West Coast Bike lane celebs

[stringbean]

Morewood why do you think some people would choose not to ride on the cycle lanes.Could it be that in their opinion the cycle lanes are not safe and in fact they feel safer riding on the road.There are sections of the path that are safe and sections that are dangerous.Lets look at what the city has given us.

1st its NOT a dedicated bike lane.It's a lane around 3 meters wide and in some sections its 2 meters wide.This is for 2 way traffic so in sense most of the time you have max 1.5 meters in one direction.This has to be shared with cyclists,runners,dogs,bergies pushing trollies and yes the odd vuka scooter that decides to use it.This is all fine when riding with 1 or 2 people but when you get a big group it's dangerous.At the same time there are sections in the road where the yellow line or shoulder is double that of the cycle path and the bonus been you don't have to deal with poles in the way or oncomming traffic.There are sections i use the cycle path and there are sections i feel safer on the road and use that.I would challange anyone who says the path as a whole is safer or saves lives to bring be some proof.In the short time the path has been there i know of 2 broken bikes,3 people attacked,and 1 broken collarbone.I myself was the guy almost taken out by a vukascooter comming towards me on the path while going to work.So how do you address the fact that some people genuinely feel safer on the road.

Edited January 10, 2012 by stringbean

[GLuvsMtb]

Morewood why do you think some people would choose not to ride on the cycle lanes.Could it be that in their opinion the cycle lanes are not safe and in fact they feel safer riding on the road.There are sections of the path that are safe and sections that are dangerous.Lets look at what the city has given us.

1st its NOT a dedicated bike lane.It's a lane around 3 meters wide and in some sections its 2 meters wide.This is for 2 way traffic so in sense most of the time you have max 1.5 meters in one direction.This has to be shared with cyclists,runners,dogs,bergies pushing trollies and yes the odd vuka scooter that decides to use it.This is all fine when riding with 1 or 2 people but when you get a big group it's dangerous.At the same time there are sections in the road where the yellow line or shoulder is double that of the cycle path and the bonus been you don't have to deal with poles in the way or oncomming traffic.There are sections i use the cycle path and there are sections i feel safer on the road and use that.I would challange anyone who says the path as a whole is safer or saves lives to bring be some proof.In the short time the path has been there i know of 2 broken bikes,3 people attacked,and 1 broken collarbone.I myself was the guy almost taken out by a vukascooter comming towards me on the path while going to work.So how do you address the fact that some people genuinely feel safer on the road.

Well I will definately not visit them when (not if) they get knocked over when there is a safer alternative. The reason these guys (and the odd girl) do this is because they don't like slowing down when getting to street crossings and it means that they cannot ride next to each other (which they shouldn't be doing in the first place). If you need a piece of flat road to train on, go and train on the Botlary road with a wide shoulder. This section of road is dangerous and riders tend to use the bike lane to get to roads where they can train safely on a good shoulder. The current road works also makes it even more unsafe as at some sections the road is barely wide enough for a car, never mind 3 bike rider abreast and a car trying to pass. It is ironic that just over 30 years ago 200 or so guys hopped on their bikes and rode around the mountain in protest of not having cycling lanes to ride on. Over 30 years on and over 30 000 riders join the protest every year (most of them unknowingly, but still they take part). Now we've got them (and they're some of the best in the world ito design) and the people who should be setting the expample are the ones getting abusive when they are confronted about not being responsible here.

[GLuvsMtb]

It is also clear that many riders seem to miss the point of the bike lane. Its not to go speeding along at 40km/h for an elites training ride. Use the bike lane to get to safe roads to train on and do it at 25km/h. If you still feel unsafe at this speed then you've got to go for a bike handling course or something. For social riders it provides a safe environment to train, and as a further plus, many of the weekenders are kept of the more popular training routes because they have a safe and easy route to train on, making the usual routes safer for all of us.

[Niner]

If you know that sponsors check these sites for name why did you mention Anderson Transport / Aurecon riders in your original post? - Because they were riding 3 abreast on a road with no shoulder. Don't forget the Cape Town Market and Cycles Direct riders too.

 

Snip

 

You logic baffles me. One moment you refer to one incident and then another. Looks like you need to be more clear.

 

Then you also mention riders with their numbers on their back, that means they must have come from the Sunday race? These riders already said they were on the lane, so I think that you are just having a moan for the sake of it.

 

WRT punctures on the lane, when last did you see the amount of weeds(thorns) growing next to the cycle lane and lying on it. And that is not the case on the road.

 

I think it is not your duty to point out anyone not using the lane. If you want to use it( ie: not talk on your phone while driving ) then you do it. But what and why I do things has got nothing to do with you.

[GLuvsMtb]

You logic baffles me. One moment you refer to one incident and then another. Looks like you need to be more clear.

 

Then you also mention riders with their numbers on their back, that means they must have come from the Sunday race? These riders already said they were on the lane, so I think that you are just having a moan for the sake of it.

 

WRT punctures on the lane, when last did you see the amount of weeds(thorns) growing next to the cycle lane and lying on it. And that is not the case on the road.

 

I think it is not your duty to point out anyone not using the lane. If you want to use it( ie: not talk on your phone while driving ) then you do it. But what and why I do things has got nothing to do with you.

I'll gladly mind my own business if these fools carry the full cost of any accident they're involved in. Millions of tax payers money gets spent annually on avoidable accidents. Furthermore these clowns p!ss motorists off and these motorists take it out on innocent bike riders on places where there are no cycling lanes down the road. So by thinking that you're not affecting the rest of us by not using a safe alternative is a very narrow minded view.

[stringbean]

How do you know the reason why any of these guys do this?Are you good friends with them?Have you spoken to any of them and do you even know them?Lots of accusations from your side morewood.It sounds more to me that your beef is not actually about the bike lanes but more about a bunch of riders you dislike.

[GLuvsMtb]

How do you know the reason why any of these guys do this?Are you good friends with them?Have you spoken to any of them and do you even know them?Lots of accusations from your side morewood.It sounds more to me that your beef is not actually about the bike lanes but more about a bunch of riders you dislike.

My beef is with the regular offenders who make rude signs at motorists when they are clearly in the wrong. I never named individuals here (I do know who they are). If I had a personal vendetta against these riders I would have paid truck drivers to see how close they can pass the cyclists that are not using the bike lanes and record the result for fun.

[Niner]

I'll gladly mind my own business if these fools carry the full cost of any accident they're involved in. Millions of tax payers money gets spent annually on avoidable accidents. Furthermore these clowns p!ss motorists off and these motorists take it out on innocent bike riders on places where there are no cycling lanes down the road. So by thinking that you're not affecting the rest of us by not using a safe alternative is a very narrow minded view.

 

Not this argument again. You worry about tax payers money? Really ? I am yet to see these "clowns" wasting ANYTHING near what the government manages to waste. Maybe you should start with the big problems if you want to make a difference.

 

There are more road users that are worse than these few "clowns"! Golden arrow busses, taxis, moms driving their kids to school while doing their make-up! ETC!

 

You are not going to change the mind of motorists, neither are you going to get a positive response from cyclist by attacking them. Next time just ask why they were not using the lane rather than attack.

[GLuvsMtb]

Not this argument again. You worry about tax payers money? Really ? I am yet to see these "clowns" wasting ANYTHING near what the government manages to waste. Maybe you should start with the big problems if you want to make a difference.

 

There are more road users that are worse than these few "clowns"! Golden arrow busses, taxis, moms driving their kids to school while doing their make-up! ETC!

 

You are not going to change the mind of motorists, neither are you going to get a positive response from cyclist by attacking them. Next time just ask why they were not using the lane rather than attack.

wrong x 2 = right?

 

In the OP I never attacked anyone. I simply stated that its uncool to ride 3 abreast on a road with no shoulder while there is a safer alternative and I mentioned who I saw doing this in the broader sense.

 

If I do something that others deem to be uncool, I don't end up making a scene like this. I simply acknowledge them and if I don't agree I ignore them.

Edited January 10, 2012 by MorewoodMad

[Niner]

My beef is with the regular offenders who make rude signs at motorists when they are clearly in the wrong. I never named individuals here (I do know who they are). If I had a personal vendetta against these riders I would have paid truck drivers to see how close they can pass the cyclists that are not using the bike lanes and record the result for fun.

 

So do you have beef with drivers that cut of the cyclist /runners and then uses the same signs at them when they know they were wrong?

Do you carry on like this when a drivers cut in front of you when you drive your? Come on make 2012 a positive year.

[stringbean]

I ask again have you spoken to any of these guys since you do a lot of talking on their behalf.I'm sorry morewood but i think your beef is just with everyone.It's still my opinion that parts of the bike lane are unsafe and would still like anyone to give me proof that bikelanes are a safer option and save lives.A lot of things thrown around here are just been sucked out of your thumb.

Edited January 10, 2012 by stringbean

[Niner]

How do you know the reason why any of these guys do this?Are you good friends with them?Have you spoken to any of them and do you even know them?Lots of accusations from your side morewood.It sounds more to me that your beef is not actually about the bike lanes but more about a bunch of riders you dislike.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head, seems like Cycles Direct and CTM is his main issue here.

[SeanMort]

This is my take on the cycle path ...

 

It's fantastic to have the use of the cycle-lane facilities that we do have, and that the cycling community were not ignored in the planning process, as so often happens in other cities. Perhaps its design is not perfectly suitable for all cycling situations, but it suits the purpose to a great degree, especially for the cycling commuters. There are times when I choose to use it and times when I choose not to. These moments of choice always revolve around ride purpose and reasonable risk to self, from both cars and potential muggers.

I/we didn't use it at 5am this morning as we were a training bunch riding at a tempo pace, and we figure that the dynamics of our purpose don't include dealing with cycle commuters, poles etc along a snaking narrow path in the dark. That's a recipe for disaster, and then I'll bet there will be another thread on the Hub complaining about training groups using the cycle path The road traffic at this time is also minimal and there is enough of a hard shoulder for a bunch to ride on. Being in a bunch in this situation also gives us more visibility than a solo rider. If I have to train solo for the same purpose at this time then I would choose another route away from traffic, or ride on the cycle path if it's for example a recovery ride.

On the occasions when our club rides out to town on a Sat or Sun morn for a 7am ride, then we use the cycle path from a safety point of view.

We have in the past had a club member mugged on the cycle path past Paarden Eiland, and I have had a puncture on it too (can happen anywhere). We all have a choice ...

[GLuvsMtb]

I ask again have you spoken to any of these guys since you do a lot of talking on their behalf.I'm sorry morewood but i think your beef is just with everyone.It's still my opinion that parts of the bike lane are unsafe and would still like anyone to give me proof that bikelanes are a safer option and save lives.A lot of things thrown around here are just been sucked out of your thumb.

I've spoken to quite a few elites about this (mainly the ones acutally using the bike lanes, as the ones that don't get aggressive and is unapproachable about the topic) and my reasoning is sound. The guys don't like riding at a safe speed and feel that they have a right to train on a road that is unsafe. Again, if I had personal issues I would have taken it up with the individuals and their sponsors.

 

The real issue here is that these riders are missing the point on why the bike lanes are there in the first place.

 

I stated fact when I noted certain teams not using the bike lanes, you all have made a storm in a teacup about my intentions here, not me.

 

I also know that City of Cape Town have not received any responses from any of the teams mentioned about any concerns they have about the bike lane. If punctures are such an issue, simply ask your team to submit a request to have the cycle lanes cleaned up more often.

[LeTurbo]

This's been fun ... are you guys going to carry it on tomorrow?

[Niner]

Snip....

I also know that City of Cape Town have not received any responses from any of the teams mentioned about any concerns they have about the bike lane. If punctures are such an issue, simply ask your team to submit a request to have the cycle lanes cleaned up more often.

Maybe not from these teams but from other people and clubs, and I am yet to see the City do something about it on a REGULAR basis. Not just once a quarter.

 

You attacked these teams and now you wonder why the storm?