Quote:
Originally Posted by earthdragon64  My biggest bugbear though is why cyclists ride on a main road when there is a perfectly good cycle track just yards away. Highland council has recently spent a lot of money to put in a cycle track/footpath up to Glenmore, but some cyclists still insist on riding on the road which is really busy with tourist traffic and buses. There is also a cycle track running alongside the A9 on the approach to Slochd summit, which has had several fatal accidents on it, but again, some cyclists still ride on the road, why?  |
Sometimes the cycleways are unsuitable for cycling. They may be littered with stones, potholes and glass, or be encroached by overgrown hedges. They may mean you have to stop every 50 yards as you lose the right of way at every side road that you meet, no good if you are actually trying to get somewhere. Or even if you have the right of way, motorists fail to recognise it, so you are put at greater risk. They may be full of pedestrians, so you can't make progress. Many are very poorly thought out, designed by people who have clearly not ever been keen or commuter cyclists, don't seem to realise that being forced to stop every minute does not make an acceptable cycle route.
I agree with Mike, and agree with every item on his list (I used to do a similar mileage to him by bike until very recently, so a serious cyclist) .. there are unfortunately too many lycra louts who then give all cyclists a bad name. I suspect the same people are also antisocial/dangerous drivers when behind the wheel.
Melanie