AIBU to expect cyclists to use the cycle lane?

[Riddlemedee]

I am lucky to live in a lovely seaside town. There is a very busy 50mph costal road in and out. It is single lane. There is a substantial wide , well maintained, recently renovated cycle/walk path along the whole route. But some (not all) cyclists still use the road. This is dangerous, causes huge traffic backlogs and the more impatient (stupid) drivers take risks when overtaking the cyclists. I can’t see a reason why they would still use the road, any ideas anyone?

Before I got a bike I thought the shared use path here would be brilliant for cycling, turns out that when you're confronted with dogs on long leads, kids, people in groups, people on roller skates, toddlers swerving as they learn to ride, it's actually quite hazardous! And you get dirty looks from some of the pedestrians if you ring your bell too.

I love how cyclists' take on this is "other people cause a nuisance on cycle paths, so I cause a nuisance for others instead".

Our local council advise anyone doing over 18mph to use the road, rather than a cycle way. Any cycle lanes near me are overgrown and full of kids / extendy dog leads and people wandering about with their faces in their phones.

If I want to do any actual exercise it's safer to be on the road, unfortunately. I'd rather use a nice, wide cycle path away from the lorries though.

Is the path physically separated from the road, or just paint lines?

Most of the cycle paths by me are just painted lines and impossible to cycle on because of parked vehicles.

made it much more dangerous for any cyclist as they would be unable to avoid any obstruction so the use of the lane dropped significantly.

More dangerous than using a 50 mph road?

In my experience cyclists, even fast ones prefer to use specific cycle lanes.

However these cycle lanes need to be
-bike only (not shared with pedestrians)

• well maintained - pot holes and glass are much more of an issue for cyclists than cars
• need to have easy / safe to access / clearly signposted entrance and exit points
• need to be wide enough for two cyclists to safely pass at speed
• need to have clear priority over side roads
• need to be segregated to the extent that cars / delivery vehicles cannot park in them and that wide vehicles like buses don't overhang into them
• need to actually go somewhere useful

Very few cycle lanes meet all of these criteria. Cyclists aren't daft, they will choose the best route based on speed and safety. If they are on the road rather than a cyclepath there is a good reason for it.

@Ojanzi. I hope the petitions are for the cycle lane I refer too and the council consult the users before improving it or opening more.

It’s a lovely area to live and it would be good if everyone could enjoy it safely - pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.

Southport?

Because a lot of motorists are selfish cunts.

Fixed it for you.

@DancesWithTortoises

Because a lot of cyclists are selfish cunts.

They're just people. Most are decent, some are selfish. Lumping them altogether isn't helpful.

You say it's well maintained? Have you actually cycled on it, they're often full of glass due to idiot drivers throwing bottles out their car windows.

Plus any side roads/drives if you're on the cycle path you have to giveway/stop for each of these. But not if you're on the road.

My average moving speed on a bike is over 17mph and often over 20mph. I'm not supposed to be on shared use path at over I think it's 12mph. But I'm certainly too fast to safely share a path with walkers, dogs, kids, etc.

There is one near me which really is brilliant because I both cycle and run along it

If runners are using it, it really isn't suitable for fast cycling.

@MintyMabel

made it much more dangerous for any cyclist as they would be unable to avoid any obstruction so the use of the lane dropped significantly.

More dangerous than using a 50 mph road?

Yes becuase the likelihood of a collision is far higher.

@Underhisi

If it is shared with walkers that will put some off for a start. Cyclists are allowed to use the road. It is not their fault that some drivers are idiots.

@Underhisi .....And it's not a driver's fault that some cyclists are also idiots. There are fools everywhere, but the narrative that has all drivers as demons and all cyclists as saints is rubbish

@Underhisi .....And it's not a driver's fault that some cyclists are also idiots. There are fools everywhere, but the narrative that has all drivers as demons and all cyclists as saints is rubbish

Underhisi literally said some drivers.

If cyclists aren't using a cycle path it will be because it's not fit for purpose. It might be lovely for pootling along as a leisure cyclist but difficult for a commuting cyclist and pointless for anyone cycling to get fit. They're not going to be doing it to annoy you or because they like playing with traffic, but because the path isn't fit for use. cycling is not a monolithic activity. Roads are public rights of way. The greater nuisance will be the cars that are also ruining the environment, not someone cycling along.

If it's anything like the wider ones in my area, it will be because the wider cycle lanes are usually shared with pedestrians. This means that any cyclist who wants to ride their bike has to navigate off lead dogs, dogs on extendable leads, pedestrians walking 4 across the whole path, pedestrians meandering with headphones in, small children cycling or scooting all over the path rather than keeping to one lane/side, and so on.

If threads on here are anything to go by then cyclists shouldn't be on the road because big important car drivers have such important lives that a cyclist slowing them momentarily will ruin their whole schedule for the day (in a way that presumably roadworks, unexpected traffic, being behind a bus, tractors or slow moving vehicles wouldn't), and they shouldn't be on cycle paths because they're lycra clad speed freaks who think they're on the Tour De France and are recklessly speeding and running other people's peaceful walk.

@Riddlemedee

Yes they do have a right to be on the road, however I’m trying to understand why the beautiful, wide, well maintained cycle lane isn’t being used. That is all.

We have the same where we live. It looks like a very well maintained cycle lane. It’s only when you cycle on it that you can see how much debris there actually is on it, which is obviously very dangerous for a bike. I think that is the reason why the more serious cyclists don’t like to use it.

What @SpikeDearheart said. There's a classic route near me where you get onto the path at either end or you're stuck on a straight mile where drivers try to do 100. How do you get up a 4 inch kerb with irate drivers behind you? Or stop right in the road, cross, and get up 4" kerb?
More to the point anyway, why don't the cardrivers leave theirs cars at home and use the cycle path?

They're just people.
Most are decent, some are selfish.
Lumping them altogether isn't helpful.

Except I didn't. I said "a lot of cyclists, did you miss that in your froth of indignation? That's my lived experience - a lot of them are, especially on country roads.

Bad design of path? I recently came across this crazy design; cycle path directed on to the (potentially wrong side of) road then onto pavement to go round a lamppost then back onto the road (and in this pic the pedestrians are demonstrating others points by being in the way both on and off the pavement). Why?!

commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newport_Furrlongs_cycleway.JPG

If it is a shared walk/cycle path then I'd assume that is why - I cycle a lot and I use bike lanes when they are convenient. Unfortunatly shared paths are not suitable unless you are cycling less than 10mph - i'd guess most road cyclists - the lycra brigade at least, are doing 15-20mph. There is one particular cycle lane on my commute to work that I can think of as being really useless - it is a shared path and runs for about half a mile. If I stick to the road I have a straight run. If i use the path, I have 7 places where I need to stop and check for traffic (i.e. roads joining the main one). Why would I use the shared path in this instance? I can think of lots of others. Sometimes I dont use the path by mistake - maybe this is the case in the OP's example? There is one road near me which has a cycle path to the side, but you have one chance to get on to it before you are stuck on the road. It's not signposted until it is too late - blink and you miss it!
It can be infuriating, but any anger needs to be directed to the councils or whoever is designing and funding these schemes. They tick a nice box, but don't serve a significant part of the cycling community, and hence other road users!

@iamme21. Ha ha - you got it 🙂

As previous posters have said it depends on the type of cycling you’re doing...I’ve done my fair share of tri/road cycling in the past and also general recreational cycling ... if you’re pottering along on your shopper or on a gentle/ family ride the cycle paths are great.
If you’re riding a road bike and cycling at a good rate then cycle paths can feel pretty dangerous if there’re walkers or slower bikes to negotiate and so the road feels safer/ more appropriate.