Why is riding on the footpath an offence?

[Nigelnaturist]

[QUOTE 3144726, member: 45"]Some 100c scooters will struggle to maintain 40mph climbing a hill of the gradient that you can find on a motorway with someone on the back.[/QUOTE]
So would my truck fully loaded 20mph on some of them, so 40 is quite fast.

 

[MontyVeda]

As far as I am concerned, the overwhelming of all of this is about educating drivers.

I think we all agree on that... especially the nobber drivers like a very close relative of mine who criticises cyclists for being on the road instead of on a dedicated cycle track, then criticises them for being on the pavement instead of on the the road Make yer fecking mind up!!!

But educating drivers shouldn't be instead of creating a decent cycling infrastructure, it should be as well as.... the main problem is they are creating a cycling infrastructure of sorts, but not really addressing the issue of educating drivers.

I suggest all drivers undertake re-training/refresher courses every five years in order to retain their driving licence. These courses should be free, compulsory, and the syllabus determined by representatives from various groups of road users (utility cyclists, road/race cyclists, horse riders, HGV, PCV, mobility scooters, the Tufty club and so on). How would our driver/cyclists feel about this?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I think we all agree on that... especially the nobber drivers like a very close relative of mine who criticises cyclists for being on the road instead of on a dedicated cycle track, then criticises them for being on the pavement instead of on the the road Make yer fecking mind up!!!

But educating drivers shouldn't be instead of creating a decent cycling infrastructure, it should be as well as.... the main problem is they are creating a cycling infrastructure of sorts, but not really addressing the issue of educating drivers.

I suggest all drivers undertake re-training/refresher courses every five years in order to retain their driving licence. These courses should be free, compulsory, and the syllabus determined by representatives from various groups of road users (utility cyclists, road/race cyclists, horse riders, HGV, PCV, mobility scooters, the Tufty club and so on). How would our driver/cyclists feel about this?

The current driving tests are specific, questions relating to PSV or HGV.
It shouldn't be free to retain your license as it should be a matter of keeping up with current regulations, it shouldn't be down to tax payers to fund it.

 

[Dan B]

Maybe you should go back up the thread and check again who posted this as it wasn't me.

OK ...

I think pedestrians are to blame for not knowing how to use shared paths. [rant]

Agree with all the above [more rant]

 

[Learnincurve]

[QUOTE 3144673, member: 45"]

The latter is an interesting proposition. Do you have much evidence of this emerging? I'm seeing the opposite -that there's more and more cycling provision going in with new roads. It's not always the best design, but much of it is pretty good.[/QUOTE]

Chesterfield, just chesterfield in general. I'm not sure of the exact details because I can't drive and it all started happening a couple of years before I moved back here but they made two roads duel carriageways, extended something near Hasland (you can see a lot more mess on google maps to the east side of chesterfield towards bolsover as well) and recently opened some motorway shopping junction thing. On the west side we have chesterfield to chatsworth/the rest of Derbyshire which has two roads running parallel to each other a nice safe B road and then an A road with HGVs thundering along on it, it becomes a problem when the two roads merge. On top of that there is a regeneration scheme that seems to have halted and taken out one of the bike paths with it because the council are saying cutting back the nettles is the regeneration people's problem.

In a nut shell chesterfield cycling campaign seem to be playing catch up with all the road works.

 

[summerdays]

There is a new (ish) road in Bristol without cycle provision!!! The link road from the A38 to the Mall. It even has signs saying there is a cycle path up in the overgrowth at the side of the road. The signs were put up 3 years ago when Bovis started building and they have failed to provide the cycle path or even a path. That is why you see the more in experienced and pedestrians cycling along the central raised area in the middle of the road. It really annoys me as it means the easiest ways to get to the Mall are either the car or the bus.

 

[Learnincurve]

[QUOTE 3145120, member: 45"]Thanks. So what does the council cycling network say about these roads and alternative routes?[/QUOTE]
http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/node/4 the summer 2014 pdf gives a good overview of the campaign in general

http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/publications/cycleinteractiveframe.html shows the glaring gaps in the town centre cycle network, bottom right corner just after the roundabout you will see an L and vicar lane, that is the start of the main shopping centre and in actual fact there is a very wide pedestrian pathway running under the duel carriageway leading to it, everyone cycles on that bit of pavement.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

You assume that people will who are put off are also incompetent. I know people who are perfectly competent at tasks who would fall to pieces if you said they had to pass a test before doing the task. Plus to carry on your car analogy would we need a fleet of tandems to allow 'learners' to be controlled by a 'licensed' rider whilst they build their competence?

I agree that's how it reads but it's not what I mean't ie all those who are put off by tests are incompetent. That clearly would not be the case.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I think we all agree on that... especially the nobber drivers like a very close relative of mine who criticises cyclists for being on the road instead of on a dedicated cycle track, then criticises them for being on the pavement instead of on the the road Make yer fecking mind up!!!

But educating drivers shouldn't be instead of creating a decent cycling infrastructure, it should be as well as.... the main problem is they are creating a cycling infrastructure of sorts, but not really addressing the issue of educating drivers.

I suggest all drivers undertake re-training/refresher courses every five years in order to retain their driving licence. These courses should be free, compulsory, and the syllabus determined by representatives from various groups of road users (utility cyclists, road/race cyclists, horse riders, HGV, PCV, mobility scooters, the Tufty club and so on). How would our driver/cyclists feel about this?

I'd be happy with refresher courses tbh - I think that everyone drifts off the pace over time esp' as road conditions are rapidly changing as each decade rolls by.

I'm of the opinion that a refresher course should mimic the current test.

I have no idea what user groups have any input into the current test arrangements suffice to say that any group who has an input should be part of the same testing process otherwise the proposition veers down an anti-car route which doesn't work for me.

 

[Learnincurve]

[QUOTE 3145181, member: 45"]Is there any info on the roads you mention?[/QUOTE]

Full map is a pound from the shop,

proposed route: http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/sites/default/files/file/maps/ugmap.jpg

Derbyshire county council's smaller map:
http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/sites/default/files/file/maps/cyclederbyshiremap-may2011.pdf

If you look to the west of chesterfield on the council map you can see the A619 to baslow, with the b roads running above it and then the bit that they merge. That part is legitimately the most terrifying bit of road you will ever even drive down let alone ride.

 

[theclaud]

I'd be happy with refresher courses tbh - I think that everyone drifts off the pace over time esp' as road conditions are rapidly changing as each decade rolls by.

I'm of the opinion that a refresher course should mimic the current test.

I have no idea what user groups have any input into the current test arrangements suffice to say that any group who has an input should be part of the same testing process otherwise the proposition veers down an anti-car route which doesn't work for me.

It works great for me. Cars are a more-or-less unmitigated disaster for social life, public space, health, the ecosystem and the individual imagination. Perhaps the only thing to be said for them is that without them there'd be even fewer places for teenagers to have sex.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

It works great for me. Cars are a more-or-less unmitigated disaster for social life, public space, health, the ecosystem and the individual imagination. Perhaps the only thing to be said for them is that without them there'd be even fewer places for teenagers to have sex.

Social life: not an unmitigated disaster for me quite the opposite in fact.

The ecosystem: where do you stop? Think of the footprint of a bicycle from obtaining the raw materials through to production and transportation to end-user etc. And then there's all the associated paraphernalia of cycle ownership/use and then there is the impact of any current cycle infrastructure that exists and any that may come to fruition.

Public space: not sure what you mean?

Individual imagination: you've lost me!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Re #206 & #207

I didn't say a bicycle was worse for the ecosystem I just said where do you stop?

Cars & car users seem to take a fair share of stick on this forum but it's ok to use a bicycle that has created a much bigger carbon footprint than going about your daily business on a pair of bare feet?

 

[Markymark]

I love my cars.

I love my bikes.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

[QUOTE 3146715, member: 45"]Why are you comparing bicycles with walking? We're talking about bikes and cars.[/QUOTE]

No - you are talking about cars and bicycles but I am talking about where do you stop in terms of ecosystem impact which was my point in #205.

Seems to be that there is a whole heap of selectivity going on by some of the cycling community who are happy to bang on about the damage caused by cars to the ecosystem but neglect the fact that their cycle(s) have an environmental impact too. I mentioned bare feet as the truly saintly would spurn bikes and walk everywhere on them.