Shock tactics employed amid fears cyclists could take over Bath canal towpath

Last week I rode from Limpley Stoke (just east of Bath) to Devizes along the K&A. I thought the surface was fine as far as BoA and being mostly gravel it would still be ok even in a wet winter. This section is rather busy, not (at the time I was there – a Friday daytime) with cyclists but with strollers and hikers, dog walkers and most of all with canal boat users, many of them residential. At no point was it so busy I had to stop nor did I experience any aggro. East of BoA the path is narrower and bumpier but also there are fewer path users (still lots of boats though). For my purpose that day, it was great; I was in no hurry and couldn't have gone fast if I'd wanted, being laden with four panniers!

Back in the 1980s and 90s though I used to ride from Bath to LS several times a week. I went much faster then, not only because I could(!) but because I was unladen. I'm not sure it would be possible to ride like that along there nowadays, it's busier with people on foot. Much pleasanter than the A36 though.

My conclusion is, the towpath in its present state seems perfectly good for leisure cyclists (as far east as Devizes – I've also ridden along a section just east of Hungerford and that was seriously muddy). For commuting at peak times, it's going to be too narrow, but there doesn't seem much space to widen it. Building in the water would, I think, be expensive and, you know, boats have to pass each other and moor too. There are other obstacles to 'fast' use which it might be possible to alleviate, such as steep ramps to roads and bridges and narrow gates. These are also obstacles to leisure cyclists on anything other than a standard upright unladen bike (trikes, tandems, trailers, 'bents) so worth doing something about.

Crikey - I absolutely 100% agree with your point.

On an unrelated note, I challenge you to pull out of your driveway without crossing the footpath designed for pedestrians and drive to your major routes without using a road designed for transportation by horse...

No? Can't do that?

Then your opinion is plain stupid!

It doesn't matter if canal paths weren't originally designed for bicycles, many are now. Roads weren't originally designed for cars, were they?

There's no reason why a cyclist can't use tow paths if a little respect is shown...and I mean from cyclists and walkers.

I'm sick of cyclist shaming. People need to realise that cyclists are a minority group and are often bullied wherever they may be cycling, regardless of the fact that if we all drove to work instead we would make a small but significant increase in congestion.

If we cant cycle on the roads or paths in peace where the f**k are we supposed to go!?

My post about this. If you live in and around Bath and fancy a ride out on Friday or Saturday, this could be a worthwhile stop.

http://cyclebath.org.uk/2015/08/26/cyclists-used-to-prevent-towpath-repair/

If people could share this that would also be amazing. These consultations only get people objecting to them and hearing positive things from people are key to making this happen.

I will believe this when I see it happen. If it does I am sure they will then close the route for 6 months, cock it up and generally make a mess of what in my opinion is a usable cycling surface already even in winter.

This section of the canal path is pretty wide to be honest up to the George. Beyond that it isn't too bad and I ride this quite often out to Bradford on Avon. There are a few nobbers who race along it but then they are everywhere not just on the canal paths. Is there a real need to improve this section? I would think the path towards Avoncliff would be money better spent but then that's not in the the city. I would be interested who uses this section as part of their commute as I never see too many people using it.

I use this towpath mainly for running
I have cycled it once or twice but there are a couple of lethal pinch points where the path gets very narrow.
I also feel that because There is a a community that live in boats, that caning it along the path is a dumb and entitled activity. Imagine stepping onto your doorstep only to have someone going full on a few inches from you.
The type of cyclist I have encountered are either of the sedate and stately variety or small packs of mamils who are big enough and ugly enough to ride on the road.
I think the funding should go elsewhere and some signs telling people to keep the speed down would be better

Naw, the real problem is that brits can't comprehend the basic idea of "slowing down" when conditions call for it. It's the same, regardless of whether it's the lorry drivers or the cyclists. Cyclists seem to feel that being forced to slow down 1km/hr *for any reason* is an egregious assault on their constitutional rights and freedoms.

If you cyclists didn't take yourselves so damned seriously, maybe you could handle a 2.5m wide path. I commuted for years on 1.5m wide paths shared with pedestrians and 2-direction cycle (and occasional rulebreaker motorcycle) traffic. 3 years. 45 minutes each way. No accidents. No altercations. No curse words.

Here's how to do it:
#1 - look where you're going
#2 - if you see a pedestrian, slow down and indicate clearly where you are and where you intend to pass
#3 - control your speed appropriately - you know those brakes you spent 800 quid on? you might be surprised to find that they work fairly well too. If passing a pedestrian, slow down so you can move past them without startling them and if they do something unexpected, you can react without making contact. Yes, that's right, slow down. If passing a slower motorist, adjust speed accordingly, indicate clearly and when conditions are appropriate, accelerate past them. You're such a badass cyclist, I'm sure you can handle accelerating.
#4 - if conditions aren't right to pass, don't pass until conditions are right. If the road narrows a bit, adjust speed so you can pass where it gets wider again. If there's a group of people, give yourself time and space to get by.

As a cyclist for more than 30 years, it boggles my mind that brits have such a hard time figuring things out like "look where you are going" and "be aware of your surroundings".

2.5m wide isn't enough for peloton racing conditions. It's *plenty* for even casually skilled riders with a touch of courtesy.

On the other hand, for riders whose lack of courtesy and common sense outweighs their skill, even 4m is still not going to be enough. You could give them 400m and they'd still find a way to get into an argument with someone or drive under the wheels of some lorry because they have the "right of way".

Natural selection baby.

It's not a trolling, it's someone disagreeing.
But you knew that.

It's a tow path.
On a canal.
It's not designed for bicycles.

The idea that you should be able to ride your bicycle anywhere in the world without hindrance is an example of the sense of entitlement that some cyclists have.

You can't ride down stairs either, are you going to whine about that?

This is a canal towpath right...not a purpose built cycle path?

Then please stop whining...

Cyclists seem to have an over developed sense of entitlement; reign it in a bit and people might begin to take you seriously.

We should ban cars from the roads because some drivers speed. (sarc)

I've given up using the towpaths in London.
Too many joggers!

Sod the odd 'man bites dog' incident, which while regrettable is hardly common, when are we going to get 'shock tactic' posters like this telling drivers to drop speed

Perhaps a campaign of short periods of intensive and random policing by wardens authorised by the CRT to patrol and instruct any user to stop.

Fast riding cyclists would be pulled up and warned about their behaviour, and told to use the road if they wanted to travel fast. A co-ordinated set of wardens on a stretch of canal would ensure that a fast rider woudl not simply ride away and ignore the first warden as the rest of the route would be covered.

As private property there may also be other options to remove or exclude those who misbehave on a regular basis.

Why the weird wording 'drop your pace' in the photo? What's wrong with 'Slow'? And maybe the standard bike pictogram just to be clear about who's being addressed?

Devizes just upgraded their towpath to 2.2m wide (the width needed for two horses to pass each other). Towpaths are shared space that requires careful,slow riding and the paths under canal bridges are even narrower.

Remember their roots. Commercial transport corridors. The CRT are doing as much as they can but the moment they become primary cycle commuter corridors then the reality is that the roads in the area have failed to deliver safe alternatives.

In the CRT towpath design guidance there is provision to expand the width of a path up to 4m should that be necessary, but preserving the heritage of the canal is vital and you cannot solve the fact most canal bridges are grade 1/2 listed structures so you need ramps up to roads to bypass them.

Basically they are slow meandering lovely spaces that should be enjoyable all year round.

A recent survey on the Bath section of the K&A (which also has a lot of boaters living on the water) on a Wednesday put walkers at 500ish and cyclists at 600ish within a 12 hour period.

It really needs councils to start taking cycling seriously and deliver on-road segregated cycle infra. People are taking serious detours away from direct road routes to ensure a mostly traffic free ride to the city.

The transport policy of your council determines the health and wellbeing of its residents.

(Apologies I do go on a bit)

Shared footpaths!
Shared works best when values are the same.
Footpaths are not wheelpaths.
Pedestrians can be mindless and unpredictable - I know because when I am not on my bike I have been guilty of this.
I am also a driver, but I would like to think I try harder when I drive.
Feet and wheels do not mix well.
Wheels and wheels do not mix well, especially when the wheels get bigger and/or multiply: trucks, buses, etc.
If you agree with any of the aforementioned, you probably agree that shared paths should work, but invariably they do not.

Quote:

Judith Norris, a 76-year-old woman from Bury in Lancashire, who had four teeth knocked out after being knocked to the ground by a cyclist

I've never seen similar campaigns be used where roads are upgraded that have a history of pedestrian deaths.