He said: “I’m a fitness trainer and a keen cyclist myself so I’m always in favour of improving routes and access for bicycles. But these signs are very strange – some of the time there are cars parked on either side of the road so they don’t look too bad then.
“But when the road is empty it looks like the council wants people just to cycle down the middle of the road, which doesn’t seem very safe!” Pete, 46, who has lived in the town for 21 years, believes access problems for Central Bedfordshire Council’s highways contractor Amey may have been behind the strange location of the symbols.
He added: “You tend to see cars parked at the sides of the road the most in the evenings, at night and early in the morning when people are back home from work. I think the workmen may have come here during those times and as they couldn’t move any of the vehicles they have just painted the symbols in the middle where there was space.”
5 comments:
I'd much rather see cyclists in the middle of the lane than going along in the gutter. In fact, in some cities that's where the cycle lanes are. I've been clipped by people trying to force their way past in their car. You wouldn't cycle in the gutter if you were on a motorbike.
In fact, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/cycling/dg_10026401 says "ride well clear of the kerb - 1 metre away or in the centre of the left lane"
I'd never seen that advice before!
I can't imagine most four-wheeled vehicle drivers would be best pleased if all cyclists took that advice.
arbroath: I don't doubt it, though when I'm on a bike, I'd rather make a driver sit behind me and get grumpy than risk being squashed because they tried to squeeze between me and oncoming traffic. If your ride in the center of the lane cars can still overtake if it's safe to do so. If I'm following in a car it's no different than sitting behind a tractor. If the cyclist/tractor driver's feeling generous they'll pull over and let traffic by and then get pull out again. Anyway, given the 20 mph speed limits around where I live, you can easily do more than that on a bicycle. :)
Most cyclists around here just use the pavements.
It is a lot safer, mind. Well, for the cyclists.
I would never cycle around here. It's far too dangerous.
Where I live, cycling on the pavement is illegal (and the local police will swoop down on you as a priority, because cyclists are easy prey), but there are little provisions made for cyclists on the road. Very few cycle lanes, some really horrifically unsafe junctions, and some very aggressive local drivers.
Cycling as close to the side of the road as possible is the only option sadly, as on the few occasions I have cycled in the centre of the lane, I've had nothing but honking horns and verbal abuse, despite my doing so being perfectly legal.
On the flipside though, the other day a lorry driver saw me struggling to pull out into fast traffic, slowed down and waved me through. Many thanks to that man!
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