Comments on: 4.9.2 http://bigcitytalk.org.uk/626/492/ A Place To Talk About Birmingham's Big City Plan Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:04:49 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Julia Gilbert http://bigcitytalk.org.uk/626/492/comment-page-1/#comment-183 Julia Gilbert Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:24:55 +0000 http://bigcity.paradisecircus.com/?p=626#comment-183 As an inexperienced and infrequent cyclist, I have to say that I would be much more inclined to cycle if there were dedicated cycle paths (not shared with buses, pedestrians or other vehicles) that were completely separate from the road, but also that weren't in really deserted, lonely places. I realise that there is limited room within the city centre, but there are lots of roads that have wide grass or concrete verges along them. I think that we should add cycle paths alongside, but completely separate from existing roads wherever possible.<br><br>The cycle map is really useful and I have found a mainly off-road way of getting from home to work, but the existing cycle paths go through some really deserted areas which I find quite threatening. Better signposting would certainly go some way to help. Why didn't I already know these off road cycle paths existed? Why aren't there huge bright signs on the roadside letting vehicle users know that there is an alternative. If I saw more cyclists using the off road paths, I'd feel a lot less threatened. There are also a number of places on my route that I often take a wrong turn, such as by the Ackers, because the 'cycle path' is really just a maze of footpaths. At the moment I feel I have to choose between risking my safety cycling on the roads and risking it cycling on some really lonely off road paths which are hidden from view, including along stretches of the canal, overgrown parkland and the back of industrial estates. How is it that I can sometimes cycle on a recommended cycle route for 30 mins without seeing a single other cyclist?<br><br>It's all very well for experienced cyclists to tell me that it's perfectly safe to cycle on the road, but my *perception* is that it is not, and it will be the same for many, many other potential cyclists.<br><br>I think that any new roads built should have separate cycle lanes built alongside them, and we should look at incorporating separate cycle lanes alongside existing roads. Wherever the pavement/concrete verge is over X feet wide, we should automatically dedicate part of it for use by cyclists, this shouldn't cost too much, just a white line painted along it. As an inexperienced and infrequent cyclist, I have to say that I would be much more inclined to cycle if there were dedicated cycle paths (not shared with buses, pedestrians or other vehicles) that were completely separate from the road, but also that weren't in really deserted, lonely places. I realise that there is limited room within the city centre, but there are lots of roads that have wide grass or concrete verges along them. I think that we should add cycle paths alongside, but completely separate from existing roads wherever possible.

The cycle map is really useful and I have found a mainly off-road way of getting from home to work, but the existing cycle paths go through some really deserted areas which I find quite threatening. Better signposting would certainly go some way to help. Why didn't I already know these off road cycle paths existed? Why aren't there huge bright signs on the roadside letting vehicle users know that there is an alternative. If I saw more cyclists using the off road paths, I'd feel a lot less threatened. There are also a number of places on my route that I often take a wrong turn, such as by the Ackers, because the 'cycle path' is really just a maze of footpaths. At the moment I feel I have to choose between risking my safety cycling on the roads and risking it cycling on some really lonely off road paths which are hidden from view, including along stretches of the canal, overgrown parkland and the back of industrial estates. How is it that I can sometimes cycle on a recommended cycle route for 30 mins without seeing a single other cyclist?

It's all very well for experienced cyclists to tell me that it's perfectly safe to cycle on the road, but my *perception* is that it is not, and it will be the same for many, many other potential cyclists.

I think that any new roads built should have separate cycle lanes built alongside them, and we should look at incorporating separate cycle lanes alongside existing roads. Wherever the pavement/concrete verge is over X feet wide, we should automatically dedicate part of it for use by cyclists, this shouldn't cost too much, just a white line painted along it.

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