"Rog" <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:
[email protected]...
>
>
>
> "Paul Boyd" <usenet.is.worse@plusnet> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Rog said the following on 21/02/2008 23:50:
>>
>>> Any particular reason you were not using the (expensive) cycle track?
>>
>> From the OP, I got the impression that there wasn't one. "I realised that
>> there is no cycle path at that point, it starts about 300m farther on" is
>> the clue.
>>
>> --
>> Paul Boyd
>> http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/
>
> Well, Paul, 'only when I got home' shows he was not using the cycle path at
> any point.
> From a fellow cyclist I can honestly say you are the most miserable bunch I
> could meet on any cycle path.
> In the past you have been very helpful to me but if you think me a troll
> then i'll stick around and be a pain.
> Horses and bikes need to be kept away from heavy traffic, and in my case I
> don't begrudge paying taxes to build cycle paths and use them if possible.
> Get stuffed
> Rog
>
" bikes need to be kept away from heavy traffic,"
What total poppycock!
your view is at variance with an awful lot of people who post regularly on
here.
I cycle between 4 and 5000 miles every year and, without knowing exactly,. I
suspect that well over 90 % of that mileage (and kilometerage too) is on road.
One of my regular shopping runs is a 5+ mile trip on the A630 into Doncaster
and it is a very busy road from 7:00 am in the morning through to after 9:00
pm at night.. There actually isn't a cycle path on the whole run and the last
couple of miles is on an urban dual carriage way. Going towards town I use
secondary position ( I generally line up in the left hand wheel track but once
on the dual carriage way I am firmly in the primary position. I have no
problem in traffic although I regularly get shouted at by some bone head on my
journey.
Going North out of Doncaster there are a series of various kinds of "cycle
path" which are very typical of the sort of facilities I have encountered in
England
1. The painted white line on a pavement - which are impossibly dangerous to
use because of wandering pedestrians -- in fact if one uses one -- it is
quicker to walk and push your bike
2. White painted line, with red painted "cycle path" -- no different to 1
since pedestrians ignore it!
3. The cycle path parallel with the main road and sharing the pedestrian
route but on a slightly different level ( may be a couple of inches). These
are very nearly as bad as to white paint lines since pedestrians wander all
over them. Additionally one has to give way at every driveway, petrol station,
shop entrance and of course every road junction. Some of these are traffic
light controlled but there are always 2 sets of lights to cross every junction
and these are in opposition -- so that if you actually obey the lights you
have to stop for 2 reds every time! Total PIA and useless , glass strewn ( it
is never swept up and slowly gets ground into dust over several months).
3. There is also a local section of the Pennine way which I use occasionally
but not in the winter since it becomes an 8 mile mud bath. Like all urban
cycle tracks it is heavily abused , littered with urban rubbish, plastic and
broken glass bottles, supermarket trolley and frequented by the unlicensed
motor bikes, mopeds and quad bikes, churning up the unmaintained route --
weekends it is downright dangerous and week days one has to cope with the
many "Oh he won't hurt you" uncontrolled mutts snapping at your heels.
Is there any wonder that I am still a "road runner" in my 71st year!
--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk