Superhighway

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Ned Ludd
Posts: 37
Joined: 14 May 2014, 11:13am

Superhighway

Post by Ned Ludd »

Well it seems that the superhighway in london has been given the go ahead and according to the papers the work could start in April. Seems a pretty significant event I reckon?
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by pwa »

What is it?
Ned Ludd
Posts: 37
Joined: 14 May 2014, 11:13am

Re: Superhighway

Post by Ned Ludd »

Well according to some its crossrail for bikes.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transpor ... 23198.html

other links are available!
pwa
Posts: 17371
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by pwa »

Ta.
fluffybunnyuk
Posts: 450
Joined: 1 Sep 2013, 10:58pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by fluffybunnyuk »

lol i live near ele&castle...does nothing for me...I'm sure the politicians think its great though.
Why? too many ways into central london, all of them more convenient, and go where i want not where boris wants...
AlaninWales
Posts: 1626
Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 1:47pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by AlaninWales »

Well, obviously they will not cater for every London cyclist. When I lived there, the (then) new CS routes didn't serve every journey I wanted to make (I never bothered even to learn which one I was on at any time); but they coincided with parts of some and were at least a statement that we were supposed to be there (even if 'there' was an idiotic road position :twisted: - which I ignored unless it was useful).

The intent of these two routes is that where built, they should (according to current plans) be a great improvement (in places) over blue paint which is worn out by motor vehicle tyres.
As it says here http://www.ctc.org.uk/press-release/2015-02-04/go-ahead-londons-cycle-superhighways-game-changer-cycling-says-ctc they "are not perfect" but let's see what is built?
Ned Ludd
Posts: 37
Joined: 14 May 2014, 11:13am

Re: Superhighway

Post by Ned Ludd »

It will be interesting to see if this initial foray into Dutch style provision informs the debate as to whether its possible to roll it out around the UK....
tb
Posts: 137
Joined: 10 Jan 2007, 12:51pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by tb »

well it certainly will have a significant backlash which has already started and as if cyclists are not unpopular enough already......

see the headline on tonight's London Evening Standard ' Cyclist's are their own biggest danger '.

In my humble opinion ( as a road cyclist of some 40 years and 25 of those in and around London ) it's not necessary to spend £160 million on this superhighway at all. Spend the money on health care / provision for the elderly / education.
We don't need a superhighway for goodness sake. It's simple to ride safely around London if you have your wits about you and you accept that we share the roads with other road users.
Personally I don't feel the need to be shepherded down a segregated cycle lane that costs so much and will cause so much inconvenience for everyone else who doesn't happen to travel by bicycle!

I sincerely hope that for the sake of London and cycling this superhighway doesn't happen !
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ArMoRothair
Posts: 351
Joined: 20 Jun 2013, 10:55am
Location: Londinium

Re: Superhighway

Post by ArMoRothair »

tb wrote:It's simple to ride safely around London if you have your wits about you and you accept that we share the roads with other road users.


My six-year-old begs to differ.
aspiringcyclist
Posts: 206
Joined: 11 Jul 2014, 6:11pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by aspiringcyclist »

And the two cyclists killed this year due to tipper trucks beg to differ, as well as the cyclist seriously injured because of a UPS van driver today. You cannot deny that cycling is in the Netherlands is statistically safer, involving a far wider cross section of the population.
Ron
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by Ron »

tb wrote: It's simple to ride safely around London if you have your wits about you

That's not at all reassuring!
TonyR
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Joined: 31 Aug 2008, 12:51pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by TonyR »

ArMoRothair wrote:
tb wrote:It's simple to ride safely around London if you have your wits about you and you accept that we share the roads with other road users.


My six-year-old begs to differ.


And this will do nothing to help your six year old unless they like getting off and pushing as soon as they leave the super-highway or even on the bits up around KX.
TonyR
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Joined: 31 Aug 2008, 12:51pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by TonyR »

aspiringcyclist wrote:And the two cyclists killed this year due to tipper trucks beg to differ, as well as the cyclist seriously injured because of a UPS van driver today. You cannot deny that cycling is in the Netherlands is statistically safer, involving a far wider cross section of the population.


Welll the tipper truck issue is being addressed without creating a cyclists' ghetto.
http://road.cc/content/news/142312-lond ... omes-force

And yes, cycling in the Netherlands is statistically safer, but by no more than the "safety in numbers" effect would predict and has always involved a far wider cross section of the population even before they built their cycle network.
Richard Fairhurst
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Joined: 2 Mar 2008, 4:57pm
Location: Charlbury, Oxfordshire

Re: Superhighway

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

I think this debate is a couple of days late for Groundhog Day.
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aspiringcyclist
Posts: 206
Joined: 11 Jul 2014, 6:11pm

Re: Superhighway

Post by aspiringcyclist »

I'm fairly sure not being around HGVs not fitted with guards is safer than being around HGVs fitted with guards.

Where is the evidence that 'safety in numbers' is a real phenomenon? The fact is cycling in the Netherlands was marginalised post war up to the 1970s until a turning away from car-centric policies, something we never had in Britain. Could it be feasible that the increase in cycling was due to the safer cycling conditions, not the other way round?

Clearly cycling infrastructure has to start somewhere, or else you could use that excuse to stop anything being built.

This reminds of these images, showing Dutch cyclists being overlaid on British roads.

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