Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => On The Road => Topic started by: mattc on 06 December, 2012, 07:12:22 pm

Title: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: mattc on 06 December, 2012, 07:12:22 pm: Just started a new (probably just this month) commute. I should have known it was too good to be true - gritted roads, flat, short enough to wear normal clothes, quiet (cos I start after 9).

I'm wondering if I've set a record for cycle-path related 'comment' from motons. 5 rides (using the road evenings only*), 5 remarks (if I include horns). It's well under a mile, and wide enough for bike-car-car if folks are careful. And quiet - around a dozen cars pass me in that time, so there is negligible delay for anyone.

For fux sake. ::-)

Anyone care to post their claims for this record? I reckon that as a %age of drivers encountered, my chances aren't bad :)

(Reasons not to use the cycle-path:
- no grit, and I like some daylight - or at least streetlights - to spot ice/snow patches.
- *it's RH-side only, so I use it in the morning, but in the dark you'll get headlights straight at you.
- too narrow for 2 riders (without careful co-operation). and noone wants to swerve off the pavement into 60-limit traffic, do they?
- being RH-side, there is a horrendous roundabout crossing to negotiate at the far end. If you use the road it is utterly fine.
- bloody mindedness. Of course. :smug: )
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: clarion on 06 December, 2012, 07:14:31 pm: You cyclists are just looking for confrontation.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Morrisette on 06 December, 2012, 09:30:05 pm: First ride out in the dark this year, so I've gone about three miles - some incomprehensible yelling about how my lights are 'too bright'. Guy doing the yelling is riding over the common in the pitch dark with no lights or reflectors at all ::-) Not a moton as such, but definitely an idiot!
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Fab Foodie on 06 December, 2012, 10:36:56 pm: LOL
I used to commute the 1.5 miles from home to the office o the pub-hack-bike along the road and got so much abuse I ended-up taking all their advice and using the perfectly good shared use path parallel to the road. It took twice as long but was more peaceful.
I ended up walking and then the bastards moved my job 86 miles down the M4 to Bristol ... and to make matters worst they've now moved it to the other side of Dublin!
Now that is a cycle-commute ....
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Freya on 07 December, 2012, 01:19:01 am: Out of interest: is there any particular reason why this is happening? Seems odd just to be a coincidence
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: John Henry on 07 December, 2012, 07:26:23 am: Quote from: Freya on 07 December, 2012, 01:19:01 am
Out of interest: is there any particular reason why this is happening? Seems odd just to be a coincidence

I get the impression it's generally worse this time of year. Crowded roads because nobody's on holiday, dark, bad weather, stress, BBC documentaries... we're an easy group to single out and moan at.

I've had no problems on the road, but the number of moans about cyclists at work has definitely increased.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Pancho on 07 December, 2012, 07:51:44 am: For urban A-road DC (with intermittent pavement cyclepaths) commuting I used to wear headphones and loud music so as to better ignore the muppets. It wasn't always successful - mainly because I was a youthful combative idiot who would note the drivers who hooted at me so that I could then knock on their windows in the next traffic jam and ask what the problem was. Actually, it may have been a silly habit - but in retrospect now, it was quite amusing.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: rogerzilla on 07 December, 2012, 10:02:15 am: Matt, is that the newish road past the power station to the A34 junction? That's an awful cycling road; I'd use Sutton Courtenay instead.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: David Martin on 07 December, 2012, 06:06:47 pm: I used to go through the Milton estate to the station, having crossed the A34 by the railway.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: mattc on 07 December, 2012, 08:15:56 pm: I'm guessing Roger means the A4130? No, I'm not brave enough to cycle along there! The cycle-path there is OK, but I've only needed it about twice. that road is only really useful to drive to the A34.

I'm talking about the parallel road to the North (which I suspect DM used). It actually predates the Milton estate (which IIRC is actually private road? not sure ... ), it's on the older maps.
It's actually the best E-W road outside of rush-hour - often deserted, especially at the weekend. DPCC chain-gang tears down it between 7&8pm in the summer, no problem.

But for some reason, at 6:10pm the motons have a very different view. It's very odd.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: David Martin on 07 December, 2012, 10:45:58 pm: I used to live in Steventon so that is the one I used.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: anotherdeadhero on 11 December, 2012, 12:24:11 pm: Our village has just got a spanky new cycle lane. Issues:

1) Dumps cyclists onto fast road on blind corners in two locations
2) Many blind corners, with tall hedges/buildings around the apex. Many dog walkers/children/idiots
3) Nae grit
4) A great amount of fallen leaves
5) It mostly downhill, coupled with not being able to average more than 5mph (see above), you get very cold very quickly.

Result: much abuse from motorists for exercising my rights (and tax money)

Another triumph for Sustrans :(

On the plus side, they are now reducing the road width on a half mile section of bolt straight, perfectly level, wide enough for 2 bikes and two busses B road the other end of the village, to something segregated, not wide enough to be useful. Looking forward to it filling with broekn glass and peds like all the others round here. >:(
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: CrazyEnglishTriathlete on 11 December, 2012, 01:06:22 pm: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crap-Cycle-Lanes-Warrington-Campaign/dp/1903070589

Sums up my views about cycle lanes. There aren't many that are designed for getting from A to B at a reasonable cycling speed, and too many put me at more risk than using the road. Oddly enough I don't get much abuse about not using cycle lanes except on the road between Crowthorne and Bracknell
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2012, 01:11:20 pm: Quote from: anotherdeadhero on 11 December, 2012, 12:24:11 pm
Our village has just got a spanky new cycle lane. Issues:

1) Dumps cyclists onto fast road on blind corners in two locations
2) Many blind corners, with tall hedges/buildings around the apex. Many dog walkers/children/idiots
3) Nae grit
4) A great amount of fallen leaves
5) It mostly downhill, coupled with not being able to average more than 5mph (see above), you get very cold very quickly.

Result: much abuse from motorists for exercising my rights (and tax money)

Another triumph for Sustrans :(

On the plus side, they are now reducing the road width on a half mile section of bolt straight, perfectly level, wide enough for 2 bikes and two busses B road the other end of the village, to something segregated, not wide enough to be useful. Looking forward to it filling with broekn glass and peds like all the others round here. >:(
LA? If so I heard a great deal of joy from some people but I've yet to use it or speak to anyone who has. I always find LA pleasant to cycle through anyway, but I guess it might be a bit crowded at commuting times.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Euan Uzami on 11 December, 2012, 01:33:47 pm: "I say", "Old chap"? Was he also wearing a trilby, a handlebar moustache and smoking a pipe ? ;D
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: anotherdeadhero on 11 December, 2012, 02:23:07 pm: Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2012, 01:11:20 pm
LA? If so I heard a great deal of joy from some people but I've yet to use it or speak to anyone who has. I always find LA pleasant to cycle through anyway, but I guess it might be a bit crowded at commuting times.

Yes indeed. LA can get a bit fraught at rush hours. Metal boxes cluttering the road space up, many busses, woeful road surface, endless roadworks, 1.7 miles of 30 limit. The motorspodders get angsty for the open road.

Its a great resource if you don't need to be somewhere and have an excellent 6th sense. Great for getting to AC with my road-phobic GF.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 11 December, 2012, 02:37:53 pm: You have a bus service in LA? Wonders never cease!
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: anotherdeadhero on 11 December, 2012, 03:25:57 pm: Not just one either - but five! 352/353/354/362/363

All generally timetabled to appear within 10 minutes of each other, and leave the rest of the hour untroubled by the provision of public transport. Can take upwards of 30 minutes to do the 4 miles to the centre during rush two-hour.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: David Martin on 11 December, 2012, 05:35:59 pm: Bristol Busses how we love you/
in your british racing green/
Thundering on through our fair city/
seldom heard and never seen.
Title: Re: I say, have you considered the cycle path my dear chap?
Post by: mattc on 11 December, 2012, 07:00:44 pm: Quote from: Ben T on 11 December, 2012, 01:33:47 pm
"I say", "Old chap"? Was he also wearing a trilby, a handlebar moustache and smoking a pipe ? ;D
Which one? I've met several new friends in this scenario.

(although in the dark, in their cars, I couldn't make out much detail. Sorry).

Pea-souper tonight, ice on specs. Not a single complaint! They probably all saw me too late to compose a pithy comment.