Cyclists are reclaiming the road! (Debate)

Sun 17 May 2020, 11:34

I think these posts have a tendency to becoming emotional at times.  That's because the overarching strategic necessity, in order to make cycling safer and more attractive, is to overturn the implicit planning assumption that cars and other motorised vehicles have absolute priority, and everything must be designed to allow their drivers maximum utility.  Some car drivers find this challenging because it represents a big cultural change.  But it is a necessary one.

Sun 17 May 2020, 10:19 (last edited on Sun 17 May 2020, 10:20)

Philip – you are of course right in that the parked cars make it too narrow for a car moving in one direction and a bike in the other. But the same is true of Thames Street and Fawler, where two-way traffic is permitted. In both cases, road users (whether cyclist or motorist) have to slow down, look out, and give way. That might not be a bad thing for Market Street!

Personally – as a Market Street resident, a cyclist, and an occasional driver – I don’t have a particularly strong view on it; I don’t cycle the ‘wrong way’ up Market Street myself, but I don’t generally yell at people who do. What I do feel strongly about is people – generally roadies from outside Charlbury – whose response to it being one-way is to cycle on the very narrow pavement. Given that most Market Street front doors open directly onto the pavement, that genuinely is unsafe. Counter-intuitively, that makes me suspect that allowing contraflow cycling on Market Street would actually make the street safer in the round.

Sun 17 May 2020, 08:29

Had to go to London SW1 yesterday. Cyclists everywhere, car traffic building up not to normal levels but probably 40%. Long queues to supermarkets. Less adherence to social distancing than in the Cotswolds. 

Sat 16 May 2020, 17:57

But it's NOT possible in Market Street which is far too narrow for a car moving in one direction and a cycle moving in the opposite direction. This isn't an anti-cycling post, but there is a perfectly good and safe alternative for cyclists courtesy of the churchyard.

 Alternatively, walk the short distance from The Old Sweet Shop to The Rose & Crown.

Sat 16 May 2020, 16:48

I have photographs of streets in London - narrower than both Browns Lane and Market Street - which have a sign below the one-way arrow which says 'Except cyclists'.  Cyclists and motorists both take care on these streets which usually have slow speeds anyway.  If we're to be more cycle-friendly it makes sense to provide as many facilities like these as possible.

Sun 10 May 2020, 20:50

There is a notice at the entrance to the churchyard that says careful cyclists are welcome, also a notice by Richard ( of course) go and read it! 

Sun 10 May 2020, 19:29

Market Street does have the occasional cyclist going the wrong way up it and the frequency does seem to have increased since March (or maybe I am home more...).

A tired me was once tempted to go that way rather than go around via Nine Acres. However, there is a very safe and easy option going via St Mary's instead. I wonder if there is a way to encourage people to take that route instead. Or perhaps there are objections to people taking their bikes through the churchyard?

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Aside from that, if you're getting more cycling done at the moment and are looking for some inspirations for your route, I'd highly recommend cycle.travel. If you go to the map, add a starting location, and then click "Suggest a ride" (desktop computer only, I think), it unveils a host of great cycling routes of any length you'd want. Great for newbies and veterans alike.

My uncle recommended it to me last year. I became hooked during lockdown. Then, about a week ago, I discovered it's created by very own charlbury.info webmaster, Richard. Massive kudos to him.

Sun 10 May 2020, 17:07

I have no problems with cyclist, but as an HGV driver they are an accident waiting to happen, ignoring the Highway Code like jumping red lights, not waiting at junctions and not looking where they are going.  Before I get any comments I used to belong a cycle club in London and raced at tracks and did time trials (On the public highway).

Sun 10 May 2020, 13:59

A common occurrence of ignoring the one way system - long before lock down - a potential accident is imminent and maybe the road safety group should consider this in addition to the issues of speed and HGV movements ignoring weight limits . Cyclist in the afternoon returning from the station and HGV in the mornings  

Sat 9 May 2020, 21:06

Yes, Helen; it's great to see so many people out on roads and bridleways enjoying the fresh air and countryside. So many friendly ones, too. Unfortunately there are others, like the lady on a bicycle, leading a dog, and accompanied by three children, also cycling, whom I met cycling the wrong way when I drove along Market Street recently. She wasn't so friendly!

Sat 9 May 2020, 17:54

I went for a cycle ride with my 11 year old this afternoon and it was lovely to be able to go on some of the B roads which are normally too full of traffic - and nice to see so many other cyclists out enjoying the roads too. I wish we could make these roads more friendly to walkers and cyclists when lockdown is over.

Sat 9 May 2020, 13:39

I went out for a little walk this morning and I thought I was on a stage of the Tour de France 

Wed 22 Apr 2020, 22:35

For some people with arthritis who find it painful to walk up or down hills a short drive to a level walk is of great benefit.

Wed 22 Apr 2020, 19:54

If you live in Charlbury I don’t think you should be driving anywhere to take exercise. 

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 19:03 (last edited on Tue 21 Apr 2020, 19:04)

Following on from Richard’s comment. This is the advice the police have been given. It states it is lawful to drive for exercise within reason.

https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/What-constitutes-a-reasonable-excuse.pdf

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 13:38

We actually cycled to Witney to do some food shopping.  There wasn't a noodle to be had in Charlbury for weeks!  Who's eating them all or has a cupboard full of them?!

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 10:20

There’s nothing in the legislation saying you can’t drive to Burford for a walk and the CPS guidance has been updated to cover that. The legislation talks about a “reasonable excuse”. Only a court of law can define what “reasonable” means, but see reports like this.

There are plenty of people around Charlbury taking two-hour walks, and I don’t see how you could say that a two-hour walk for exercise is ok but a two-hour cycle isn’t.

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 10:03

Is cycling 15/20 miles or more classed as “non essential travel”?  I can’t drive to Burford for a walk. Don’t jump down my throat cyclists, I’m just asking the question.

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 09:51

It's certainly been very pleasant not to have swarms of cyclists whizzing round Fiveways shouting at each other because they don't know which way to go.

I wonder where they've all gone?!

Tue 21 Apr 2020, 09:20

Oh for goodness sake: Here is a a quote to chew on for all the twitchy car drivers from the AA yesterday:

"We remain generally supportive of measures to encourage more cycling and walking both during and after lockdown. It’s heartening to see more children taking to the roads on bikes. It’s too early to say exactly what will happen to transport post-pandemic but if trends of more people working from home and lower car use persist, then it might give us the opportunity to re-assess road use in targeted areas.”

Mon 20 Apr 2020, 14:00

If road conditions are so much more cycle friendly, maybe cyclists can stay off of the public footpaths, where they have no right to be.

Mon 20 Apr 2020, 11:07

I agree. At the moment I am getting asked why I'm driving about every day. My mother has a medical condition (I've already had to take her for emergency treatment twice during the lockdown), so it's essential that I use the car, but it seems people are of the opinion that maybe I should be pushing her to the MIU in a wheelbarrow. It seems that environmental activists like to forget that in rural communities individuals are further from medical (and other) help, but still just as likely to need it and still just as likely to have medical conditions that require them to drive rather than cycle. 

Mon 20 Apr 2020, 10:09 (last edited on Mon 20 Apr 2020, 10:57)

Why are posts about cycling so often adversarial either in title or content? Most cyclists are motorists too! There's nothing to stop cyclists greeting one another anytime. Sure, the reduced traffic levels must be making cycling on rural roads much more enjoyable at present, but the roads are for EVERYONE, from pedestrians to van and truck drivers, for both recreation and businesses that form the lifeblood of a (once) thriving local economy. 

 This was originally posted in response to the originator's posting on the Main Board. Controversial? Hardly!