Bristol- Bath cycle path users

[captain nemo1701]

unlike "scooters are for the lazy - but cars are fine and a sensible way to get about!"

Mate, I've spent lots of time in Brizzle, usually on foot. Most recent was a walking tour with my elderly dad, before we dropped him off for a hospital op. You do notice the scooters, but we had zero near misses.
Whereas on my work commute, probably 5-10 drivers per hour endanger me for their convenience. (perhaps I'd be safer cycling on the pavement ... )

So you've never:

1. Had a private escooter come headlong at you whilst overtaking in a cyclepath tunnel?. He didn't like the fact two cyclists in front weren't going fast enough for him.
2. Had one coming at you the wrong way in a painted cycle lane.
3. Had one try and overtake you on the inside on a cyclepath...with a couple of feet between you and the edge of the asphalt.
4. Seen one doing about 30mph on a cyclepath...uphill, rider dolled up in full crash helmet, goggles, motorbike gloves, knee & elbow pads. Not going out for a wee pootle at 15mph....
5. Had to remove 'em from being dumped in the middle of cyclepaths & their entry ramps.
6. Seen young kids playing on them on busy roads....no adults around.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Anyone involved in an accident whilst riding a banned escooter on public land should be automatically held responsible on the basis that if they hadn't decided to break the law and ride one, they wouldn't have been there thus the accident wouldn't have occurred. If you saw the guy I did this week shoot through a red light at top speed, you may agree with this?.

You don't need a new law for that. They can already have the scooter seized and penalties applied: Can I be Prosecuted for Riding a Powered Transporter?

And penalities can be more severe if you are under the influence Man sentenced after e-scooter crash while on drugs or injure someone Driving ban over e-scooter crash that fractured skull Note that the man who fractured a womans skull, and fled the scene of the accident, received a lesser sentence than the man who only injured himself.

 

[mjr]

So you've never:

1. Had a private escooter come headlong at you whilst overtaking in a cyclepath tunnel?. He didn't like the fact two cyclists in front weren't going fast enough for him.
2. Had one coming at you the wrong way in a painted cycle lane.
3. Had one try and overtake you on the inside on a cyclepath...with a couple of feet between you and the edge of the asphalt.
4. Seen one doing about 30mph on a cyclepath...uphill, rider dolled up in full crash helmet, goggles, motorbike gloves, knee & elbow pads. Not going out for a wee pootle at 15mph....
5. Had to remove 'em from being dumped in the middle of cyclepaths & their entry ramps.
6. Seen young kids playing on them on busy roads....no adults around.

1. no, but we don't have many tunnels in the fens as they tend to become rivers quite quickly!
2. that happens often, both scooters and bikes. Not awful, as I can usually move out into the carriageway to avoid them. One day, our braindead council will put a cycle lane on the other side of the road too so they stop doing it so much. After at least 25 years of asking, they approved a project to do so 3 years ago, but have done nothing visible since 🙄. The people "salmoning" in the cycle lane are sometimes those who believe motorists who say cyclists/scooterists have to use a cycle lane if one is marked, ignoring that this one is only arrowed in one direction.
3. probably. It's not particularly memorable. Dodgy overtakes are pretty widespread. If I got upset every time an idiot squeezed past on my left, my blood pressure would be awful.
4. No, but only because the ones near my don't wear helmets and so on! The 30mph ones are annoying because I can't stay in their slipstream.
5. That doesn't happen here, probably because we don't have public-hire ones. In Cambridge (Voi hire) and Norwich (Beryl hire), it doesn't seem to happen much. I don't know if that's because people move them before I see them, or if the user fines for parking outside a scooter parking space are higher there.
6. I don't think I'd even notice them among all the kids on kick-scooters. Do you notice because the hire ones are brightly-coloured?

 

[matticus]

This is a weekly occurence.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x44rvqzveo

 

[captain nemo1701]

1. no, but we don't have many tunnels in the fens as they tend to become rivers quite quickly!
2. that happens often, both scooters and bikes. Not awful, as I can usually move out into the carriageway to avoid them. One day, our braindead council will put a cycle lane on the other side of the road too so they stop doing it so much. After at least 25 years of asking, they approved a project to do so 3 years ago, but have done nothing visible since 🙄. The people "salmoning" in the cycle lane are sometimes those who believe motorists who say cyclists/scooterists have to use a cycle lane if one is marked, ignoring that this one is only arrowed in one direction.
3. probably. It's not particularly memorable. Dodgy overtakes are pretty widespread. If I got upset every time an idiot squeezed past on my left, my blood pressure would be awful.
4. No, but only because the ones near my don't wear helmets and so on! The 30mph ones are annoying because I can't stay in their slipstream.
5. That doesn't happen here, probably because we don't have public-hire ones. In Cambridge (Voi hire) and Norwich (Beryl hire), it doesn't seem to happen much. I don't know if that's because people move them before I see them, or if the user fines for parking outside a scooter parking space are higher there.
6. I don't think I'd even notice them among all the kids on kick-scooters. Do you notice because the hire ones are brightly-coloured?

For 3), he went down the path, casually weaving around everyone as we got to the heavily used part in Easton, lots of peds around, schoolkids, cyclists etc. Didn't need a fool swerving around like that with obviously no road sense. Still, if he tries that stunt with a vehicle turning left....goodbye.

 

[mjr]

For 3), he went down the path, casually weaving around everyone as we got to the heavily used part in Easton, lots of peds around, schoolkids, cyclists etc. Didn't need a fool swerving around like that with obviously no road sense. Still, if he tries that stunt with a vehicle turning left....goodbye.

Quite. The most likely victim is themselves. It's a shame if they take anyone with them (especially if it's me!), but I find it difficult to get too excited about them. I just check my left shoulder before turning or even moving left, even if I think only a suicidal maniac would be trying to pass in that little space. Another ebike surprised me passing on my left on the A10 cycleway on Friday night. Meh. At least that one said sorry as I almost punched him in the face with my left turn signal!

 

[wafter]

I'm sure all you car owners moaning about other people being lazy and all about zero effort will back up their words by getting rid of their cars .
Unless you already have of course .

A clearly over-simplified and flawed argument, no..?

Surely it's obvious that the issue is with the usage model, not the vehicle itself..?

 

[captain nemo1701]

On my recent commutes, I've passed what seems to be a Father & son commuting together. If it is, the father is on a bike in front but the son (aged about 10).....is following behind on a small private escooter......So, rather than encourage cycling and thus exercise, this is encouraging reliance from a young age on transport banned in public . I should add I've also seen kids out playing on the hire escooters, the parents must hire 'em.

 

[blackrat]

On my recent commutes, I've passed what seems to be a Father & son commuting together. If it is, the father is on a bike in front but the son (aged about 10).....is following behind on a small private escooter......So, rather than encourage cycling and thus exercise, this is encouraging reliance from a young age on transport banned in public . I should add I've also seen kids out playing on the hire escooters, the parents must hire 'em.

Quite a number of children around here have ebikes, escooters and eskateboards. No exercise needed.

 

[matticus]

On my recent commutes, I've passed what seems to be a Father & son commuting together. If it is, the father is on a bike in front but the son (aged about 10).....is following behind on a small private escooter.....

Why don't they drive to school, like normal people?!?

 

[captain nemo1701]

Quite a number of children around here have ebikes, escooters and eskateboards. No exercise needed.

The obese of the future?. I read an article recently about schoolkids getting lessons on how to....have a phone conversation. They text so much, they apparently have lost the art of conversation .

 

[Fastpedaller]

The obese of the future?. I read an article recently about schoolkids getting lessons on how to....have a phone conversation. They text so much, they apparently have lost the art of conversation .

The obese of the future - never a truer word!
When our Daughter was a baby the health visitor (or clinic, I can't remember) used to weigh her and then announce something like "she's fine, 48th percentile". It then became apparent that many mums didn't understand the concept of statistics, and thought the aim was to get to the 100th percentile! One even said to my Wife one day," oh poor mite, she looks thin - mine's at the 96th percentile so she's nearly there". Our Daughter now works in the NHS (though not directly with babies) - One of her patients has a baby so huge that the mother is getting treatment from a chiropractor. As time goes on and more and more get bigger and bigger the 'average' will surely drift more towards the heavier and the problem will get ever worse until the babies explode

 

[fossyant]

The obese of the future?. I read an article recently about schoolkids getting lessons on how to....have a phone conversation. They text so much, they apparently have lost the art of conversation .

It's a problem with current University Students. They don't phone or use emails, so the Uni has to be savvy with social media to get important messages out to them.