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?

Not frothing, I just think calling people cunts in this instance is unhelpful.
The OP asked why some people on bike aren't using the cycle lane and they're getting reasonable answers regarding design and user experience.

And to those people who are saying that the cyclists on the 50mph road are awful selfish people - check yourself! If you have ever cycled on such a road, it is extremely stressful because of motorists revving behind and then overtaking closely "to make a point". We all have the right to be on the road. A bit more tolerance and acceptance would go a long way.
And I know, some cyclists are dicks, the same way some motorists and some pedestrians are. But the vast majority in all groups are decent people!

It was seem that the solution is that motor vehicles use the road, cyclists use the pavements and us pesky slow and stupid pedestrians just stay at home and keep out of everyone’s way 🤷🏻‍♀️

When I lived in Germany the serious sports cyclists didn't use the cycle lanes there either... It was children, people getting from A to B, elderly etc. Loads of them.

We have a lovely wide clean new cycle path near here (in Yorkshire). It's fantastic for cycling on with the children. But it's also used by dog walkers... So not much good for serious speed cycling. Although the alternative is the 60mph road...

What you think is a "lovely" cycle lane may actually have more glass than you can see, patches sand or gravel that makes the surface dangerous.

People step out into cycle lanes near me without looking and there are dangerous junctions.

Some people think that a nice flat cycle lane is a smashing place to walk their dog. It's also a great place for kiddies and families to have a little pootle about which doesn't mix with someone trying to get to work at a reasonable pace or cycling for fitness, and it might take take the scenic route when all you're trying to do is get somewhere. I don't need to spend an extra 20 minutes getting to work, thank you.

Cyclists, horse riders and other slow-moving vehicles all have as much right to use the roads that they pay taxes for. Drivers in other countries are far more respectful of other road users than in the UK.

It was seem that the solution is that motor vehicles use the road, cyclists use the pavements and us pesky slow and stupid pedestrians just stay at home and keep out of everyone’s way

Countries that support active travel tend to come up with better solutions. Pavements, good connected cycle paths and roads can co-exist so that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists all have space.

As it is, ask yourself as a motorist, would you drive on a motorway if it:
Was a short stretch
Didn't join up with the rest of your route
Was also used by pedestrians and dog walkers

I'm guessing not, however lovely it might look.

It was seem that the solution is that motor vehicles use the road, cyclists use the pavements and us pesky slow and stupid pedestrians just stay at home and keep out of everyone’s way
How did you come to that conclusion from the thread?
People pointing out that pedestrians and cycling at a reasonable speed are incompatible isn't saying pedestrians are stupid or they should stay out of people's way.

The fact is that many of these wider cycle paths are shared use, and it's not appropriate for cyclists to cycle at anything more than a gentle pootle if there's people walking 4 across, families across the whole path, kids on scooters not leaving a cycle lane free, dogs on long retractable leads (often with owners who hace zero awareness of other path users), pedestrians meandering slowly with headphones in (see also zero awareness of other path users).

People should choose the most appropriate surface for their needs. For some cyclists that is the road. For others it is a shared off road path

"It was seem that the solution is that motor vehicles use the road, cyclists use the pavements and us pesky slow and stupid pedestrians just stay at home and keep out of everyone’s way"

No-one is saying that. The solution is cycle ways designed for cyclists, separate pedestrian routes and separate routes for cars. Or, failing that, roads for cyclists and cars, with everyone being respectful to each other.

Of course road users need to take responsibility for their own actions, but local councils and the highways agency need to start taking the design of cycle ways seriously and not as a token effort.

@DancesWithTortoises

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.

Lovely! because you were forced to slow down or a cyclist didn't get out of your way, they are the cunts?

Cars kill around 1800 people a year, 300 are children... they also cause a hell of a lot of pollution, which has also been linked to deaths.

Perhaps you should re access if you are a fit and proper person to have driving licence?

Our local cycle paths, made much of by the local council, are utterly shit.

Most are on narrow shared footpaths. A painted line and a few bike stencils didn't manage to widen those old footpaths, funnily enough. Patchy, holey, lumpy and curved across so not even a flat surface, a lot drop rather curvaceously near the kerb stones on the road side.

Even these crap "cycle lanes" disappear all together for large stretches near junctions, railings appear a long way from the crossing point, you have to walk the bike to the pedestrian crossing, more railings and pushing your bike after crossing.

Parts of the route have no markings of any kind. You would need the observation skills of Sherlock Holmes to use the buggers.

Then there are the pedestrians who haven't even seen the marks and all the obstacles that leads to.

Don't blame cyclists for preferring the road to be honest.

We ve a great cycle path nr us, A390 BUT to get to it or once off it, you are back on the very busy road.

So its pointless, isn't well marked and i ve been told to get off it as its a path!

At the end of the day, you cannot put a cycle path along side every road and even when you do cycle on a quiet country road you get called a XXXX :(

My personal favourite is when they create a cycle lane from a grass verge, but don't consider that the poles for all of the road signs are smack bang in the middle of the new cycle lane!

Sorry OP but DH and I are keen cyclists and we find the cycle paths awful to use. Even if they are dedicated you always find walkers on them who refuse to walk on one side or the other, Dog walkers allowing the leads to stretch over the path, little children wobbling (cutely) all over the place but it makes me so worried I wlll crash if one decided to suddenly U turn in front of me. Then the one that really annoys DH, 2-3 mums pushing prams in nice weather side-by-side completely blocking it. Lovely to see other mums out and enjoying the sunshine but it really annoys DH when they totally block the path.

Of course the thing is when you start you don't know if these people are on the cycle path so it more practical to ride on the road and much safer and quicker too.

some cyclists feel safer on the road

I often wonder about this as well! There is a super path near us with its own traffic light! No idea why a cyclist wouldnt use it .Obviously the road is theirs to use as well ,but cycle lanes are built for them to use and optimise their safety.Also esp in hot weather seen quite a few with no helmets!

but cycle lanes are built for them to use and optimise their safety

Have you bothered to read the thread? Plenty of PPs have pointed out that cycling lanes are typically not built for them to use, but are merely re-purposed pavements which dangerously mix pedestrians with cyclists.

Thought so- it’s so frustrating

This is one of the cycle lanes in Bristol: m.youtube.com/watch?v=WiYm64RKMv8

I use the road.

I grew up in a soulless new town in the 80s. The one good thing was the amazing cycle lanes which were like mini roads with curbs to the adjacent footpaths. As the town expanded, cycle lanes became less and less well designed. Sounds like yours sadly isn't great.

I now work in London and the cycle superhighways are so dangerous, I despair.

@DrinkFeckArseBrick

So I used to think this. Then i started cycling. And got yelled at by some men in a van for going on the road. The cycle path in question is a newish shared use cycle and pedestrian path. It doesnt get used much by pedestrians but when they do it's annoying, pedestrians now often have headphones in listening to music and they dont hear a bell and it's hard to get past them in places. But what is really annoying is that it's on a main road, with lots of feeder roads and junctions and because it's a path format rather than a cycle path, at every junction (every 50m or so) I have to stop and give way to cars and effectively 'cross' the road. It isnt annoying when you're walking but it's really annoying to stop every 30 seconds on the bike, it means you cant get any speed up and I dont feel like I'm getting any exercise which for me is the whole point. So in those circumstances I'd go on the road

This

Sometimes its easier to be on the road. I was also shouted at that I should be using the cycle lane when I would have had to stop and cross roads like I was walking. Much easier to cycle on the road and use the roundabouts for that particular stretch

There was some 'cycling provision' near where I used to live that was similar to the shared use path in the video posted by Ogwen, with the laughable addition of give way signs painted at each tree - like someone was expecting the tree might amble away at some point?!

It's incredible how many cyclists have said that they want to get to work on time so dislike using cycle paths because pedestrians/hazards slow them down, so instead they drive on the road, slowing many more people down who also wish to get to work on time.
Some cyclists just want it all ways - right of way on roads and on paths. They see slower moving cyclists or pedestrians as an inconvenience yet don't seem to realise, or rather they realise very well but don't care, that they are an inconvenience to faster road users. Lots of cyclists won't be happy unless they have the roads to themselves but it is utterly unrealistic to think that everybody can give up their cars and cycle everywhere. It's not going to happen.

@DrinkFeckArseBrick

So I used to think this. Then i started cycling. And got yelled at by some men in a van for going on the road. The cycle path in question is a newish shared use cycle and pedestrian path. It doesnt get used much by pedestrians but when they do it's annoying, pedestrians now often have headphones in listening to music and they dont hear a bell and it's hard to get past them in places. But what is really annoying is that it's on a main road, with lots of feeder roads and junctions and because it's a path format rather than a cycle path, at every junction (every 50m or so) I have to stop and give way to cars and effectively 'cross' the road. It isnt annoying when you're walking but it's really annoying to stop every 30 seconds on the bike, it means you cant get any speed up and I dont feel like I'm getting any exercise which for me is the whole point. So in those circumstances I'd go on the road

This is what we have here too. Cyclists would be forever jumping on and off their bikes whereas on the road, they'd keep going.

It's incredible how many cyclists have said that they want to get to work on time so dislike using cycle paths because pedestrians/hazards slow them down, so instead they drive on the road, slowing many more people down who also wish to get to work on time.

Over a shortish distance on congested roads cycling will be at least as fast, of not after than driving.

Most cycle paths are worse than useless. If shared with pedestrians then generally more dangerous than roads as people wander all over them. Or sometimes lanes appear and disappear at random. Or cars park in them

The cycle superhighways in London work well as they are dedicated and clearly marked. Plus they also go directly from one place to another. However putting them in means you lose a lane of traffic