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Cycle pathMajority of people support building more segregated cycle lanes, new research finds
A new study has found 64 per cent of people support building more segregated cycle lanes, even if it means less road space for cars.
The research from the Department for Transport, found the majority of people support the roll out of dedicated cycle lanes.
The survey, conducted annually, also showed that the creation of more off-road cycle paths would encourage 55 per cent of us to cycle regularly.
Safer roads in general (53 per cent) and better maintained road surfaces (49 per cent) would also help get more people out on bikes.
Interestingly, the people who said that none of the options given would make them cycle more were then asked why they felt that was.
The most common answer given was 'cycling is not for people like me' (27 per cent).
Despite that, nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) supported the creation of dedicated cycle lanes in their local area, even if that meant less road space for cars.
Other findings from the report, The National Travel Attitudes Study, included the fact that only 58 per cent of respondents felt confident when riding a bike.
Out of those brave enough to admit they didn't feel confident about their cycling skills, 14 per cent said they would like to attend a training course.
The survey also looked at the rise of e-bikes and people's attitudes towards them.
Nearly two in three said they still know very little about them and 51 per cent said they think electric bikes are too expensive.
However, the idea of being able to try riding an e-bike in a traffic free environment (40 per cent) or being loaned one for a month (32 per cent) were both viewed as good ways of getting more people riding electric bicycles.
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But... the last is only not the case with drivers on normal roads because driving on the cycle path / footway / rolling a vehicle up there is seen...
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I think you're missing an opportunity to pack even more tech into it - add accelerometers that can detect whether they're pedalling or stepping....
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Thanks. I guess the question is "need". If the road is busy, it sounds like it is a desired route between places? In which case (given this an...
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Don't know what you mean. I thought my suggestion was entirely practical.
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I'd buy a motorbike fo rthat kind of money!
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14 comments
Be careful what you wish for: Yes, segregated cycle lanes are probably fantastic if they are done properly but how likely is that in the UK? Here in Germany we have plenty of segregated cycle lanes. Normally they are a bit of paint of the pavement and are full of the usual dog-walkers, pedestrians, parked cars, junctions without priority, etc. Sometimes, out of town, they are paths seperated from the road by a couple of meters of grass and almost always very poorly surfaced, with tree roots making them all but unrideable on a road bike. Sometimes a mixture of the above. Occasionally you will get a good one, but that doesn't help unless you know where it is!
The big problem is that these cycle lanes are often mandatory, so not only do you get close-passed, you get close-passed with horn blaring!
I got stopped and ticketed last year. My crime? Riding on the road.
The Netherlands have made a good job of it, apparently. But will the UK make that level of investment?
So as a cycle commuter I've had a go at persuading my colleagues to join me. Without success. They all have the same issue and it's that they don't feel safe on the roads. Now here in ipswich there are a few cycle lanes, however they all share a common feature. They are inconsistent and broken up. It'll go for a few hundred yards and then randomly be diverted to share the pavement for a bit before rejoining. Or it'll simply disappear for several hundred yards leaving you to join the traffic most often at a large junction or roundabout (point of highest risk). My colleagues want simply continuous cycle paths leading from the main urban areas to town centre and back. No breaks, no weird pavement sections and on road markings to support navigation at junctions.
Rightly so. Because they aren't. All the driver training and tough road laws in the world aren't as good as segregated cycle lanes.
Which is as much about motorists behaviour in Ipswich towards cyclists than lack of joined up cycle lanes. NSRAPT tweeted about a close pass operation in Ipswich just last week, they didn't share any figures of motorists stopped, but they received plenty of the usual anti cycling bingo card stuff back in response. And yet an example here shows why they are needed and why some will only ride if they are segregated, the car didn't overtake me on the exit, its actually attempting to overtake me on the roundabout. https://youtu.be/nfB5_Xn0u_k
It's the slowness of that pass that shocked me on that one.
A very good example of why we need segregated cycle lanes. Particularly good because it's not immediately clear the driving is even in breach of road laws. (I may well be forgetting something that should be completely obvious though.)
Arguably, the wording of the law requires _any_ vehicle on a roundabout to give way to the right. The driver came from the cyclist's right. Daft, right?
Even if our road laws were better written, cars and bikes wouldn't mix well. As it is, segregation is the only answer.
I suspect unfortunately this support is also conditional on the road space taking away not being anywhere they drive...
Did you read the article?
"...nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) supported the creation of dedicated cycle lanes in their local area, even if that meant less road space for cars"
Chart 6
I suspect they might still get a bit "I meant down that road over there, I don't want to lose my parking space here" if they were put in though.
I agree - it's a bit like new housing. Everyone's in favour until a specific site near them is proposed. Even then, it might be that a majority are still in favour but they'll be silent and a noisy minority will claim to speak for the community.
How fortunate that we live in a democracy where the majority view sets policy, not those who shout the loudest.*
And I'm sure that this survey will be headline news in all the media.**
*May contain several shipping containers of irony.
**Definitely contains truckloads of irony.
Where is the question 'would lower rates of bike theft encourage you to ride more'? This isn't the same as more security at home & work.
So, does this mean that the ripped out cycle lanes will be re-instated? Will Kensington High Street now abide by the will of the people?
Link to the study.