would you be happy with a moped on the pavement? I think not.
I have similar grievances with the ones you find with the cycle lane marked on the pavement. All well and fine in principle, but it is common for pedestrians to walk in the bike lane part without noticing. Having had a pedestrian step out into the bike lane to pass some people and being unable to avoid them, I am also rather reluctant to use these if avoidable.
[end rant/]