Highway Code Shakeup. Cyclists Encouraged To Use Middle Of Road

[Resident 1,185]

1 minute ago, ads36 said:

not "junctions" - side roads.

 

i know  we're talking about sub-sets, etc. but it's extremely annoying slowing down / stopping/waiting/re-joining for every side-road.

 

We don't ask drivers to do it, why ask cyclists? - if we're going to make life difficult for cycling, we'll just end up with even more drivers, and even more traffic.

 

i'm a driver, i want to see less traffic/congestion, not more. The *only* way to achieve that is to improve the alternatives - not make them even worse.

 

 

It IS a junction.  The cycle road intesects with another road. There are plenty of instances, granted mostly within estates where drivers have to stop/give way and then rejoin after the road they're travelling on. 

In fact I can give you an example of a road that has a parallel cycle lane (segragated) where the driver encounters less junctions where they are expected to give way as a cyclist on the lane over an approximate distance of 4km. 

Manvers Way, Dearne Valley from Golden Smithies Ln to Broomhill roundabout on the A6195. Every side road that the cyclist crosses is a roundabout exit. 

[Jack Grey 1,602]

27 minutes ago, Resident said:

Happens regularly & to apease the pedants it's not normally as slow as 5mph but very often less than half the posted limit. Of course the cyclist then comes to the red light and either hops on the kerb and goes across the pedestrian only crossing (as indicated by the lack of cycle symbols on the control lights) or just continues through the red.

It was one of these folding bikes with a little basket on the front

 

The rider didnt look in a hurry and was very aware what was behind them

 

I know how fast we were going because i was on the bus that was stuck behind it all the way from Halfords near Wicker to Wilkos on Haymarket 🙄

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Jack Grey

[Janus 28]

To give a little more clarity to the  Dutch reach.

 

When  opening the door with the left hand and holding on to it, this limits the amount of distance that  the door can be opened. It also provides an additional opportunty to look back down the side of the vehicle. Also keep in mind the blind spot when using mirrors.

[onewheeldave 22]

2 hours ago, Jack Grey said:

Well lets start charging cyclists road tax and we can pay for more cycle lanes 👍

Will this 'road tax' be based on emissions like the car 'road tax' is?

2 hours ago, Baron99 said:

My bold. 

An academic study from the Economics and Human Biology journal has estimated that for every £4,915 spent on cycle lanes in London, just one extra commuter cyclist uses the scheme.

 

Hmmm!   Everyday's a school day, eh? 

 

Did it examine how much the overall savings to society would be for each extra cyclist? [e.g. less cost to the NHS from conditions associated with lack of exercise, such as heart disease/stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity etc, etc].

Cos if they are more than £4,915 then it's money well spent.

 

1 hour ago, Resident said:

 

 

Well this is the thing isn't it. Cyclist group get all up in their britches about not having any infrastructure to use for their safety so councils spend 100s of thousands of taxpayers money so they can have their own 'roads' & then the same groups moan about what's been provided and refuse to use it. 

The one moan that I hear consistently is that they're not happy that the have to stop for junctions. OH NOES ! WILL SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN! 

 

It's not the most common one though, is it? The main 'moans' about the majority of cycle paths is that they're just thin strips of paint at the edge of the road, in the gutter, along with various debris and trash; in a position where, much of the time, it's simply not safe to be cycling in them. Then there are the cars parked on them, etc.

[Jack Grey 1,602]

11 minutes ago, onewheeldave said:

Will this 'road tax' be based on emissions like the car 'road tax' is?

That's a silly question 

 

Do you want to give it another go?👍

Edited January 26, 2022 by Jack Grey

[alchresearch 213]

17 hours ago, Baron99 said:

It's always been so apparently but the new Highway Code rules clarify the following.  Cyclists are not obliged to use cycle lanes even if one is available. The code, which has made this rule clearer but hasn’t changed it, says cyclists should “exercise their judgement”.

 

Makes me wonder why the country is spending a fortune putting cycle lanes in all over the place & reducing the size of existing carriageways or in some cases, designating entire carriageways as new cycle paths. 

I can't speak for all cycle lanes but many of the ones round my way just aren't fit for purpose - broken glass on them, one like this:
 

 

And one with trees and a bus stop in it.  And this is a busy cycle route for Liverpool cycle commuters.

 

If you're wanting to make progress you're better on the road.

 

 

2 hours ago, Jack Grey said:

Well lets start charging cyclists road tax and we can pay for more cycle lanes 👍

I guess you're not aware of Band A cars then?  Proper full size cars, which don't pay any "road tax" but take up a regular car space and wear out the roads just like any other car.

 

https://www.evanshalshaw.com/blog/used-cars-with-zero-road-tax/

Edited January 26, 2022 by alchresearch

[alchemist 35]

15 hours ago, Bargepole23 said:

This is exactly what ab2626 posted earlier in this thread. Same person? Bizarre.

TBH I had exactly the same thought about cyclists using that to block motorists myself

[Jack Grey 1,602]

1 hour ago, alchresearch said:

I guess you're not aware of Band A cars then?  Proper full size cars, which don't pay any "road tax" but take up a regular car space and wear out the roads just like any other car.

This thread isnt about cars

 

Its about bicycles and cycle lanes 🙄 

[Guest sibon]

2 minutes ago, Jack Grey said:

This thread isnt about cars

 

Its about bicycles and cycle lanes 🙄 

Well, you did bring road tax into it. So you can expect comparison with taxed vehicles.

 

The thread is actually about changes to the highway code. Long overdue changes that will improve the safety of vulnerable road users.

[ads36 214]

7 minutes ago, Jack Grey said:

This thread isnt about cars

 

Its about bicycles and cycle lanes 🙄 

so why mention VED ? - you made it relevant.

Edited January 26, 2022 by ads36

[Jack Grey 1,602]

16 minutes ago, ads36 said:

so why mention VED ? - you made it relevant.

Because someone posted at the lack of cycle lanes and i said that they should start charging cyclists road tax to pay for more cycle lanes

 

I hope that clears up any confusion you may have 👍

Edited January 26, 2022 by Jack Grey

[altus 537]

2 hours ago, Jack Grey said:

Because someone posted at the lack of cycle lanes and i said that they should start charging cyclists road tax to pay for more cycle lanes

 

I hope that clears up any confusion you may have 👍

People aren't charged a road tax for their cars, so why have one only for cycles?

 

Everybody who pays council tax contributes to the highways budget.

 

Cars wear out roads about 10,000 times faster than cycles. You can pay for cycle facilities with the money saved by cyclists not wearing out the roads as fast as car drivers.