Synergy unfortunately, segregated cycling is not the solution to the issues in the Cradle. There seem to be many well-meaning proponants of segregated cycling here on the forum, but it is not the solution for a number of reasons: - it is very expensive - the building of bike specific lanes is expensive, and therefore will never be completed adequately. Even in the cradle, the bike lanes are only built for part of the area, and as you say, were stopped because of funds. The bike lanes are built on the cheap, and hence are not even suitable for riding a bike (apart from a dual suspension bike). - They collect a lot of debris and glass. The reason why the main road surface is free of glass is because cars drive there! Tyres crush the glass down small enough to either be washed away, embedded (picked up) by the car tyres, or too small to cause punctures. Any experienced cyclist knows that the best place to cycle is a little bit into the road to avoid punctures etc. Bike specific lanes will have to be maintained in order to be used. Once they become full of glass, cyclists will avoid them. - There is a lot of pedestrian traffic in the cradle. Pedestrians walking in the bike lanes cannot be stopped, this already happens a lot. The problem with padestrians, is that they are not predictable in behaviour, and a bicycle and a pedestrian approaching each other has a high risk of collision. If the lane is physically separated, there is nowhere for the cyclist to go and the cyclist must slow down completely to figure out what the pedestrian will do. As a result, cyclists will just stop riding in these lanes. - Cycling lanes perpetuate the belief that bicycles and other traffic should be separate, creating an 'us vs. them' scenario. Integrated cycling is the solution to these problems. Unfortunately, even on the hub here, most so-called experienced cyclists are promoting the wrong behaviour. Most of the vocal cyclists here on the hub are hammering on about segregated cycling, even though they are not even aware of it. Integrated cycling requires an education process - primarily on the side of cyclists, but with motorists as well. The number of times I have been riding alone in the Cradle, and cars approaching head on are happy to overtake, coming into my lane and missing me by less than a metre, is unbelievable. Motorists just do not believe that cyclists have the right to be there. And on the other hand, cyclists seem to be blissfully unaware of the basic curtesies of the road - i.e. when you are a slower moving vehicle, try to safely yeild as soon as possible to allow faster moving traffic past! Everybody reading this thread, google the terms 'integrated cycling', 'vehicular cycling', 'segregated cycling' and educate yourself. research is available that demonstrates that cycling lanes are *more* dangerous than no cycling lanes! There are plenty cyclists here who are happy to point fingers and call other cyclists idiots etc, and who actually don't have a clue about these things! People are keen to abuse guys like linnega, who does have a clue about integrated cycling, because he is putting forward a different viewpoint, that is contrary to the mob belief!
