Quiet Lanes

[ratherbeintobago]

Just what is the point?

Our local one is used as a rat-run, with no regard given to the crap sight lines and pedestrians/horses/bikes round blind corners.

Are they another example of paint/signs being felt to be adequate infrastructure or am I being bitter/cynical?

[peetee]

I was very aware of this in Hampshire where formerly lightly used roads became regular byways for speedy commercial vehicles once companies started using satnav-dependent software to plan their routes.

[Tangled Metal]

What would help is if satnav firms changed their route finding to ignore quiet roads suitable for more vulnerable users. Fat chance of that!!

[thirdcrank]

The CPRE claims to have been the .. er ... driving force behind Quiet Lanes.

Here's their guide, from 2003, which explains it was out-of-date when published, but it's still ok (My words)

https://www.cpre.org.uk/wp-content/uplo ... anes_1.pdf

Perhaps one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time.

On the subject of satnav guiding more traffic down minor roads, when the still-born road-pricing policy was published, I wrote to the CTC about my concerns that satnavs would offer routes avoiding the road-charging but to no avail.

[ratherbeintobago]

Interesting that the CPRE suggest that actual traffic calming isn’t appropriate.

However, if these are meant to be quiet…

[simonineaston]

I tend to agree - I was down near Pewsey the other week-end with cycling youngsters, inc the littlest on her first bike who tends to wobble and we deliberately chose nearby "quiet lanes", one of which is the regular route for full-sized articulated lorries heading for a nearby light industral unit... go figure!

[Vantage]

Same up here.
I used to live cycling up to Rivington for the peace and quiet.
These days it's a race track for bikers and a rat run for everyone else. There's that many parked cars along the lanes around the village and reservoirs that keeping to the left is all but impossible.
I miss the 90's.

[The utility cyclist]

'Quiet' lanes are yet more piecemeal rubbish to fob people off to think that the authorities are actually doing something to remedy the bigger problems, it's lame ass BS that does diddly squat, in fact like most of the 'measures' taken by local/national government they actually work against cycling/people riding bikes and the wider society/population.

[peetee]

What would help is if satnav firms changed their route finding to ignore quiet roads suitable for more vulnerable users. Fat chance of that!!

Yes. It all comes down to economics. Home deliveries are here to stay and the vehicles represent a large percentage of road traffic. The software behind delivery scheduling will divide an area into the most efficient selection of rounds and each round will get structured to provide the shortest route between drops. The suitability of the road is immaterial as long as it’s a recognised highway. In many cases drivers may know a better, longer option but their workload and/or employer pressure is such that they won’t take it.

[ratherbeintobago]

What would help is if satnav firms changed their route finding to ignore quiet roads suitable for more vulnerable users. Fat chance of that!!

Yes. It all comes down to economics. Home deliveries are here to stay and the vehicles represent a large percentage of road traffic. The software behind delivery scheduling will divide an area into the most efficient selection of rounds and each round will get structured to provide the shortest route between drops. The suitability of the road is immaterial as long as it’s a recognised highway. In many cases drivers may know a better, longer option but their workload and/or employer pressure is such that they won’t take it.

TBF it's not home delivery vans that I see on my local 'quiet' lane.

[fastpedaller]

We've found (if driving the car) that satnav will send us down the narrowest of lanes and it's often better to just ignore the satnav (if the lane looks like it is, or will be very narrow) and just wait until TT directs us towards a road more appropriate for a motor vehicle. If ever we have used its guidance down narrow lanes the route appears to take more time and is probably only 10metres shorter! Certainly in a village near us (if we have it switched on locally) it tries to send us down a 'short cut' which we wouldn't take. Reminds me of the 'advice' that A SHORTCUT WOULD BE THE WAY EVERYONE WOULD TAKE, IF IT WAS A GOOD ONE!

[peetee]

TBF it's not home delivery vans that I see on my local 'quiet' lane.

Then perhaps parents ‘delivering‘ to or returning kids from a school? Often one that is selected rather than local.
Many goods from companies such as Amazon are delivered in privately owned cars.

[ratherbeintobago]

TBF it's not home delivery vans that I see on my local 'quiet' lane.

Then perhaps parents ‘delivering‘ to or returning kids from school?
Goods from companies such as Amazon are often delivered in privately owned cars.

Not round here they aren't (we know most of the courier vans by sight)

I am really sure that this isn't a courier issue, nor is the road in question on the way to any of the local primary schools.

[peetee]

Fair enough. Perhaps don a fluro jacket and clipboard and flag them all down and find out.

[ratherbeintobago]

Fair enough. Perhaps don a fluro jacket and clipboard and flag them all down and find out.

I shall give that suggestion the consideration it deserves