Cycle Lanes aren't compulsory

[mjr]

My experience is that 10m wide is so uncommon as to be bordering on the hypothetical.

But it SHOULDN'T be. There are plenty of places where this is appropriate, like on the approaches to Lynn town centre:
View attachment 93352

I'm glad they've sent back contractors who built metre wide crap. I think the only people to get away with that in West Norfolk was the Highways Agency, which tells you how good the Blair government was for cycling!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Most roads round here barley touch 10m wide, one road from here to Wakefield has a cycle lane for most of the journey, which in my mind is a complete waste of tax payers money, as bikes tend to keep to the left as should all vehicles apart from to avoid parked vehicles and other hazards or when turning right and road position for safety, it only serves to reinforce in many motorists heads bikes should use cycle lanes
Talking of position road safety I was going down a slight incline tonight approaching 30mph when a car that had bee about to over take had to slow for the up coming traffic Island, he or she would most likely have tried squeezing through as they overtook me, you can guess my road position.
I take no s*** of anyone throwing abuse at me for my road position unless I am wrong, which isn't very often but has been known to happen in a strange place once or twice.

 

[winjim]

Surely 10m is about the width of a dual carriageway, including the central reservation. Are we sure it's not 10ft we're talking about?

 

[youngoldbloke]

One of the most dangerous roads I use is a wide 2 lane road, with a cycle lane painted both sides EXCEPT at the pinch points caused by central islands with keep left bollards. The cycle lanes END some yards before the pinch point and restart some yards past. I often wonder what cyclists are supposed to do - the expectation seems to be that they get should get off the road at the pinch point as there is no longer a lane provided for them!
The danger is caused by motorists trying to sqeeze past at the pinch points. Of course I take primary through the pinch points - to the obvious annoyance of some drivers. The cycle lanes are completely unnecessary, as the lanes are wide enough for bikes and cars to pass safely - except at the pinchpoints, this is where a bike lane would be useful maybe. Total waste of money and paint.

 

[mjr]

I'd like to find an example of a single formal cycle facility in the UK which is 10m wide... even the nice shared use at his in Cambridge aren't that wide.

(And pedestrianised precincts don't count).

OK, how are you defining "formal cycle facility" and "pedestrianised precinct" to exclude the section of NCR1 in my attachment above?

And @winjim, 10m might be one direction of a small dual carriageway but most are much wider than that.

Around King's Lynn, we've a few stretches of 10m (mostly park routes - I'll take the tape measure to it today), quite a bit of 4m (again, away from major roads), the standard minimum is 3m (although they will stick posts and cabinets in it lately, which is irritating) and there's some metre wide crap by the Highways Agency's A47 junction.

 

[winjim]

My estimation of 10m may have been slightly out. For context, a motorway lane width is 3.65m, so 10m is just under the width of a standard three lane motorway carriageway, not including hard shoulder .

 

[Nigelnaturist]

We have chicanes with a slender cycle lane to the left of some not all around here, I don't use them either as some have parked cars at the entrance/exit full of debris as they never get wet, and where a slight gap would be useful i.e. anti-speed ramps some have them and some don't, what cycling infrastructure there is certainly hasn't been thought out by any cyclist.

 

[mjr]

Is that a formal cycle path? Is it 10m wide?

Yes, it's a formal cycle path, as I understand the term - it's been part of NCR1 as long as I can remember and there are signs pointing along it - but when I took the measure to it on the way to market this morning, the pictured section is only 9m wide! The gap to the bases of the trees is wider than I remember, so I think we may have lost half a metre each side during the park restoration project about a decade ago. I wanted to get back to work so I didn't measure the other wide sections to see if they've also shrunk similarly, but I will when I find time.

 

[Innes]

Just thought I'd throw this one in, wasn't going to bit here goes....... There I am heading to St Andrews on the cycle path, I have to whole track to myself until two cyclists heading towards me come into view, riding 2 abreast, I presumed they would slip into single file while we pass, both parties keeping left...... How mistaken was I!! I actually had to stop on the grass to let them pass. I can only assume this was because they were on expensive roadies wearing similarly expensive damn lycra. Clearly, if you don't ride the right bike or wear the correct gear you have no right to ride out in public.

 

[summerdays]

Just thought I'd throw this one in, wasn't going to bit here goes....... There I am heading to St Andrews on the cycle path, I have to whole track to myself until two cyclists heading towards me come into view, riding 2 abreast, I presumed they would slip into single file while we pass, both parties keeping left...... How mistaken was I!! I actually had to stop on the grass to let them pass. I can only assume this was because they were on expensive roadies wearing similarly expensive damn lycra. Clearly, if you don't ride the right bike or wear the correct gear you have no right to ride out in public.

It's up to you.... I'd have stopped on the path if I felt like it. Then they could ride onto the grass. In reality I'd probably move to the side, I even do it on pavements when walking and then think, you shouldn't be actually riding here so why should I give way to you.

 

[Innes]

It's up to you.... I'd have stopped on the path if I felt like it. Then they could ride onto the grass. In reality I'd probably move to the side, I even do it on pavements when walking and then think, you shouldn't be actually riding here so why should I give way to you.

Oh, I wasn't walking, I was cycling. I suppose I'm now a victim of the bellend cycling elite lol ;-)

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Oh, I wasn't walking, I was cycling. I suppose I'm now a victim of the bellend cycling elite lol ;-)

Do what I do when cars think they have priority over me with the chicane on their side, ride right at the buggers, usually because they are on my side of the road, and I can be a right nasty b sometimes.

 

[Drago]

I can see slight flaw with that course of action...

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Whats that.

 

[Drago]

If you lose the game of chicken then you'll be finishing your journey on a stretcher or in a coffin.