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£30 million Leeds-Bradford cycle path recommends 10 mph top speed!

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  • September 7, 2016 at 10:06 am #26236
    the little onion

    The omnishambles that is the £30 million Leeds Bradford cycle “superhighway” has rightly recieved a lot of criticism on this site. The latest news is that when someone asked on the facebook page about suggested speeds for travelling on the “superhighway”, the people behind the project replied

    “The Superhighway was designed for everyday commuters or for those who feel safer going at their own speed away from the traffic. With that in mind, we suggest people travel at speeds between 8 – 10mph whilst on the Superhighway making extra care when they come to junctions and bus stops. “

    Who on earth would spend £30 million on a cycle path, design it badly, and then because of the bad design subsequently recommend that no one travels more than 10 mph on it? At that rate, the cyclists will be travelling at the same speed as some joggers on the pavement.

    My four year old neice can ride at more than 10 mph on their Frog singlespeed!

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  • September 10, 2016 at 3:06 pm #877669
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    pockstone

    In response to CXR94Di2, the

    In response to CXR94Di2, the original plans had several junctions of a similar pattern, where cars crossing the cycle path at junctions were supposed to give way to cycles. It seems that in several ,if not all instances they have been abandoned in favour of the opposite priority.

    Possibly because the designers just didn’t trust drivers  to abide by the road markings, and feared carnage.

    I’ve just returned from a short tour of Holland and it really is a different culture.

    September 10, 2016 at 2:57 pm #877667
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    PMarkey

    I’ve given up using it for my

    I’ve given up using it for my daily trip to and from the Leeds General Infirmary as its mostly downhill going into Leeds and I regularly hit 30mph in places so I used the road but in the end the amount of abuse I was recieving from pedestrians,people at bus stops and car drivers about not using the cycle route became to much so I now use the more scenic route through Armley and Tong .

     

    September 10, 2016 at 10:12 am #877665
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    DrMekon

    At least two of the people
    At least two of the people who wrote the bid are keen club cyclists. I’ve worked with one and the other is in my old club. From the start, people have been telling them it looks like it won’t be used (there’s a modeling tool on the way to ensure projects can estimate utilisation). What I heard back was that the route was about where £19m of concrete could be poured in the required timeframe. The inequity stuff was bolted on after the fact.

    September 10, 2016 at 9:05 am #877663
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    DCLane

    So – go at 2/3 the current

    So – go at 2/3 the current average speed for my commuteinto Leeds is their advice. Basically “go slower”. But if I use the road alongside because of obstacles / dangerous design I’m getting verbal abuse from motorists. Are you sure that CityConnect aren’t getting secret back-handers from a motorists lobby?

    September 9, 2016 at 11:39 am #877661
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    the little onion
    fenix wrote:
    I use a shared cyclepath on some of my bike rides – as its shared use I don’t mind slowing down a bit and taking it easy – especially where there are walkers or families out on bikes. 

    We have a duty towards more vulnerable road users – as motorists should have for cyclists.

     

    Is this shared use or a dedicated bike path ? 

     

    8-10 mph really sounds uncomfortably low. I’d probably wobble off at 8mph.

     

    Surely some of these people actually ride bikes ? 

     

    This is not just a dedicated cyclist-only path, but it is part of the government’s cycle city ambition scheme which is supposed to bring about a sea change in cycling rates in a city. So lofty ambitions, a decent amount of money, but in Leeds-Bradford, a shockingly bad delivery. They are basically admitting that they have wasted 30 million quid on something that simply will not deliver what it is supposed to deliver.

    September 9, 2016 at 11:23 am #877659
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    brooksby
    Tjuice wrote:
    Of course, once the £30M pootling lane has been created, any cyclist using the road instead will get continual abuse.

    That said, I am absolutely fine with the creation of 8-10mph cycle lanes if that encourages people onto their bikes that would find it hard to cycle on the road (although how they get to and from the cycle lane is an interesting question…).  BUT, the rest of the road users must accept that there are a large number of cyclists that really should stay on the road and not use the cycle lane.

    Unfortunately, your first comment is more correct.  When an off road cycle lane is built, a large number of motorists really don’t seem to get that a cyclist can choose whether or not to ride on it, and any cyclist daring to continue to use the road gets real abuse.

    Happened to me when one was built near me. I use it going one way (up a steep-ish hill), but when I’m going down the hill I stay on the road (so I don’t have to watch out for driveway exists, stop for side roads, etc). And yet I get way more shouts of “Use the f-ing cycle path, thats why They built it!” now than ever before.

    Have to admit, I started shouting back, “Use the f-ing motorway, that’s why They built it!”  yes

    September 9, 2016 at 9:08 am #877657
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    fenix

    I use a shared cyclepath on

    I use a shared cyclepath on some of my bike rides – as its shared use I don’t mind slowing down a bit and taking it easy – especially where there are walkers or families out on bikes. 

    We have a duty towards more vulnerable road users – as motorists should have for cyclists.

     

    Is this shared use or a dedicated bike path ? 

     

    8-10 mph really sounds uncomfortably low. I’d probably wobble off at 8mph.

     

    Surely some of these people actually ride bikes ? 

    September 8, 2016 at 6:20 pm #877655
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    grumpyoldcyclist

    I have theory that most cycle

    I have theory that most cycle lanes are designed to incovenience or slow cyclists and on most occasions you need to stop to get back onto the road you’ve  just left. This has the effect of discouraging cycling with a consequent reduction in cycle casualties, job done! Either that or they are so poor, painted lines indicating a lane some 650 mm wide but containing the drains, that it has a similar effect.

    September 8, 2016 at 4:30 pm #877653
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    CXR94Di2

    I was riding in a small
    I was riding in a small German town recently. The cycle path was part of the footpath. At every side street there was two dotted lines giving a route for cyclists. Then on each side of this cycle lane were stop lines where cars had to givewayy or stop.

    Locals cyclists would happily travel without slowing down for vehicles and vehicles would wait for cyclists to pass when turning into it leaving side streets. I witnessed this again when in Berlin city centre.

    All it needs is small changes to legislation to allow cycles on paths, repaint junctions to allow cycles through and give way for vehicles. Change liability to the onus of blame to motorists and they will learn to respect vulnerable users.

    See image, you can see vehicle give way markings(white triangles) either side of cycle lane.

    September 8, 2016 at 3:48 pm #877651
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    Tjuice

    And this is exactly why I

    And this is exactly why I rarely end up cycling in dedicated cycle lanes.  I cycle for training, averaging 20+ mph.  I have not yet found any cycle lanes that are appropriate for this kind of cycling.

    And yes, 8-10 mph is running speed!  I’m working towards getting my 10k running pace above this.

    Of course, once the £30M pootling lane has been created, any cyclist using the road instead will get continual abuse.

    That said, I am absolutely fine with the creation of 8-10mph cycle lanes if that encourages people onto their bikes that would find it hard to cycle on the road (although how they get to and from the cycle lane is an interesting question…).  BUT, the rest of the road users must accept that there are a large number of cyclists that really should stay on the road and not use the cycle lane.

    September 8, 2016 at 2:27 pm #877649
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    tritecommentbot

    To enforcing that all I can

    To enforcing that all I can say is

     

    lol

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