Quoted message said:Matt B 'matt.bourke'@nospam.london.com said:Marc Brett wrote:
Didn't policy change though about 10-15 years ago?Not in favour of bikes, no, though it's easy to see why non-cyclists
might think so.
There is no doubt that it changed, and there is no doubt that the
/intent/ was to favour bicycles over private cars. I accept that the
policies are ill-considered and ill-conceived - and as such may not
/actually/ be delivering what was imagined. That doesn't alter the
validity of my point.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:... Most places since
then have proclaimed holy war against the private car.For very small values of "most".
"Most" as in most towns and cities centres are painting solid white
lines at every opportunity. They may not be as good for bicycles as
intended, but they are certainly bad for cars, as intended.
Quoted message said:I think you are overstating the
case, too, and I work in Edinburgh which has been in the forefront of
this movement. To describe it as a holy war isn't helpful or accurate-
there is no shortage of private cars in Edinburgh, despite the small
shifts of policy that aim to discourage unnecessary journeys.
Private car users are being squeezed at every opportunity, there is no
denying that - they are resilient though ;-)
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:... Buses and
bicycles have been handed road space on a plate. Roads have been
closed-off, except for bus and bicycle access, in many places. Bus and
cycle lanes have consumed more and more road space.Some cities have tried to address congestion by favouring buses over
private cars. Any "benefit" cyclists have accrued has been a side
effect of this. Sharing a bus lane involves dodging 20 ton vehicles
that stop and start frequently and whose drivers are often quite
protective of "their" territory. It's no picnic and one is very aware
that being hit by a car is likely to result in somersaulting over a
bonnet, whereas being hit by a bus will put you onto the road
underneath it...
Many towns have no room for dedicated bus lanes, but they /do/ provide
dedicated cycle lanes.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:.... Everywhere you look
"Toucan Crossings", with their inherent inefficiencies, as far as motor
traffic is concerned, are being installed for the benefit of cyclists.Everywhere? I think not. Where these have been installed (ie mostly
city centres, AFAICT)
Even small villages and town suburbs are "benefiting" from these facilities/
Quoted message said:it would generally not be very efficient for
everyone to drive their own car, anyway.
It could be if the policy was to improve the infrastructure for private
cars rather than to sacrifice it on the anti-car altar.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Town-centre roadside parking has been reduced, and virtually eliminated
in many places, whilst off-road car parking charges have been increased
many fold, with an exponential increase in enforcement personnel.You make this sound like a bad thing. I'm not convinced it is.
We'll agree to differ.:-) I don't support the marginalisation of /any/
road user type.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:... At
the same time, cycle facilities (whether you like them or not) have been
provided, free to use, in abundance.I can see your point of view, and I understand why you hold it. It
would be much appreciated if you would return the favour.
I'm sure you hold your viewpoint in good faith, and I /do/ respect it,
but I question whether you have thoroughly considered all the evidence. ;-)
--
Matt B