With the idea of the 50mph speed limit in roadworks on motorways and now the government is pushing for the use of cycling for health reasons. What is the members opinions on other speed limits being adjusted to accommodate the safety of cyclists where there is no cycle lane available.
As a driver / cycle commuter, depending on weather, 30mph limit in non-urban areas feels frustratingly slow in the car and scarily fast when overtaken on the bike.
Cutting the limit to 20mph, as has been done near some schools, for example, doesn’t seem to help me when on my bike, as I can feel the traffic build behind, but can see the benefit to pedestrians.
For me, the investment should be in cycle lanes - benefitting both driver and cyclist. The Dutch seem to have it sorted, IMHO.
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Th cycling revolution won’t last, as soon as the winter comes everyone will be back into their cars. The winter weather in this country is too wet and windy for cycling unless you are a committed MAMIL and even their numbers drop dramatically in the winter. The problem as I see it and I am a cyclist, is not so much speed of passing vehicles but their closeness particularly lorries and vans. As pmba says dedicated cycle lanes away from pedestrians and traffic is the only answer, not white lines on pavements or road edges.
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Raising the boost limit of ebikes to 20mph as in America might help. Then bikes can be doing the same speed as cars in 20 mph zones.
Cars, bikes and pedestrians don’t really mix though, so dedicated cycle tracks are the only real answer imho
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I agree, as a motorist motorcyclist and cyclist I think a good network of cycle lanes would be a fine and worthwhile investment, I think with the current situation and the proliferation of E bikes and E scooters striking while the iron is hot is key, sure some will return to the car but maybe less so? 20 in urban streets fine by me.
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I agree with 999to5 and baabaa about a 20mph in towns. But I think dedicated cycle lanes would be better. Maybe some town streets could be made one way to accommodate a cycle lane going in the opposite direction to cars so cyclist see cars coming.
I see the Dept of Transport is doing a consultation to do with not only cyclists, but pedestrians and horse riders. Looking at changing the Highway Code, but how many read that after taking their driving test or ride a cycle or a horse. Because they should know the rules to, including pedestrians. we should all know what’s in the Highway Code. Ignorance is no excuse. But it’s a big ask to get everybody to read the Highway Code.
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I didn’t think privately owned E-scooters were allowed on public roads yet due to numerous problems including registration, insurance etc…
Cycles/Cyclists aren’t registered or insured but they are allowed on the road.
Thanks, I know that, I am referring to the LAW as it stands regarding E-scooters.
Cycle lanes are great if the cyclists use them. Here the local authority removed over 3 feet from pavement on a bridge over main road to make cycle lane. Only problem it is not used cyclists prefer the road beside it
Again as a left over when every body cycled to work we have long cycle lane alongside dual carriageway which are 6 feet wide, but again not used by cyclists preferring the dual carriageway
E-scooters will be allowed on the road only (no pavements) and rented ones only, no privately owned ones. This should be in effect shortly. The scooter renters are currently bringing in ‘000’s of them in anticipation. Some councils are objecting due to renters leaving them all over the place (Westminster council, from memory).
Thanks! That confirms my original comment regarding PRIVATELY OWNED E-Scooters.
As long as Cyclists make use of any new lanes, stay within the law, and respect other road users etc, because at the moment plenty of them just do as they like, scooting through red lights, or avoiding red lights by cutting across the pavement, whole cycle clubs all riding 4 abreast and having a chat around country lanes and taking up the whole half of the road so no one can overtake and then shouting and swearing that your" too close" when you see a gap and briskly shoot past.
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We have a dual carriage way near where we live which is about 4 miles long and very busy busy with cars and larger lorries , there is a cycle lane alongside that runs the whole length of it but a lot of cyclists still ride on the road .Why do they put their lives at risk like this .In fact there was a cyclist knocked down by a car along there about 2 years ago.
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I am with you all the way on that one! 
In addition we just do not have the space or infrastructure to make cycle lanes that they can’t be bothered to use anyway.
This is the type of argument used for 20mph limits…despite the fact that 20mph limits have been introduced and seen a rise accidents and injuries.
It should be an offence to cycle on the road when there is a separate cycleway
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The reason cyclists dont use cycle lanes is because they are often rubbish. On the road you have same right of way as cars etc whereas the cycle lane will give way at every side road and driveway so decent progress is virtually impossible. In my county the dedicated cycle lanes are appalling quality, tree roots brambles etc. A highway engineer told me the then recent outbreak of crappy cycle lanes painted at the side of inadequate roads was nothing to do with encouraging cycling and everything to do with the £1M subsidy received for every mile of cycle lane costing around £10k per mile, which still sounds expensive for some paint!
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Where I live the council decided a few years ago to make most pedestrian areas cycle routes too. Blue cycle signs everywhere, can’t get away from them, they just mix in with pedestrians, crazy.
I rarely go in the city centre and the attempt to put cycle lanes in on the roads are pathetic, a short stretch of say 30 feet lane ends, starts up again then another 30 feet ends, why actually bother with them they ride on the pavements anyway.
I actually got told off for not moving off the footpath to let a cyclist through once. As he stopped and turned to give me the verbals he fell off his bike, I had to hold back my reaction to that, it was funny at the time.
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To be honest, if everyone: drivers, cyclists and pedestrians obeyed the law and were more tolerant of each other, road use would be a lot less stressful for everybody.
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Speed limits can be a bit of a p*ss take. Locally there is an unclassified country road with a 50mph speed limit, except for a stretch of about 100metres in front of a large gated house…you guessed it, owned by the local counsellor…and the speed limit is reduced to 20mph! The speed limit through the village is 30mph! A request to said counsellor to have the speed limit on a 500metre stretch of road with mine and twelve more properties reduced from 60mph to 40mph was totally ignored!!!
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