'Space for cycling' protest ride 2nd September

There shouldn't even be an argument here. The mistake is to think one approach should work everywhere. A mixed strategy is needed.

On busy roads with heavy bus/ hgv traffic, there should be high-quality separated cycle lanes. Lanes that even fast cyclists should be able to use.

Elsewhere, rat-runs should be cut off, through motor traffic eliminated, and speed limits should be reduced - so there's no need for cycle lanes.

Examples:

Vauxhall Bridge - wide (2.5m) protected cycle lane needed. There's no way to make cycling in traffic here comfortable.

Wardour St: Use permeability measures to stop it being a taxi rat-run. Make it 2-way for cycling. Add a 20mph limit. No cycle lanes needed.

Easy. Let's make it happen.

^this. I don't know why there's really a debate about this. For all people's wishful thinking that we can somehow fundamentally change everyone's road behaviour through punitive measures or appeals to play nicely, it just doesn't work. There's too large a percentage of the population who have no interest in cycling alongside traffic on anything but the very slowest, calmest roads.

I strongly get the impression that loads of people on here, like other bike forums, are basically afraid that they will be banished to the cyclepaths and won't be able to enjoy their car-dodging, whip-skidding antics on the road any more. I don't think this will happen, for example, cycling for sport on road is still perfectly possible in the Netherlands. More importantly, the point of cycling infrastructure is to create a much nicer environment all round, not to cater for the athletic ambitions of those who we currently think of as "cyclists".

I also gather that people think that building lots cycle lanes would represent a defeat for cyclists as motorists would have somehow won the battle for the roads. But how could having loads of cycle-specific infrastructure built possibly represent a defeat, especially if bikes were given proper priority where the (broadly) motor-based and cycle networks cross and in non-segregated areas?

Note that I'm not advocating total segregation, bikes and cars should mix where their speeds are broadly similar and motor-traffic density is low. Motor traffic densities should be engineered to achieve these low densities and speeds, not just because it allows integration of cycling but because it creates a much more pleasant environment for everyone. I'd also suggest that as cycling becomes more ubiquitous attitudes will shift to being much more cycle friendly and so the beneficial effect of greater numbers of cyclists in segregated areas will spread into the non-segregated areas.