“Great! So much more dangerous for pedestrians”: New segregated cycle lane brings internet outrage; Boris Bike Scheme secured for five more years + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Factor officially unveils all-new One aero bike, declaring it “the fastest UCI-legal road bike in the world”
Active travel route, part of £1.3bn Edinburgh regeneration project, has opened
Granton Waterfront active travel route opening (Credit: City of Edinburgh Council)
A new 860m route linking Pennywell Roundabout and the Promenade at Gypsy Brae has opened.
This route includes a segregated cycle track, new and improved footways and crossing points, and resting points along the route.
There have been careful plans to link the rest of the route to other North Edinburgh Active Travel Connections in future improvements.
Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “
“Making sure this new section joins up with future active travel routes is essential in ensuring pedestrian and cyclist priority where we can. This allows people to choose clean, sustainable modes of transport while supporting our net zero 2030 goals, improving air quality and reducing congestion.
“I’d like to thank local people for their patience while we carried out the work and have no doubt that the route’s completion will be of great benefit to everyone using it.”
The project was made possible through over £1,000,000 in funding from the Scottish Government, via the Places for Everyone programme managed by Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans).
Further improvements to West Shore Road, east of Gypsy Brea, will be delivered as part of future phases of Granton Waterfront regeneration.
The City of Edinburgh Council say that the route has also been designed to allow for bus routes to be extended in the future, to accommodate housing and population growth in the area.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “By creating high-quality, accessible routes that connect communities and green spaces, we’re giving people more choices to travel sustainably.
“This project is a great example of how investment in active travel can improve health, reduce emissions and enhance quality of life.
“In 2025-26, the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport – helping people save money, improve health, and protect the climate.”
Sir Chris Hoy suffers “worst crash I’ve ever had” – but hopes to recover from “smashed up” leg in time to watch the darts
Sprint legend has revealed that he recently suffered the “worst crash” he’s ever experienced in his 43 years riding a bike, leaving him with a “smashed up” leg – and a race against time to regain enough mobility to be able to attend the PDC World Darts Championships final at Alexandra Palace early next month.
Boris bike scheme secured for five more years, as TfL unveils major upgrade featuring in-dock charging and new mobile app
Santander Cycles (Credit: Simon MacMichael)
Transport for London has awarded a five-year contract to Serco, the operating provider for Santander Cycles, as part of ambitious plans for the cycle hire scheme.
Ahead of growth in rental e-bikes in recent years, especially seen during the Tube strikes in September, TfL is ensuring that the rental scheme keeps up.
In the 12 months before October 2025, nine million hires took place, a 4% increase from the previous year.
These improvements include a new mobile app and QR Code release system, as well as in-dock charging for e-bikes. This will ensure that e-bikes are consistently charged and ready to ride.
Currently, there are 2,000 e-bikes in the Santander Cycle fleet. In October, the scheme surpassed 109 million hires since 2015, with 3.1 million e-bikes hired.
Santander hire bikes (Credit: Santander)
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “London’s boom in cycling shows no sign of slowing down, so it’s great to see further investment in improvements to the Santander Cycles scheme, including the UK’s first in-dock charging for e-bikes and a new, easier-to-use app.
“Following a record number of Santander Cycles member hires in October 2025 and soaring numbers of bike trips across the capital, the Mayor and I will keep investing in sustainable and accessible transport options as we continue to create a greener, fairer, better London for everyone”
They are also working with boroughs and operators to manage and grow dockless e-bike schemes safely and sustainably.
David Eddington, Head of Cycle Hire at TfL, said: “Our cycle hire scheme has gone from strength to strength thanks to our successful operating partnership with Serco. We look forward to continuing working with Serco to see even more innovative and creative technologies introduced ensuring that Santander Cycles can continue to be the best choice for Londoners.”
Santander E-Bikes (Credit: Richard Peace)
TfL’s Cycling Action Plan is trying to make cycling “a greener, more progressive, modern city where everyone who wants to cycle can do so.”
It aims to broaden the appeal of cycling so that a more diverse range of Londoners cycle, ensuring all residents can benefit from the health and economic benefits of cycling.
Anthony Kirby, Serco Group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this new contract that will see significant service improvements for TfL and the thousands of Londoners and visitors who use the bikes every day.
“I am extremely proud of the role Serco has played in the London bike scheme since 2010, making it a core part of London’s transport system and I believe this contract is a recognition of that success.”
The bike light of Theseus
3D printers are brilliant – like something out of Star Trek. Example: Bought this headlight in 2019 – it’s great. Couple of years ago the hook for the rubber strap broke. So I printed a new one. Last week, my bike got knocked over & the case’s fitting broke. So I’ve printed a new fitting.
— Karl-on-Sea (@karlonsea.bsky.social) 10 December 2025 at 21:36
If you keep 3D-printing parts for your light, at what point is it no longer the same light?
As Karl-on-Sea jokes on BlueSky, “I might replace the LED and optics next…”
Commentor Badbeard calls it “The lamp of Karlseus” after Karl.
Lidl-Trek reveals playful new kit for 2026
Lidl-Trek 2026 kit (Credit: Lidl-Trek)
Lidl-Trek have revealed its new kit for 2026. Calling it a “fresh twist on a fan-favourite design”, the kit features the classic Lidl colours.
“Pairing the ultimate fabrics with playful colours, the latest design delivers looks as well as performance,” said Lidl-Trek.
Sticking with the iconic colours, the main difference to me is the addition of prominent logos from two new team sponsors.
These are ServiceNow, an AI company that creates and manages automated business workflows and the science-backed hydration company Gatorade.
Lidl-Trek’s men’s, women’s, and development squads will receive a completely ‘new’ wardrobe.
It is the ninth year of the collaboration between Santini and Lidl-Trek. The Italian-based company has been crafting technical apparel for more than 60 years.
The 2026 kit will also be available to the public, from seasoned riders to young fans, in a replica version that is available from 18th December 2025.
"Beautiful" timelapse of cyclists, buses and pedestrians in Utrecht
45 minute timelapse of Vredenburg in Utrecht, which can only be used by people on public transport, walking or cycling. Buses do not get delayed in queues or behind people cycling and people cycling are kept safe. You get safer cycling, faster transit, quieter streets, and a city that actually works
— Hackney Cyclist (@hackneycyclist.bsky.social) 3 December 2025 at 13:47
Spencer Windes comments: “I’ve been using this street for 15 years. It’s great for biking, but the signature improvement to me has been how quickly the buses move without private car traffic. It’s really nice, and a bit of a disappointment when you return to traffic on other roads.”
900 cyclists caught drink cycling banned from driving cars in Japan, as authorities say offenders “likely to pose a significant danger when driving”
“Like Forest Gump, I just kept going”: the man who is cycling to all 24,486 Commonwealth war cemeteries on the planet
Starting in 2015 in Ambleside in the Lake District, Mic Whitty has been cycling to every Commonwealth war cemetery on the planet.
After ending up homeless and sleeping rough in Wales, he rediscovered his grandfather’s 2016 diary and decided to retrace his grandfather’s journey.
“I didn’t have any money, but a friend gave me a push bike, so I set off,” he told ABC Far North Queensland.
“Instead of going to Egypt, where my grandfather spent the first three months of 1916, I cycled out to Gallipoli, Turkey and then back to the Western Front.
“Instead of doing the diary chronologically, day by day, I started visiting World War one cemeteries on the Western Front.
“So, about 450, divided by the year, was three or four a day.
“A bit like Forest Gump, I just kept going, and moved the goal post out to all of the cemeteries in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
“I will keep going to visit every Commonwealth War Cemetery in the world before the end of the centenary of the Second World War in 2045.”
Born in Queensland, Australia, he is now looking to continue his journey in Africa.
Looking for some premium, warm bib tights for this winter?
We are truly an absurd species...
We are truly an absurd species.
— Shasta (@theshastaone.bsky.social) 11 December 2025 at 13:49
Cycling for an hour and getting nowhere? If you didn’t know about stationary exercise bikes, or somehow were a chimpanzee, it probably does sound absurd.
E-bike scheme could return to ‘hilly’ city as council says it has “learned lessons” from previous failure
Cyclists in Sheffield
Sheffield City Council is looking for a private operator to deliver an e-bike scheme, with ambitions to have almost 1,000 e-bikes available by next summer.
The council plans to invest £2m to launch the project, which involves installing around 240 dedicated parking bays.
A council report highlights the city’s transport challenges, saying, “Sheffield faces a number of transport challenges with high car use and congestion, particularly in the city centre, leading to increased emissions.
“There is poor access to cycling, especially in underserved communities.
“Looking ahead, significant housing developments are planned for in and around the city centre, where cycling could be a realistic alternative for many journeys.
“However, it is recognised that the city’s hilly terrain can be a barrier to cycling to many, to which the availability of e-bikes can provide an effective solution.
“The development of a successful e-bike hire scheme has the potential to reduce congestion and pollution and improve public transport connectivity.”
The council claims that they have learned lessons” from the failed Ofo yellow bike scheme, which collapsed in 2018 after placing 500 bikes across the city. There was vandalism and misuse on a far higher scale than other cities with the same scheme.
Ofo withdrew due to financial difficulties, vandalism, and widespread misuse.
Ofo bikes in Cambridge
According to the council, the new scheme will differ significantly. They argue that Ofo launched “too widely and too quickly,” leaving the system vulnerable.
This means an “incentive to leave the bike at the end of the hire period in in specific physical locations otherwise the cost of the hire will continue to increase”.
The bikes will include advanced locks and GPS, helping the operator manage bike locations and quickly recover any that are abandoned.
“Great! It’s just so much more dangerous for pedestrians, well done Lewisham council, well done!”
A new segregated cycle lane has been built, and surprise surprise, it’s already sparked a whirlwind of conflicting opinions online.
The new segregated cycle lane, running between Creek Road and Deptford Broadway/Deptford Bridge, has now been completed in Lewisham.
Lewisham Council has said that the route has “safer crossings at upgraded signalised junctions” and “rain gardens to tackle flooding and add greenery”
New cycle lane (Credit: Lewisham Council / Facebook)
However, Facebook commenters were quick to share their own criticisms.
Reg Bolivar Flobert said: “ Great! It’s just so much more dangerous for pedestrians, well done Lewisham council, well done!”
Steve Dunlop agreed, commenting: “It’s not safer for pedestrians, having to cross 4 lanes of traffic, and put a cycle route across the zebra crossing, and no way of hiding from oncoming traffic.
“Once you get to the middle, God help anyone with children or pensioners crossing the road.”
Steve Blake said: “I hope it’s one way. If cyclists use it coming toward the river, there will be accidents from people pulling out from the roads on the creek side without sufficiently looking left.
“After an initial look to the left, most drivers will be focused on traffic from the right. Waiting for a space to pull out.”
Cycle lane being built (Credit: Lewisham Council / Facebook)
There was also criticism over the lighting of the route. Lewisham Council said there is “improved lighting and repaired safety barriers”, yet commenter Stephanie Ann Mills said there was “not enough lighting, so not safe for pedestrians at the bus stops”.
David O’Malley agreed that “no one will feel safe walking along that narrow strip at night in total darkness.
“Unfortunately, we will need people to be attacked and seriously injured before anything is done. I wonder what the police really think.”
However, some commentors like Kara Laing are more supportive of the lane, “Excellent! The more well-connected cycling routes there are, the more people will feel empowered to try, and the less traffic will be on the roads.”
Alex Raha also praised the work, “Well done. Hopefully the first of many. Quite a few people are using it this morning. Now connects Deptford Bridge to Central London on protected cycle lanes.”
George Slokoski countered the negative comments, and said: “Thank you, Lewisham Council, the lanes are amazing and well needed. ?❤️
“All the whinging in the comments is not unexpected, but it is perplexing. ? What are the arguments against having a cycle lane exactly, let’s see…
“From what I gather, one of them is the good old “nobody’s using it” which the same sort of people and tabloids screeching were saying about the super cycle highways to begin with.
“They’re now a massive success with overall 1.5million cycling journeys a day, a massive 43% increase over 6 years.
“Engineers and planners know it’s a ‘build it, and they will come, ‘ but a few loud dinosaurs still think they know better?
“A few others seem to be talking about casualties and generally whinging about cyclists?
“It’s preposterous to be talking about casualties in the context of adding a cycle lane. May I remind you that pedestrian casualties were up 25% year on year in 2024 to 66 (over 5 a month!) and none of these were caused by bicycles.”
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Latest Comments
@mctrials23 I've been to court over the exact same situation in reverse, and the driver was declared innocent. I've reported a bunch of these situations in reverse, drivers love to push through when there isn't room, without any action other than the one time it made it to court. Obviously there's a bit of two tiered policing going on here.
@sigirides I think you might be being a little silly here. The cyclist very clearly should have waited for the oncoming car to pass before overtaking the parked car. They intentionally put themselves in the position where they would rightly have been pissed off if it was the other way around and the car was pulling out from behind the parked car. If this was the other way around of course the driver could be in trouble in precisely the same way the cyclist was here. They very clearly treat intentional close passing by drivers differently to unintentional ones ie. when the two parties are coming towards each other with no decisions other than speed and whether you are trying to leave space for each other. Yes it pisses me off when some twat rides at me on a barely single track country road at speed and I am forced into a tiny patch of road but I know they won't give a crap about those sort of head on closes passes and will consider it unavoidable. Its shit but its how they see these interactions. They don't take kindly to cyclists or drivers pulling out unnecessarily to pass obstacles when it causes a close pass. No it perhaps doesn't make sense but in plenty of cases, the close distance between driver and cyclist is unavoidable even if one party was to stop completely. Personally I would love to see the rules changed to "encourage" drivers to reduce their speed considerably if they have to pass a cyclist within 1.5m. I still think its very dangerous and a massive blind spot in the rules. The issue would then be determining speed from a video and they seem to struggle enough with the concept that a 2m wide car that passes you entirely on your side of the road would require a 4m+ wide road to be able to do that legally.
I went away for a bit. While I was away it seems we got: * post editing back - yay! * Nigel back - boo!
I’d like to sea real photographs rather than renderings
I totally agree. If the positions were reversed the magistrates have accepted that this meets the threshold for Driving without due care and attention. I will certainly be submitting footage to my local police force citing this case.
@leedorney ..if you prefer a hammer as a bike tool to a pair of cone spanners.. : ) Press-in bearings are cheaper to make and easier for some to service. C+C are great for high end hubs ime.
If he had slowed down any more, he could have fallen off!
Before you submit to WYorks OpSnap you have to tick a box that says: I suspect they could claim that their sharing it is helping to raise awareness of safer road usage and therefore falls under that last bit (even if there was no real chance of any casualties in this particular case).
@wtjs I noticed that the bus has a sticker that says "Cyclists pass with care". I can't read the fine print, but I think it says "Because we don't"
@jackcycles DON'T FEED THE FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE, BAD FAITH, TROLL.
66 thoughts on ““Great! So much more dangerous for pedestrians”: New segregated cycle lane brings internet outrage; Boris Bike Scheme secured for five more years + more on the live blog”
Interesting piece from Evan
Interesting piece from Evan Davis on the BBC about 20 mph limits, I started with gritted teeth expecting the usual motonormative whingeing but it’s actually a pretty sensible and balanced summation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e94pe6w9ro
Yes, it was. I made the
Yes, it was. I made the mistake of glancing at the comments, though.
I was actually heartened by
I was actually heartened by some of the comments. Yes, the most replied-to comments were depressing, but they generated a lot of replies because of people disagreeing with them.
I keep faith in that most
I keep faith in that most folk actually are decent and those depressing comments are just from a minority magnified, as folk like to complain but people hardly ever praise.
I admit that like the author,
I admit that like the author, I find it an effort to stick to 20mph, especially for extended periods.
I totally agree that all motorists should attend a speed awareness course. My course was in 2015 and since attending, I obey speed limits. The course made me think more about how excess speed affects others.
During the course we were shown a slide of a policeman standing by a road and asked to describe what we saw.
The common reply was “A bloody speed trap!”.
The tutor then said “The policeman is investigating the death of an 8 year old girl, killed by a speeding car. And aren’t you lot glad that when you sped around the bend, you encountered a policeman with a speed gun and not an 8 year old girl?”
That message will always stay with me.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
Why is that (genuine question, I’m not a car driver)? Is it just because you’re habituated to doing 30 so automatically creep up to it?
Good to hear the message has made you an excellent driver, anyway; I had a similar epiphany during motorcycle training when in a ride review my instructor said, “And then when we reached that primary school with the 20 mph zone, you immediately shut down to 20 mph.” Pleased with myself, I said yes I did. She replied, “It’s less than 100 metres, why not just go down to 10?” Ever since then and until I gave up motorcycling I tried to remember to ask myself not what the speed limit was but what was the appropriate safe speed for the road and conditions, often two completely different things.
Pertinent to this article
Pertinent to this article about how much a driver should slow down if he’s using all but 1.5m of the carriageway approaching a blind approach
Rendel Harris wrote:
Why is that (genuine question, I’m not a car driver)? Is it just because you’re habituated to doing 30 so automatically creep up to it?— Mr Blackbird
I think that for many older drivers it is just that, 30 is what they are used to in that environment. When I moved up to Scotland 30 years ago there were several roads into Ayr that were 40 limit for some reason but they didn’t look any different from a normal 30mph town road and I tended to do 30 along them with a queue trying to get past just because it felt the right speed.
Also… car gearing is set up
Also… car gearing is set up for different driving styles and conditions. Our 2L diesel 2018 Galaxy sits at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 so easily and sedately. Previous lower powered cars with different rev and gear settings hated 20
I think it is because 20mph
I think it is because 20mph feels really slow. Easy to stick to for short stretches but needs effort on longer ones.
Quite right about conditions. So many drivers these days are at 60 plus on A-roads or 70 plus on dual carriageways in wet conditions with poor visibility. The attitude seems to be “The speed limit is X. If anything goes wrong it’s not my problem!”
I can understand that, if I
I can understand that, if I was told I had always to ride below 10 mph on the flat I’m sure I would find it tricky not to accelerate just out of habit.
Just listening to PM with Evan Davis (author of the feature) playing some clips from phoneins on the issue today, my favourite: “You can be trying to do 20 but over time the car just creeps up to 25 or 27 and then you get a ticket!” Naughty autonomous motorcars!
Very good point from the road safety expert they had on, “We need to aim to make road transportation as safe as aviation or rail transport, if the same number of people were killed and injured in those spheres as on the road every year we would never tolerate it.”
Rendel Harris wrote:
Exactly. I lead some group rides that average 10 MPH, and it takes concentration to not repeatedly accelerate to 15, then look in the mirror and realise I’m about to drop the group again. It just feels unnaturally slow.
In the car and on a bicycle, the best thing is to choose a lower gear that has your legs spinning or the engine making a little noise, then I just have to keep reminding myself not to shift up.
A big problem is the instinct
A big problem is the instinct to take speed from vehicle in front and keeping eye on road, not the speedometer. If car in front speeds up, maybe it’s following the vehicle it. Front of it, you speed up. Make the effort to ignore other traffic and settle into how car feels in 17 to 21 mph range and, or, use cruise control. Work hard mentally to control instincts to go faster if you think you’re running late
Mr Blackbird wrote:
But enough about your last audax…
After I complained about
After I complained about several very scary moments on roads in my part of SE London, I was challenged to volunteer for the speed check team. Very productive it was too. Speeds did drop pretty much permanently. Except for about 1 every 2 hours who were speeding madly and were picked up for serious offenses. Trouble is, those types will do it again till jailed.
Keeping down to 5, 10, 20, 30
Keeping down to 5, 10, 20, 30 is easy in our current car, a 2L diesel 2018 Ford Galaxy. It’s so sedate. Far easier than in our previous heavy clutch 1.4L and 1.6L petrol Partner Combis that hated 20mph. I walk or cycle but drive to take my mobility limited wife where she needs to go, or take lots of tools to DiY jobs for family.
I do wish the article would
I do wish the article would talk in lives saved rather than in percentage reduction in fatalities, etc. I know it’s harder to equate but it’s more impactful that way
That would be maximally
That would be maximally salient, but in the UK we have a “problem of success” – by getting vulnerable road users off the roads and vehicle makers doing ever more to insulate the occupants, we’ve got something which has the potential to cause massive carnage and yet generally gets slightly safer.
I think some of the bigger problems are now slightly hidden – excess road noise, the effect of motor vehicles and their infra disconnecting neighbouring places, making it less pleasant to be walking or cycling, and just making “inactive travel” a default.
Agreed. In SE London, I have
Agreed. In SE London, I have numerous pleasant walks, Green Chain, etc, such that I can do 4 to 24 mile routes easily and safely and pleasantly (except for Badgers Mount to top of Old Polhill path). When I visit friends and family in supposedly green provincial towns and villages, I check map and see… no footpaths till I’ve walked a mile or two beside some single carriage A road – and the variety of routes is minimal
E6toSE3 wrote:
Luckily living in Scotland I benefit from “Right to Roam” – not that I feel the need to exploit that so much.
Cities tend to be better connected anyway, but some places in England it was striking that it seemed much easier to access green space in cities than in rural places (unless you were up for frequent “share the road” with trucks at NSL, or blatant trespass with little pleasant walking to show for it…)
The comments seem to be 50%
The comments seem to be 50% about cyclists, for example:
“Doesn’t make sense that drivers have to drive at a limit of 20mph while bikers and e-bikers were running red lights at 30mph or even more.”
I mean, I WISH I could do 30mph…
Unfortunately, ebikes are
Unfortunately, ebikes are using pavements to go faster than motorised vehicles on the roads in SE London. I now wear reflective bands on ankles and wrists, a reflective waistcoat, and a red light on back of head either a powerful front bike light in my hand… sometimes I take a walking pole to stick straight out at bikes coming at me
E6toSE3 wrote:
While cycle jousting may be fun I cannot recommend it as a safety-enhancing measure.
Also: If you’ve a light in one hand AND a pole you’re holding out, do you a) have more than two hands b) use a coaster brake c) ride fixed or d) use a unicycle?
A cycle lane makes it more
A cycle lane makes it more likely that pedestrians will be attacked on the pavement? Is that because attackers are thwarted by wider pavements*?
The cycle lane is more dangerous for pedestrians? That’s odd, because it provides better segregation between pedestrians and cyclists than what was there before.
*The pavement is not narrower – the new cycle lane replaces an existing cycle lane and takes some space from the main carriageway.
It’s a spectacular bit of
It’s a spectacular bit of reasoning, to be sure. As an occasional user of the cycle lanes in that area I would say they should actually have a positive influence in protecting pedestrians from being attacked because they are highly popular and so there is a regular stream of cyclists going past to act as a deterrent to ne’erdowells. Also (although I have no scientific evidence for this) I would say both intuitively and experientially that cyclists, with their closer connection to pedestrians than people locked in their steel boxes, are far more likely to stop and render assistance to those in distress than other road users.
Actually, the inverse is true
Actually, the inverse is true – almost always, pedestrians feel safer (from a personal safety from potential mugging, sexual assault etc) when there are busier streets with pedestrians and other pedestrian-esque people (cyclists, folks on scooters etc). More eyes to watch out for them, more people to potentially intervene. So someone cycling past them is much more use than someone driving past who might not notice, and is detached in a metal box.
Yes… in certain situations
Yes… in certain situations where planting provides cover for assailant to grab someone and drag or shove them into the shrubbery. We had to address this issue 30 years ago in my part of Royal Docks. A friend (male, about 35) was stabbed and left for dead in in the area. We got a new road crossing with lights installed for £750k when authorities reluctantly attended the spot with me and said, “Oh ****, you’re right”
It would help if pedestrians
It would help if pedestrians stopped and looked carefully to see if anything was coming before crossing the road, and also if they stopped staring at their mobile phones when they try to cross the road.
We should all be aware of
We should all be aware of hazards when both cycling and driving. That includes pedestrians walking while looking at their phones. Use your bell.
bensynnock wrote:
.
Pedestrians have ear buds in
Pedestrians have ear buds in so don’t hear bells. If they don’t have headphones and hear a bell, they get aggressive as they hate being disturbed from their reverie, or they may be hard of hearing but hearing aids don’t work well in such environments
Even for pedestrians who stop
Even for pedestrians who stop and look, bi-directional cycle lanes take some adjustment – look right, look left, maybe have an island you can stop in, maybe not, look right, look left. Of course dedicated crossings make this easier, but they’re often not on desire lines.
It’s just behaviour shifts
It’s just behaviour shifts (usually “because what we’ve been sold like phones or before that cars!) and how far we want to accommodate them.
Personally I’d definitely take mobile distractions out of cars (law still agrees but in practice that battle is almost lost). And suggest that it’s on pedestrians to avoid using devices when moving- but that bird has flown.
But – *if* we can get there – there’s no reason why this can’t work here:
My disclaimer is because it may be harder to change than previously. I suspect that it is easier for the kind of changes which take time to get stuck at the outset of said change. Or during “transitional periods” when eg. things may get worse for some before everyone learns and they get better.
* Maybe because of rapid communications and generally higher expectations?
Ah, I-peds
Ah, I-peds
SecretSam wrote:
Luckily some years ago someone built a training simulator: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FVmVywBnEek
(Tim Hunkin’s work is always worth a look IMO)
Matt black clothes on matt
Matt black clothes on matt black bike, no lights, while street and car lights take attention elsewhere… scary
We need to get rid of the
We need to get rid of the term Boris Bikes. Stop feeding the narcissistic tendencies of the incompetent disreputable would-be world king.
It was Ken Livingstone who got the hire scheme rolling. The self-publicising sociopath who followed him into office took full advantage of some lucky alliteration to self-aggrandise himself into perceived relevance among the hoi polloi.
I did propose quite some time
I did propose quite some time ago on a few social media platforms that maybe they should be called Livingcycles, which I thought had a nice ring to it, but to no avail.
Shurely “Bo-liv-iabikes”?
Shurely “Bo-liv-iabikes”? Don’t want to restart the attribution argument (and alas we have a whole new scale for self-publicising sociopaths nowadays)… Also both “Barclays bikes” and “Santander cycles” alliterate…
Steve Blake said: “I hope it
Steve Blake said: “I hope it’s one way. If cyclists use it coming toward the river, there will be accidents from people pulling out from the roads on the creek side without sufficiently looking left.
“After an initial look to the left, most drivers will be focused on traffic from the right. Waiting for a space to pull out.”
Impossible. What will actually happen is that drivers turning right will pull over the cycle lane and block it.
In SE London, barely a third
In SE London, barely a third of people on bikes have any idea Highway Code exists and ride is no other cyclists exist, let alone pedestrians and babies in pushbuggies. Pavements are preferred surface as bike lanes and roads too slow with the relatively few cyclists and vast majority of motorised vehicles keeping to speed limits and proper available surfaces
I do note that Leith Walk in
I do note that Leith Walk in Edinburgh is- at some times of the day – fairly busy with food delivery riders.
I’m not too keen on it… OTOH there are separated cycle paths, OTOH delivery riders are pulling on and off those to get to shops or properties (and it’s not so busy that pedestrians keep off them…)
But… I don’t believe there have been many crashes. Of course no reason to wait until we have problems before looking at better cycle infra implementations and applying those principles. (And if we could only put the gig-economy food delivery company genie back in the box I wouldn’t be unhappy, though our politicians and lawyers have taken the money now).
The Lewisham scheme looks
The Lewisham scheme looks very professional.
If a few ill-informed blowhards on social media are complaining about it, how does it help me to be informed of that? I dislike road.cc’s rage bait strategy, trying to outrage us in return for clicks and engagement.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
And yet every time they (supposedly) do it, you come on here to complain about it thereby giving them the clicks and engagement you say they are after.
Hey ChatGPT, write me a rabid
Hey ChatGPT, write me a rabid comment about cycle lanes, and make it all about pedestrian safety, including unfounded nonsequiturs about mugging, and blaming the people trying to make a positive difference for active travel. Don’t raise the point that I like to drive in city centres.
Regarding Sheffield’s planned
Regarding Sheffield’s planned e-bike hire scheme…
“Ofo withdrew due to financial difficulties, vandalism, and widespread misuse.”
How exactly does one “misuse” a bike?
Lobbing a bike into a river
Lobbing a bike into a river or canal appears to be a common misuse.
Yoof like to trash then,
Yoof like to trash then, anything with electrics tends to get bust. People leaving them where motor vehicles will run over them is also popular…
“Slow buses causing passenger
“Slow buses causing passenger fall, Assembly told”
No mention of it in the article, but I can’t help but wonder if the surge in the number of larger cars in recent years has something to do with slowing down motor traffic.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dyrre2lm2o
15 years ago, I found big
15 years ago, I found big cars, pickup trucks, wide buses, and other factors slowed my ride form East Ham to Hammersmith considerably compared with 1980s to 2000s
“I wonder what the police
“I wonder what the police really think.” They really don’t. They wait for orders.
Standing/ walking 3m back
Standing/ walking 3m back from the road has always made me feal unsafe compared to cars/hgvs buzzing past inches from my elbow
Strange. The cars etc seem
Strange. The cars etc seem stuck on stuff called tarmac and almost all keep to speed limits. Heavy bicycles with motors bomb straight at or past me and my granddaughter on pavements faster than cars while ignoring the excellent bike lane a yard away (and which I use when on my bike
E6toSE3 wrote:
Well, people will do stupid stuff. And while people aren’t used to cycle infra and that cycle infra is in places doesn’t feel safe, but certainly not convenient.
That wonderful cycle lane there is less attractive if it regularly has vans parked in it round the corner, or dumps you onto a multi- lane roundabout. And yes – people are lazy and ignore rules where they feel there is little feedback. That is the case for cycling as well as in cars; that often comes out in different behaviours though…
But the curious thing is that those cars whose drivers stick to the tarmac and the speed limits somehow kill more people on the footways every year than those heavy cycles kill every year in total.
And despite sticking to the tarmac and the speed limits they smash through walls, houses, street furniture etc every day …
And those car drivers somehow manage to flip over on straight roads with 30 or even 20mph speed limits. (It’s not just “somewhere, if you believe” – i have seen the aftermath several times in the last year or so).
And every day I will encounter motor vehicles sticking to the tarmac … parked on a cycle path or footway.
Maybe London is quite different from Edinburgh? I’m sure it is in many ways – far more people cycling, in *parts* of London, and better public transport…
And we see things differently no doubt. Sounds like you were a more fearless road user back when you were my age, but perhaps our positions have changed since?
E6toSE3 wrote:
A statement which is patently false as any cursory look at speeding in 20 and 30 zones will tell you.
Arguing from m a false premise will not get you anywhere on here.
Hirsute wrote:
TBF perhaps in their part of London it seems fine? (and I believe Central London is something of a UK outlier in terms of the popularity of public transport, the monitoring of the roads, the low average driving speed presumably due to all the traffic lights / waiting for other motor traffic…)
Hilarious that motorists
Hilarious that motorists suddenly care about pedestrians, the same pedestrians they’re happy to mow down.
PS: I’m a motorist, too
All the folk I know who drive
All the folk I know who drive motorised vehicles are also pedestrians, often for substantial mileage per day. In London, I have advantages of great public transport with a pensioner’s travel pass. But I usually walk up to ten miles each way as I can’t afford £250 for a cordless angle grinder resistant lock yet (saving up). And I drive my limited mobility wife and my granddaughter or to carry tools for DIY at family homes. If I see a nonsense bike lane whole driving, it’s still a nonsense lane when walking or cycling
That Utrecht time lapse video
That Utrecht time lapse video is so beautiful. I was thinking it needs a good soundtrack; Tangerine Dream, or maybe a Shostakovich waltz?
They’re actually trying to
They’re actually trying to reduce the numbers cycling there!
Unlike many other places, doing that not by making it more difficult but by providing better alternatives.
RE: Active travel route, part
RE: Active travel route, part of £1.3bn Edinburgh regeneration project, has opened
This is local to me, and while we should give props for a) doing anything at all and b) actual separate cycle infra and c) while it looks like “isolated infra” now I believe this is in theory considered to connect to future planned infra…
… it is almost certainly “because we can”, and it *doesn’t in fact connect to much currently, and while separated and not too skinny (good) it still looks like “making it up as we go along” in terms of the details (random colours, zig zags, strange over-engineering but of course where we *most* need stuff it isn’t, it misses formal connection with an obvious parallel route (Waterfront Park)…
So I’d still file this under “asking developers to tick boxes but apparently not being particularly concerned / specific about what is delivered”.
Seems also those responsible failed to invite the local cycling campaign group (Spokes) to the launch – although oversights happen.
So… two cheers?
Also – the new housing
Also – the new housing development there is already clogged with the usual carmageddon parking and driving. That is despite “Dutch-style street design”, which the more you look is unfortunately still about “cargo cult” level.
Late to the party – but
Late to the party – but Sheffield’s E-bike scheme? Good luck, but they really need to do their research.
Every city seems to say “unexpectedly high levels of vandalism and theft”. It is a given. Dockless? Expect that increased by a factor.
I’d suggest they consider a docked scheme – adding tech just seems to mean it costs more when bikes are lost or trashed.
Putting the money into infra first (also public transport) is probably more effective. Ultimately what people don’t own they generally don’t treat with care. And even with chunky rental bikes there are tons of ways they can be damaged, more or less deliberately.
Between 1990 and 10 years ago
Between 1990 and 10 years ago, I’d ride that Deptford Creek route a lot. Now, occasionally but not for a year or two. Never had a problem. No need for bike lane. Now, age 70, as cyclist and pedestrian, including with toddler granddaughter, I’m scared of wide, heavy, powerful ebikes far more than I ever was about cars and other motor vehicles. Will check out the new layout and hope I find it less scary than I fear
We are suffering from an
We are suffering from an outbreak of Saturation Trolls- the cure is to refuse to respond to their nonsense.
Drivers sticking to the
Drivers sticking to the tarmac today, Leith Walk, Edinburgh. “Go round / not in anybody’s way etc”.
Far from the worst example today, just one I spotted with phone to hand and totally unnecessary, as in fact almost all examples are…