Comments on: Question time with Boris Johnson at the cycle superhighway launch

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:07:41 +0000

A new cycle superhighway is due to open near me at Wandsworth. One thing the mainstream media don’t seem to have picked up on is that surely corporations such as Barclays sponsoring cycle superhighways are never going to want them routed through quieter, safer roads, as their advertising/branding will want to be seen by as many people (ie motorists) as possible. Surely there is a conflict of interest here?

By: A Swan

A Swan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:02:10 +0000

As a London cyclist and motorcyclist i welcome the new cycle lanes but I would like to make some comments on cyclists’ attitudes to motorcyclists using the blue areas across all lanes at traffic lights. Firstly, I have to admit that i almost always wait for the lights to change in these areas as it just seems to me to be common sense that motorbikes should be free to use these as they are always going to be first away from the lights. What i never do is block off the left hand side of these boxes as i believe cyclists should have that area to themselves but i can t see why they should have the right to exclusively occupy all that space. Certainly when i m cycling, it does nt worry me that motorbikes are ahead of me, in fact i d be more worried about them coming past me too closely and knocking me off. However I have found that the blue colouring has given some cyclists a more agrressive attitude to bikes in the blue areas at the lights, so can i ask for some tolerance and understanding as i believe motorbikes use of this space is actually safer and more sensible. Happy to be told i m wrong if someone has a different view!

By: Cait

Cait — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:22:32 +0000

I watched a video on YouTube the other day by Jenny Jones as a response to the Superhighways being opened, and I have to say I didn’t realise a couple of things:
1) They were actually a *Ken* policy, after a paper on impoving cycling in London to which Jenny was a contributor, so Boris just picked the policy up
2) Jenny’s 100% pro, which was a surprise to me, given all of our luddite-esque negative comments about them!! (and you know you do feel negative don’t you! I too am guilty

So… listening to her talking about them made me reassess them slightly, and I came to think that for prospective cyclists they are potentially actually rather great. For new *new* cyclists. for existing cyclists, we are justified in the scepticism. What does it do for us? not much really, they’re painted across bus lanes mostly, they confuse motorcyclists *even more* when there’s even an entire bus lane painted blue at Stockwell, for example…

…but I don’t know about anyone else who touches the blue route through Clapham/Stockwell but I’ve really noticed the existing (and maybe new?) cyclists more since the painting was completed. The drivers are as rubbish as they always are but I did notice yesterday, since the publicity that there was some effort to pull away from the curb and out of the blue around the junction with the astronaught pub (regulars will know where I mean!).

So if you were a new / prospective cyclist, would you feel slightly more supported? I would say probably yes, in which case that’s a really good job done.

Of course there are huge questions about long term maintenance and pleeeeease can we have about 4x’s as many of those large scale mirrors (that’s the bit that no one can possibly moan about) but I must confess I find my 180 degree turnaround in opinion a bit freaky.

I think the answer is, relax about it, support it for the positives that it will bring… and try and help velib cyclists to not kill themselves.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:17:41 +0000

In London I agree we could do with more cycle friendly road regulations but it seems any segregated infrastructure is bound to fail

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:16:31 +0000

Sad to hear these bad reports of police behaviour. They obviously haven’t been trained in dealing with cyclists correctly.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:13:18 +0000

The rumble strips are a good idea and one I’ve not heard mentioned before. When I next see the cycle superhighway project manager I’ll mention it to him to see what he suggests.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:10:53 +0000

Jim, a good example of the failings of the superhighways – shame to see such narrow lanes when there is clearly more space around.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:33:11 +0000

As a cyclist from London now living in Holland, I have watched this development with some amusement. I know the South route very well, cycling from North Cheam to central London following the Northern line from Morden to Clapham Common, before turning off, for the best part of a year. The area between Tooting Bec and Colliers Wood I remember in particular as the location of a number of near accidents.
Painting the road blue is a token gesture with no long term benefit. Surely the solution is to educate all road users that cyclists should be expected and accepted on all roads, not single out these roads in particular? Even on the BBC coverage the blue line was being used for the two-lane traffic jam.
I could not imagine returning to be a cyclist in London after 3 years in Holland. I hope it does work for all of you, but I’ll happily stick with my dedicated cycle lanes and cycle friendly road regulations.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:25:40 +0000

I usually use LCN route 5 – it runs parallel to CS7 but uses bike paths over Tooting Common and Clapham Common and I finish my commute through Hyde Park, but today I thought I’d give the Blue Line a go. All but 3 of the ASLs were occupied by cars, vans and buses (and those had the usual motorbikes in…) but as Jim reported I saw motorbike cops out in force so I thought I would I ask if they were going to do anything. In response I was asked to prove that my lights worked (in broad daylight?) and told that they were there in case any cyclists tried to ‘take the mickey’ on this ‘day of days’. While very little of the blue paint actually constitutes a cycle path (and even less with a solid white line) I reckon it’s just a matter of time before anyone hit ‘off the reservation’ will just be told ‘you shouldn’t be that part of the road’.
The idea that Boris could outrun a ‘boy racer’ is so laughable it made up for the rest of his ‘jokes’. Shame the biggest on should have cost so many millions already! Just share the roads…

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:26:59 +0000

Just saw this over at the lgfss.com forum:

“CS7 is being policed quite firmly by motorbike cops. And they are only after cyclists. This morning, I saw riders stopped at Balham & Clapham Common. I saw a third on the road, so pointed out some PTWs in an ASL, which he ignored. He also ignored three cyclists who went ahead of the line at the entrance to Stockwell gyratory, but nicked an RLJer before Oval.

Last night, I saw two cyclists being spoken to – near Oval and Clapham Common, and another PC waiting partially concealed near Clapham North tube. I pointed out a car in an ASL to him, and he made as if to move off, but did nothing as the lights changed.

So stay clean. The Met’s idea of promoting a new facility is not to educate & inform people driving carelessly, but to target cyclists.”

Marvellous.