“Paint isn’t infrastructure”: Are unsegregated bike lanes more dangerous for cyclists?; Are daytime lights essential?; Pogačar says he’s a Man City fan; Big win for Cav at the UAE Tour; Cyclists’ Film Show returns + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Blowin’ in the Wind
cycling is so beautiful 🤍 pic.twitter.com/m2s4pjzqkr
— Robyn (@robynjournalist) February 20, 2022
With storms Eunice and Franklin battering the UK this weekend, many of us took the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the neglected turbo trainer (provided your power stayed on).
Not in the Netherlands, however, where some brave – or foolish – cyclists continued to ride their bikes outside, turning Utrecht University’s famous rainbow bike path into a game of Mario Kart.
Or maybe they were just getting in some training for next year’s Dutch Headwind Championships…
From Colnago to the Kippax: Pogačar reveals he’s a Man City fan
Festina, Puerto, Jiffy-gate… as cycling fans, we’re well used to our sporting heroes letting us down.
But even over a century of scandals wasn’t enough to prepare us for the shocking revelation published in L’Équipe over the weekend – Tadej Pogačar admitted that he’s a Manchester City fan.
I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
The two-time Tour de France winner told the French sports daily that watching the Premier League champions beat that other bastion of sporting integrity, Paris Saint-Germain, in a Champions League game in November was one of the highlights of his off-season, and that he even had breakfast with manager Pep Guardiola the following morning.
There are unconfirmed reports that the 23-year-old’s favourite footballer of all time is Nicky Weaver and that his earliest sporting memory is City’s penalty shootout win over Gillingham in the 1999 Second Division play-off final.
Or maybe he’s a blue because his UAE Team Emirates squad is sponsored by the same people who have bankrolled City’s success over the past decade and more. Yeah, that’s probably it.
Some on Twitter were less than impressed by Pog’s footballing allegiance:
easily the worst thing a cyclist has ever done in the history of the sport https://t.co/92Cc4MSkS3
— Robyn (@robynjournalist) February 20, 2022
Whatever you do, don’t Google Pep’s relationship with performance enhancers… https://t.co/SVXJSo4xKV
— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) February 20, 2022
Waiting for Saudi to set up a cycling team, I’m sure their star rider will be a Newcastle fan 🧐
— Jessica (@rbjhan) February 20, 2022
Of course, the Slovenian superstar isn’t the first cycling link with the blue half of Manchester. Former City boss Roberto Mancini, who guided the club to its first league title in 44 years in 2012, is a keen cyclist who counts Felice Gimondi, Francesco Moser and Marco Pantani among his heroes.
.jpg)
On a visit to the Manchester velodrome in 2012 Mancini, who rode a custom blue Prestigio to training three or four times a week, said that his players could learn a lot from Team GB’s cyclists. A few years ago the current Italy manager spoke at an event hosted by the Michele Scarponi Foundation, where he claimed that it’s safer to cycle around areas of Manchester than in Italy.
Pogačar, meanwhile, also told L’Équipe that he would like to win all five monuments one day (he’s already got Liege and Lombardia in the bag after last year’s annus mirabilis), and that he will target Paris-Roubaix “when I’ve got more to gain than to lose”.
For the moment, the Slovenian seems as relaxed as ever as he looks to defend his UAE Tour title this week…
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/S96pFBY69z
— Bayerischerelch (@Bayerischerelch) February 20, 2022
"Paint isn't infrastructure": Does HGV close pass show the danger of unsegregated cycle lanes?
Paint isn’t infrastructure. Thanks to @StockportMBC and @HOYER_Group for the helpful reminder on the A34 this morning. @WalkRideGM @SKWalkCycle pic.twitter.com/0uLJOmPmVV
— David Selby (@TeaStats) February 20, 2022
This close pass, captured by David Selby yesterday morning on a sodden A34 in Stockport, raises an important question concerning the future of cycling infrastructure – rather than protecting cyclists, do unsegregated bike lanes actually put them in more danger?
Here are some of the replies to David’s video on Twitter, with some users claiming that unprotected, painted lanes are a “contributory factor” to dangerous close passes:
The assumption that they are in their lane and you are in your lane means it’s okay to dangerously close pass 😞
— Cyclinginsmogeveryday😷🐝 (@markardern) February 20, 2022
100% dangerous close pass and should be reported.
That shitty paint job is a contributory factor as it gives the drivers a false sense of entitlement to ‘THEIR’ road space.
I sometimes think us cyclists would be better off without it.
— Chris Pearson (@zebra100cp) February 20, 2022
A34 is a nightmare at the best of times. Plenty of space to put cycling infrastructure in!
— Peak Bike Station (@PeakBikeStation) February 20, 2022
What do you think? Does a simple lick of paint on the road actually invite motorists to overtake cyclists closer than they normally would, or is something always better than nothing when it comes to cycling infrastructure?
Incidentally, Stockport Council was awarded a grant in February 2020 to develop a business case to create a series of improvements along the A34. These proposals include the creation of a 5.6km segregated pedestrian and cycle route along the road.
The council has submitted its case to the Department of Transport, with a decision expected in the coming months. If funding is approved, the improvements will be carried out in phases between 2023 and 2026.
Whitewater cycling
Whitewater cycling. pic.twitter.com/Swga3umKQA
— Rich Seipp (@richpips) February 20, 2022
The future of off-road riding?
Italy’s Team Pursuit squad versus the UAE Tour peloton - who wins?
Yesterday the last 4km were done in 3’54” with the tailwind. Still, we were 10″ slower than the italians at team pursuit on track. With standing start.
Just saying
— Jacopo Guarnieri (@jacopoguarnieri) February 21, 2022
After a gentle 180km preamble, the last four kilometres of stage one of the UAE Tour yesterday were pretty rapid.
Just not as rapid as the Italian Team Pursuit squad that won gold in Tokyo, who – as Groupama-FDJ’s Jacopo Guarnieri pointed out – also had to deal with a standing start and no tailwind (incidentally, both the UAE Tour peloton and the Italy team had a certain Filippo Ganna to power them along).
Speaking of Italy’s gold medal-winning pursuiters, Bahrain-Victorious’ Jonathan Milan was heavily criticised after the stage for this aggressive shove on Ag2r Citroën’s 21-year-old neo-pro Paul Lapeira, which almost caused a crash at the front of the bunch:
.@MilanJonathan_ you just can’t do that. It’s disrespectful and super dangerous in a peloton. To UCI, we have to do something about these guys and stop this kind of behavior for our safety.@BHRVictorious@UCI_media @uae_tour https://t.co/Z6r1FWBVlG
— Paul Lapeira (@PaulLapeira) February 20, 2022
It’s slightly less chaotic today at the UAE Tour, where a severe headwind has slowed everything down to jogging pace – for yesterday’s stage winner Jasper Philipsen at least…
Cavendish beats high-quality field at UAE Tour
It’s one thing beating Fernando Gaviria at the Tour of Oman; it’s quite another to come out on top against the likes of Jasper Philipsen, Sam Bennett, Pascal Ackermann, Dylan Groenewegen and Arnaud Demare at WorldTour level.
But that’s exactly what a flying Mark Cavendish did on today’s stage of the UAE Tour, edging out race leader Philipsen after the pair contested what was effectively a 250m drag race to the line, into a headwind.
Following his win in Oman, today’s victory marks only the fifth time in the Manxman’s career (and the first since 2015) that he’s won two or more sprints by the end of February.
Cavendish’s impressive long-range victory followed another relatively benign stage at the UAE Tour (a brief opportunity for echelons notwithstanding), characterised by pan-flat roads, a stifling headwind, and the incongruous sight of three Gazprom-Rusvelo riders making up the day’s breakaway.
Bora-Hansgrohe, Groupama-FDJ and Quick Step were the main protagonists in a slightly chaotic finale, with Cavendish launching his sprint early by peeling off a fading Sam Bennett’s wheel with 250m to go. Philipsen looked like he was closing on the Manx Missile as the duo approached the line, located on a slight bend, but Cavendish had done enough for win number two of 2022.
“I knew we could win here, but I’m more happy because how the team worked today,” the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider said after the finish. “A third of the team here are first-year professionals, so this is the first or second race in their career.
“But seeing how they rode today, they were like seasoned professionals. And that’s after one day of talking about how we didn’t get it right yesterday.
“Nobody panicked today – the job was to get me to the final as fresh as possible. And they did that, and they did it so well I could go for between 300 and 250 metres into a headwind.
“But I was delivered so well, I knew I had the energy to take it to the line. I felt Philipsen coming fast at me and I knew he was in good form after his sprint yesterday, so I’m happy we could hold him off and take the win.”
Cavendish’s flying start to the year continues, and today’s win – taken against an arguably stronger field than he faced at the 2021 Tour de France – certainly bodes well as he challenges the other in-form sprinter of February, Fabio Jakobsen, for a spot in Quick Step’s team come July.
Segregated cycle lanes, Menorca-style
New cycle lane complete … Menorca style….😂 #ukcyclechat #cyclinglife #cyclelane pic.twitter.com/POsKO2buys
— Jenny Hagger 🇪🇸 😍 (@jenny_Hagger) February 19, 2022
On the subject of protected cycle lanes, this one on the Balearic island of Menorca is… shall we say… interesting.
The lane was installed on the access road to the island’s airport by operator Aena. While the path is segregated from traffic, its serpiginous route around the lamp posts has baffled some on social media:
“Shall we move it a foot to the right boys, keep it straight”?
“Nah, let’s go round the lampposts, much easier”
— Menorca Smyclist (@julian_hagger) February 19, 2022
Wonder why the lane looks drunk?
— Sanjay Lalwani (@i_SanjayLalwani) February 20, 2022
Removes the temptation to smash repeatedly into lamp posts. Red tape and beaurocracy wins 🤦
— Jim Clarkson (@Startledbymidge) February 19, 2022
“You cyclists want traffic calming? I don’t get it but, here you go.”
— Andrew C. Dingman (@acdingman) February 19, 2022
Others, however, at least saw the meandering path as an upgrade on some of the UK’s classic examples of cycle infrastructure:
At least it’s protected and not the magic protection painted lines that we get here.
— Matty P (@mattypnufc) February 20, 2022
Come on now. They’ve made an effort pic.twitter.com/L0VQ7Yenw0
— Stas Maksimov (@maksimov) February 20, 2022
Cyclists’ Film Show returns to Finchley
Cycling as SPORT klaxon:
I ran the (Hammersmith) Cyclists’ Film Show for years with Ray Pascoe: Ray is putting on a show at short notice this Sunday at the more recent venue of Finchley Phoenix.
RT for cycle sport people pic.twitter.com/noMq7d9r8N— CHAIRRDRF (@CHAIRRDRF) February 21, 2022
After a two-year hiatus, the Cyclists’ Film Show (formerly held in Hammersmith) returns this Sunday to the Phoenix cinema in Finchley.
Organised at short notice by cycling film historian Ray Pascoe, best known for making two films about Tom Simpson, the event will feature screenings of Keep Going Lapebie, the story of Roger Lapébie’s 1937 Tour triumph, the Team Telekom documentary Hell on Wheels, and Ray’s own Notebook from the Tour 2019, as well as archival footage of cycling events from the 1910s and 1920s.
With Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicking off Opening Weekend – and for many, the start of the cycling season proper (sorry, UAE Tour) – what better time to indulge your inner cycling historian?
Left in the Dark – should cyclists ride with lights during the day?
Our feature, published over the weekend, which explored whether cyclists should use bike lights even during the day – an idea propagated by Trek – has provoked some fierce discussion on Twitter (the spiritual home of fierce discussion).
Here is a selection of some of your views, both from Twitter and in the comments section of the original article:
It’s not just inattentive drivers, though. Cyclists can disappear on a sunny day, just cycling under trees. Lights are a must and I despair at the number of us that cycle without them.
— James M. Turner QC (@ShipBrief) February 20, 2022
I think it all helps; lights hi-viz tops etc. But the mirror is the biggest safety device in the UK context of road sharing because it allows for early positioning and on the odd occasion just pulling over and waiting.
— Stephen Feber Ltd (@StephenFeberLtd) February 20, 2022
IMO the argument that drivers should see everything and are to blame misses the point. Drivers are human and so will never be 100% infallible. and I once I am dead saying it is the drivers fault would not raise me from the dead. 2/
— Justin Clayton (@justintime991) February 20, 2022
It’s more of a shame that manufacturers like @TrekBikes don’t actually listen to people and instead spend time campaigning for safe cycling infrastructure which actually would have a demonstrably proven benefit.
— Elisabeth Anderson 🚲🐺 (@velobetty) February 20, 2022
IMO @TrekBikes are right about fitting collision avoidance transponders to bikes. Aviation has been doing this for many years. Though for now we should still be pushing for cycling infrastructure
— Justin Clayton (@justintime991) February 20, 2022
Back to your original comment regarding mirrors following the lights post, all the gizmos in tve world are not going to help unless culture changes, training improves and people learn to see as part of a multifaceted approach. https://t.co/u7sq3eBCj9
— Andi (@ArmitageAndi) February 21, 2022
In the daytime possibly, in bright conditions – definitely not.
When you can see a cyclist from a distance of about half a mile, but their light only becomes obvious at half that it seems pretty pointless. Just a waste of energy and a stick to beat cyclists who aren’t using lights with.
I’m generally against using lights in the daytime, as I am often trying to conserve my light burn time for when it matters.
As cyclists we are competing against the background and other road users to be seen.
New models of cars have been using DRLs since 2011.
We should not have to but are almost forced to use lights in daytime in our own interests.
It is only one small step from no lights to victim blaming.
I’ll put my lights on during the daytime if the weather is bad (rainy, very overcast, fog, etc). Other than that, no.
If someone honestly can’t see you during the hours of daylight without your bike having flashing lights then in my opinion they shouldn’t be driving.
And if they are only looking for lights, not for – you know – things, then again they should probably go and retake their driving test.
The problem would occur if a requirement for daylight lights turned up, with all the potential for the hyper-junk press to excuse their moron psycho readers for any offence against cyclists.
A rivalry for the ages – or February, at least
Anquetil vs Poulidor
Cancellara vs Boonen
Coppi vs Bartali
Armstrong vs Ullrich
LeMond vs Hinault
Arkea-Samsic vs Lotto-Soudal
Great rivalries you can’t tell the history of cycling without— Nairo Quintana Fanclub (@NairoInGreen) February 20, 2022
Over the weekend one of cycling’s great rivalries came to a head. Forget Coppi and Bartali, and Hinault and LeMond – at the Tour du Var we saw the clash of the two great early season bandits, Nairo Quintana and Tim Wellens.
While Lotto Soudal’s Wellens predictably got the better of Quintana in their two-up sprint in La Turbie on Saturday, it was the Colombian from Arkéa Samsic who had the last laugh, riding to a dominant solo stage win and the GC the following day.
Quintana’s win at the Tour du Var followed his overall victory at the Tour de la Provence the week before, almost exactly mirroring his promising start to the 2020 season (later derailed by the pandemic, of course).
Nairoman’s recent penchant for early season success echoes that of his Lotto Soudal counterpart. Since 2016, Wellens has only went one year – 2020 – without picking up a win before the end of February, and he’s yet to finish outside the top 12 of any stage or one day race so far this year.
Can Quintana and Wellens keep this form going for the rest of 2022? Probably not, but at least we’ll always have February.
Same again this time next year, fellas?
Full route for RideLondon-Essex 100 released
The full route for the eighth edition of RideLondon, due to take place on Sunday 29th May, was announced on Friday.
The event, which will be held for the first time since 2019, has swapped its former Surrey stomping ground for Essex, with a new 100-mile route starting at Victoria Embankment in London before entering the county via the historic Epping Forest.
After riding through Ongar, Fyfield, the Rodings and Great Dunmow, the participants will join up with the route for stage three of the 2014 Tour de France around Chelmsford before heading back towards Ongar and central London, finishing at Tower Bridge.
The revamped format and partnership with Essex County Council also includes the creation of a new three-day UCI Women’s WorldTour stage race, the RideLondon Classique, which starts on Friday 27 May and features two stages in Essex.
Those who tried to enter this year’s RideLondon-Essex challenge via the public ballot should by now have found out whether they’ve got a place. However, there are still some charity places available.
If you fancy taking on RideLondon’s brand-new route for a good cause, the charity Lyme Disease Action, which strives for the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease and associated tick-borne diseases, has spaces available.
LDA is keen to promote the idea that people should not be scared of activity or the disease. If ticks are removed correctly then the risk of contracting Lyme disease is much lower and if it is treated in the early stages, the outcome is very good.
The charity is run by volunteers so any donations raised will go directly to funding the aims of the charity. Donations can also be increased by 25 per cent, with no extra cost to the person, if they are a UK taxpayer.
Anyone who wants to take part should contact LDA at fundraising@lymediseaseaction.org.uk.
Now That’s What I Call Infra 108
Tilt your head slightly, there you go…
This great piece of “cycle superhighway” flagged in the comments by road.cc user John (and featured in Near Miss of the Day 647) perfectly encapsulates the pointlessness of some of the UK’s painted, non-segregated cycle lanes.
Barely the width of your handlebars, drains everywhere, and then… nothing. Top bit of road design there…
21 February 2022, 09:21
21 February 2022, 09:21
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
34 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
I recently had 2 weeks cycling in France. My first ride back in the UK was commuting to work; on return I said, of all the great things about French cycling (eg amazing climbs and descents, views, quieter roads, considerate drivers (mostly), cafe stops etc), if there was only one thing I could pick out then it would be the vastly better road surfaces; makes such a difference. I was on one French road with UK standard tarmac (ie potholed and bumpy) and there were temporary signs by the side of the road saying 'Chaussee Deformee'; probably resurfaced by now. Even their bike paths are silky smooth.
Please remove this story and replace it with one about ROAD cycling as this is ROAD CC. Stop filling out content with irrelevant stories.
Richard Standing said: “Or maybe the cyclists should find a safer mode of transport…” The memories come flooding back- the day when Blackpool Police wrote on Twitter the thoughts of the whole of Lancashire Constabulary: 'If cyclists don't like the conditions on the roads, they should find an alternative mode of transport'. This was later deleted, but LC has remained true to the sentiment to this day and is also resolute in its determination to protect offending drivers at all costs. HN21 VXB's driver has now exceeded his year without MOT and 2 years without VED, and I've now discovered where he lives- it's half a mile from Garstang Police Station where NPT stalwart PC Mike Duff works at writing letters asserting that he mustn't be told of any more 'alleged offences' because he doesn't have time to deal with them.
@eburtthebike I like the cockwomble telling you that the roads were safe for bicycles in 1826. So all you have to do to be safe is to go back in time about forty years before the pedal cycle was invented and you won't have any problems!
@Smoggysteve For me one of the plus points of cycling is in the particular: getting the local knowledge, finding the better route ... ... but I think most of the population are less inclined to "magical mystery tour" (with the possibility of the odd bad trip) and more "just getting from A to B safely". Even when just "out travelling". I haven't done much cycling round Lincolnshire and what I did was mostly about the south. I do know that even trying to get between neighbouring towns there - what a not-unfit person might contemplate as a "journey for transport" - could involve a Hobson's choice of thundering traffic or the poorly maintained alternatives (or going a very long way round). I don't think that's necessarily inevitable (see Dutch countryside and "just don't let the motor vehicles drive over everything"). But I suspect (for several reasons, but especially the "low population density" one) Lincolnshire will be among the last places any transport revolution reaches, if it ever does.
Campaign to make endangering a cyclist “as unacceptable as drink driving” I recently had my life threatened by a reckless/inattentive driver, and since I had a bar cam, I posted a still and an explanation on our local website. Whilst I did get some support, there were also some incredibly entitled drivers: 'the one idiot decided to start weaving back and forth across the road, almost collided with me yet I was over the white line in the other 'lane'..... yes, I did beep my horn at them and got told to F*ck Off for the privilege!!!' 'However, had he have collided with me/my car who was going to HAVE pay for the damage to my 26 plate car.....oh yeah that'll be me !!!' 'The public highway is not suitable. In 1826 it was. In 1926 perhaps it was. In 2026 I suggest it really isn’t.' '....cyclists will hold up a significant amount of traffic for quite some time to excercise their "rights" to be on the road whilst making people late for work/school/appointments etc just because its their "rights".' '...all because of 3 cyclists all riding "abreast"...' [I did ask for evidence, but didn't get any.] 'Im absolutely certain that we all get the message that ONLY you matter, ONLY your story is the truth.....' [sic] 'However, I do take issue with Entitled arrogant smarmy cyclists who think only their opinion matters, oh, or thinking about it, do I detect misogyny. [sic] 'My point remains - consideration is a two-way street, and the idiot policy makers who can’t see an issue with mixing 10-15mph traffic with 50+mph traffic are the main problem.' '..by the way, only one contributor in this thread has lowered to thinly veiled prejudices, borderline rudeness and absolute refusal to consider anyone else’s point of view.' All that because I posted about two drivers who put my life at risk and posted a picture of one of their cars. Motornormativity is so deeply embedded in our society that it is going to take generations to change things.
Thanks for all the marvellous entertainment Julien, even though it's always been coupled with irritation as one shouted at the screen "There's no N! It's not Alanphilippe!" as the commentators consistently got your name wrong. Somewhere in an alternative universe there wasn't a landslide on stage 19 of 2019, you caught back up with Bernal on the climb to Tignes, the next day wasn't shortened either and you clung on to the yellow jersey all the way to Paris. You deserved one just for the amount of excitement you generated that year and the peloton will be a duller place without you, plus Mrs H is going to have to find a new piece of eye candy now...
I don't always agree with Smoggysteve's opinions and he certainly can be blunt when articulating them but he is a long-term contributor to road.cc comments, he is quite clearly an enthusiastic cyclist and his opinions are genuine, not deliberately contrarian, so he is not in any way a troll. If you want to go troll hunting I can point you in the direction of a 24 carat example...
@rideANDdie People writing any comment on any social media platform should be taken with a pinch of salt, they could be from anyone, mostly rage baiting. I dont for a minute believe people suddenly get absolutely furious with vein popping anger at a cyclist in the road. words on a screen like that are written by the same cowards who try to act big but if they were confronted in the real world they balls would shrink up inside them. And as for trolling, I think youll find I am a regualr commentor on here , and I am a strong advocate for raod safety as many who have read my comments will know. So bore off with that one. My point still stands, the language used is inflammatory, and helps NOBODY, its adding to a problem that made out to be far worse than it is by the gutter press and social media. Adding to it just compounds the problem made by the ones who perpetuate the war on the roads,
So how would you describe the comments left on that post, friendly? What about the comments left on stories of people being knocked off their bike and killed saying "good they deserved it"? What about the many cases of drivists deliberately hitting people on bike? How would you discribe the coutless times I've had someone deliveratly swerve at me, sometimes from the on comming lane, while swearing and shouting, almost always when there was plenty of space to just go around, would you say they were calm while threatening the life of another human being for just exisiting? Just a bit of banter right? Maybe try actually riding on the roads before trolling a cycling website because there's no way a regular road cyclist hasn't had an encouter with an angry driver! The point you miss is bigots and idiots can't get away with blaming all their problems on people of different races, genders etc, one of the last groups it's socially acceptable to overtly hate is cyclists, so we thankfully don't have lynchings anymore what we have instead is people actually wanting to kill or see cyclists be killed and glorifying this behavour. We are just human beings going about our day in a healthy and environmentally friendly way that actually reduces congestion on the roads and half the population (it seems) litterally state outloud they want to see us dead for it and frequently treatern or try to hit us, or just don't care if they do... of course there's nothing angry about that!!!
34 thoughts on ““Paint isn’t infrastructure”: Are unsegregated bike lanes more dangerous for cyclists?; Are daytime lights essential?; Pogačar says he’s a Man City fan; Big win for Cav at the UAE Tour; Cyclists’ Film Show returns + more on the live blog”
Confusing Emirates with Etiad
Confusing Emirates with Etiad.
Paint – the question is “does
Paint – the question is “does it do anything useful” – aside from allow organisations to tick boxes? In the UK much is questionable for reasons we all know e.g. they’re often full of cars / other stuff, they start and stop, they don’t protect you from close passes or dooring etc. Certainly for the “advisory cycle lanes” even legally they have little effect *. Even “mandatory” ones are a legal mess. Of course for there to be an effect there would need to be enforcement!
Being optimistic I consider painted infra a kind of placeholder / advert / advanced notice of future cycling. Sort of “watch this space”. Or part of space reduction for motor vehicles which ideally can be converted to proper infra. Unfortunately lots of people don’t watch or even see the space. Also some who do notice them then get very angry or take away the message that any infra is a waste of time (“where are the cyclists? They don’t even use them!”).
Even in the “gold standard” (The Netherlands) they have painted lanes in places – also a mixed bag of legacy, “we’ll get to it” and some bad design.
So I guess it’s “this isn’t needed where there are particularly good drivers and it isn’t useful where there are
normalimpatient / not so careful drivers and parkers”. But I guess it sort of keeps the “don’t forget the cyclists” conversation going?* e.g. (see e.g. LTN1/20 section 6.4.8 ) “Advisory lanes should only be used when
limitations on the overall space available mean that motor vehicles will sometimes need to enter the cycle lane. Advisory lanes are not recommended where they are likely to be blocked by parked vehicles.” (My emphasis) So where’s that NOT then?
The “Whitewater cycling”
The “Whitewater cycling” article reminds me of a Halloween night club ride, on the South Downs.
If I remember correctly, the phrase “I’m a Salmon…” was uttered, at one point.
Character forming rides – gotta love them
Quite a few studies have
Quite a few studies have shown that painted cycling infrastructure either offers no safety benefit or can reduce safety.
e.g. This study by Aldred & Adams
“Mandatory painted lanes did not lead to any risk reduction and advisory lanes (which motor vehicles are legally permitted to enter) increased injury odds by over 30%”
https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/v2x70/cycling-injury-risk-in-london-impacts-of-road-characteristics-and-infrastructure
I rode down one today – the
I rode down one today – the line is to the left of where i would usually ride, so i stayed to its right. Dangerous thing.
Problem with these narrow
Problem with these narrow painted lanes is that it gives motorists the idea that this is a sufficient space to give while overtaking a cyclist. I’ve frequently had HGV’s and buses pass me at the point shown in the picture and there’s not much you can do because they didn’t go over the line…
Also, whilst in court as a witness for a close pass on a different road about 10 miles away, the defendant used the width measurement from the cycle lane in the picture as justification that they’d left me enough room. Luckily the magistrate didn’t agree and they were found guilty of driving without due care.
Can I just confirm that a
Can I just confirm that a motorist was convicted of driving without due care for a close pass? Which police force was it? Gloucestershire police say there is no offence of close passing.
Norfolk. There isn’t a
Norfolk. There isn’t a specific offence for close passing, they use due care which I believe is below careless driving. Haven’t been regularly commuting since COVID, but between 2018 and 2020 I reported 116 incidents 61 got a notice of intended prosecution, 9 got a warning letter, 2 went to court, 2 got no further action and the rest I wasn’t informed of the result. Basically from mid 2019 the team the reports were going to seemed to get a lot more organized and you’d get informed what action was being taken.
First of all well done and
First of all well done and thank you for your efforts in making our roads safer for cyclists. Sounds like you are giving cycling mikey a good run for his money.
I guess I was asking if the only thing the motorist that got the driving wihout due care had done was to pass too close and if so how close and how fast. I’m relatively new to submitting and always get NFA unless I have to swerve or brake violently to avoid a collision and even then not always. See NMOTD 674. Just trying to get a feel for whether these responses from Gloucestershire are in line with other forces.
Careless driving is driving
Careless driving is driving without due care and attention, it’s the same offence aiui. But what Norfolk/Suffolk police (as it’s one team that do these across both counties) might have considered prosecutable 2 or 3 years back probably isnt the case now for various reasons, and certainly one being it’s taking nearly 2 years to bring even dangerous driving cases through the courts, careless driving isnt really high enough priority it feels currently.
So I dont think theyd have responded to NMOTD 674 in the way your Gloucestershire force did but I dont think theyd have prosecuted either, at best a warning letter though probably NFA, it’s not one I’d have submitted.
On the Dashboard Camera submissions site for Suffolk and Norfolk theyve published all of last years stats now, only around 20% are prosecuted, whilst nearly 60% are just rejected as not meeting submission criteria.
Thanks for that information.
Thanks for that information. Would you not have submitted 674 because you think that’s acceptable driving, because it’s low speed, because there was no collision or because you think the courts are too busy at the moment. I thought I was doing the right thing by submitting but now you’ve got me worried.
I’m certainly not saying it
I’m certainly not saying it was acceptable driving, but those types of passes are so common that youd be submitting hundreds per week if you rode every day, and ime the police dont really take action on those, unless you are incredibly lucky. I only submit those where I feel I was at risk of harm/injury, it’s always hard to judge sitting behind a monitor but it didnt feel like that was the case there. But dont be put off submitting, you’ll gain knowledge even if the police NFA it and reach a level of what your force takes action with
I suppose it was something I
I suppose it was something I could handle but I’m not sure driving like that would not have put off someone starting cycling which is one reason I submit. I have many friends who won’t cycle any more because they think it too dangerous.
Thanks for the reply and the encouragement.
A picture of my local cycle
A picture of my local cycle superhighway. It’s actually narrower than the bars on my bike.
But look what happens when the paint runs out! https://youtu.be/QLN8n9sP1G8
You Lucky B*st*rd, I’d give
You Lucky B*st*rd, I’d give anything for a bike lane like that.
Marvelous people the Romans
Cycloid wrote:
Luxury. I dreeeam of cycling is gutter.
A picture of my local cycle
A picture of my local cycle superhighway
Pfff! Luxury!!
A picture of my local cycle
A picture of my local cycle superhighway
Pfff! Luxury!!
This is what happens when the Lancashire police completely abandon cyclists and road legislation. This offence by a Traveller’s Choice of Carnforth school bus driver on a pedestrian crossing shows that no Lancashire driver fears action by the Pathetic Police This is 4148 VZ
Ah yes, Travellers Choice.
Ah yes, Travellers Choice. Been buzzed by those wankers quite a few times up here in South Lakes.
The Travellers Choice seems to be the choice to drive like a twat.
Travellers Choice seems to be
Travellers Choice seems to be the choice to drive like a twat
They haven’t replied and I’m sure they won’t. Nothing from The Filth yet, but I’m expecting the standard No-Action Action Letter, which doesn’t commit them to anything at all
Mungecrundle wrote:
That is BRUTAL.. it should be illegal.
Clearly the driver of the
Clearly the driver of the blue car expected the cyclist *they had just passed* to vanish into thin air. As you do…
Mungecrundle wrote:
I wouldn’t consider riding within that lane for a moment. The absolute minimum I ride to (my idea of a modest secondary) is wheels on what used to be the whiote line.
Apart form anything, though, I’d fall off that road: it’s built on its side 😛
Gazprom-Rusvelo out on thier
Gazprom-Rusvelo out on thier own? Sounds about right for their whole country – Ukraine, doping kids….
As has been noted “Paint is
As has been noted “Paint is not Protection”
The question has already been answered in Rachel Aldred’s Paper
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/news/typical-british-cycle-infrastructure-is-failing-to-protect-cyclists-study-finds
“One of the most startling results was that infrastructure typically designated for cycling may put cyclists at increased risk. Painted cycle lanes and shared bus lanes tended to increase the likelihood of injury, compared to there being no such infrastructure.”
The question becomes:-
Millions of pounds have been wasted on infrastructure that is not fit for purpose.
“What’s going to be done about it?!
Lights in the daytime – why
Lights in the daytime – why would I not have them on?
AidanR wrote:
Because you aren’t a cynic?
I don’t live in a jar?
I don’t live in a jar?
Barrel on then!
Barrel on then!
I’m disillusioned. All my
I’m disillusioned. All my life is thought of him like so, only more Greek of course.
Looking at your picture it
Looking at your picture it seems you’re not disillusioned, just unenlightened. (Unenlanterned?)
The trouble with bike lanes
The trouble with bike lanes is that the dotted line looks like a lane marking and give the impression that they can be used to pass as closely as a car would pass another car or lorry in a lane – which is very close. The old HC had that ambiguous phrase – “Give cyclists as much room as you would a car” which, as plenty of drivers are happy to clip wing mirrors of parked cars, made me not very happy.
It probably needs a test case – should a motorist be prosecuted for failing to leave 1.5 metres passing a cyclist in a cycle lane. Clearly considering the logic of why 1.5 metres is chosen – enough room to wobble and fall off and not get sucked under a lorry – then the idea that a bit of magic paint fulfills the same function is nonsense. After all there is no mention of lane markings being a factor in the HC.
Perhaps our favourite motoring expert lawyer would fancy a bit of pro bono and try a prosecution for a change.
Ah, bright lights in daytime.
Ah, bright lights in daytime. I know they work as I’ve been abused by motorists for annoying them for having flashing lights. Within reason, I’d rather make a motorist grumpy for the tediosity of having to acknowledge a cyclist exists on the road than have them pretend I am invisible.
IanMSpencer wrote:
On lowlight days I usually put a flashing red light on the back of my helmet, I was addressed a few months ago at traffic lights by the driver of a BMW Wankpanzer:
“Vat’s illegal, vat is.”
“What is?”
“Having flashin’ lights like vat, what you fink you are, bleedin’ police car or summink?”
“No, I’m actually a fire engine but it’s my day off.”
Seemed to confuse him somewhat.