Cycle lane protest in Clevedon.

[Deleted member 35268]

Superb infrastructure improvement.

 

[mjr]

Oooo, look at all that lovely fresh air out there..

Never used to be able to see it for the exhaust smoke.

Sand Bay and Uphill to the south have the right idea: most car parking is below the height of the sea defences and/or inland from the coast so people have to get out of their car and go for a walk to see anything, maybe spend some money on an ice cream or a coffee from a local business while they're in there. I think that's more successful from the "park on the beach and/or beach lawns but you have to pay" approach of Weston-super-Mare between them, but once a council gets hooked on car park income, it's a tough addiction to break.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Perhaps we should do a counter protest, perhaps troop down their en masse and fill the parking bays with bicycles.

I can't recall the full details, but I heard of one dispute between car drivers cyclists and other non private vehicle travelers, that resulted in a protest that proved a point.

The normally none car drivers had a bring your car to work day, just to emphasise the difference they normally make, and it was pretty much gridlock.

 

[steveindenmark]

If this was Denmark they would turn that huge footpath into a shared use cycle path/ footpath.

But maybe they do not have that concept in the UK.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Isn't the argument more the reduction of parking numbers that the changes create, and the impact on trade

Nah, they don’t even get out their cars or turn their heads. The ones who do trade park near the shops.

 

[Gillstay]

If this was Denmark they would turn that huge footpath into a shared use cycle path/ footpath.

But maybe they do not have that concept in the UK.

I talked to a chap in Bognor about it and he said they were worried about cyclists hitting pedestrians.

Not worried about the cars hitting cyclists and pedestrians though. I think that was more acceptable.

 

[mjr]

If this was Denmark they would turn that huge footpath into a shared use cycle path/ footpath.

But maybe they do not have that concept in the UK.

It's now discouraged in built-up areas in England, in favour of a cycleway next to the road and footway outside that. Maybe it's because some walkers and some riders here can be daffodils who won't share nicely, but the slopes in Clevedon probably make the downhill speed difference problematic too.

I would have thought Denmark would split the space similarly, but build it as one pavement with a dotted line up the middle to divide the cycleway from the footway.

 

[mjr]

Isn't the argument more the reduction of parking numbers that the changes create, and the impact on trade, rather than the cycle lane or direction of parking per se?

I'm pretty sure that's a proxy argument, being exploited because shopkeepers always overestimate the numbers who arrive by car and underestimate the importance of people arriving by bike and particularly on foot. https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/3/shopkeepers-rely-on-people-driving

 

[rivers]

The council has installed a new cycle lane along the front in Clevedon Somerset. This has upset motorists who can no longer park with their cars pointing out to sea as they'd previously been able to do so there has been a 'park in' protest. They now have to parallel park.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news...kCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Anyone on here live near there?

It's the next town over from me. There are a couple of cafes across the road from where this is- around which maybe half the trade is from cyclists. There is a large pay and display car park on the other end of the sea front, maybe 10 minutes walk away. There is plenty of on street parking a few minutes walk away as well.
The whole "protest is ridiculous...

 

[All uphill]

If this was Denmark they would turn that huge footpath into a shared use cycle path/ footpath.

But maybe they do not have that concept in the UK.

Definitely not invented here.

The thinking about transport of most people I know starts and ends with the private car.

The lunatics (eg me) who are keen on walking and cycling are a serious threat to our freedom to congest and pollute.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

It is one argument mentioned. But then the cost of it is specifically mentioned but fail to mention that it was funded by a grand from Government and not necessarily paid for by local tax payers,

Without trying to be confrontational WTF does it matter where the money comes from if it's a waste of the money, not saying that it is or not, but the source of it if it is immaterial.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Without trying to be confrontational WTF does it matter where the money comes from if it's a waste of the money, not saying that it is or not, but the source of it if it is immaterial.

I didn't say it mattered, zippy... But the local newspaper mentioned the costs without mentioning how it was funded which i thought was worth mentioning im sorry if this was offensive or completely irrelevant... The cost and the "it's a waste of money" argument is both not proven and is quite subjective as you say. I put forward on a later response the public consultation paper, in which the public's concerns were addressed by the council. It seemed they tried to address as many concerns as they could. Once again, it is a simple case of not being able to please all people, all of the time.

 

[Cycleops]

I think the thing about where the money comes from gives locals a stick to beat the council with as taxes rise. It's seen as an unnecessary spend by many.

 

[steveindenmark]

I talked to a chap in Bognor about it and he said they were worried about cyclists hitting pedestrians.

Not worried about the cars hitting cyclists and pedestrians though. I think that was more acceptable.

We have shared footpaths all over Denmark. 1000s of kilometers of them. As a cyclist I share them with pedestrians, Ape's, mopeds, horses, dog walkers, prams etc.

We all get on very well most of the time We understand what sharing is.

 

[Mike_P]

I think the thing about where the money comes from gives locals a stick to beat the council with as taxes rise. It's seen as an unnecessary spend by many.

Central Government have been giving local councils monies for pedestrian and cycling improvements. It cannot be spent for anything else but most objectors always miss that.