CTC capitulation?

[ComedyPilot]

http://www.ctc.org.uk/blog/chris-peck/cycle-safety-fund-and-bedford-turbo-roundabout-some-facts

As a prospective member, I am not going to join now....

Much as I dislike BC's image and (IMO) a 'helmets everywhere' promotion (from images on their website) I do like their Chris Boardman led campaign, so might join BC now....

Seems the CTC gave the nod to spend 20m of DFT cycle-safety money on a roundabout that does nack all to help cyclists as 'it was the best of a bad bunch'

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

The CTC are useless.
And anyone who claims otherwise is a fool.

 

[BSRU]

http://www.ctc.org.uk/blog/chris-peck/cycle-safety-fund-and-bedford-turbo-roundabout-some-facts

As a prospective member, I am not going to join now....

Much as I dislike BC's image and (IMO) a 'helmets everywhere' promotion (from images on their website) I do like their Chris Boardman led campaign, so might join BC now....

Seems the CTC gave the nod to spend 20m of DFT cycle-safety money on a roundabout that does nack all to help cyclists as 'it was the best of a bad bunch'

Yes, it's being the rounds on twitter and Chris Peck has been annoying people on the CTC forum.
I am seriously considering not renewing my membership.

 

[snorri]

Seems the CTC gave the nod to spend 20m of DFT cycle-safety money on a roundabout that does nack all to help cyclists as 'it was the best of a bad bunch'

CTC along with BC.
This sort of thing crops up again and again in the UK where money for cycling has to be spent within a ridiculouly tight timescale or it is lost to some other project altogether, usually a non cycle project.

 

[TheDoctor]

If it's a choice between a farcility that's shite, or 'something else' I'd go for 'something else' every time.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

If it's a choice between a farcility that's s***e, or 'something else' I'd go for 'something else' every time.

Yep, in my line of work we frequently encounter the "spend or lose" situation - I mostly go for the "just keep the money" approach if it's gong to be a rush-job or to be spent on something ridiculous.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Seems like there were two choices, wipe your bum on a towel or on the carpet, and toilet roll wasn't even offered as an option.

 

[snorri]

Seems like there were two choices, wipe your bum on a towel or on the carpet, and toilet roll wasn't even offered as an option.

.........or opt out of the discussion group and later discover those who were left had come up with an even more flawed scheme.

 

[totallyfixed]

You can implement as many Dutch roundabouts as you like in this country, even if there was an unlimited fund to replace every one in the UK with Dutch style ones they would not work. The reason is glaringly obvious, unless traffic laws undergo a fundamental about face and give cyclists priority [in the Netherlands priority is signified by "sharks teeth" painted on the road] or their own traffic lights at major junctions, we can all forget it, it's pie in the sky.

 

[ComedyPilot]

We all know what is needed, and we (as a nation) don't blink an eye at highways spending - so isn't it about time the spending that IS done is done RIGHT?

 

[oldstrath]

We all know what is needed, and we (as a nation) don't blink an eye at highways spending - so isn't it about time the spending that IS done is done RIGHT?

The trouble is that as totallyfixed points out, what is needed is not just more money, but an acceptance that cycleways should have priority over crossing traffic. That's the key thing that makes the Dutch 'cycle round the outside' method work, but would be anathema to our carloving politicians, journalists and judiciary. Its also the thing CTC should be pushing for, but they are too busy being pally with the buggers.

 

[benb]

I had already decided not to renew my CTC membership, after their support for the awful "Nice Way Code" victim blaming BS.
This has made me even more sure.

 

[bikepacker]

When I was one of their RTR reps the CTC briefed against me at a public inquiry when I was making objections to road alterations on a reason of cycle safety.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Here's another view ... We can debate the pros and cons until the cows come home, but the only way to gather some evidence of how it works in the UK is to run the experiment. Sometimes the results run contrary to expectations.

 

[oldstrath]

Here's another view ... We can debate the pros and cons until the cows come home, but the only way to gather some evidence of how it works in the UK is to run the experiment. Sometimes the results run contrary to expectations.

I agree, empirical evidence is a good thing. But we already have lots - surely the CTC should argue for building on that, not simply ignoring it and starting again?