Nice - price motorists off the roads

[WiseOwl182 10]

I drive almost everywhere for a variety of reasons and sometimes depending on the journey include:

 

- No feasible alternative

- It's quicker 

- It's more convenient

- I like my own space

- I'm lazy (or, I seek out efficiency)

 

The main benefit of cycling is that red lights seem to become optional (or at least that's what I see on the roads daily). However, this is outweighed by frequent rain, steep hills, impracticality and vulnerability.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by WiseOwl182

[Cyclone 10]

You can't help but let your prejudice shine out can you.

 

The main benefit of cycling is that it's quicker and healthier and less polluting.

There are downsides, a light drizzle on the way home yesterday, dangerous motorists who if you question them spout some drivel about red lights...  That's it though.  It's quicker, cheaper, free to park, this morning it's dry, and I'll get 20 minutes of exercise instead of more time sat in a car or on the tram.

[ads36 213]

Average traffic speed in uk towns and cities is around 8-9 mph. That's slower than gentle cycling - including stopping for red lights. I consistently average 12mph on my way to/from work - i cycle *because* i'm lazy. (driving is a slow, tedious, expensive, frustrating pain in the ****, but it does feel safer, so i can see why people do it).

 

news this morning : regular exercise (helps) prevent alzheimer's...

 

we've designed our streets in a way that excludes most people from enjoying the many benefits of active travel : it's free, quick, easy, and a miracle preventative tonic for all sorts of ailments.

 

preventing cancer, obesity, heart disease, alzheimer's, etc. is as easy as riding a bike!

 

and all we really have to do is create safe routes, that actually link destinations, and let people choose.

Edited January 8, 2019 by ads36

[El Cid 210]

3 hours ago, Cyclone said:

The main benefit of cycling is that it's quicker and healthier and less polluting.

There are downsides, a light drizzle on the way home yesterday, dangerous motorists who if you question them spout some drivel about red lights...  That's it though.  It's quicker, cheaper, free to park, this morning it's dry, and I'll get 20 minutes of exercise instead of more time sat in a car or on the tram.

 

I was carless for around 4 years when my daughter was around 10/12; having a car is expensive, but its a necessity for family life.

[ads36 213]

Only because that's the way we've built it.

 

With safe cycle routes, a 10 mile round trip to work represents less than an hour  of moderate exercise. kids can cycle to school. The weekly shop really can be done with a cargo bike. People with really quite profound disabilities can achieve life enhancing levels of personal independence. 

 

*And* we get a huge increase in transport capacity, for a small fraction of the cost of the car-based equivalent.

 

And all we have to do is create safe cycle routes.

 

And it's the closest thing we have to a cure for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, etc.

 

And it's free.

[euclid 10]

20 hours ago, Cyclone said:

I think that commuters are more put off by hills than serious cyclists (who actively seek out hills).

Yes, you are right...when i said "serious"cyclists i of course meant the one's with all the proper gear and expensive cycles....where i live there are lots of cyclists come  in groups ... from clubs also ...and pass thro' the village,but i rarely see any commuters  on cycles, but then again maybe i expect to see them on bikes with straight handlebars and 3 speed "Sturmey Archers" fitted..obviously large Towns/Cities will be different...just to add my son cycles to work 4 mile each way on his mountain bike with 21 gears and probably only uses one..😉😉....At least with a m/cycle..cycle you can go between the large square speed humps...it's the one's full width of the road that are worst...give me a speed camera any day as opposed to the humps...and if i am going too fast i deserve the consequences. What always puts a smile on my face is when i go over to Hathersage/Castleton etc ,and when i have to stop, i sometimes get a cyclist at the side of me stood up on the pedals, balancing till the traffic moves again without putting his/her feet on the floor once, for a good while...brilliant...😉

[WiseOwl182 10]

13 hours ago, Cyclone said:

You can't help but let your prejudice shine out can you.

 

The main benefit of cycling is that it's quicker and healthier and less polluting.

There are downsides, a light drizzle on the way home yesterday, dangerous motorists who if you question them spout some drivel about red lights...  That's it though.  It's quicker, cheaper, free to park, this morning it's dry, and I'll get 20 minutes of exercise instead of more time sat in a car or on the tram.

It's not "drivel", a very high proportion of cyclists ignore red lights.

 

Cycling isn't quicker unless you have a short journey within the central 2 mile radius of the city during rush hour. Any other journey is quicker in the car. And it's such less effort, much more comfortable. You won't convince me.

[tzijlstra 11]

3 minutes ago, WiseOwl182 said:

It's not "drivel", a very high proportion of cyclists ignore red lights.

 

Cycling isn't quicker unless you have a short journey within the central 2 mile radius of the city during rush hour. Any other journey is quicker in the car. And it's such less effort, much more comfortable. You won't convince me.

No need to convince you, only need to convince 5% of Sheffield's population to drop emissions by a significant percentage and to improve public health.

 

Annoying, isn't it?

[WiseOwl182 10]

8 minutes ago, tzijlstra said:

No need to convince you, only need to convince 5% of Sheffield's population to drop emissions by a significant percentage and to improve public health.

 

Annoying, isn't it?

Not at all annoying. Go for it, and good luck, as I'll have 5% less congestion alongside me, making my car even more appealing than it already is.

 

Annoying, isn't it?

[tzijlstra 11]

21 minutes ago, WiseOwl182 said:

Not at all annoying. Go for it, and good luck, as I'll have 5% less congestion alongside me, making my car even more appealing than it already is.

 

Annoying, isn't it?

No, not particularly.

[ads36 213]

It's 9 miles to work, and another 9 back.

 

It's always 45 minutes by bike, its often over an hour by car.

[Longcol 592]

45 minutes ago, ads36 said:

It's 9 miles to work, and another 9 back.

 

It's always 45 minutes by bike, its often over an hour by car.

Your route must be particularly congested - the average speed in Sheffield is over 13mph until within a mile of the centre when it is still over 10mph.

 

https://www.aph.com/community/holidays/commute-getting-slower-average-speeds-uks-major-cities-revealed-2017/