Benches better than cycle lanes, claims councillor

wycombewheeler wrote:

while they are putting in benches to accomodate people taking a mid walk rest, perhaps they can make drinking water available so cyclists can get a refill mid ride.

Surely freely available potable water in all areas would reduce the number of single use plastic bottles being sold.

Great idea. I have my doubts that the Big Water Lobby would allow it though.

hawkinspeter wrote:

wycombewheeler wrote:

while they are putting in benches to accomodate people taking a mid walk rest, perhaps they can make drinking water available so cyclists can get a refill mid ride.

Surely freely available potable water in all areas would reduce the number of single use plastic bottles being sold.

Great idea. I have my doubts that the Big Water Lobby would allow it though.

Didn't Bristol put in free water fountains all around the city centre?

Unfortunately, they finished the project just before Covid hit and everyone became afraid of touching anything out in public without bleach spray and rubber gloves...

(Mind you, even before Covid, you wouldn't get me using the one in Broadmead that the interesting folks who hang around outside the mini Tesco's used as a "litter" bin...).

hawkinspeter wrote:

wycombewheeler wrote:

while they are putting in benches to accomodate people taking a mid walk rest, perhaps they can make drinking water available so cyclists can get a refill mid ride.

Surely freely available potable water in all areas would reduce the number of single use plastic bottles being sold.

Great idea. I have my doubts that the Big Water Lobby would allow it though.

I'm sure the water companies would not mind as long as someone was paying for the water.

I think metered water is about £1.30 per cubic meter in Bristol or 7.7 litres for a penny. Remember that the next time you buy bottled water for a pound. a pennys worth of water and 99p for the plastic + the inefficiency of transporting full bottles to the consumer. 

This app shows places that will happily refill your water bottle for free - I can't vouch for how many places will have signed up for it on your routes but it works pretty well. 

https://www.refillapp.com

markieteeee wrote:

This app shows places that will happily refill your water bottle for free - I can't vouch for how many places will have signed up for it on your routes but it works pretty well. 

https://www.refillapp.com

Quite useful, but I'd prefer taps outside which are available 24 hours per day, rather than business which are open some of the time. Taps which spring closed will prevent water wastage by people leaving them on.

Weirdly, after this conversation, I just heard today that 100 new water fountains have been opened in London.  They're supposed to be in busy and accessible places, so possibly aimed at people on foot but it's a start at least.  I'm off now to top mine up at the Oval tube and see what they're like.

markieteeee wrote:

Weirdly, after this conversation, I just heard today that 100 new water fountains have been opened in London.  They're supposed to be in busy and accessible places, so possibly aimed at people on foot but it's a start at least.  I'm off now to top mine up at the Oval tube and see what they're like.

sounds like good progress, as long as you can get the water into a bidon, and it doesn't just trickle out so you can only get a mouthfull with you face an inch  from the plumbing.

Well the one at Oval was covered up - it didn't say why - so I didn't get to try it anyway. But yes, they're designed to fill bottles from above, to reduce single-use plastic waste, rather than let someone stick their gob on it during a pandemic. So the idea is good even if I didn't get to use one today. A pub a few hunded metres away filled me up and threw in a few ice cubes for good measure. 

markieteeee wrote:

Well the one at Oval was covered up - it didn't say why - so I didn't get to try it anyway. But yes, they're designed to fill bottles from above, to reduce single-use plastic waste, rather than let someone stick their gob on it during a pandemic. So the idea is good even if I didn't get to use one today. A pub a few hunded metres away filled me up and threw in a few ice cubes for good measure. 

I understand it's standard in London for infrastructure that benefits cyclist to be removed quite soon after being installed. So presumably there were many vociferous complaints about the hazards these water fountains caused to inattentive car drivers, and that there would be an increase in pollution.

Well after a while the water fountains might leak, causing the area around to get slippery and dangerous - much better to remove them straight away. A sort of pre-emptive hazard removal.

"aimed at people on foot"? - well hopefully not aimed at cyclists. I get wet enough as it is

joe9090 wrote:

"in respect of cycle lanes which are continuing to cause a huge amount of local concern and distress amongst the public."...

-_-

Living in the Netherlands I see this everywhere. We have so many freaking bike lanes and the societal fabric is only just barely holding together. Some Dutch folk are even using recreational drugs in order to deal with the situation. 

Look, we're proud of our national heritage of driving everywhere and drinking to excess (and sometimes both at the same time though that is frowned upon). The last thing we want is clean, cheap and effective transport and we need to keep our brains pickled in alcohol to keep us thinking in a purely tribal manner - we don't want your devil's lettuce opening us up to foreign ideas.

And another thing, the Netherlands numbers bike paths. Motorists are really scared of this - its bad enough have main highways numbered, but suburban roads will all have to be numbered to conform to the Dutch system. Imagine trying to find your mum's place at 36 route 7.

I love the idea that cycle lanes cause distress!

I suppose this is actually the case for many people, and it's why they are so irrational in their hatred of them. The old world order is being upset, one bike lane at a time!

We Don't Want No Cycle Paths Here https://t.co/WQqYYLXvZs

CyclingJudy wrote:

I love the idea that cycle lanes cause distress! I suppose this is actually the case for many people, and it's why they are so irrational in their hatred of them. The old world order is being upset, one bike lane at a time! We Don't Want No Cycle Paths Here https://t.co/WQqYYLXvZs

Maybe they're getting cycle paths and psychopaths mixed up! 

I thought you use floo powder; and no the seats are for those who get tired half way through walking to and from the bus stop. Maybe more bus stops would be a better option, so commuters don't have to walk so far. Of course a modern seating style would have the drinking fountain built-in, not to mention a weather shelter as well, and stick up a pole to alert people to their presence - oh wait a minute, that is a bus shelter.

Useful when rolling home from the pub though.

Plus moronic trolls could hide under them and pop out to annoy people with their tedious and risible opinions.

Excellent comeback, not seen that since primary school, "You are but what am I?" 

Nige is back on the normal distraction from the point technique.

Opposition to cycling infrastructure, let's talk about E-Bikes instead.

Transparent once more.

Surreyrider wrote:

Sir (?) Ron has unwittingly pointed out the need for cycle lanes (but he's too stupid to realise). If people need a rest on a bench (honourable exceptions aside) on the way to a bus stop, they really do need to think about their nactive way of life and consider a more active one. 

or else the bus stops are too far apart, and they need to consider wether their public transport system meets the needs of residents.