The Velotard Thread.

[Tredman]

HOnestly, getting a quote from these:

http://www.abd.org.uk/

The whole website screams conspiracy.

 

[machin05]

We don't get past the 2nd paragraph before the outdated G&S starts whinging about the impact on motorists.
FFS dimwits, get people outta cars, and congestion will ease.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2019/02/09/136m-cycle-routes-plan-unveiled/

I'm not 100% these are the routes that need cycle lanes, but more visible cycle safety is needed.

At least they've looked at the piece of trash cycle lane on the A4123 and realised it's totally unsuitable and was a total waste of time and money!

 

[Langers]

Hugh sounds like a well balanced chap. Comes across really well in that article...

Which one..?

 

[machin05]

It's a horribly written article tho, and it's pretty obvious the E&S are pandering to their fusty readership.

 

[machin05]

I meant this is just horseshit:

“But this kind of social engineering is potty. People drive cars because they need to and trying to stop them is just absolutely mad.”

Provide people with safe cycling infrastructure and loads of people will use it to travel shorter distances. Even longer ones!

 

[machin05]

Unsurprisingly, Hugh is a gammon-faced Brexiteer - https://twitter.com/HughBladonABD

 

[machin05]

And why the Express & Star feel the need to seek comments from someone who lives in Weston-Super-Mare about our local infrastructure is certainly questionable. It's almost as if they were desperate to find vehement opposition to this proposal based on prejudice and ideology...

 

[Keef]

Like most others here I can see both sides,but make the cycle lanes segregated with kerbs and/or barriers and cycling rates will go up if people feel safer,there's are surveys proving that cycle lanes help health problems,and that shops don't suffer from non motorised traffic going past,people buy less but more often tends to be the way,the you've got the air quality improvements by less traffic.
Motorists just feel entitled that the roads are for them,but in reality they're for everyone,and I do admit to feeling smug when I ride past the traffic to and from work,even if I'm getting wet

 

[machin05]

Took me 48 minutes to cycle in 13.5 miles down the Bham New Road this morning. The only hold up was the approach to the M5 junction at Oldbury. If I was driving it would be an hour minimum (took me an hour and twenty on the worst day last week). Dedicated cycle infrastructure (one that isn't just a 1 mile stretch of a painted bit of pavement with fewer rights of way than the road) and I reckon I could do knock another 5 minutes off easily. The roads are getting busier and busier, and this is the best way at dealing with it. Get people out of their cars.

 

[Kenny]

Took me 48 minutes to cycle in 13.5 miles down the Bham New Road this morning. The only hold up was the approach to the M5 junction at Oldbury. If I was driving it would be an hour minimum (took me an hour and twenty on the worst day last week). Dedicated cycle infrastructure (one that isn't just a 1 mile stretch of a painted bit of pavement with fewer rights of way than the road) and I reckon I could do knock another 5 minutes off easily. The roads are getting busier and busier, and this is the best way at dealing with it. Get people out of their cars.

Other issue though with cycling to work is having facilities at your destination to clean yourself up. I wouldn't fancy doing a 40 min cycle and then getting through the 8 or 9 hour working day without a proper shower (and I am sure my colleagues would feel the same, especially in the summer)

 

[Tredman]

Other issue though with cycling to work is having facilities at your destination to clean yourself up. I wouldn't fancy doing a 40 min cycle and then getting through the 8 or 9 hour working day without a proper shower (and I am sure my colleagues would feel the same, especially in the summer)

Depends how you cycle I think too - most of my Dutch colleagues will train it to the closest train station then use one of the borrow bikes to cycle to the office - about 20 minute cycle. However, they don't cycle like the MAMILs here - they use the sit up and beg bikes and take their time, then they don't arrive as a sweaty mess.

 

[machin05]

Other issue though with cycling to work is having facilities at your destination to clean yourself up. I wouldn't fancy doing a 40 min cycle and then getting through the 8 or 9 hour working day without a proper shower (and I am sure my colleagues would feel the same, especially in the summer)

Yep, but I don't think I'm the common case that this kind of scheme is aimed at. It's the 3-4 mile commuters that currently cycle their MTB on the pavements, and not commuter racers chasing Strava PRs that should be benefitting from and encouraged to use new cycling infrastructure. You can do that kinda mileage safely without getting yourself in a sweaty mess.

Also, if there's a significant increase in the number of people cycling to your workplace, there's more likely that facilities will be put in place. You can't use it as an argument against developing infrastructure, IMO.

 

[Kenny]

All I know is I would arrive at work looking like I had swam there and turned into a gammon in the process.

 

[machin05]

All I know is I would arrive at work looking like I had swam there and turned into a gammon in the process.

Perhaps you'd be welcomed into the ABD then....

 

[Kenny]

You can't use it as an argument against developing infrastructure, IMO.

I'm not. Just saying I wouldn't do your cycle commute if I couldn't shower even if the route was a doddle thanks to new lanes etc.

I used to cycle from my apartment on the Willenhall Road to Compton House when I worked at the PCT, that was enough distance (around 3 miles). Think on that journey I had 1 small cycle lane which was near where I lived, the rest was main roads and that was fun

 

[Kenny]

Perhaps you'd be welcomed into the ABD then....

Application sent in.

Now, what do I rant about first -maybe Cyclists not paying road tax yet they use the road (despite the fact no one pays road tax)

 

[machin05]

It's a good starting point! Maybe chastise them for cycling on the pavements, but rabid oppose any kind of segregated cycle path at the same time

 

[Kenny]

Got it - my put cycle lanes in the sewers campaign starts here

* Gets rid of all the bikes using the roads
* Frees up space for an extra 1/3 of a car lane
* Cyclists can get from A-Z without dodging cars (whilst still dodging the same amount of shit)
* All Cyclists will DEMAND a shower at work
* If they don't, their colleagues will

 

[machin05]

There was a project to re-utilise the huge amount of defunct London Underground network for cyclist and pedestrian use. Wonder what happened to that....

 

[machin05]

Got it - my put cycle lanes in the sewers campaign starts here

* Gets rid of all the bikes using the roads
* Frees up space for an extra 1/3 of a car lane
* Cyclists can get from A-Z without dodging cars (whilst still dodging the same amount of shit)
* All Cyclists will DEMAND a shower at work
* If they don't, their colleagues will

Too many fatbergs in the way! It'd probably cost more to fix the terrible drainage issues all over the Black Country to be honest! Everytime it rains there are small canals running along side the A4123!