Si wrote:Vehicular Cyling.....
Both roads and infra should be designed for people on bikes not for cyclists. I earn a living from teaching people to ride in traffic yet i do not see this as an answer - only proper infra will solve our problems and get a significant number of peoole on bikes. Thus just because you or i might be happy riding on a particular road does not mean that that road is fine for cycling on.....you'll just get the hard core and the brave using it while the majority stay in theit cars and just use the bike yo ride around the park at the weekend.
On the other hand, if we make our towns cycle-friendly like some of the northern european ones, then not only do we improve things for bike riders but for the whole of society.
far be it for me to say this is incorrect, however it is, in fact it's not even the best solution, the Dutch have proven it's not the best solution and the Danish and latterly the Norwegians are the leaders in increasing cycling and making it safer by stopping up roads to motorists/motoring completely, giving over the existing highways back to cyclists. THAT is the 'only' true solution that works for mass cycling.
Segregated infra fails in many parts, it fails on being convoluted, yes even the Dutch have a convoluted, meandering, circuitous infra system that forces you to go further than if in motorvehicle, this is simply a fact, even Michael Coalville-Andersen states that people on foot/bike want to and will make to take the most direct route, specific cycle infra rarely ever does this, roads for the most part do. Having circuitous stop start infra is a part of the problem that puts people off from cycling because it's still not better/easier than driving.
Second, infra is not wide enough for mass cycling on the levels we want it to be, not for the type of mass cycling we have/want in the UK, that is various types of people on bikes at various speeds, including your serial commuter to 5 year olds. Most of the segregated infra in NL is not wide enough for this for it to be safe.
Thirdly, the criss crossing of roads by segregated infra has also proven to be extremely dangerous, even in NL where cyclists are kept apart from motorists and supposedly most motorists are cyclists too, there are over 60 reported deaths annually where segregated cross roads where the motorists are supposed to give way. On a highway totally bereft of motor vehicles, this would be removed completely.
Taking back a whole 6metre lane for bi-directional cycling not only would be instant in terms of not having to wait for something to be built, it would be wide enough for all types of cycling with space to spare. It would be direct and to every single part of the nation without any place being disconnected.
What is being built in the UK is not even close to acceptable, have you seen the Manchester infra that Chris Boardman is bigging up, sorry but I'm not impressed, stopping up all motor traffic along that section of road would have been a far better solution.
Can segregated improve things to what we have currently, it can if it's built to the very highest standards - and that's the problem, it isn't or simply not being built at all. 2.5m in each direction as a minimum (so that overtaking can be done safely for the reason I gave) and direct and connected having priority over motor vehicles, but that simply will not and never has being built here, nor is it built anywhere else.