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OPINION

Cycle Lane Fail

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I know that cycle lanes in this country are universally crap and their crapness has been extensively documented, but there's something special about this one. I don't know what exactly, maybe it's just the sheer pointlessness of it all, with the sign and the give way so that pedestrians can walk from a wall into a road. Maybe it's the white van completely obscuring it for good measure. It seems to be pretty much everything that's wrong with cycle lanes in this country. If only it were just 10 yards long and eight inches wide, it would be perfect.

Thanks to Allan Dade for the pic

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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15 comments

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antonio | 13 years ago
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That's Doctor Who having a laugh.

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Bikeylikey | 13 years ago
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A right laugh. Here's another:

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ratherbeintobago | 13 years ago
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Quote:

It'd be fun to publish a book with all the rubbish cycle lanes in it.

You mean like this one?

Andy

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tommy2p | 13 years ago
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I wonder what would happen to the cyclists that don't dismount? would they be fined and end up in court when they contest it? and only at that point would the authorities concerned realise what an expensive and ridiculous mistake it is. They should then question and name and shame the individuals concerned that authorised and implemented it.

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skippy | 13 years ago
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Didn't you know those "Cyclist Dismount" signs are there so as to free up storage room at the depot !
Notice how many road signs have a destination with "X" miles, then 200 m you see another with an even further distance then 500 m later 10miles/km have been deducted !It is only too obvious that there are "planners" who have no idea of what they are doing or how best to do their job.
Driving from Luxembourg to Karlsruhe you will pass signs to there with 300+km but then you get down into the half way point and all of a sudden the distance is again 300+, obvious that there are people asleep at their desk !
Remember the New cycle lane mentioned in Roads.cc an article last year?

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Dunlin | 13 years ago
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Can't be for cyclo-crossers unless someone nicked the hurdles...

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OldRidgeback | 13 years ago
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That one in Harlow is hilarious. It'd be fun to publish a book with all the rubbish cycle lanes in it. Perhaps the intro could say how much money is wasted on these ill-conceived cycle lanes. A competition to find the UK's worst cycle lane might be good - publicise it along similar lines to the bad sex awards in novels - the councillors responsible could be invited along to the awards at a major cycling event be given a bent bicycle wheel as a prize.

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Jon Burrage | 13 years ago
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They aint cheap either.

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Flo K | 13 years ago
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Genius!

Flo K

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David Else | 13 years ago
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maybe it's for cyclo-cross training?

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dave atkinson | 13 years ago
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Quote:

This example in Harlow, with its forest of "CYCLISTS DISMOUNT" signs is still my favourite

I especially like the dismount signs where there's not even a path  1

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ColT | 13 years ago
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I despair of the idiots who (a): sanction this kind of thing and, (B): install the things.

Wouldn't you think that someone would have the sense to question the sheer absurdity of it all. Planners? Sign makers? Labourers? Accountants?

Actually, no I'm not surprised. Nobody is prepared to stick their neck on the block.

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cat1commuter | 13 years ago
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Where is that one?

This example in Harlow, with its forest of "CYCLISTS DISMOUNT" signs is still my favourite:

//homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-month/harlow-dismounts.jpg)

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Simon_MacMichael | 13 years ago
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Seems to be a common misconception among drivers that it's okay to park on double yellows if you're on the non-road side of it.

We have a wide pavement outside our house, very common to have a car parked on it despite road having double yellows, often blocks our gate, despite us being no more than a student's placard's throw from a police station.

Of course it's the local council that does the enforcement, and we never see a warden in this part of town.

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KirinChris | 13 years ago
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I think we need to know what the sign says, to know whether it adds to the sheer pointlessness of the whole thing.  39

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