RANT: Cape Town City cycle lanes

[Hairy]

https://twitter.com/CTCycleLanes/status/971372619814580224

[Hairy]

Street lights out from Lower Church Street bridge to the otherside of the bridge near the Marine Dr link.Luckily I was on that section before the buses started and could use the buslane.

can you please note it with the City on the C3 (https://eservices1.capetown.gov.za/coct/wapl/zsreq_app/index.html) and then also copy me in on  https://twitter.com/CTCycleLanes

Edited March 7, 2018 by Hairy

[Bernard Horn]

Waste skip on the cycle lane just past Woodbridge and near the sewerage pumpstation.Be careful in the dark.Skip painted dark blue

[Hairy]

Waste skip on the cycle lane just past Woodbridge and near the sewerage pumpstation.Be careful in the dark.Skip painted dark blue

saw that this afternoon .... if they had gone 15m higher up the road they would have had a flat section of land next to the pump station to place the skip ... baffles the mind.

[bj horn]

I see PPA fb is reporting a bike jacking yesterday at 16h00 on the Woodstock cycle lane,but no details.

 

Any news

[Hairy]

I see PPA fb is reporting a bike jacking yesterday at 16h00 on the Woodstock cycle lane,but no details.

 

Any news

I posted that on Twitter and copied them in.

 

We had a report from one of the commuters in our group that he was stopped by a law enforcement officer and advised that a cyclist was mugged on the cycle lane around 16:00. The officer escorted him through dodge city.

 

The day before another two of our group left a little earlier and were approaching four men on this same section. They rang their bells, etc to get the guys to not take up the full lane. The guys moved as they were close, and then tried to grab the ladies arm, fortunately they had enough speed and momentum to get out of this.

 

Two weeks ago another commuter told me he was confronted by a man with a hammer near the Woodstock bus station on the lane, he managed to get around him.

 

If you are alone, rather wait a while to join up with other cyclists on this section, especially now with the buses being on strike (less "eyes" on the lanes)

[Hairy]

https://twitter.com/CTCycleLanes/status/986618683647766529

[Hairy]

https://twitter.com/CTCycleLanes/status/986590087973662722

[bj horn]

Thanks

Be safe out there

[mikkelz]

What was meant to be a positive development (the cycle lane) has really turned into a steaming pile of sh*t.

 

It would be better to just close the bloody thing down, to prevent any further theft and attacks on law abiding citizens.

 

This is really a big fail now.

[DJR]

.............

After a month or 2 of rather riding elsewhere, I went through there Sunday afternoon with Beattbox. This is what I saw: 

 

It was dead quiet with no other cyclists, but many a very dodgy looking character hanging around the stretch from Woodstock Station to the N1 bridge. We saw no security guards at any of the My City bus stations or anywhere along the cycle path. A sizable encampment of semi-permanent vagrants have pitched camp directly along the cycle lane in the Woodstock area. Thew were open fires, human excrement, litter and rotten rubbish all along that section. It has not been cleaned in months and is a health hazard. The broken fences in many places leave the area totally open to people walking in from the surrounding areas to get run over by a passing bus or train, or to rob a cyclist and escape easily.

 

I now consider that too dangerous to cycle alone, perhaps even too dangerous in a small group of 2 or 3? Sadly, that short section now puts the whole of the fantastic safe cycling lane up the West Coast out of my reach unless I can rustle up a posse to ride with. 

 

Shame on you City of Cape Town, for allowing an asset like this to rot!

[Trek man]

Truth cycle lane useless .commute from minllnerton daily always cars taxi in cycle lane and the car guard's alway ain in back side as they wave cars in to park . Naver ending battle

[DJR]

Truth cycle lane useless .commute from minllnerton daily always cars taxi in cycle lane and the car guard's alway ain in back side as they wave cars in to park . Naver ending battle

Be a bit more specific about which part you are talking.

 

If you mean the lanes in the city centre and along Albert Rd through Woodstock and Salt River, then I agree. They are useless because they are often full of parked cars and they do NOT ad to cycling safety. In parts of Salt River it makes it MORE dangerous for the cyclist. Those lanes failed because of lack of law enforcement and because the planners made the incorrect assumption that most road users will be law abiding and respect the lanes. I think the City understands that and has already removed a part of the Albert Rd lane, I suppose, as a failed experiment.

 

But to call the whole and all of the cycle lanes useless is a bit too dramatic. From the Milnerton Market all the way to Melkbos is great. That is almost 30 good safe kilometres. In the Southern Suburbs, the new stretch through Spaanschemat River Rd in Tokai & Constantia is great too, as is the Ladies Mile and Kendall Rd. Not perfect, but it adds hugely to our safety. Liesbeek Parkway is OKish, the bits along Palmyra is a bit disjointed, but they can keep you out of the traffic. The bit past Rondebosch Common is great.

 

The City should build a lot more of them and link them together better.

[Eddy Gordo]

That stretch of cycle lane would of been better running along the docks, just saying. If I commute I would come thru lower main road Giempie street etc, but have yet to try this. History and knowledge of the area is in the fore front of my thoughts everytime I want to.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Eddy Gordo

[Danger Dassie]

Be a bit more specific about which part you are talking.

 

If you mean the lanes in the city centre and along Albert Rd through Woodstock and Salt River, then I agree. They are useless because they are often full of parked cars and they do NOT ad to cycling safety. In parts of Salt River it makes it MORE dangerous for the cyclist. Those lanes failed because of lack of law enforcement and because the planners made the incorrect assumption that most road users will be law abiding and respect the lanes. I think the City understands that and has already removed a part of the Albert Rd lane, I suppose, as a failed experiment.

 

But to call the whole and all of the cycle lanes useless is a bit too dramatic. From the Milnerton Market all the way to Melkbos is great. That is almost 30 good safe kilometres. In the Southern Suburbs, the new stretch through Spaanschemat River Rd in Tokai & Constantia is great too, as is the Ladies Mile and Kendall Rd. Not perfect, but it adds hugely to our safety. Liesbeek Parkway is OKish, the bits along Palmyra is a bit disjointed, but they can keep you out of the traffic. The bit past Rondebosch Common is great.

 

The City should build a lot more of them and link them together better.

 

Similiar situation on Joburg, although more on bad enforcment (although there are moments) and poor/challenging city planning. Not so much issues with crime though, which is kind of ironic.

The lanes that do function well though are great and protected, with good route options. I do think though that Joburg has less of a commuting mindset.

[Andreas_187]

I ride Albert Road every day and the cycle lane makes it more dangerous for cyclists.

If you're in the lane you're in direct fire for a door opening. Also, the cars that are coming from the side roads pull right into the cycle lane before looking left and right. They have to do this because if they stopped at the stop line the parked cars obscure their vision.

A sharp swerve out of the cycle lane to avoid opening doors, car guards and cars puts you into the cats eyes.

I mainly cycle in the road. It's a big fail. It was never thought out