Cyclists on Penistone Road - Please use the cycle lane!

[titchbec 10]

i am a cyclist and my bike is a saresen xess II and a nice price tag of £750 and i plan to ride my bike on and off the road without and drivers complaining as my bike is worth more than some cars on the road anyways these days.

 

maybe some 'drivers' should give thoughts to them on a bike

Go you!

[moons ghost 10]

i am a cyclist and my bike is a saresen xess II and a nice price tag of £750 and i plan to ride my bike on and off the road without and drivers complaining as my bike is worth more than some cars on the road anyways these days.

 

maybe some 'drivers' should give thoughts to them on a bike

 

sorry but what's price got to do with it. and 750's not very much for a bike these days is it?

[JoeS 10]

sorry but what's price got to do with it. and 750's not very much for a bike these days is it?

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

A driver enclosed within a steel caged box with 4 wheels worth £500 will still come off better in an accident.

 

I cycle 7 miles round to work and back every day on a road bike, I take every precaution make sure I am seen and don't put myself in unnecessary danger. The A65 Skipton rd is always jammed with traffic and even though there are cycle lanes up until the last 1/2mile there are always people driving in it, not checking their passenger side mirror etc.

 

Three rules:

 

- Don't run red lights

- Wear loads of high viz

- have numerous flashy lights

 

The amount of SMIDSYs I've had has just prompted me to get all this visible stuff so they don't have the excuse to say: "Sorry mate, I didn't see you"

 

Oh and its Saracen...

[bumpyroads 10]

I sometimes use the cycle lane along Penistone Road between Herries and Neepsend. It's badly signposted and involves crossing numerous side roads, which means stop/start/stop all the way along. It also gets very confusing when it disappears round Old Penistone Road. Pedestrians randomly walk out in front of me forcing me to brake/swerve and then act as if I'm in the wrong.

 

If I go on the road instead, unless I hit a red light I can keep my momentum going the whole time, and I don't have to go up & down kerbs. I've had a few cars pass a bit too close to me but no real near misses. So this is what I generally do.

 

As a cyclist, I've found that it helps to position yourself well away from the kerb so that (a) you're more visible, (b) cars can't nip past without overtaking properly and © you have a bit of space to swerve left if someone comes too close.

[wildnorthlands 10]

I'm the sustrans liaison ranger for Sheffield and therefore responsible for the vinyl "route 6" signs along the Penistone Rd cycleway. This route is intended for less experienced cyclists, kids, newbies and anyone who prefers a quiet cycling experience to a fast one. Cyclists are equally entitled to use the road, and most of those who do on Penistone Rd are fast, experienced cyclists on serious road bikes. I'd agree that PR is busy and congested, and that is one reason why the speed limit is 30mph, despite it being a dual carriageway, for the safety of all. It is an unfortunate side-effect of putting cycle routes that motorists tend to think cyclists "have" to use it - this is not the case, so please be careful if you're driving.

 

It is not necessarily the case that off-road cycle routes are safer than the road - unless they are very carefully designed they can be more dangerous. There are still some issues with the Penistone Rd cycleway. To bumpyroads, and anyone else, if you think the cycle route is poorly signed please let me know where you think the problems are and I'll see if we can get anything done about it. Having said this you actually cross fewer side roads on the cycle route than you do if you are on Penistone Rd outbound, as the river forms a natural barrier. There are some issues with access to premises though.

 

On the plus side, when this section of route is finished, including the pathway through Beeley woods which is being re-built at the moment (but won't be completed until next spring for budgetary reasons) there will be a quiet cycle route all the way through from Oughtibridge to the City Centre, connecting with the Trans-Pennine Trail, Five Weirs Walk etc at each end.

[bumpyroads 10]

The signposting where the cycle lane disappears off along Old Penistone Road was the bit that confused me, along with the rather faded road markings around that area.

 

My real worry is that motorists may actually drive more aggressively towards cyclists in areas where off-road cycle lanes exist, purely because of the "this road isn't for cyclists" mentality. Therefore these lanes might actually do more harm than good

[ducatiboy 10]

What an idiot the op is. I ride to work every morning along penistone road on my road bike and wouldnt even attempt to use the cycle lane as there are kerbs ad all other obstacles alongit. As for the examples the op has given as to having "a lorry behind you and a bus to your right and a van in front of you". Ever considered SLOWING DOWN, waiting for a place where it is "SAFE TO OVERTAKE" Grow a brain you pleb:loopy:

[*Ryan* 11]

This made me chuckle, to be fair cyclists are allowed on the road, but the safer option is to with the cycle paths. I choose the cycle paths, the only reason is because I don’t wear a helmet, just out of choice. And they tend to be the easy option. Plus cars don’t tend to give a crap when bikes are on the road. Some cyclists are really reckless at times which I can see your point with the OP, but if the cyclist are 'doing as they should and riding near the kerb then all should be well.

[BasilRathbon 10]

I suppose we should be grateful, given that 10-20 years ago, cycling in any city centre meant fighting your way through the traffic and hoping for the best. We now have - in Sheffield and most other cities - recognised cycle paths, yet I have to say I find them immensely annoying and in most cases would rather cycle on the road. Why? Well, 3 reasons....

 

1. Far too many cycle paths either don't go anywhere, go the long way round or end unexpectedly.

 

2. Every time a cycle path meets a road (however insignificant), there's an intersection and an officious "Cyclists dismount" sign. As a result, you're constantly stopping and starting.

 

3. Too many pedestrians are too thick to recognise what a cycle path is and insist on walking along it and blocking your way. Look - there's a painting of a bike every few yards and the tarmac's a different colour, yet people still walk on them!

 

The only place a dedicated cycle path has some benefit is at a major roundabout such as Brook Hill. It's scary how vulnerable they look - I'd much rather get off and use the pavement.

 

So a big thumbs down to cycle paths from me; I'll only use them if there's no alternative.

[ptigga 10]

but if the cyclist are 'doing as they should and riding near the kerb then all should be well.

 

Exactly the opposite. The safer cyclists will be about 1.5 metres away from the kerb - which forces motorists to use proper overtaking manouvers instead of just squeezing through the gap. I highly recommend that you have a read of Cyclecraft (see http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/) for good tried and tested advice of how to ride safely and considerately in traffic.

[ptigga 10]

After reading through the posts in this thread I'm absolutely convinced that riding a bike safely in traffic, and on cycle paths should be a mandatory part of the UK *driving* test so that new motorists understand what the road looks like from a cyclists point of view.

 

I was in Switzerland over the summer and the town I was staying in (Winterthur) really did seem to contain more bikes then people. I think that everyone there learned to cycle first before they learned to drive. There was a mixture of on-road, off road cycle facilities, including many roads where cyclists were expected to share the road with the motorised traffic with no segregation. On the whole drivers were extremely considerate. The amount of women and young children riding bikes leisurely in traffic was astounding!

[moons ghost 10]

This made me chuckle, to be fair cyclists are allowed on the road, but the safer option is to with the cycle paths. I choose the cycle paths, the only reason is because I don’t wear a helmet, just out of choice. And they tend to be the easy option. Plus cars don’t tend to give a crap when bikes are on the road. Some cyclists are really reckless at times which I can see your point with the OP, but if the cyclist are 'doing as they should and riding near the kerb then all should be well.

 

they dont have to ride close to the kerb.a car should overtake the same way it would over take a car,in the over taking lane