What cyclists have to put up with..

[donkey]

Cyclists have a choice about what route to take. Most cycle journeys in Sheffield can be done on designated cycle paths without coming into contact with heavy traffic, so why do they choose to cycle on busy main roads where they're a danger to other road users?

 

Oh yeah? So how would you get from Hillsborough to Meersbrook then? What route would you suggest which avoids busy roads?

Or how about Gleedless to Upperthorpe? Or Broomhill to Heeley?

[GordonBennet]

Oh yeah? So how would you get from Hillsborough to Meersbrook then? What route would you suggest which avoids busy roads?

Or how about Gleedless to Upperthorpe? Or Broomhill to Heeley?

 

I'm sure if you google "cycle sheffield map" you can find a pdf with suggested routes for any of those journeys. They may not be wholly on designated paths but by using sidestreets and quieter roads it's possible for a cyclist to avoid main roads and heavy traffic no matter where he's going.

[Cyclone]

I'm sure if you google "cycle sheffield map" you can find a pdf with suggested routes for any of those journeys. They may not be wholly on designated paths but by using sidestreets and quieter roads it's possible for a cyclist to avoid main roads and heavy traffic no matter where he's going.

 

Which isn't what you claimed, you said they could be done on designated cycle paths.

[Cyclone]

so why do they choose to cycle on busy main roads where they're a danger to other road users?

You appear to be confused as to who might be in danger as well. Cyclists aren't a danger to other traffic as they are small and have little momentum, other traffic can be (when driven badly) a danger to cyclists.

[GordonBennet]

Which isn't what you claimed, you said they could be done on designated cycle paths.

 

You're just being pedantic, windyboy. My actual quote was "Most cycle journeys in Sheffield can be done on designated cycle paths without coming into contact with heavy traffic", which is correct. If you have a dictionary look up the words "most" and "all". They don't mean the same thing.

[Tony]

It's a widely held beleif that there is a network of cycle paths around Sheffield but sadly that isn't the case. It is impossible to make any useful journey without using roads, busy or otherwise.

 

It's easy to see cycle paths as paths for cycles but the truth is that they are usually also paths for pedestrians, children, dogs as well as being a car park. Bizarrely they are usually planned so that they take circuitous routes rather than going direct to destinations and have a habit of ending abruptly where they pitch you into a busy roadway.

 

They are also strewn with broken glass, bits of metal, rubbish, discarded kebabs (pre and post stomach) and all the other stuff that punctures tyres and generally makes them especially unpleasant and dangerous places to cycle.

 

So, most experienced cyclists take to the road where they are paradoxically safer than they would be on cycle paths.

 

On the road they go door to door, move faster than cars though town and don't cause any delays to other road users journey. They emit zero carbon, use zero fuel, and make the rider stronger, fitter and less of a drain on the NHS and benefit systems. Cyclists are statistically higher earners and better educated than non-cyclists and they are responsible for less than 1 death a year. The rider can claim 20p a mile for business use against 40p a mile for a car and they can get a tax free £1000 pushbike for about £600 with interest free credit and they incur no parking, VED, MOT or other operating costs. Virtually everyone that swaps their car for a bike stays on the bike rather than going back to the car.

 

All in all its a wonder that more motorists don't give it a go instead of just moaning about them. What is there to lose apart from your gut?

[spindrift]

Any cycle lane not marked with a continuous line is not mandatory. This means it's usually blocked by parked cars.

 

http://sheffield.mybikelane.com/

 

That's what cyclists have to put up with.

[Tshombe]

Cyclists have a choice about what route to take. Most cycle journeys in Sheffield can be done on designated cycle paths without coming into contact with heavy traffic, so why do they choose to cycle on busy main roads where they're a danger to other road users?

The word Lemmings comes to mind.

[spindrift]

Besides, all the evidence is that a healthy mix of cyclists and traffic makes the roads safer.

 

Motorists are more aware of cyclists and, very possibly being cyclists themselves, are aware of the potential hazards.

 

Studies in many countries have shown consistently that the number of motorists colliding with walkers or cyclists doesn't increase equally with the number of people walking or bicycling.

 

 

For example, a community that doubles its cycling numbers can expect a one-third drop in the per-cyclist frequency of a crash with a motor vehicle.

 

"It's a virtuous cycle,"

 

says Dr Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from UNSW who address a cycling safety seminar in Sydney, Australia, on September 5.

 

"The likelihood that an individual cyclist will be struck by a motorist falls with increasing rate of bicycling in a community. And the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people are prepared to cycle."

 

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903112034.htm

 

It's called "The Virtuous Cycle"- the more cyclists there are on the roads the safer the roads become.

[Agent Orange]

I have recently started cycling into work again. I cycle from Hillsborough along Penistone Road. I have the choice of the cycle lanes or the road. Both have their positives and negatives.

 

The road is great, however, there are few dangerous spots where I have been hit or nearly knocked off. Oh and there is the continuous flow of traffic lights. Annoying!

 

The cycle path is ok, but often than not pedestrians tend to wander on it without paying attention to what's around them. At times you have to be more alert on the path than the road