http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2010/01/10/cycle-pathic-behaviour/ Permaculture solutions for a sustainable world Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:41:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2010/01/10/cycle-pathic-behaviour/comment-page-1/#comment-53 aranya Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:34:05 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=624#comment-53 Thanks Gary, Good points. Many roads are just not wide enough to take an extra cycle lane. I'd prefer dedicated cycle routes anyway given the chance, as many roads are just lethal for cyclists these days. Dangerous roads mean that more people give up cycling for the apparent safety of a car, making the problem even worse. A nasty 'spiral of erosion'. I'm so glad to be able to work so much from home in between courses, when I do find myself in rush hour traffic, I'm amazed that so many people will put up with that day in day out. Thanks Gary, Good points. Many roads are just not wide enough to take an extra cycle lane. I’d prefer dedicated cycle routes anyway given the chance, as many roads are just lethal for cyclists these days. Dangerous roads mean that more people give up cycling for the apparent safety of a car, making the problem even worse. A nasty ‘spiral of erosion’. I’m so glad to be able to work so much from home in between courses, when I do find myself in rush hour traffic, I’m amazed that so many people will put up with that day in day out.

]]> http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2010/01/10/cycle-pathic-behaviour/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Gary Finch Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:06:06 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=624#comment-52 The Borough of Poole has miles and miles of cycle lanes and in the early days they could've been labelled the "Road to Nowhere", great for a family Sunday toddle but of no use to any one thinking of commuting for work. When I questioned the point of these to a local authority transport officer he explained that putting cycle lanes on traffic routes prompted more complaints than anything else and that once the council were confident that the public were used to the idea of cycle paths, more would be introduced - This has happened and also Poole is forwarding thinking in haveing an advisory group of local residents that are also cyclists. We still have some very daft bits that are on a bend and very narrow or only a couple of metres long, but werever a pavement is wide enough it will be split for pedestrians and cyclists and often when roads are being resurfaced a cycle path gets put in as well. A large problem wherever you live is that roads were not designed to be shared and are often not wide enough. On another note if any of you work for a larger company try to encourage them to sign up to the goverments "Cycle to Work" scheme - You will get the opportunity to purchase a new bike on a hire purchase model that is taken from your gross income which means you get the bike at a 30% dicount, get fitter and help to lower your carbon footprint considerably The Borough of Poole has miles and miles of cycle lanes and in the early days they could’ve been labelled the “Road to Nowhere”, great for a family Sunday toddle but of no use to any one thinking of commuting for work. When I questioned the point of these to a local authority transport officer he explained that putting cycle lanes on traffic routes prompted more complaints than anything else and that once the council were confident that the public were used to the idea of cycle paths, more would be introduced – This has happened and also Poole is forwarding thinking in haveing an advisory group of local residents that are also cyclists. We still have some very daft bits that are on a bend and very narrow or only a couple of metres long, but werever a pavement is wide enough it will be split for pedestrians and cyclists and often when roads are being resurfaced a cycle path gets put in as well. A large problem wherever you live is that roads were not designed to be shared and are often not wide enough. On another note if any of you work for a larger company try to encourage them to sign up to the goverments “Cycle to Work” scheme – You will get the opportunity to purchase a new bike on a hire purchase model that is taken from your gross income which means you get the bike at a 30% dicount, get fitter and help to lower your carbon footprint considerably

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