Bournemouth Borough Council rules out promenade cycle lanes as 'Prom Wars' continue

jh27 wrote:

 

An important point to remember is that cyclists don't have priority on cycle lanes.  Where there is a segregated cycle / foot path, cyclists are required to use the cycle lane - whereas pedestrians can legally walk where they like (as our laws currently stand).  So even if there is a pedestrian blocking the cycle path, you are not legally permitted to enter the footpath to go around them (at least, not without first dismounting).

 

I close pass them and feature regularly on walk.cc!

Though cycle lanes can be problematic, they need to think more. Don't just get the paint out, use kerbs, have crossing points in the kerb system but with the onus on the pedestrian just like they were crossing a road. There may be kids moving from the ridiculous beach huts to the beach, but maybe just maybe they could learn and turn into decent human beings as they grow.

Cycled around there last May, had a work conference, hired a cruising bike from a hut on the front, very enjoyable. Some would say it was a good part of my experience of Bournemouth!

Well, they did try to ban sleeping on the town's benches. Says it all about there attitude to issues that they have a responsibility to improve.

The local paper's article is actually quite funny. On the one hand

The festival’s Bike to Bestival project will see some 70 riders and 20 marshals travel the 25 miles from Bournemouth to the event in Lulworth,

and yet

Several concerned readers contacted the Echo about the proposal. One, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The council are allowing the Bike to Bestival event to take place on the seafront during the cycling ban.

“Hundreds of cyclists will ride along promenade in the middle of the day even though there is a ban in place.”

I suspect the council's whole attitude to cycling is summed up in the article by Councillor Pat Oakley, cabinet member for tourism and leisure, who said

"This is an organised event which has been properly risk assessed and allows a convoy of approximately 68 participating cyclists to travel at slow speed along the promenade, starting from Boscombe going through to Sandbanks.

“The convoy will dismount and walk in highly congested areas and all cyclists will be wearing high vis jackets and will be escorted by 20 Marshalls, a ratio of around three to one.”

My personal opinion on cycle lanes is that the vast majority of them make things worse for cyclists.  Mostorists don't feel the need to leave a safe passing distance if the cyclist is in a cycle lane - but they are rarely wide enough for a cyclist for a car to pass at a safe distance - except perhaps when cycle is at the extreme left of their lane and the motorist is at the extreme right of their lane (assuming an average width car).  Our roads are rarely wide to do cycle lanes properly.  Where I live quite a number of roads have recently been converted to a 20 limit.  I think this is a good solution, I doubt it makes a lot of difference to the average speed of the motorised traffic and enough motorists seem to obey the 20 limit for it to be effective - I've only had one bad experience, where I was overtaken by a white van on a blind bend - which wouldn't be so bad, but I was cycling at about 25 at the time, I easily caught up (and overtook him) at the next junction.

The only thing I don't like about 20 limits, as a motorist, is that my cruise control only works at 25mph and above - in a 30 zone, I'll set my speed at or below the speed limit.  With cruise control I don't need to worry about maintaining a legal speed, I can cover my brakes the whole time and I get better fuel consumption.

The thing that will really improve the experience of everyday cyclists* in this country is critical mass (lower case).  If everyone who currently cycles on the pavement cycled on the road, it would have have a significant calming effect on traffic.

* I should admit, although I like to read and post on road.cc, and I cycle on the road, I'm not a Road Cyclist - the vast majority of my cycling is commuting on my hybrid bike (which is sorely in need of an upgrade).

 '...bike riders on parts of the seafront “is perhaps the most commentated on and divisive challenge we have.”

Really? Time for a rethink of priorities:

'Bournemouth has one of the highest rates of heroin and morphine misuse deaths'

Bournemouth Daily Echo, Apr. 6

'Rough sleeping in Bournemouth increases 300 per cent in eight-year period'

Bournemouth Daily Echo, Jan 27

The Summer ban works ok, a cycle lane would be a disaster and cause a lots of accidents for all parties. It's not a traditional cycling lane route, more a extension of the beach/bit in front of beach huts, with lots of kids, day trippers constantly criss crossing.  

If you read Road.cc and are any way serious about cycling as mentioned above, you wouldn't cycle on the promnade as is totally rammed. Not to mention also has a 10mph speed limit (and you'll kill your drivetrain with sand). Ok for a Sunrise or Sundown warm up/down though if you must.

Rarely see Road cyclists on here, mainly is for local commuters as is a good cut through for those not coinfident about cycling on roads. 

So a better solution would be more cycle lanes on the road.  

Fair play to Bournmouth Council for the recent signs on giving cyclists space (first I've seen in the UK)

Yes. Bikes don't have a place on the promenade at all during the Summer months.

And there should be some kind of restriction on speed at other times.

I don't see any reason for a cyclist to ride at speed down the promenade - just doesn't seem to be the right place to do it.

Mind you - cyclists should not be the only ones scrutinized - there should be some sort of thought also given to roller-skaters, skate boarders as well.

should make the roads behind the promenade cycle friendly then by making them access only with barriers to vehicles (except emergency vehicles, there are things called rising bollards), taking away that on-street parking and converting that whole lane of parking into a two way cycle track, segregated of course....

as for the parking, the best thing for the environment would be to provide far more park and ride spaces.

Oh wait, that would require spending real money...

Good points above. A cycle lane could only make things worse. But they need to remove the ban, it's pointless. The ones they are trying to keep out are mostly the ones that will ignore the ban.

Parts of Bournemouth promenade can be heaving during the summer and no one in their right mind would cycle through it. It would be worse than trying to put a cycle path in the middle of a busy pedestrianised high street.

An important point to remember is that cyclists don't have priority on cycle lanes.  Where there is a segregated cycle / foot path, cyclists are required to use the cycle lane - whereas pedestrians can legally walk where they like (as our laws currently stand).  So even if there is a pedestrian blocking the cycle path, you are not legally permitted to enter the footpath to go around them (at least, not without first dismounting).

Something that very few people understand, is that cyclists are much more at risk from pedestrians than the other way around (I'm recovering from a fractured wrist that is testament to that).  All things being equal, the cyclist will come off worst in most collisions. The vast majority of cyclists on a shared path (or main road for that matter) will be very alert to pedestrians and wary of them - pedestrians on the other hand tend to be oblivious.  Prohibitions against cycling therefore do a lot more to protect cyclists than they do to protect pedestrians.

When I see someone riding on a pavement when they shouldn't be or riding in the double yellows - I think they are short changing themselves and treating themselves as second class road users.  They are probably the same people who give cyclists on the road zero respect, because they don't think bicycyles should be on the road.

One last thing... I remember reading about a (elderly) woman who suffered a fractured hip after being involved in a collision with a cyclist.  I beleive this was on Bournemouth prom.  She dodged out of the way of an oncoming cyclist who she could see approaching, into the path of a cyclist who was approaching from behind.  The thing that both she and the journalist failed to appreciate is that both cyclists were probably fully aware of her and if she hadn't suddenly changed direction without even glancing over her shoulder, everyone would have been fine (I'm not saying the cyclists were at fault - I try to always give priority to the cyclist who the pedestrian can see, so would have waited back).

What's the evidence of cyclists going faster and if they have their own lane then surely that segregation makes it better for pedestrians no?

They don't object to motorists doing over 30mph in the vicinity and give them a 2way 12metre wide road to use, are they of the opinion that these people go faster because they have their own strip to do as they want, if so then why are you not remoiving it from them (motorists), you know because it would be safer for everyone to do so!

The hypocrisy and anti cycling BS is there in droves but is not surprising.