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?

@jasjas1973 that’s quite some assumptions you make there! There’s nothing wrong with my driving standards thanks, it’s not like I said I mow them down 😂 and I excessive everyday thanks, on a trail away from other people but I have to you know, go to work 😂😂😂

The problem with them chatting at it’s incredibly hard to get past and they cause tail backs but yes, their chat is more important than everyone else’s need to actually get to places, like work 🙄

Many cyclists are also actually going to work, it's just that one of the great things about cycling is it makes travel less stressful, even when you factor in dealing with wanker drivers and zombie pedestrians. Cycling in towns and cities gives the most reliable travel times of any form of transport. If you know you can average 12mph on a bike you'll know your likely journey time. You don't get held up in the same way you do in a motor vehicle, because it's easy to get past queues.

I know someone who buddies novice cyclists travelling to work. So maybe you saw him or someone like him. Experienced cyclist on the road, novice on the cycle path, chatting to each other because that's one of the joys of cycling. It's a great way to travel and that includes going to places with a specific aim. The problem is that so many in the UK want to relegate cycling to a hobby and provide infrastructure according to this, rather than see it for what it is, a great way to travel that is fast, reliable, and has minimal environmental impact, all whilst keeping you fit.

@BertramLacey, can you stop posting sensible and reasonable comments - this is MN you know?

@BertramLacey so it’s ok for him to hold up everybody else rather than just tucking in front or behind into the purpose built, perfectly useable cycle Lane?

near me they've halved the width of most roads to widen the cycle lanes. the remaining strip of road is still used by cyclists who can't be arsed to use the cycle lanes.
Or bother to stop at red lights.
Only thing in their favour is that they rarely stick to speed limits (all 20 mph around here) so they aren't holding up the traffic.
I suppose its preferable to them using the pavement.

[quote LadyCatStark]@jasjas1973 that’s quite some assumptions you make there! There’s nothing wrong with my driving standards thanks, it’s not like I said I mow them down 😂 and I excessive everyday thanks, on a trail away from other people but I have to you know, go to work 😂😂😂

The problem with them chatting at it’s incredibly hard to get past and they cause tail backs but yes, their chat is more important than everyone else’s need to actually get to places, like work 🙄[/quote]
Well, my assumption is based on that if you are behind them, then i don't really see how you would know they are chatting or what they are talking about... unless you were focusing on them, rather than the road ahead? i.e poor driving?
2 riders (Oncologist & Plastic surgeon) in my club rode for about 3 hours talking about a plan for a patient they were treating, nothing identifying i hasten to add.

But my point was really to try and see if you could look at cyclists as human beings rather than "knobheads"

It really is not nice and doesn't show you in a good light

To be perfectly honest if several posters came on here saying Parents with pushchairs in a park were cunts, wasps, knobheads etc etc which is what cyclists have been called on this thread, MNHQ would take it down and ban the posters........

Thinwomansbrain - and what exactly to cars have in their favour, cos I can't see much

so it’s ok for him to hold up everybody else rather than just tucking in front or behind into the purpose built, perfectly useable cycle Lane?

It's perfectly legal for a cyclist to use the road even when a cycle lane is available. When it comes to holding people up, what do you think car drivers are doing? Is your car always full to capacity or is often just you in it? Average car occupancy in the UK is 1.6 - that's a lot of spare space clogging the roads. Do you always park off road or do you park on the road, narrowing the available space? How much do you think that holds people up? Cars spend something like 95% of their lifetimes parked up not being used.

This photo shows the space taken up by people using different forms of transport. Now ask yourself who is taking up unnecessary space, thereby holding up other road users?

@Macncheeseballs

Thinwomansbrain - and what exactly to cars have in their favour, cos I can't see much

Cars are an essential part of modern life but tbh they are incredibly destructive, they kill 1800 per year (1000s more maimed) pollute the atmosphere, have a huge carbon footprint, both in fuel and in their construction, they also contribute greatly to noise and the roads they need, destroy our natural environment.

But apparently its the humble bicycle that is the "problem"

@jasjas1973 oh FFS of course I don’t know what they’re talking about but it doesn’t even take a full second to glance at them when you’re stuck behind them. But yes in future, I will assume they’re cycling the 2 hour ride to the nearest hospital to do far more important work than mine 🙄 it’s not like cyclists have a reputation for being selfish or anything...

[quote LadyCatStark]@jasjas1973 oh FFS of course I don’t know what they’re talking about but it doesn’t even take a full second to glance at them when you’re stuck behind them. But yes in future, I will assume they’re cycling the 2 hour ride to the nearest hospital to do far more important work than mine 🙄 it’s not like cyclists have a reputation for being selfish or anything...[/quote]
There is nothing more selfish that robbing someone of a loved one or indeed their life...... which car drivers do with alarming regularity

You need to take off your anti cycling googles.

Thanks (I think!) @Ifailed but I think I'm going to step away now. It gets to the stage when no matter how many facts you present people with, you can't get past their core prejudices.

BertramLacey
You've made some excellent points on here.
Unfortunately there's seems to be an attitude of 'I don't cycle and have a big important car to do my very important things' in the UK.

Most of the anticycling issues seem to boil down to different people with different chips on their shoulder, getting annoyed at perfectly legal road use because the cyclists didn't activate their psychic abilities to verify the anti-cyclist's biking preferences.
Depending on the wind direction, cyclists should:
Be off the road due to being a nuisance and slowing people down
Be off the cycle paths because pedestrians and dog walkers want to use them
Ride in the gutter so that cars can get past (aka squeeze past and ignore the need to do a safe and correct overtake)
Never ride 2 across because that slows he cars down (aka it requires drivers to do a sfae overtake when they would rather squeeze past and leave the cyclists with no room to safely manoeuvre)
Ring their bell to alert others to their presence
Don't right their bell because it's aggressive
Shout hello or good morning, instead of ringing a bell
Never have any expectation of being able to cycle on a shared use path because pedestrians shouldn't have to literally jump out the way every 2 minutes
Never wear lycra because for some bizarre reason some people think it's acceptable to mock the bodies of people who exercise

It must be exhausting keeping up with all the contradictory demands of cyclists.

*for cyclists

The problem is that so many in the UK want to relegate cycling to a hobby and provide infrastructure according to this, rather than see it for what it is, a great way to travel that is fast, reliable, and has minimal environmental impact, all whilst keeping you fit.

Well said. So many places in England would be ideal to be car-free and bikes/pedestrians only

(I only said England because I'm not familiar enough with the terrain of the other UK countries)

Is this Southport? Does my head in! They ride 2 or 3 abreast and there's constant traffic coming the other way so you usually have to wait till you get to a roundabout at the end to see the back of them! Typical MAMILs who think they're 'proper cyclists' who don't need to use a lane

@Ifailed

Cyclists, along with pedestrians and horse riders, have a right to use the road, motorists don't. They need to seek permission via a driving license.

Well, then they have the right?!

I recall a quote recently tbat drew a sharp distinction between car drivers and people who ride bikes.
As a bike rider you are encouraging of other riders to do the same. There is a lovely community in that regard.
Drivers have an investment in there being fewer drivers as more drivers get in their way! Cue queues and congestion and polutuon. But mainly the notion that other car drivers are an obstacle. Whereas bike riders encourage more of their type.
Interesting.

I'd rather the road than the pedestrian path

@ohforarainyday

I agree provision for cyclists is woeful, but if cyclists choose to cycle on paths that are intended for use by pedestrians, they need to accept that they will potentially be sharing the path with people who are deaf, people who are physically disabled and maybe unsteady on their feet, people who are extremely elderly or who have learning disorders or balance disorders which means they might struggle to walk in a straight line, struggle to hear you, or not be able to move out of the way quickly, children and toddlers, dog, etc.

As a cyclist you're in a position of power and privilege over those people, and you have to be mindful that not everyone can physically do what you want them to do.

Personally I'm delighted to see cyclists using cycle paths. I've had cyclists smash into me when I was standing at a bus stop (on the middle of the pavement) when there was a perfectly good cycle path immediately next to it, on an empty road.

Yes good post! My two children do not have awareness all the time no matter how many times I go on and on at them. They spontaneously run across the shared path without looking behind them making it difficult for anyone to predict their path. They don't walk in a straight line and like to run too which is a good thing! Learning to cross the road and not step into the road is difficult enough as it is

@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.

Yeah, 99.99% of of pedestrians NEVER notice what is a cycle lane and what is a footpath, or 99.99% are extremely selfish and don't care. Or some combination. Maybe the cyclists on the road are road user seeking to get from A to B as is their right, and don't want to spend their journey at 5mph weaving in and out of idiot pedestrians?

@BertramLacey

Thanks (I think!) *@Ifailed* but I think I'm going to step away now. It gets to the stage when no matter how many facts you present people with, you can't get past their core prejudices.

You want to to try riding a horse, that brings out the knobheads even more than cyclists do.

You want to to try riding a horse, that brings out the knobheads even more than cyclists do

Yes and to anyone who cycles, slow down for the horse an rider, and say something, anything "morning horsey" if you like.

Some horses don't know what we are and can be skittish, a human voice tells them we are human - if only it were that easy with car drivers!

@thecatsatonthewall

You want to to try riding a horse, that brings out the knobheads even more than cyclists do

Yes and to anyone who cycles, slow down for the horse an rider, and say something, anything "morning horsey" if you like.

Some horses don't know what we are and can be skittish, a human voice tells them we are human - if only it were that easy with car drivers!

The cyclists round our way are pretty good. It's usually the more casual or family bike rides that don't know what to do.