Nordic cycling article

[Pingu]

http://sciencenordic.com/cyclists-and-long-wait-times-traffic-lights-discourage-pedestrians

Tjora is a professor of sociology at NTNU and has studied how societies develop and what happens when people encounter each other, including in traffic.

He thinks that cycling on the road will slow motorists down and force them to be more attentive. Cyclists should consequently assume that they belong in the roadway.

Has he tried cycling in the UK?

[The Family Cyclist]

Probably not but he seems to understand what a lot of others don't, at least in this country. Cyclists don't want to be on some crap path dodging pedestrians, giving way to roads every 50 yards and taking massively longer routes. Also like the enforced speed limit. 18ish mph will be a lot nicer then the usual 40 +mph I Regularly experience in towns

[arabella]

Indeed.  He's suggesting a 30kph (ie <20mph) speed  limit, "strictly enforced", which brings cars down to a speed not massively faster than me.
And I do agree with the comment about waiting to cross the road.  The one near my house where you have to press a button and wait usually makes you wait until the road is clear anyway before giving you a green.

[FifeingEejit]

http://sciencenordic.com/cyclists-and-long-wait-times-traffic-lights-discourage-pedestrians

Tjora is a professor of sociology at NTNU and has studied how societies develop and what happens when people encounter each other, including in traffic.

He thinks that cycling on the road will slow motorists down and force them to be more attentive. Cyclists should consequently assume that they belong in the roadway.

Has he tried cycling in the UK?

It's a tad odd that what his conculsion is, is what has been the standard position in the UK since operating vehicles on the highway was coded.
Whereas in the UK the clamour is to do what everywhere else has done... sadly doing it incredibly badly

[Cudzoziemiec]

If the aim is to increase both cycling and walking in the city, you have to make sure new cyclists are not old walkers and vice versa. Like avoiding what shops call "cannibalisation". So you need to encourage walking and cycling while discouraging driving. He doesn't make any mention of that. But pedestrian crossings would be one way of doing both; eliminate the wait for the green man to give less waiting, swifter and safer crossing for walkers, more delays for drivers. Idaho stop rules might also make junctions more efficient for cyclists.

[Mrs Pingu]

I've long thought that pressing the button to get the green man should result in instant gratification....

[Cudzoziemiec]

There's no real reason for it not to, other than superiority. I ought to mention though that yesterday I was riding along the Bristol-Bath Railway Path about 5:30, rush hour. At one point the path crosses the busy A420 (this used to be a level crossing back in ye railway days and the signal box which controlled the gates is still there) by a Toucan crossing, and despite it being rush hour with all that normally implies for waiting times, the lights changed instantly on pressing the button. It seems in this case they've decided there is enough cycle and foot traffic to justify response; though not to justify the lights being defaulting to green in that direction and having to be triggered for the other.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Meanwhile, was I the only one who connected the title with some sort of cycling with sticks?

[Ashaman42]

You were not.

[Wycombewheeler]

I've long thought that pressing the button to get the green man should result in instant gratification....

agreed, but with a minimum time between two green man phases.

it makes no sense for the button to result in a delay where the pedestrian waits until the road is clear to cross, and then subsequent drivers are forced to wait when no one needs to cross any more.