Head of AA says more cycle lanes are good for drivers.

[steveindenmark]

Changing the infrastructure is only one part of the issue. Changing the mindset of the population is a whole other, often neglected issue and needs to be addressed holistically and include specific measures for cyclists, motorists, pedestrians, shopkeepers, industrialists, educational establishments, environmentalists, the disabled, media, politicians and others.

It needs to include measures that recognise that there will always be places where the various modes of transport interact, and provide soft measures to make these areas acceptable and safe. Doing that would reduce the number of hard engineering measures needed.

I think you are right. Its more about the attitude of the people than the infrastructure. My rides are on cycle paths, roads and tracks. They really have the knack of putting these things in the right places here. I would much prefer to ride on cycle paths over here.

 

[mjr]

Changing the infrastructure is only one part of the issue. Changing the mindset of the population is a whole other, often neglected issue and needs to be addressed holistically and include specific measures for cyclists, motorists, pedestrians, shopkeepers, industrialists, educational establishments, environmentalists, the disabled, media, politicians and others.

I don't think it's neglected. Often that attempt at changing attitudes is the only thing done, because putting out adverts whining at people to be active and walk and cycle, or even not to drive dangerously near them, is far easier than changing the infrastructure.

But no amount of attitude change is enough while the infrastructure still punishes cycling and walking and rewards motorists for driving like dicks (fast cornering, failing to give way to people crossing, etc) near people not in cars, which so much in England outside a few cities does.

I'm sure we can all think of places that you can cycle through much faster and at least as safely if you freestyle and ignore what the car-brained road designer intends you to do.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I don't think it's neglected. Often that attempt at changing attitudes is the only thing done, because putting out adverts whining at people to be active and walk and cycle, or even not to drive dangerously near them, is far easier than changing the infrastructure.

But no amount of attitude change is enough while the infrastructure still punishes cycling and walking and rewards motorists for driving like dicks (fast cornering, failing to give way to people crossing, etc) near people not in cars, which so much in England outside a few cities does.

I'm sure we can all think of places that you can cycle through much faster and at least as safely if you freestyle and ignore what the car-brained road designer intends you to do.

I think that there are many involved in behaviour change that would throw their arms up at a claim it's easier than engineering solutions, or being done in any meaningful way.

 

[Alex321]

I think that there are many involved in behaviour change that would throw their arms up at a claim it's easier than engineering solutions, or being done in any meaningful way.

Not easier to actually get the changes you are looking for, but "easier" in the sense of requiring little development and low implementation costs and time.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Not easier to actually get the changes you are looking for, but "easier" in the sense of requiring little development and low implementation costs and time.

Perhaps, but there would need to be a lot of 'it depends' involved in that too.

 

[mjr]

I think that there are many involved in behaviour change that would throw their arms up at a claim it's easier than engineering solutions, or being done in any meaningful way.

Just as well that I didn't make that claim, then! I only said it isn't neglected, possibly because a half-ass ad campaign is punished less materially than half -ass engineering.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I rode in this cycle lane today.

 

[Solocle]

I rode in this cycle lane today.

View attachment 665361

Not today, but I quite liked this one