T
Tom Crispin
Guest
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:05:35 +0100, Coyoteboy
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Tom Crispin wrote:
>> On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:51:28 +0100, Coyoteboy
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Organisers of these events who do so with "its good publicity for bikes
>>> and makes car drivers think about the possibility of using a bike" are
>>> in their own cloud cookoo land.
>>
>> That wasn't the aim. The aim was to encourage more new and returning
>> cyclists to ride regularly on London's roads.
>>
>> Looking at the joy on so many people's faces as they cycled around I
>> am sure a great many will use the bicycle more regularly.
>
>But the point is the numbers are already going up (by 83% they claim)
>and in so are causing more and more dislike amongst the other road users
>- as noted by the press to some extent. Its pointless inviting people
>out to ride around car-free because its just a publicity stunt by the
>mayor - the percentage that will use their bike instead of a car in
>future is minimal - most people, I'll wager, were simply doing it for
>the chance to ride around london without cars, not finishing with any
>real intentions of riding in future. Especially since vast numbers came
>from outside london anyway.
I have sometimes wondered if part of the Transport for London's
cycling strategy is to create mass cycling routes into central london
from staging hubs, and the London Cycle Network Plus routes are a
start of this process.
Listening to the feedback from the LCC borough co-ordinators on the
Freewheel hub system, many inadequacies of the road system for mass
cycling has been highlighted.
==========
"I'd say brilliant in all aspects except one: the ride from our hub
(Clapham) to the central route. Releasing inexp cyclists 20 or so at a
time into major busy traffic streams without assistance was a horror,
esp. in contrast to our well marshalled ride into the hub from
Wimbledon. I was extremely concerned about riders' safety on this bit
and if the same system is employed next year I would bypass the hub
entirely and lead our group safely all the way in to central route.
this absolutely warranted police marshalling and rolling road closure
which the budget could have covered, and we should insist on this to
improve it for next year. I hope there were no serious incidents
arising from this, because there were plenty of impatient motorists
trying to squeeze pass wobbling young children..."
==========
"Definitely lessons to be learned about the node - centre rides and
the process of linking riders with the "leaders of the feeders".
Between Viccy Park and the course we were told to ride in single
file through a junction because it was "busy". Luckily we ignored it
and rode through in true CM style - much safer esp for the small
children who could be shielded by adult riders."
===========
Hell, even my small group of 100 or so had difficulties turning right
onto Tower Bridge from Queen Elizabeth Street, and that is a junction
specifically designed to allow cyclists only to turn right. Had we
obeyed the traffic lights it would have taken about 10 phases to get
us all through, but by good marshalling we all got through well within
a single phase, speeding up the overall traffic flow for motorists.
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Tom Crispin wrote:
>> On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:51:28 +0100, Coyoteboy
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Organisers of these events who do so with "its good publicity for bikes
>>> and makes car drivers think about the possibility of using a bike" are
>>> in their own cloud cookoo land.
>>
>> That wasn't the aim. The aim was to encourage more new and returning
>> cyclists to ride regularly on London's roads.
>>
>> Looking at the joy on so many people's faces as they cycled around I
>> am sure a great many will use the bicycle more regularly.
>
>But the point is the numbers are already going up (by 83% they claim)
>and in so are causing more and more dislike amongst the other road users
>- as noted by the press to some extent. Its pointless inviting people
>out to ride around car-free because its just a publicity stunt by the
>mayor - the percentage that will use their bike instead of a car in
>future is minimal - most people, I'll wager, were simply doing it for
>the chance to ride around london without cars, not finishing with any
>real intentions of riding in future. Especially since vast numbers came
>from outside london anyway.
I have sometimes wondered if part of the Transport for London's
cycling strategy is to create mass cycling routes into central london
from staging hubs, and the London Cycle Network Plus routes are a
start of this process.
Listening to the feedback from the LCC borough co-ordinators on the
Freewheel hub system, many inadequacies of the road system for mass
cycling has been highlighted.
==========
"I'd say brilliant in all aspects except one: the ride from our hub
(Clapham) to the central route. Releasing inexp cyclists 20 or so at a
time into major busy traffic streams without assistance was a horror,
esp. in contrast to our well marshalled ride into the hub from
Wimbledon. I was extremely concerned about riders' safety on this bit
and if the same system is employed next year I would bypass the hub
entirely and lead our group safely all the way in to central route.
this absolutely warranted police marshalling and rolling road closure
which the budget could have covered, and we should insist on this to
improve it for next year. I hope there were no serious incidents
arising from this, because there were plenty of impatient motorists
trying to squeeze pass wobbling young children..."
==========
"Definitely lessons to be learned about the node - centre rides and
the process of linking riders with the "leaders of the feeders".
Between Viccy Park and the course we were told to ride in single
file through a junction because it was "busy". Luckily we ignored it
and rode through in true CM style - much safer esp for the small
children who could be shielded by adult riders."
===========
Hell, even my small group of 100 or so had difficulties turning right
onto Tower Bridge from Queen Elizabeth Street, and that is a junction
specifically designed to allow cyclists only to turn right. Had we
obeyed the traffic lights it would have taken about 10 phases to get
us all through, but by good marshalling we all got through well within
a single phase, speeding up the overall traffic flow for motorists.
