Cycle lanes on the Strandhill Road

Berty

As a visitor to your fair town it might take a lot to drag me onto the regional forum to have a gripe about something but the new Cycle lanes on the Strandhill road irked me quite a lot today.

Here's the thing. They are either too wide or the people who put them down think cars/vans and trucks etc are not as wide as they might think.

(1) It's against the law to cross into the cycle lane unless turning or going in/out of a driveway and similar things like that
(2) It's against the law to cross a solid white line or even touch it with your wheels.(I have been pulled for this in the past by an over zealous Garda Sergeant)

So the road in the built up part of the road has both a solid white line and a cycle lane. I have tried unsucessfully today to travel the road without breaking the law but failed.

On your way into town from Strandhill where the junction goes left to the Docklands/Industrial Park(I don't know the area terribly well) to stay out of the cycle lane you actually encroach into the lane for turning right.

There is no consistency with the width of the cycle lanes. It's gets wider and tighter in different places for no apparent reason.

Ironically enough then I had to overtake a cyclist who was cycling on the right hand side of the cycle lane. They built him HIS OWN lane and he stills managed to cycle in the driving lane. :rolleyes: (This is not a Sligo thing, I have seen this all over the country - quite weird)

County Councils. I despair.

ectoraige

Yeah, welcome to Sligo :rolleyes:

I drove there Sunday and was wondering where exactly pedestrians are supposed to walk. There's a foot wide section between the cycle lane and the yellow hard shoulder of the driving lane which I suppose they could squeeze into.

Also, on the way into Sligo, where the cycle lanes is quite narrow, it passes a number of blind driveways where a car could easily edge out in front of you. I know I'd be staying on the road along there.

The proper way to build a cycle lane is to construct a raised pavement dedicated to bikes, separated from both pedestrians and cars. When cycle lanes are a part of the road dust and debris gets pushed into it from passing cars making it a bad surface to cycle on. That's why you'll often see cyclists on the road instead of the cycle lane

Sadly, the council reckon they can do the job by sending out a couple of lads with a few buckets of paint and a bicycle-shaped template.

UrbanSea

I live off the Strandhill road and I spent the whole way into town the last time giving out about it. It's horrific.


That said,I'd be more surprised if they had done it right going on past experiences.

Basq

Yeah, I work in Finisklin and drive this way every day.

Where is really bothers me is the bottom of Larkhill Road - it's always been a tight enough corner, but now you've the lane of cars turning right up Larkhill Road and the cycle lane to contend with when you're turning that corner.

It's a absolute disaster!

Mint Sauce

Give it a few weeks, and there will be even less cyclists keeping to them. As a cyclist my self absolutly hate cyclelanes. They're a collection point for all types of road debris, litter, badly postioned manhole covers, etc. Also those cycle lanes are very narrow in places, some drivers will tend to drive closer to cyclists, as they think the cyclist will be safe in their lane. Some cyclists will be in the road so that the driver behind them will have to think about their road position in relation to the cyclist, and not just because of debris or obstructions in them.

These are very similar reasons why alot of cyclists also keep very close to the yellow line or over it when cycling on regional or national roads.

In relation to the lane markings them self, a driver can cross a broken cyclelane if an obstruction ahead of them, ie, someone turning right, as long as the lane is clear, and not just for turning left, or entering leaving a driveway. A solid cyclelane they can not cross, park in, or obstruct, not that alot drivers know this.

In relation to the cycle lanes them self, they are probably a good idea for tourists, or the ocasional recreational cyclist, for where they lead to or come from, or the commutor. The serious seasoned cyclist, will probably avoid them, again for some of the reasons identified in my opening.

Scarlet42

maybe they will start putting bollards along them like they do on O'Connell!

the junction at Larkhill road is a right nightmare .. our car doesn't fit between the lines at all there...

there was a load of money released recently for a cycle lane out to strandhill .. can't believe this is it!

Mint Sauce

Scarlet42 wrote: »

maybe they will start putting bollards along them like they do on O'Connell!

the junction at Larkhill road is a right nightmare .. our car doesn't fit between the lines at all there...

there was a load of money released recently for a cycle lane out to strandhill .. can't believe this is it!

They are not actully cyclelanes on O'Connell St, at least I really hope that wasn't the Coco's plan, some of those red painted sections are barely the lenght of a bike. I think they were just a poor attempt at an extention to the pavement.

Havn't actully seen the cyclelanes my self beyond Second Sea Road. Is there much or any markings along the hardshoulders the whole way to Strandhill once your into the 80kph section?

ectoraige

irish-stew wrote: »

Havn't actully seen the cyclelanes my self beyond Second Sea Road. Is there much or any markings along the hardshoulders the whole way to Strandhill once your into the 80kph section?

Yeah, the white line is marked all the way, about a foot from the yellow hard shoulder marking.

As my wife just said to me, all they did was paint a white line on the road, it's not as if the space wasn't there already.

Mint Sauce

ectoraige wrote: »

Yeah, the white line is marked all the way, about a foot from the yellow hard shoulder marking.

A foot into the hardshoulder I would assume?

Bit of a waste of money along them sections surely.

Scarlet42

irish-stew wrote: »

They are not actully cyclelanes on O'Connell St, at least I really hope that wasn't the Coco's plan, some of those red painted sections are barely the lenght of a bike. I think they were just a poor attempt at an extention to the pavement.

yes .. and this is a poor attempt at a cycle lane!

Mint Sauce

Scarlet42 wrote: »

yes .. and this is a poor attempt at a cycle lane!

There are no markings though or signs to say they are cyclelanes. Only thing that would even suggust they are is the colour of the tar paint used.

I've never cycled along that red section, or seen anyone else doing so, and would be extreamly foolish to do as well.

promethius

i thought it was just me! they're daft no doubt about it and very badly designed. there's just not enough room, i can't drive between the lines as it now is and when cycling it adds nothing to my experience, its the same road plus some paint. the cycle lanes further out towards strandhill where there is space for it is excellent. in town a disaster. i hate driving that road now especially larkhill road junction like others have said.

Scarlet42

irish-stew wrote: »

Scarlet42 wrote: »

yes .. and this is a poor attempt at a cycle lane!

There are no markings though or signs to say they are cyclelanes. Only thing that would even suggust they are is the colour of the tar paint used.

I've never cycled along that red section, or seen anyone else doing so, and would be extreamly foolish to do as well.

Sorry stew..I was using those Bollards as an example of bad planning and waste of money..just like the new cycle lane, O'Connell street is such a disaster

Mint Sauce

Scarlet42 wrote: »

Sorry stew..I was using those Bollards as an example of bad planning and waste of money..just like the new cycle lane, O'Connell street is such a disaster

Yes. I read it again after I posted, got it the second time.

My apolagies, its late and I'm tired.

saywhatyousee

Does anyone know if they plan to put cycle lanes on the Rosses Point road?

ectoraige

saywhatyousee wrote: »

Does anyone know if they plan to put cycle lanes on the Rosses Point road?

I think they are waiting for another tin of paint.

tedshredsonfire

be doing well at the Mardyke past cartron to get in a cycle lane there but after that should be ok maybe the cyclist coudls drive to just before Ballincar pop out and cycle the rest or go via the Bundoran road

Plazaman

Funnily, like roundabouts when the were first introduced in Sligo, a lot of people I know either misconstrue or don't know about road markings when it comes to cycle lanes. I had a friend of mine rant for about 20 minutes about the lane between Larkhill Road and Cummeen and how the driving lane was now too small for a car. The concept of broken white lines (even in the middle of the road) seemed to escape him.

I must admit though, I do want to ask, what do the four yellow triangles stand for beside the bicycle symbols (well beside some of them and why is it not beside all of them) ?

promethius

the marking truck is out again, at scoil ursla, couldn't see what they were at.

Plazaman

promethius wrote: »

the marking truck is out again, at scoil ursla, couldn't see what they were at.

Must have been the specialist "colour" markers as there now be a big fiddy in the middle of the road, theres one just past Sea Road as well.

They've also coloured the bike lanes red at the roundabout in Strandhill. As far as I know the An Post cycle is going through there on Sunday, hope the cyclists don't follow it or they'll be in the sea.

Yeah Yeah Yeah

I'm guessing this was in all in the lead up to the An Post event...(Positive presentation of Strandhill etc...).

Those lanes into town are mad, a coppers dream, you could be busted on various occasions for crossing the white line...course no bad thing, reducing speed. I detest cars, a plague on the planet.

Basq

Yeah Yeah Yeah wrote: »

I detest cars, a plague on the planet.

Is that you?!?

Yeah Yeah Yeah

There is a certain similarity.

shelltosea123

I noticed this cycle lane when visiting friends in Sligo yesterday and would agree with all the other posts.

Can someone answer a few questions ?

Did this paint and a little bit of tar job really cost quarter of a million?

Don't get be wrong i'm all up for this sort of thing but did it cost that much?

http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/cycle-lanes-all-the-way-to-strandhill-2846878.html

"SLIGO HAS received a pedal power boost with an allocation of €244,000 towards the provision of cycle lanes (two ways) from Sligo city to Strandhill (9km) and also to include cycle parking in Strandhill."


I also noticed a local bike shop has got loads of advertising up along this road, is this excessive advertising / littering allowed? or did they pay for this cycle lane? If I was a local resident this would really annoy me.

promethius

shelltosea123 wrote: »

I noticed this cycle lane when visiting friends in Sligo yesterday and would agree with all the other posts.

Can someone answer a few questions ?

Did this paint and a little bit of tar job really cost quarter of a million?

Don't get be wrong i'm all up for this sort of thing but did it cost that much?

http://www.sligochampion.ie/news/cycle-lanes-all-the-way-to-strandhill-2846878.html

"SLIGO HAS received a pedal power boost with an allocation of €244,000 towards the provision of cycle lanes (two ways) from Sligo city to Strandhill (9km) and also to include cycle parking in Strandhill."


I also noticed a local bike shop has got loads of advertising up along this road, is this excessive advertising / littering allowed? or did they pay for this cycle lane? If I was a local resident this would really annoy me.

the advertising would be as a result of the tour of sligo cycle, it would have passed that way and i'd imagine will be taken down shortly

promethius

so some daft woman almost ran into me on the road today coming in the opposite direction at the bend just before the turn for 2nd sea road. she must have been putting her passenger tyre on the broken line (or aiming to) and was well over my side of the solid white line, i had to swerve to avoid her. there's simply not enough room there for this daft idea.

sligocyclist

Plazaman wrote: »

I must admit though, I do want to ask, what do the four yellow triangles stand for beside the bicycle symbols (well beside some of them and why is it not beside all of them) ?

I haven't actually seen this lane, just the article in the Sligo Express about it, so I can't really interpret the markings, but triangles in cycle lanes typically tend to function as yield signs. Would that make sense?