Courteous use of cycle lane

[boydj]

I cycle down Berkeley St regularly and always stay on the road for several reasons :
1. It's a slight downhill run, so you can keep up a reasonable speed.
2. There's no easy way to get into the cycle lane after the traffic lights at Elderslie St.
3. The cycle lane is 2-way, with a raised section at the bus-stop.
4. It's a 1-way road with two lanes, so easy for cars to get past.
5. The left filter at the Sauchiehall St junction is always on, while the light is always red for the cycle lane.
6. The cycle lane would be a lot slower.

I've never been beeped down there.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Is there a case for using the cycle lane for the benefit of others, just to keep the peace?

If you're slow like me, but you're not
Personally, I dislike that cycling lane in Berkley Street, I keep on the road when up there.

 

[Twilkes]

Agree with all those points. It's not happened often, but it tends to be when cars have to slow down to take the right hand corner at the end - the straight part is like a drag strip, but the 3rd or 4th car that tries to pass will have to slow down before they're quite past me, and usually just slowly drift back in to the left while I'm still there.

It's a shame because the cycle lane actually looks pretty good, there are just too many junctions and turns in major cities to make a segregated cycle route feasible for a cyclist who actually wants to travel any distance.

Thanks,

 

[mjr]

It's a shame because the cycle lane actually looks pretty good, there are just too many junctions and turns in major cities to make a segregated cycle route feasible for a cyclist who actually wants to travel any distance.

Not necessarily, but the highway authority needs to either close/restrict many of those junctions (as London finally seems to be), or put cycle routes along former or current waterways/railways and huge roads which aren't crossed by many other roads (as Bristol, Norwich and Cambridge have, at least some). Pussyfooting around and doing neither results in something that looks good but isn't.

 

[LetMeEatCake]

Pussyfooting around and doing neither results in something that looks good but isn't.

I think that's Glasgow City Council's active transport policy you've stumbled on there.

 

[boydj]

If you're slow like me, but you're not
Personally, I dislike that cycling lane in Berkley Street, I keep on the road when up there.

That cycle lane is good for the contra-flow cyclists heading from Sauchiehall St to Argyll St, and I'd imagine it would be good for kids heading for school down there. Heading west, though, there is just no point in using it.

 

[Southside Mike]

To some extent this goes to show how difficult it is to produce cycling infrastructure that suits all types of cyclist. I have some sympathy for GCC who have tried to produce something decent here and it is the sort of project which will encourage non cyclists to consider using a bike - plenty of people are happy with something slow if they feel safe.

I suppose the key is educating drivers that just because there is a cycle lane present that doesn't mean cyclists suddenly lose the right to use the road if they wish.

 

[Twilkes]

Again today, although I got beeped once I'd turned round the corner to the traffic lights that lead onto Sauchiehall Street and was only ten yards behind a car going the same speed as me, so their protest was a bit late. She slowed down to speak to me once on Sauchiehall Street, and either couldn't keep her car straight or was veering over towards me. Don't really have time for that sort of thing, so she moved on, but it puts a damper on your journey. And yes I caught up with her at the next set of red lights, but she didn't beep those for some reason.

If only they realised it was their own overinflated expectations of their driving that they were getting frustrated with.

 

[LetMeEatCake]

It's horrible when people get confrontational from the comfort of their large, secure, metal box. I really hate it and find it hard to settle down again for hours (brain circling and thinking of outstanding retorts, etc). Glad it didn't escalate into something nasty for you though - hope you were able to put the adrenalin to good use for the rest of your cycle.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Agreed, getting beeped at is not pleasant.

 

[Hip Priest]

Again today, although I got beeped once I'd turned round the corner to the traffic lights that lead onto Sauchiehall Street and was only ten yards behind a car going the same speed as me, so their protest was a bit late. She slowed down to speak to me once on Sauchiehall Street, and either couldn't keep her car straight or was veering over towards me. Don't really have time for that sort of thing, so she moved on, but it puts a damper on your journey. And yes I caught up with her at the next set of red lights, but she didn't beep those for some reason.

If only they realised it was their own overinflated expectations of their driving that they were getting frustrated with.

You're exactly right. I had a guy trying to pass me the other day, despite the fact that I was in primary and keeping up with the car in front. When the traffic sped up, I slipped into secondary, and he drove past giving me a 'get over' gesture. About 100 yards later he had to stop at the back of a long queue of stationary traffic, which I of course filtered past.

I blame the car adverts, which promise motorists the freedom of the open road. No wonder they feel short-changed.