Thousands flock to Two Tunnels opening + video

Congratulations to all involved in repurposing these tunnels.

Given the sheer weight of traffic generated by the opening event, and I hope permanently by the new route, is now perhaps the time for Sustrans to reassess its use of the term 'traffic free', when what it means is motor-free?

People moving from place to place on foot or cycle are traffic. There's no need for a progressive organisation like Sustrans to kowtow to the falsehood that the only traffic is motor traffic.

I look forward to high and growing traffic levels on the Two Tunnels Greenway!

It is very difficult to assess the visual effects on people compared to the view through the video lens.
I really enjoyed the ‘video experience‘ of the journey, exciting and scary, constantly peering into the gloom watching out for ‘hidden’ obstacles, most of which were on the move. To make the journey in person on foot or human powered wheels is quite a different proposition.
As suggested above graduated lights are a must at the tunnel entrance-exit areas.
A few ‘Bye Laws’ are also a must, but the real problem will be with enforcement.
Dog walkers have to accept that there has been a ‘change of use’ and cyclists have to accept that it is a multi-use facility. All users need to be mindful that they may not be the ‘King or Queen’ of the tunnel. Clearly there is insufficient width to safely allow every user to ‘do their own thing’.
Perhaps organising events for all the differing categories of users would give the occasional opportunity for everyone to throw caution to the wind?
When walking down a narrow road without the benefit of footpaths it is safer to walk toward oncoming traffic, perhaps some trials should be carried out on this route?
As it is a ‘night time’ situation, in the tunnels, cycles should have lights but not of too high capacity that would destroy the safe vision of other users.
Some moderate reflective surfaces should be worn by all users.
It may well be that this would be overkill on ‘quiet’ periods, but having differing sets of rules is not practicable.
Unless the authority(ies) responsible for the route have very deep pockets ‘doing nothing’ is not an option. The odds of NOT being involved in an accident are possibly on par with winning the lottery?
This wonderful facility can obviously give a fantastic experience to all and needs to be shared responsibly so that it will remain a joy to users every time they visit.

I cannot wait to take my bike on the train [unfortunately my days of London to Bath and Back in 12 hours are long gone] to get first hand experience of riding the entire route.

As much as I appreciate the efforts of all involved in getting these disused railway lines to the point where they are of some use to more than just farmers, I now prefer to avoid such routes.
This is particularly sad for me as I walked most of this beautiful route (as much as possible; trespassing in some places), from my narrowboat, then moored at Claverton, to Radstock in 1998, in snow.

There is a similar, but more wooded, route in Plymouth, along an old railway line to Clearbrook that I often used to use but, all too frequently, I see impatient thickos riding their over-priced jalopies WAAAAAYYY too fast into and around people.

On the other hand, as a cyclist of no great speed, many times I have had to stop, try and uncleat my shoes from the pedals, just in time before I fall off my bike, and try and negotiate my way around groups (usually families and usually women [fact, sorry girls]) of walkers/ pedestrians ambling along, five abreast, nattering away, completely blocking the path, like a slow-moving clueless wall of heaving, sweating, smoky Chav blubber, and not even bothering to see if a cyclist, or anybody, is heading their way.

Dogs and toddlers aren't very often a problem for me, though, as I slow down, on approach to people, to about 10mph, so as to be able to not run into their dog that's just come charging out of the bushes, or their toddler that just ran out right in front of me. Experience, eh?

I've had words with both sets in the past and tried to point out to them, usually in vain, that the trail is for everybody's enjoyment and a little consideration for other users goes a long way.

We can, and should, all be able to enjoy these fine feats of Victorian/Edwardian engineering, without cocking it up for somebody trying to do the same, shouldn't we?

I am pro cycle tracks & pro Sustrans...
its just that I personally find if you ride at any speed on them its quite dangerous... pedestrians, dogs on & off leads & other cyclists provide a constant stream of moving obstacles to avoid that don't even bother to check behind them when steping out!

Cyclists are second class citizens on the road (The Domain of the Car)

Second class citizens on the pavement... Ilegal unless you are 6yrs or under (The Domain of the Pedestrian)

It seems like on cycle tracks cyclists might have priority??? but the reality is very different... An I can honestly say that I feel safer on the road

I don't want to see the route plastered in too many signs, but a few carefully placed ones reminding everyone to keep to the left, sound bells, and generally be considerate to others would help reduce any potential conflict.

The opening last Saturday was a fantastic day – well done and a big thank you to everyone involved

I cycled them Saturday late afternoon and walked them Sunday afternoon and by and large people were sensible in the tunnels themselves.

(Personally I found the biggest irritant were the cyclists with high powered lights. You don't need them and if you insist then please point them downwards and don't singe my retinas.)

Well worth making a special trip for.
Hats off to Sustrans (and Victorian railway navvies).

Huge effort from the local group and Sustrans. People are quick to criticise so I hope Sustrans' achievement and contribution will be recognised

It's great to see long redundant victorian engineering back into good use. Difficult to judge from the video but - being able to see people just inside the tunnel from the outside is difficult and a heightened risk - brighter lighting in the first 20 - 30 meters of tunnel entrances to the tunnel may better enable those entering the tunnel to see those about to emerge and avoid collisions.

The official count was 10, 000 at the festival of which an incredible 8000 made it through the tunnels.

Yes it was mad and yes there were queues but overall it was a fantastic day befitting the long wait we've had to endure to see the project finally (almost) complete.

To those wondering is it worth travelling to Bath to ride? Yes absolutely.

Yes, I'm pretty amazed by that too, saw a few guys going through there on Saturday at warp speed through families with children and old age pensioners - it wasn't clever.

Bit ambivalent on the dog walking question though, as someone's who's walked their dog along that track for the best part of 8 years, because it was a nice, safe place to let a whippet off the lead I have a fair amount of sympathy for the local dog walkers who are continuing to walk their dogs off the lead there - don't think I'd let mine off in the tunnel though and I certainly didn't let her off on Saturday.

When I rode along there on Saturday evening there were quite a few dogs of their leads between the two tunnels including quite a few I'd not seen there before, but they weren't a bother.

I'm amazed the opening weekend hasn't featured any nasty crashes. It's a fantastic facility, but plenty of cyclists are going too fast, and dog-walkers are taking dogs in off their leads.

Is that Rolf Harris in the blue in the second last photo