Sustrans Wins the £50m Lottery Millions

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by glsammy

If it's anything like the so called cycle paths around here, it could end up being a right waste of money. Our wonderful Councils brilliant cycle path scheme is to paint a line down the existing walkways, dividing them in two.
The hilarious parts on one stretch is they suddenly change sides, so for half a mile your cycling on the right, then you're supposed to cycle on the left for the rest. Of course, there's no barriers between the walkway and the cycle path, so it's a really clever safe plan.

If you detect a certain bitterness in my post, I assure you it's nothing to do with the fact that MY pet scheme, the Sherwood Forest regeneration plan, lost!

The other great cycle routes are the ones on our already crowded roads where the council paint a line about 18" from the kerb and call that the cycle lane. The road hasn't been widened so cars generally have to drive in the "cycle lane" to allow for two way traffic. I'm sure because it's called a cycle lane the council have probably qualified for some sort of green refund or an EU grant.
I'm all for cycle routes along disused railway lines, and we sure have plenty of them. But painting lines on pavements or roads in book don't qualify. I look forward to seeing how this grant money is spent and how long it takes to get these routes up and running.

BWD

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by glsammy

If it's anything like the so called cycle paths around here, it could end up being a right waste of money. Our wonderful Councils brilliant cycle path scheme is to paint a line down the existing walkways, dividing them in two.
The hilarious parts on one stretch is they suddenly change sides, so for half a mile your cycling on the right, then you're supposed to cycle on the left for the rest. Of course, there's no barriers between the walkway and the cycle path, so it's a really clever safe plan.

Its actually contrary to the highways act 1980 (and subsequent updates)to put put a cycle path creation order on a footway (a footpath that runs paralel alongside a road), unless the path is widened to allow safe access for walkers and cyclists - the foot element needs to be at least 100cm (3ft3 in old money) - just painting a line doesnt cut it unless the path is wide enough to accomodate this

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by eeyore

Its actually contrary to the highways act 1980 (and subsequent updates)to put put a cycle path creation order on a footway (a footpath that runs paralel alongside a road), unless the path is widened to allow safe access for walkers and cyclists - the foot element needs to be at least 100cm (3ft3 in old money) - just painting a line doesnt cut it unless the path is wide enough to accomodate this

In that case the've clearly broken the law. No widening of the pathways, although it was quite wide to begin with, I'll have to get my tape measure out!
They did put in solid posts, right in the middle of the divide, with the signs showing which side your supposed to walk, I can just imagine some cyclist running into them. Litigation heaven.

[Blackbrook Eye]

We have a 'cycle path' through the village which is to say the least sparodic, it appears and dissipears as you travel along the roads, it is none existant on the narrow parts and reappears on the wider parts, that is if you can find it beneath the parked vehicles, leaving the village it runs along the narrow footpath beside the busy main road to Loughborough, at junction 23 of the M1 it stops, and then starts again on the other side when the dangerous part is passed, and continues down the footpath which is in a sorry state, crumbling and pot-holed. Having reached the outskirts of Loughborough it starts its 'now you see me now you dont' phase again, until the roundabout at the University where it stops again until the dangerous part is passed and then joins with the conglomoration of footpaths and bus lanes into the town. If some of the proposed spending improves stretches like this, then I am all for it but I wont be holding my breath.