Southampton City Council gets cycle signs wrong

[downfader]

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8412795.Cyclists_told_not_to_ride___on_cycle_route/

Oh dear...

 

[marinyork]

Lol. I'm not surprised if you want council and sustrans bodge ups this is the start of Route 6. Note the no cycling on the right and the tiny Sustrans sticker on the left. Very recently Sustrans actually put some better stickers on it after a wait of about three years (ooh splashing out there). It gets even more ironic if you consider what's on the other side of the pole with the sticker on it (you can't see but I know)...

Amusingly enough in addition to this Sustrans' own mapping on their site mislabels their own route as going down the much more prominent no cycling route .

 

[downfader]

I did raise those signs with the council about 2 years back myself, oddly. I emailed Mr Bostock, I think he was called, the cycling officer to ask if they were officially direction to a cycle route (as I had been told by a PCSO) or were denoting shared facility. I forget the answer tbh so air on the side of caution and walk through there.

Didnt someone have a link to a sustrans blog a while back, with all the mistakes their volunteers have made..? I suppose they try their best, even if I dont fully see the benefits myself.

 

[Riverman]

Oh dear. Does'nt surprise me though. As for these signs in general, personally I hate the bloody things. They may deter people from cycling fast in that area where people are vulnerable but in reality they're just another tool for the little hitler policeman and psco's. Most are ok but others have no common sense. Common sense dictates that if you're going
slow on a bike and make yourself aware u are extremely unlikely to hit anyone. They're like taking a sledge hammer to a walnut.

 

[downfader]

Oh dear. Does'nt surprise me though. As for these signs in general, personally I hate the bloody things. They may deter people from cycling fast in that area where people are vulnerable but in reality they're just another tool for the little hitler policeman and psco's. Most are ok but others have no common sense. Common sense dictates that if you're going
slow on a bike and make yourself aware u are extremely unlikely to hit anyone. They're like taking a sledge hammer to a walnut.

What makes it even more amusing is that it links in with the Basepoint centre where theres a little cyclepath there. Often there are cafe signs on it, blocking it, or cars parked... and you get to the end and there is no official "End" marking or dismount. But apparently thats what you're meant to do. You see plenty of people (responsible, slow riding people too) who just ride through thinking it continues under the subway.

Then theres the subway under Castleway, I think it is. It comes out by waterstones cafe area. No "End" signs etc, so I presume you're allowed to ride through. I'm waiting for a PCSO to leap on me, LOL! Never had any problems with pedestrians down there moaning, although weirdly on the actual green, kerbed path I have had people grumble (them walking on the thing as I approach and slow, then wait for a safe time to pass)

 

[Riverman]

Yeah thats anothee thing. These rules breed contempt from pedestrians and that is not conducive to well being in society. Basically peds get pissed off when we break the rules. Also I note i can get a £30 fine for mounting the p avement whilsr rising my bike on the very wide pavements in shirley, yet the cycle.parking is on the pavement....

 

[downfader]

Yeah thats anothee thing. These rules breed contempt from pedestrians and that is not conducive to well being in society. Basically peds get pissed off when we break the rules. Also I note i can get a £30 fine for mounting the p avement whilsr rising my bike on the very wide pavements in shirley, yet the cycle.parking is on the pavement....

I aint worried about the cycle parking so much. I dont find it much of a problem to walk to it myself. It does make me laugh that here you can get fined for riding over the 2 foot of pavement between the cyclepath and ASL filter lane (I actually saw a Policeman telling off a lad for doing so 2 weeks back)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...LADesc0HK0I_4Nq4xF_bsw&cbp=12,291.66,,0,24.59

Would have been nice for the council to have a bit of common sense and realise its a bit daft for someone to stop, get off, walk the 2 steps and remount in the road.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

It does make me laugh that here you can get fined for riding over the 2 foot of pavement between the cyclepath and ASL filter lane (I actually saw a Policeman telling off a lad for doing so 2 weeks back)

That is f*cking ridiculous. Not just the pettiness of the police officer, but the piss-poor infrastructure that doesn't join up, and forces the cyclist either to (absurdly) dismount for 5 paces, or break the law.

 

[dodgy]

Read the commnents on the story, who would have predicted it would bring the idiots out

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

Cyclists ignore all signs anyway. They are a menace and they should be fined everytime they cycle on the pavement. A young male cyclist knocked a 90 year old lady over. She reprimanded him and the venom that came out of his mouth was shocking.

It's always 90-year-old ladies who get knocked over by these apocryphal venom-spewing cyclists, isn't it?

 

[downfader]

It's always 90-year-old ladies who get knocked over by these apocryphal venom-spewing cyclists, isn't it?

Its like I always say about anecdotes without proof.

However I do know that an elderly man was knocked down in Shirley High street a couple of years back and it broke his hip. There is an article on the paper's website somewhere..

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/3868666.Get_off_your_bike_/

Found it.

 

[Over The Hill]

I do not know the particular location but it is quite common for cycle paths to have bits on then in which cycling is prohibited.
Here in sunny Basingstoke the cycle path stops and you are directed out onto the fast roundabout to get across the ring road but are not allowed to cycle through the underpass that seems to be made for the purpose and is wide enough for peds and cyclists.

 

[Amanda P]

Its like I always say about anecdotes without proof.

However I do know that an elderly man was knocked down in Shirley High street a couple of years back and it broke his hip. There is an article on the paper's website somewhere..

http://www.dailyecho...off_your_bike_/

Found it.

Funny, isn't it. The odd 90-year old man is injured by a negligent cyclist, and it's in the paper. It doesn't take long to find the link.

Cyclists are injured by drivers at the rate of several every day. It's rarely in the news.

So why do we get so wound up about the odd pedestrian and completely ignore the dozens of cyclists (and pedestrians) hurt? (Rhetorical question; and for "we" read "the media").

 

[downfader]

Funny, isn't it. The odd 90-year old man is injured by a negligent cyclist, and it's in the paper. It doesn't take long to find the link.

Cyclists are injured by drivers at the rate of several every day. It's rarely in the news.

So why do we get so wound up about the odd pedestrian and completely ignore the dozens of cyclists (and pedestrians) hurt? (Rhetorical question; and for "we" read "the media").

Because everyone sees bad driving as normal behaviour now. People are used to it and use their wits to (hopefully) counter the negative effects. I think the media just react to what people tell them, and how they feel about things. Normality is rarely challenged until it affects you personally, then you just become a crank like the rest of us.

 

[StuartG]

Its like I always say about anecdotes without proof.

However I do know that an elderly man was knocked down in Shirley High street a couple of years back and it broke his hip. There is an article on the paper's website somewhere..

http://www.dailyecho...off_your_bike_/

Found it.

You can always quote this about the appropriately named Lady Risk for a bit of balance: http://road.cc/content/news/15032-lady-risk-fined-after-hitting-edinburgh-cyclist