Cyclepaths - a scam?!

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Check out this 'cyclepath' running alongside the A3, is this an attempt to provide valuable cycling infrastructure in Surrey, or was it easy to lay with spare tarmac so that the council could say "look look, we have just built x many miles of dedicated, off road cycle facilities!

Oh yeah, and it is only acessible by walking over the bridge you see at the end of the video, as the bridge has steps all the way up and down! It does have a cycle sign at the start of the bridge though, which is why I ended up over on that side of the A3 instead of backtracking a little. Very helpful.

Still, it did nothing to dampen my spirits.

 

[bonj2]

good video! your camera's got quite good sound.

i don't get how you ended up back where you started without realising, if it was running by the side of the A3 all the time. Did you always stay on the same side of the road, and not double back on yourself? Maybe draw it on a map and point out to the council how pointless it is.

But, another point to make - ALL cycle paths that aren't on roads (and a lot that are) will be crap in terms of having debris and brambles on them, because cars don't sweep it away. Cars actually do us a favour in this way - by sweeping debris off the road keeping it nice and smooth. I'm afraid it's a simple fact of life that road bikes' tyres are only really designed to cope with surfaces where cars have already been, because most of the time that's all they need to. However, they can often cope with more than you might think - there is some tolerance. For example, i'd have been quite happy ploughing straight through that rought bit that you stopped for although i'm guessing you stopped to film it.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

I got back where I started by coming off the cyclepath at the next junction, and making my way on road from then on. I was out exploring, no idea about the local area, and my sense of direction must have failed me because it let me work my way back in a big loop back to where I started. D'oh!

I only ended up on the cycle path because I didn't want to carry my bike back over the bridge when I found out that the road that I had been on ended at the bridge, and didn't continue on the other side.

The cyclepath is utterly pointless, as it starts in the middle of nowhere - at the foot of that bridge (where there is only a bus stop, nothing else) and runs along the A3 to the next junction where it runs out!