By: G

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 01:02:50 +0000

In reply to Steve R. Right on!

By: Steve R

Steve R — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 00:56:31 +0000

As a longtime cyclist, I find I am very frustrated by current cycle facility design. They are too slow, and often more dangerous than what they replaced.
Here in Dunedin, the design speed for the $8M one way cycle lanes was 25kph, but that is too fast to travel them safely. The obstructed visibility, narrowness, cars blocking the lane or turning in front of you, concrete blocks jutting into the lane, dangerous terminal junctions at both ends, huge delays at lights, being on the wrong side of the road, and unnecessary road crossings (one of which relies solely on motorists for cyclist safety!) make it largely unusable IMO.
If cyclists choose to ride the roadway rather than the cycleway, it is a design failure (to paraphrase the Dutch).
No, I am not the target audience, but then I don’t believe most cycle facilities are built for cyclists of any experience; rather they are built for motorists (the “trade offs” (design failures) are largely borne by cyclists, not motorists). If cyclists were designing our roads, cycle facilities would look very different from what we have today. If motorists had to put up with the tradeoffs that cyclists do, then the works would never be undertaken.
I am much happier about recent moves to have widespread reductions in urban speed limits (likely delayed by the recent change in government…), which will increase safety for all road users and largely remove the need for cycleways, and therefore any negative effects associated with them.

Comments on: Flashback Friday: Are new cycleways OK for existing cyclists?

By: G

By: Steve R