A six year old pedestrian has been knocked over on a newly opened cycle path leading to concerns over its shared use status and appeals to cyclists to slow down.
Festival Way cycle path, a Lottery-funded £2.1m route, was opened in May, and runs along a six mile corridor stretching from the Cumberland Basin in Bristol through to Millennium Park in Nailsea.
The girl was on her way to Flax Bourton Primary School when the collision happened.
Roger Higgins, chairman of Flax Bourton Parish Council told the Weston Mercury: “Parents and children are always aware of the many cyclists that use the path and move as soon as they see or hear a cyclist.
“But it can be really hard to hear cyclists coming from behind and most don’t use a bell or say anything to warn of their presence.
“They heard some friends call out ‘bike’ but the cyclist was going so fast, and didn’t attempt to slowdown, and before the little girl had time to move he had ridden straight into her, knocking her flat and he himself fell off his bike.
“Apart from shock, the young girl sustained a nasty superficial graze to her elbow and leg, but luckily nothing worse.
“We welcome the facility of the Festival Way Cycle Path in our village – it is popular with cyclists, walkers, dog walkers, joggers and is used by a number of children attending the school, but we ask cyclists to use the facility responsibly and show respect to the many non-cycling users.”
Local residents are seeking funding to re-route part of the cycleway out of the housing estate on Rosemount Road.
District councillor Geoff Coombs said: “The cycleway was built through the estate in the 1980s when there was a moderate level of usage, but usage has greatly increased, which is fantastic.
“However, that section is no longer appropriate because there are no pavements to segregate and there have been a number of incidents.
“The residents’ proposal involves 500m of re-routing which would cost £50,000 which is not available from North Somerset Council so we would be looking to organisations like Sustrans.”
When Festival Way opened, we reported how George Ferguson, who last year became Bristol’s first elected mayor and who now leads the city’s transport strategy, commented: "I welcome every single initiative that encourages commuters out of their cars and makes us a greener, healthier and safer city.
“A high-quality cycling link from Nailsea to Bristol will make a big difference to quality of life for all those who access it.
“All involved with this project have done a great job, choosing a clever route that forges strong links between the city and North Somerset."
Councillor Elfan Ap Rees from North Somerset Council added: "I am delighted that we can mark the official opening of this important route which at times has been a challenging project.
“We want to develop similar off-road routes in other parts of the district, for example a cycle and pedestrian link between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon via the old railway line that used to connect the two towns many years ago."
Shared use paths in some areas provide ongoing concern for both cyclists and walkers.
Last month we reported that in an opinion piece for bristol247.com, Jon Usher of Sustrans called for some cyclists to slow down, lest we all be “perceived by pedestrians in the same way we perceive cars. We are becoming the menace that needs taming,” he wrote.
Usher, the Sustrans area manager for Bristol, Bath and South Glos, writes that he thinks the recent increase in popularity of fast road bikes is damaging the perception of bike riders.
He provoked controversy by appearing to target one set of riders in particular.
“Bikes with skinny tyres and drop handlebars are regularly ridden at excessive and frankly anti-social speeds on my daily commute. They are a cause for real concern,” he wrote.
“The sale of racing bikes [is] up across the board.
“However, this surge in sporting goods for leisure is percolating rapidly through to the urban cycling for transport realms.
“This transition has meant a shift from a relatively slow, cumbersome machine in urban environments to something much faster.
“The blurring of the lines between transport and sport means that people’s perception of us is changing. Fast moving bikes are beginning to have a negative impact on people’s perception of taking to a journey on two wheels.”
54 thoughts on “Six-year-old girl knocked over by cyclist on newly opened £2.1m Festival Way near Bristol”
Agree with jon Usher.
Agree with jon Usher.
Also agree with Jon Usher.
Also agree with Jon Usher.
Er.. when did this happen?
Er.. when did this happen? On the way to school during the holidays?
Is this a retelling of an old story? If so then this should be explicitly stated as retellings give a false impression that a problem is worse than it actually is.
However, I do agree that speed should be tempered on shared use paths in the same way as motor vehicle speeds should be curtailed on roads they share with more vulnerable road users – unfortunately in the motor vehicles case the victim gets blamed and is told that they should wear protective gear.!
Using that logic I could ask was the girl wearing a hi-viz and a helmet?
Ironic in a way that a
Ironic in a way that a cyclist is not giving due care and taking responsibility to use the path sensibly with vulnerable users in mind.
At the end of the day it says cycle path, not bloody racing track. If you wanna play fast on your bicycle do it (safely) on country roads or on a track.
On my commutes as far as I’m concerned my speed is a ‘social’ speed. I’m not out to beat the guy on a 15kg mountain bike to the lights, as I see quite often!
Without wishing to sound all
Without wishing to sound all militant, but is this a shared use path or is it as the name suggests a cycle path?
surely if its a cycle path then pedestrians are a hazard shouldn’t really be on there?
its official title seems to have the words cycle path in it, the local and county council dudes are both calling it a cycle path – surely there’s a clue there?
but yes, why wasnt the kid wearing a helmet and hi-viz, preferably ringing a bell with every third step!
Quote:Without wishing to
+ 1, if it’s a cycle path then why are people walking on it?
If it’s a “shared path” what do they think happens when you mix people walking and people cycling?
Shared paths do not work as they mix two completely different speeds for no good reason.
Shared paths are only any
Shared paths are only any good for slow moving cyclists. I used to ride on a straight section when it was quiet but don’t do that anymore . I realised as long as there are people not looking before moving across the path, dogs not on leads etc that it is not safe.
Realistically given the current situation the speed limit should be no more than 10mph? I would question whether the paths are suitable for any meaningful form of transport though.
It is a shared use
It is a shared use path…everyone should be looking out for everyone else. There is no blame here really and it is good that they are looking to re route the contentious part of the route…
But, albeit jokingly, making comments about high viz and bells for walkers really does nothing but make all cyclists seem petty and vindictive.
I also agree with Mr Usher…shared use, ride sensibly…when I go out for ‘a ride’ I avoid SUPs.
ct wrote:….There is no
Err, call me picky but;
But it can be really hard to hear cyclists coming from behind and most don’t use a bell or say anything to warn of their presence.
“They heard some friends call out ‘bike’ but the cyclist was going so fast, and didn’t attempt to slowdown, and before the little girl had time to move he had ridden straight into her, knocking her flat and he himself fell off his bike.”
And nobody is to blame? C’mon man.
There was a young lass killed one time when a roadie on a personal time trial (Strava involved possibly?) rode into her on a cyclepath. I think she was 14 years old. The cyclist was an arrogant fuck who tried to blame her for not moving, jeezus christ…. Everyone has a duty of care and a cycle bell has to be fitted by law – yet how many roadie’s have not bothered or say I’ll shout “Cyclist” and dont feel they need a bell. The truth is they rarely do shout “Cyclist” but expect thr other party to be aware of them and move as its the cyclists ‘cylce path’, right? Bells are such a friendly way of warning others to your presence when you come up behind them and everyone moves for you.
All this fella had to do was slow down and ring his bell if he had one, then negotiate the people with caution. If that had been my 6 year old daughter I would have gone fucking nuts, as I’m sure every other father would in those circumstances, and i suspect those lovely carbon forks if not broken would be sticking out his lycra clad ass at a funny angle. I hope the lass is okay. You know, kids, even out with their parents and as young as 6 dont show any duty of care because, well they are 6 and dont have any. The cyclist was I gather a grown adult. Additionally, parents cannot anticipate every single thing that occurs around them and their little ones. Cyclists behind you can appear like they are ninja’s, particularly if its windy.
I see a lot of “playing it down” when cyclists act like total asses and cause accidents, injuries or behave like angry louts. Yet when its a car driver its like the angry mob with pitchforks ready to burn baby, burn. Despite what you may think I am die hard cycling enthusiast and commuter, father and car driver. But when we, as cyclists, are complete twats lets say so, without playing it down, please. That cyclist was a twat and should really be stuck on for an assault in my opinion. He could have avoided that so easily and shared use paths are not going away. If you want to bomb along at 25 – 28mph with your head down and arse up dont go on them when theres other people about. Nobs.
It’s a shared use path. It’s
It’s a shared use path. It’s fine for me as a cyclist and thousands of others, for utility and recreation purposes alike (yes, I have ridden it). That isn’t to say it’ll be fine for everyone, in the same way that barrelling down the A38 at 25mph isn’t my style of cycling.
Statements like “shared paths don’t work” are a little arrogant, really. They work fine for me. They might not for you, and that’s your prerogative. But you don’t speak for everyone.
If you want to ride fast in an environment where you don’t have to look out for more vulnerable users, ride on the road. Is it really that hard to understand?
No, its official title is the Festival Way. That’s it. Sustrans’ permanent signage here, as elsewhere on shared use paths, has both bike and pedestrian pictograms.
Doctor Fegg wrote:
Statements
As most? drivers seem to think cyclists should not be on the road but on the shared use path, having paths fit for purpose matters.
As for working or not working, in my experience very few are remotely fit for purpose, recycled track beds by virtue of their width are usually not too bad, they just tend to have kids and dogs running all over them. Shared use pavements tend to be a joke, street furniture, dogs, pedestrians etc etc.
The movements of a car are by and large predictable, pedestrians aren’t.
mrmo wrote:The movements of a
Spot on Mrmo, this is the reason I don’t use shared paths because they’re more trouble than they are worth. I can’t see the pleasure in cycling along and having to dodge pedestrians and dogs every two or three hundred metres. It’s more stressful than driving a car and requires the same high level of concentration required when on a crowded motorway. Separate cycle paths are what is required not shared use.
Doctor Fegg wrote:It’s a
It’s not arrogant at all, it’s common sense, if they worked why do these incidents keep getting reported?
They do not work, it’s a fact as proven by all the incidents that happen.
Build segregated cycle paths away from pedestrian paths – problem solved.
What I am hearing in these
What I am hearing in these discussions is that in a shared use environment, speeds should be reduced to near those of the most vulnerable user. If they can’t then the modes should be separated i.e. walkway and separate cycle path.
Surely the same principles should then also apply to roads. Low speeds if shared use, otherwise separation.
My previous comments about hi-viz were tounge-in-cheek. Sorry if you needed an emoticon to work that out. 😉
andybwhite wrote:What I am
love it. all roads should be reduced to 20mph to meet the speed of the most vulnerable user – the cyclist. seeing as most cyclists wouldnt often go above 20mph it should work perfectly. (especially in london where going above 20mph is pretty dangerous anyway due to the number of pedestrians who dont know how to cross th road)
@mrmo: Sure, but the issue of
@mrmo: Sure, but the issue of “driver behaviour not being good enough” doesn’t automatically confer a right to cycle along any path at 25mph no matter what. I agree with you entirely that there are a lot of w*nker drivers out there, but let’s fix that by making the roads and the drivers better.
It’s simply not possible to have a shared use path where kids on foot can play, and fast cyclists can go for Strava KOMs, at the same time. That shouldn’t be a surprise: kids can’t play on the A38 either.
But that doesn’t mean shared use paths are of no use; it just means there’s one type of cycling for which they’re not suited. And it shouldn’t be too surprising that type of cycling is prevalent on a site which is called road.cc after all. 😉
Hell yes. Complete agreement.
Doctor Fegg wrote:
It’s
i guess the question is what is the point of the path?
Take the Tarka trail between Braunton and Barnstaple in north Devon, about 5 miles long and quite wide. I could travel the full length at 5-6mph which would keep the walkers happy but i would never get anywhere. Then there is the Honeybourne Path in Cheltenham it runs between the town centre, railway station and Pitville park, far more urban far busier. I accept that i have to keep the speed down and for the distances involved i have no issue.
I don’t think the problem is the cyclists as such, more the user expectations. In an urban environment ALL users have to show respect, that means cyclists keeping the speed down a bit, but it also means walkers, and dog walkers have to pay attention to what is going on around them. But in a more rural environment, there are less people about speeds will be higher. Same way as a motorway is 70mph and a residential road is 30mph. but it does mean walkers have to walk in straight lines! and keep their dog on a SHORT lead.
Not sure what kind of design
Not sure what kind of design we are dealing with here, it’s presumably not the one in the photo?
Does the path meet the minimum design standards for shared use with the current pedestrian and cycle numbers?
shared paths are just that,
shared paths are just that, and work perfectly well.
Until some chopper on full carbon bling with zipp wheelset barrells down through ashton court, or a string of ‘roadies’ rip it up on the path out of long ashton.
douchebags.
@mrmo: Excellent comment –
@mrmo: Excellent comment – I’d agree with all of that.
In cases of suboptimal behaviour, it’s arguably incumbent on the faster user to slow down, even if ideally they shouldn’t have to. Kids (as in this case) are the most difficult users to accommodate. You can’t put them on leads (well, not legally) but they do tend to wander around and, hey, don’t we all want more of them to walk/cycle to school unsupervised anyway?
@northstar: Yes, problem solved. Segregated paths everywhere would be awesome. But you’ll have to tell me where you’re going to get the £several billion to pay for that with the current shower of ****s in charge. 🙁
Doctor Fegg wrote:@mrmo:
You tell me.
Few comments from people on
Few comments from people on bikes worthy of clarksonesque motorists in the daily fail.
Usually the speeding I see on shared paths are the cockeyed helmet, flapping hi viz, grimacing types who give cyclist a bad name by a) riding inappropriately fast and b) looking like twunts.
Can I suggest you get a pair of jeans and a stylish shirt for the commute, take it easy and be nice to people say hello to your fellow humans and most of all be considerate.
When you want to ride fast join a club, or get out on the road with the grown ups.
Hi-vis for pedestrians? Yes,
Hi-vis for pedestrians? Yes, in this case the girl WAS part of a hi-vis wearing group. (The incident happened on a school morning towards the end of the summer term).
It’s a well-established shared-use path and all users must look out for each other.
We cyclists can choose to ride shared-use paths or the road, and it’s smart to match your speed to your ability to deal with all other users.
David Milne wrote:It’s a
A well established path and not the recently opened Festival Way then? The rubbish bit around the back of Long Ashton and Flax Bourton housing estates that’s been rebranded as part of Festival Way perhaps?
Ultimately, the council should share the blame for diverting cyclists from the deadly A370 onto a circuitous path and then acting surprised when they go too fast trying to make up time.
The rider should have slowed down but it’s a substandard route, under capacity for current traffic, let alone Bristol’s future expansion to the south. Cllr Ap Rees wants to be seen to be doing something but won’t do it Properly.
David Milne wrote: in this
I don’t see this in the linked report. Where are you getting this info from?
Ta
All the responses here seem
All the responses here seem to infer the view that the ‘cyclist’ in question was an adult on a grown up bike cycling too fast. I see nothing in the report that suggests this. These assumptions are purely that, assumptions based on our own view of what a cyclist is.
I put it to you that the ‘cyclist’ could have been a spotty 15 year old on an undersized tatty BMX riding the 200meters between his mom’s and the skate-park. Does this image change our reaction to the report and to the suggested solutions? Would you expect such an individual to ride on a bike-only path, on the road, or be able to share the pavement?
Food for thought – there’s shades of grey in all of this.
Shared paths? what a fucking
Shared paths? what a fucking stupid idiotic idea,whoever dreamt that folly up needs shooting
I had someone chase me down
I had someone chase me down the other week on a shared use path. I was travelling at around 12 – 15 mph, slowing for dog walkers when this idiot passed me on a down hill section doing well over 20, swerving around a woman with an elderly retriever. Thing is when we rejoined the road he was over 100 metres in front of me but I passed him within 300, and I’m by no means fast (was cruising in on my Thorn Sherpa, getting the saddle a bit more broken in)
I cannot understand why people behave in this manner. How much more quickly did he arrive at his destination and I certainly wasn’t impressed by his athletic prowess. I can’t help wondering if it was really worth the further erosion of the reputation of cycling as a whole?
We all need to look out for
We all need to look out for each other. If I want to go fast I ride back roads and out in to the county. On towpaths and bikepaths I happily cede to the primacy of pedestrians for the sections they frequent. They are more vulnerable than I.
I also enjoy riding city centre level 3 traffic. Part of the pleasure I derive from this is anticipating other peoples positioning and driving errors. I am more vulnerable than other vehicles and need to position myself and communicate clearly.
Can we all please get along and not be so selfish?
I ride this route every day
I ride this route every day (and have for the last 2.5 years). One of the local residents has driven her car at me twice because I wasn’t using the shared path. If you don’t use the recently built shared path between Flax and Long Ashton you get buzzed. EVERY TIME. Or the local residents very aggressively yell at you to use the path.
£50,000 on rerouting the route is bonkers. It’s a tiny little estate that has almost no traffic. A little bit more care and consideration from people in cars and there wouldn’t be a problem.
(Also, there’s no excuse for riding like an idiot either. I pass those hi-viz kids every morning and it’s not hard to slow down a little bit and get past them safely.)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/preview#!q=Flax+Bourton&data=!1m4!1m3!1d2151!2d-2.6962714!3d51.423379!2m1!1e3!4m16!2m15!1m14!1s0x4871f336f75e91d9%3A0x270655148d7088e6!3m8!1m3!1d68810!2d-2.6597173!3d51.4376811!3m2!1i1280!2i664!4f13.1!4m2!3d51.4200315!4d-2.7072716!5e1&fid=7
madmax wrote:I ride this
which path? the one along the main road? the new one?
i’ve never used it and never been buzzed by anyone.
Unfortunately this article
Unfortunately this article has very little substance to it. The information it reports is vague to say the least. basically, someone on a bike of an unknown age on an unknown type of bike travelling at an unknown speed hit a young girl. There is a lot of conjecture being expressed.
Statements like this from councillors show how illogical politicians can think in that they are assuming that parents let a lone children are fully aware of their surroundings at all times.
“Roger Higgins, chairman of Flax Bourton Parish Council told the Weston Mercury: “Parents and children are always aware of the many cyclists that use the path and move as soon as they see or hear a cyclist.
“But it can be really hard to hear cyclists coming from behind and most don’t use a bell or say anything to warn of their presence.”
Everybody has a duty to drive, ride and walk safely.
One girl gets knocked down by
One girl gets knocked down by one asshat on a bike and got a grazed leg and elbow. Why is this even news?
I’ve noticed on shared use
I’ve noticed on shared use paths, especially along the Thames near Hammersmith where I am often, that when walking the dog I don’t get much warning from cyclists. It is like there is a bell phobia. You really can’t go fast as a cyclist on a shared use unless it is empty and straight. It should be treated like a ski hill, if you are faster than others then you bear the responsibility to look out, especially if you are coming up to the back of another person.
TeamCC wrote:…when walking
I used to be a bit reluctant to bell because I dislike being harangued by pedestrians who consider even a single ring as aggressive, but I’ve decided it’s better to ring than not.
Except when there are dogs.
Too many dogs go beserk at a bell and too many people don’t have them under proper control and will let them give chase!
Sorry if you’d like a bell ring and lose out because of bad owners but that’s one result of shared paths…
To paraphrase one US
To paraphrase one US President “Walk peacefully but carry a big stick” A pedestrian with a walking stick is ample match for a reckless cyclist, when taken by surprise. You can never tell where the end of the walking stick might end up but front forks and massive decelerations feature strongly in some scenarios.
£2.1m for 6 miles – It must be well designed and built or maybe its gold plated. A design which permits such excessive speeds is inherently hazardous, and not what should be found on a show-piece path
A V Lowe wrote:
It must be
“such excessive speeds” – where are you getting this information from? the article says “too fast”, it doesn’t say how fast. “Too fast” can be actually surprisingly slow, it just depends on the circumstances.
People on here are making massive assumptions about the nature of this incident and conflating a minor issue (if indeed there is an issue at all) surrounding a small section of path with the whole of the cycling network.
As someone said earlier, a 6year old got a graze and an unspecified person fell off their bike without injury. It’s not news and it certainly does not inform us un any way about the suitability of the nations cycling infrastructure – the number of cycling deaths and injuries does that!
If it was designed
If it was designed appropriately the ability to hammer along at unreasonable speeds would not exist.
Designed – you know where people calculate appropriate radii and sighting distances, to inherently manage the speeds at which cyclists pass through a section of the path.
Turns out the same types of
Turns out the same types of idiocy that can affect people when they get into cars, can also do so when they get on bicycles.
Shared-use paths are what they are. They suck, as is typical for UK cycling infrastructure, but often they’re all that’s there. Some cyclists prefer them to the road, some don’t. Personally, I won’t ever plan a long route to go along a Sustrans cycling path ever again, as the last time I did so the tow-path out of Edinburgh that I was on turned into a rutted, muddy mess, punctured only by very rough and sharp gravel that was completely unsuited for general cycling, but that’s me. 😉
Cyclists who do shared-use paths should, of course, be considerate to pedestrians. They have as much right to be there as we do. Further, being the vulnerable party, they deserve and demand that extra care be taken by us, the faster cyclists. That goes double, triple, for young children!
Can you believe some idiots
Can you believe some idiots even put these shared cycle/pedestrian routes on Strava as segments! Cycle intelligently and you’ll gain more respect from others.
There’s a strava segment on a
There’s a strava segment on a (non-public) road in local park, which has “sprint” in the title, which is slightly downhill and finishes right by a children’s play ground. I’ve noted rides posting 55+ km/h there, on sunny, summer, sunday afternoons.
Paul J wrote:There’s a strava
You know you can flag it if you think it’s dangerous?
Usher from Sustrans is right.
Usher from Sustrans is right. Cyclists who treat pedestrians on shared use paths as inconveniences are no better than drivers who do the same to cyclists on the roads.
The devil’s in the detail of course- pointing out that cyclists have a responsibility to show some consideration and nous on shared use paths doesn’t mean that nobody else does, and there’s always room for conflict in how that works.
I’m not sure that properly segregated paths will make much difference either, because pedestrians will likely still use them. And do we really want , effectively. another set of roads that pedestrians stray into at their peril?
interesting hotch potch of
interesting hotch potch of comments…
my twopenneth…
May 2012, I swapped my Motorbike for my 25yr old Dawes MTB & became a BAC. I cycled 50% on road & the rest along Canal Towpaths, into B’ham City Centre; until a silly mare took me out in a ‘hit & run’ in September (I was bruised, my Garmin was smashed but, the Dawes laughed in the face of her BMW Convertible).
I got back on my bike but, looked into ‘official’ Shared Use Paths to avoid feckless idiots like the cow who took me out.
Found Sustrans 534 route which added 2 mls to my 7ml commute but kept me away from the road I was hit on.
I freely admit to beasting that old MTB for all it’s worth & my Avg Spd can be as high as 15mph along the paths/towpath BUT, I Ride Sensibly/Responsibly and with Respect; Always Slowing Down for Other Users AND Always Shout a Warning as I Approach; Usually Two (& with a Military Background, I have Good Voice Projection!)
80% of the Other Users usually react & we pass with a friendly smile or greeting…
the other 20% are either ‘plugged in’ or totally lost in their own little worlds; to the extent that I could throw a grenade at their feet & they wouldn’t notice…
my personal favourites recently experienced are:
the Dog Walker, on a Blind Bend, with an Extendable lead extended around 10′, creating a lovely rope barrier across the whole path… Great Due Care & Attention on a Shared Path!
the 3 Ladies Jogging Line Abreast & gassing to their hearts content… I slowed, shouted two warnings, had to practically stop about 3 feet from their ample derriers & then got a faceful of verbal abuse for having the audacity to interrupt them!
Or the Dog Walkers & Pedestrians I meet on a Daily Basis who just stand there and DO NOTHING, usually spread across the path; with no interest in controlling their dogs whatsoever, creating a slalom course that ‘pro biker’ Neil Donoghue would struggle to negotiate safely!
I’m all for Responsibility & Respect on Shared Use Paths but THAT APPLIES TO ALL USERS!
Sustrans need to look into the conduct of all Shared Path Users because it’s not just a small group of Cyclists, who are the only ones behaving irresponsibly to others!
Last Point:
Why is this Article being Reported without it clearly stating that it refers to an event that happened in either June or July!?
The Headline leads to the direct assumption that it happened within last week or so; NOT while the kids were still at school!
But, any Cyclist hitting a child, whose being moved around as part of an organised group, in full HiVis; is clearly reckless & should be being interviewed by the Police…
tiamovelo69 wrote:
Sustrans
I don’t understand why Sustrans should do this. They promote, provide and maintain cycling and walking infrastructure, they’re not legislators, they’re not the police. Don’t suggest they have some sort of responsibility where they don’t. B&Q aren’t responsible for the pigeons shitting on my decking!
Good to see there are some
Good to see there are some sensible comments on here mingled with the usual blether that accompanies this sort of story. Ultimately the same rule applies to any mixed traffic environment whether its the public road or a SUP: If you’re going to use it, don’t be a dick.
This means giving pedestrians room and notice if you’re on a bike and giving bikes room if you’re in a four (or more) wheeler. The same applies (possibly more so) around the unpredictable such as horses, Dogs and kids. It’s not difficult folks and it makes it all’s lot more pleasant if you just back off on your own self importance and chill the f*** out.
I’m a Lycra clad roadie without a bell (the world’s loudest freewheel helps) who occasionally does high speeds along SUPs but I don’t do it unless I can see that the path is completely clear. Anyone saying they have to go fast to make up time etc. needs to plan their day better and get out of bed earlier or accept that choosing a bicycle as a form of transport occasionally results in delays. I’m also a car driver and motorcyclist and have seen people being utter morons in all forms of transport. Speed does not need to be banned from any area wholesale, it’s inappropriate speed and behaviour that’s the issue.
I also live within a stones throw of Festival Way and use it most days of the week. Whilst its not effect it’s better than playing with traffic. It would be nice if people remembered what they had to put up with before it was built before they start bitching about it.
5th wrote:I’m a Lycra clad
Inappropriate behaviour like having no bell, perhaps?
I’m not saying that anyone has to go fast to make up time – I’m saying that it was forseeable that they would. This conflict is a sad consequence of diverting fast roadies from an inadequate road (A370) to an inadequate-when-built cycle track (NCN 33) instead of either providing a good enough cycle track or making the A370 safer for fast bicycles. The teflon tories who are the only party to ever have a majority on North Somerset Council should be encouraged to start building its transport systems fit for purpose before more people are killed. Those badly-compromised paths they keep providing are too little too late.
a.jumper wrote:Inappropriate
I say again, loud freewheel. If you don’t know how quickly it makes people turn round, you need a Hope rear hub on your bike – much better at getting attention than some of the ultra-minimalist bells I’ve seen people sporting. When that fails I use the same technique as tiamovelo69 – military shouting training. The only SUP users impervious to it are podestrians (and similarly plugged in cyclists), but there’s no helping some people.
I remember when I learned to
I remember when I learned to drive in the late 90s. The roads off the beaten track – in rural Somerset – were largely empty, especially during the day in the summer holidays and late in the evening. You could drive however fast you liked, basically, and it was wonderful. Now I live in greater London, and I can’t remember the last time I drove anywhere without essentially following other traffic the whole time.
It is a sad fact that there are times when the duration of your cycle journey is not a simple function of your fitness. Traffic lights, other traffic, and other users of your chosen route may hold you up: but they were there first and you should give way courteously.
If the proposal to move to
If the proposal to move to ‘presumed responsibility’ is introduced then the blame for this incident would be with the cyclist. That is how I understood the law when I lived in Germany for 5 years.
On mixed use paths (and there are plenty in Germany too) the acceptance of hierarchy slows you down very quickly and ramps up awareness.
It’s not diffcult to understand is it – ride too fast, out of control & you are a danger to others in the same environment.
I think I see a solution
I think I see a solution here:
Stop using government/lottery funds to create ‘cycle paths’.
It’s clearly not possible to build a utilitarian cycle route for people who want/need to cycle, as soon as one is built it becomes a ‘linear park’, ‘shared use facility’ , ‘greenway’, ‘park’, ‘picnic site’ anything but whatever it was described as to secure funding.
As a cyclists I feel I am under attack from all parties in a way that I am not when I am a pedestrian or a motorist:
When I’m walking I am not told I am too fast or too slow or I shouldn’t cross the road, or I should stick to urban areas only. When I am driving in urban areas I easily drive at speeds that I would find hard to reach on a bicycle, yet as a cyclist I am too slow, too fast, too bright, not bright enough, riding the wrong bike, constantly open to criticism.
the_mikey wrote:I think I see
Sorted, Its all your fault…job done now lets move on and positively promote “sharing”…paths, roads whichever it is…the word is share…and I was an only child..
wheelsucker wrote:the_mikey
Sorted, Its all your fault…job done now lets move on and positively promote “sharing”…paths, roads whichever it is…the word is share…and I was an only child..— the_mikey
The problem is the other two groups (motorist and pedestrians) don’t know how to share and don’t want to. Why waste money on trying to persuade them to do otherwise, the money would be better used on cycle only paths.
If you need to keep cyclists’
If you need to keep cyclists’ speeds down, why not build cycle-specific speed bumps? They’re all over the place on shared-use paths in the Netherlands:
…it’s very hard to ride fast over them unless you have the skill to treat them as a pair of doubles and to clear the gap in between them, and they’re fairly easy to walk over as a pedestrian.