Size of Cycle Lanes

Lord Nikon

A few years ago, before I had a car, I was an avid cyclist. A few years ago, there wasn't a whole lot of cycle lanes, but nowadays the government have gotten their act together, and there's Cycle lanes all over the shop(Dublin).

Anyways, the point of my Thread is this... I do most of my driving in the Dublin South area, and have come to notice the actual size of some Cycle Lanes. They seem to take up almost half of one side of the road. Whatever about driving my own car between the cycle lane and the middle of the road white line, I'm sure glad I don't drive a truck.

Now, I'm all for Cycle Lanes, and I think it's great for the environment. But what gets up my nose, is cyclists giving out about not getting enough Lanes, and when they get them, the Lanes are huge. It's not as if their paying any money towards the construction of these lanes, in the form of taxes. I would understand them giving out about not getting what they deserve, but what have they given to get these Lanes.

Seems as if I'm getting less road to drive on, with all the road tax I'm paying.

slade_x

neuromancer wrote:

A few years ago, before I had a car, I was an avid cyclist. A few years ago, there wasn't a whole lot of cycle lanes, but nowadays the government have gotten their act together, and there's Cycle lanes all over the shop(Dublin).

Anyways, the point of my Thread is this... I do most of my driving in the Dublin South area, and have come to notice the actual size of some Cycle Lanes. They seem to take up almost half of one side of the road. Whatever about driving my own car between the cycle lane and the middle of the road white line, I'm sure glad I don't drive a truck.

Now, I'm all for Cycle Lanes, and I think it's great for the environment. But what gets up my nose, is cyclists giving out about not getting enough Lanes, and when they get them, the Lanes are huge. It's not as if their paying any money towards the construction of these lanes, in the form of taxes. I would understand them giving out about not getting what they deserve, but what have they given to get these Lanes.

Seems as if I'm getting less road to drive on, with all the road tax I'm paying.

Arent some of those cycle lanes, "with flow" lanes, which would explain their size..

havent been in dublin lately and when i am i dont usually notice cycle tracks

Lord Nikon

slade_x wrote:

"with flow" lanes

This is news to me...

John R

Are you talking about proper cycle lanes with a lip/barrier between the lane and roadway or just the ones where the edge of the roadway has been painted red?

The latter are a joke and benefit nobody. Cyclists hate them because cars can as easily sway into them as on a normal road and use them as an unofficial parking spot. They are a nightmare for large vehicles because many cyclists insist on cycling on the outside of the lane (understandably in many cases) and vehicles on the opposite side drive much nearer to the centreline than they would normally so overtaking is very difficult.

Lord Nikon

Just the ones that are painted red.

saobh_ie

If only the whole lot could be done away with. From what I've heard here (well in commuting anyway) they're just painted onto existing road or put in without consideration. Gutters, Shores etc, and because cars don't drive on them all sorts of crap accumulates.

If however everybody got the share of the road they were entitled and all that utopian stuff cyclists wouldn't need to be segregrated from normal traffic. And as earlier stated, they aren't really even in the cycle lanes.

All I can say is those cyclists are complete lunatics (in the cycling armour with heavier traffic wearing zero protection), this is based on having seen a cyclist who was puttering along in the gutter get rear ended by car doing 60km/h on my way into work one morning.

I'm sure cycle lanes are a good idea if they could be built right and so on but in this country... far better off without them. Apparenlty its in the law that a cyclist has to use a cycle lane where provided..? With the state of many of the things?

Although I have to say, the ones on the footpath are worse than those on the road. I hate them, cyclists whizzing up behind me when I'm walking or coming straight towards me and I look over my shoulder before getting out of the way and theres another right there! Argh! Get on the road. When I was a kid bikes belonged on the road not the footpath (like eight years ago lol).

Squirrel

Roads such as the one going from Templeogue Bridge down to the KCR has cycle tracks which cuts the road space down to less than some country roads, but they're there for a reason, bikes are dangerous to pedestrians and other vehicles are dangerous to bikes, especially when the cyclist needs to swerve to save the front wheel from a massive pothole or a fu(ker parked in the cycle lane. If there's no cycle lane I cycle on the road about 18 inches from the kerb but keep an eye on traffic behind me in case they can't get by me, and they always get a courtsey wave when I need to swerve.

Lord Nikon

Squirrel wrote:

... such as the one going from Templeogue Bridge down to the KCR has cycle tracks which cuts the road space down to less than some country roads

This was going to be my best example. It was the basis of my Thread.