London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycl...x?lid=switcher

They have added a few more artist impressions to the site and some more info on the completion dates of each route.
Still looks like it is just the same kind of cycle lanes we have now, but painted blue.
I don't really understand how it can take (in their estimation) up to 2015 to get some of the routes sorted.....

good to see,
it takes so long because every metre of changed designation has to be wrangled over by 20 people in different offices. Then every metre of changed designation has to be safety audited by 20 people in different offices.Then every metre of surfacing, ground work on kerbs, dropped kerbs has to be arranged, scheduled for work, then every metre has to be installed on the ground,
then every fucker has to say how much they liked it before.

I don't get it. They look like the same old shit cycle lanes we've got already, but slightly more blue, which I guess was Boris' suggestion.

Looking through these pictures just gives me the impression that it will reinforce drivers thinking bikes should only ever be within two foot of the kerb, or - even worse - on the pavement.

Image seven is a great example of an accident waiting to happen. Dozy moo with the push chair wanders onto the bit of blue pavement while yakking on the phone, cyclist heading towards her has to take evasive action, crashing into the cyclist heading in the opposite direction and knocking them off the kerb and head on into a bus. Fucking marvelous.

Says that they will be at least 1.5 meters wide which is a fair bit better than the current ones isn't it?
Though I really doubt they will actually end up being that wide....

That looks f******g shit

+1, fucking shit!

I have to say I am not too impressed. No offence meant. I like that the city is doing anything at all ... but... they're already proven that the wide cycle lane gets used by cars as a parking space

I agree that it does reinforce the view that the cyclist belongs in the gutter. Legally we're allowed the whole lane. Having recently revisited the highway code and written a cycle marshal guide I now know that this is fact, not something that is only true in North America or that I made up in my PRO BIKE BRAIN.
I worry about the misconception cycle lanes give to new cyclists and non-cyclist road users.

It takes a special type of genius to commission artist's impressions which look considerably shitter than what they might be intending.

Maybe they're lowering our expectations so that the reality is better than we could ever have imagined? It could even end up being a nicer shade of blue.

Yep. Middle of the road is the best place to be

+1 Mike

But if it helps make people feel safe and it reduces accidents, then it can only be a good thing. I guess

Yep. Middle management. Loads of useless fuckers arguing over every point to make themselves feel valued and worthwhile.

+1, don't like it all, I can already hear the beeping and ignorant drivers ranting about 'getting back on the blue'. If they really want to make people feel safer, and outline clear routes into the city, then just paint the entire road blue and be done with it.

The person who did the colliers wood one, obviously never cycles down the high st.
There is a mini cab firm on the left hand side and always a fair amount of cars parked up - traffic is always tight down that road and the best place to ride..is in the middle.

I can see a lot of 'get back in the fucking blue lane' comments from some drivers..well I'm sorry you fucktard but it's my road too.

What a crock of shite.

</grumpy cow>

If it makes you feel any better, the only cycle lane on the IoM stretches the length of Douglas promenade and its on the pavement.

I think everyone is being a bit over critical about this. Most of us cycle down the road at near 20mph in the middle of the road with the cars but new cyclist do need these lanes. Surley they will encourage alot more new cyclist to cycle to work and the like and when they're readythey will leave the blue lanes for the road. Just because you don't need it doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Well said, me too.

Whoever made this shit-awful illustration needs a stern talking to.

reality check

You've hit the nail on the head there Ade, ridiculous!

Who the fuck do they think they're kidding? They're painting cycle lanes blue, that's it! Absurd and insulting. London's infrastructure is a fucked up palimpsest that won't suddenly generate extra room out of thin air so this was inevitable I suppose, but at least be honest about it. Shared space FTW.

+1 for the use of the word 'palimpsest'! I like it

At a cost of £22m for two pilot superhighways.


http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...nd-answers.pdf


Time to get into the blue paint business...

exactly, it's just superficial, it's only a pathetic cycling lane.

this is what a cycle superhighway should look like, but in copenhagen, it's just a 'bike lane';

This really is another blow for cycling. It's not the way to change attitudes for the better. Yet more ugly, confusing, distracting, gaudy, chaotic signage for road users to contend with. I'm fairly certain this wasn't what Ken had in mind.

fixed.

Copenhagen is blessed with very wide roads. London's streets are confined and disjointed.

Looks like the Avatar premier before the guests arrived.

Pretty much, it's much easier to just paint a bicycle symbol on the road.

the road is large and plentiful enough to ride our bicycle, why can't we share that?

Seattle have got it spot on;

Basically because most drivers want to go faster than most cyclists do/can.

It's still a better option than the other frankly, drivers can't tell us to go onto the 'blue box', they can't says 'get off the road' because the road said cycles use it too, etc.

For some of us maybe, but not every commuting cyclist is going to feel comfortable pulling out into the middle of moving traffic. The bike-assigned blue lane/gutter reinforces the idea that cyclists do not belong in the road. It's not about 'what Ed will choose to do anyway'.

after all the faults of these links, they arent proposing to change the highway code,
so, you skilled riders can still choose to use the main roads as often as you like.

agreed that there are plenty of places a 1.5 metre lane will seem scarily like less width, and yes there will be some twattish drivers, isnt there always going to be?

however, the mere fact that TFL and the authorities have the front to say, "were trying, give it a go, and use this as a main commuter route into town" has got to be good. London are likely to follow best practice guidance for what goes in.

In the regions, Council cycling officers are actively ignored when it comes to cycle infrastructure, they can argue hard for improvement, get best practice designs approved, and STILL engineers will then go forward with sub-standard narrower lanes.

more here:-
http://www.lfgss.com/thread29283.html
now wheres Oliver?

Indeed let's see what happens but the dotted lines mean that motorised traffic can use them right or will that be an offence? I

Lets hope they at least feel a bit more commited to police the ASLs and keep the cycle lanes car free because they're painted blue. That in itself would be an improvement.

Thoroghly underwhelmed, the fact that they are still in the gutter means that these will be full of parked cars and have been torn up by heavy buses/HGV's when the tarmac is too hot/broken up when it is or cold. This will result in cyclists being forced back into the path of motorised traffic.
I hadn't looked into any proposals before now but had the impression by the term Superhighway that these would be stand alone lanes not just another shared bit of tarmac.

So rather than a Superhighway they are really just the same as the old lanes but they link up a bit better and are blue.

Plans look shit. Not surprised.

When I originally head about "Superhighways" I had visions of sleek wide purpose-built lanes, something new and different, something that respected cyclists and their safety. Not just painting the existing cycle lanes blue.

The idea of pootling along a Cycling™ SuperHighway™, and some pell-job on a mountain bike with super wide handlebars bombing the other way, just inches from myself, sends shivers up my spine, into my brain, and out my mouth.

I don't want to criticise these - I'll wait and see what they're actually like. I will say, though, that if they're as narrow as some of those artist impressions make them look, then having two 15-20mph cyclists coming towards each other could be dangerous.

Looks like a load of old shit and a waste of cash that could be better spent.

Either total segragation or total integration and better driver edumucation.

All across the nation.

it means that vehicles can move into them when necessary, the thinking being that all users are supposed to negotiate who goes when pinch points appear.
Having looked again at the locations, there isnt actually much that is new here, many of these routes are exisiting, and just being highlighted, my earlier comment still stands about something being done to try and encourage riders who might not have previously ridden( to work e.g)
I have non cycling friends who are looking forward to their route from Wimbledon being opened, they know about it, it is something positive for them.
still waiting for Olivers voice of reason........

All these bike lanes will do is turn bikes in to second class road users (having to wait at every junction like peds). If they really want to help. They need to re-serface some of the main roats into town (Kentish Town Road, Holloway, others from the south that I am not familier with). This will mean that for those who are nervouse can cycle closer to the paivement. It will also meen that we arnt weaving across the lane unpredictably (for the diver behine anyway) to avoid pot holes and drains. We dont need bike lanes on pavements, that will make riders feel like that is the place to ride and anger even more peds.

Bit of a ramble there.

Yeah Pink. Some parts of Holloway Road, especially the bus lane heading South just before the 7 sisters junction, are just uncyclable. A mass of pot holes. Try avoiding those when some motor bike is flying up behind you at 30mph in the rain!

Also, anyone else noticed the new Road Layout on New North Road heading North over the canal. An absolute fucking death trap. Mark my words. It's only a matter of time before there is a serious accident there :(

I just hope that trucks and buses can't cross over into them and create huge craters. I also hope they are free from speed humps that are present on the cycle lane on Royal College Street, Camden.

+1

funny (as in sick, not ha ha) that CS7 delivers everyone to Lower Thames Street: a fucking cyclists' nightmare. And the 'superhighway' just stops.

yeah, where's oliver? what do we pay him for, anyway?

The bike paths in paris are usually narrow, usually segregated with a kerb (but still in the road), and only rarely two-way things. The drivers are pretty good at giving cyclists space (perhaps because they're presumed liable in case of collision?), and those of us who don't want to cycle in the bike lanes, don't have to, and don't get hassle for not doing so. They're talking about opening up bus lanes to motorbikes, surprise surprise.

I struggle to see this as anything other than green --> blue. There's some paint company somewhere saying "*sucking in through teeth noise* 1.5m wide, a few miles long, that'll be....£22 million. Do it in cash, and I'll knock off the VAT"

TWENTYFUCKINGTWOMILLIONPOUNDS???

actually, at least they're spending money on cycling.

Those things are THE most annoying thing in Camden. And they're for bus stops so for some reason people like to loiter on them and are dumbfounded when a nice sharp Get out of the way is shot into their ears.

Only plus im seeing from these "superhighways" is clear paths from central to Londons outskirts (for those who dont know their way around, or cant read a map).
Still dangerous though

What exactly do you want me to add to the issue?

The LCC has been quite critical of this project:

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1513

We've criticised in particular the extremely tight timetable for delivering the first two routes and we're not optimistic that they'll be very good. We'll continue to engage with the process:

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1673

There's no point in opting out of it, as the project can only benefit from us staying involved, but we certainly don't think it's the best possible project TfL could be running. It falls under too many of the constraints imposed by TfL concerning motor traffic capacity and isn't being given enough priority inside the organisation.

There are of course very good aspects to the project, such as the 'soft measures', e.g. smarter travel projects, but little is being done about junctions and major barriers to cycling, like one-way gyratories, for improvements that would really make a difference. Hopefully, more things like this will happen in the next two phases, but it'll be a lot of work.

I now cycle to Barking. This is a Hipster free zone

I can't see why any cyclisst would want to ride down the A13.

What's needed in East London are safe river crossings for the Roding and the Lea.

On my way back from Souths last night, they'd put a contra-flow on Tooting High Road, leading to Colliers Wood and there were workmen everywhere - I thought they were going to dig the road up, found out otherwise this morning on my way in