Fifty Plus (50+) - Stapfam's Bike Lanes

Now we know the real reason Stapfam spends most of this time riding off-road. I would too if I had to dodge these things...probably gets even more complicated when folks are lined up to use it.

(If the link doesn't work maybe someone can provide a little photo assistance.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4794198.stm

Holy, crap. I can't believe there aren't blood stains all about next to that thing. That's just plain stupid. Can you imagine the outcry if the highway planners were planting stuff like that in the lanes cars use? Why do we tolerate this stuff?

Here you go,
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/telehammer/_41447404_phonebox.jpg

Who needs to ride offroad when you have this lot to manoevure round? Not all bike lanes are like this in the UK, But they are an after thought for the road planners. Best one locally is a Bridlepath. They are for horses, and many date back for centuries and this one did. Bikes are allowed to use them but horses and pedestrians have priority. In winter it was a thick mud path but in the summer could be used for walking into our local town. They built a private housing estate for elderly people and the gardens blocked off the Bridleway and no alternative pathway was made. After 2 years of the residents stopping walkers, cyclists and horses using their private road as alternative path, a running club found out that the original bridlepath was still listed as a bridle path. You've guessed it- the running club took the original route and just had a bit of difficulty with the 6ft high fences across the back gardens, about 20 of them. A Week later and an alternative path through the estate was made. There was no way they wanted the Bike club to take the same route, Or the full compliment of the running club of around 300 members.

Given the cowboys, befuddled elderly drivers, nonEnglish speaking new to the country drivers, Nismo'ed rice rocket jockeys, cell-phone talkers, girls putting on make-up in the mirror, etc. where I live..........an unobstructed bike-lane seems not much better than Stepfam's predicament. My heroic neighbor, who has MS and daily rides his massive trike with orange pennant flying, was almost hit the other day in a bike lane.

That micro-millimeter thick layer of paint offers not much barrier to careless motorists. Give me a steep and winding descent any day over riding through town...where you cannot be vigilant enough.

Given the cowboys, befuddled elderly drivers, nonEnglish speaking new to the country drivers, Nismo'ed rice rocket jockeys, cell-phone talkers, girls putting on make-up in the mirror, etc. where I live..........an unobstructed bike-lane seems not much better than Stepfam's predicament. My heroic neighbor, who has MS and daily rides his massive trike with orange pennant flying, was almost hit the other day in a bike lane.

That micro-millimeter thick layer of paint offers not much barrier to careless motorists. Give me a steep and winding descent any day over riding through town...where you cannot be vigilant enough.

I plead guilty to Blocking Bike lanes- I went to Amsterdam for a weekend and if any of you have been to Holland- You will know that Bikes Rule. If a car is involved in an accident with a Bike--- It is the car drivers fault. And that is the Law and there are NO mitigating circumstances.

There I was walking on the Path in Amsterdam, doing the sightseeing bit, and I kept hearing this Ting-a-ling sound- Never worked out what it was, but some of those bike riders were lunatics- Weaving in and out of the pedestrians- cutting up cars, getting quite vocal on occasions- Then I sussed out what it was. All the tourists were walking on that perfect bit of Tarmac that was marked in a separate colour to the Rough cobbled bit of the Sidewalk that was about half the width of the perfect tarmac. The ting-a-ling was all the cyclists trying to tell the pedestrians that they were walking on the Cycle track. That is how Cycle tracks should be. How you get rid of the ignorant tourists though is beyong me- Perhaps a bit of warning at the airport or travel catalogue would have helped, But I plead ignorance- and seeing how those cyclists defended their rights, I wish I had taken out insurance against being mugged by a front wheel where it should never have been put.