“They would never block a whole road without permission”: London Marathon organisers slammed for blocking cycle lane, forcing cyclists “into oncoming traffic”

I think you are missing the point somewhat. The problem isn't so much the fact that they're using the lane as the attitude they appear to have demonstrated.

What attitude? I just see an article with some bloke called Rich getting all worked up about a minor inconvenience that in my world I would have forgotten about after 3 pedal revolutions up the street.

Imagine it had been the other way around, and they had casually blocked the road, without permission and without putting up signs of any kind. Motorists could have taken another route or used the cycle path to get past the obstruction (that curb doesn't look very high). No one would have objected.

Correct?

Most cyclists (those without disabilities) could go round but it increases the danger to them, and lowers the convenience.

And it's only once a year - but actually where I live (in Edinburgh) something like this (blockage of cycle path / lane) will occur on a significant fraction of the trips I make which involve cycle infra.

Of course in the UK we tend only to have such facilities where it really is very unpleasant and often measurably dangerous for cyclists.

However if there was a network of cycling infra that wouldn't be such a problem.  I don't know the situation in this location but I suspect that is not the case as such networks don't exist in most of the UK.

This is unlike the roads - which are a network of driving infra.  One which most current road cyclists could use, more or less, but in fact most people who could cycle simply won't / don't... (Also where generally - by law - advance notice is required, as are signs and marked diversions.)

Perhaps this one relevant also:

http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/search/label/road%20works%20vs.%20t...

But the cycle path wouldn't have been suitable for drivers to use if the road was obstructed. Cyclists, however, can use the road for what, 20 feet? until they are past the obstruction.

We're losing our bloody minds on this extremely minor inconvenience. I think I'm the only cyclist here who has the ability to be at least a bit pragmatic.

Of all the things bad on our roads, this is the issue we're all moaning about today? We just love to feel victimised 🤷‍♂️

Pragmatic, or "I'm alright Jack"?

I can cope with obstructed cycle paths and lanes - I do so many days I cycle.

I'm not everyone though.  I'm certainly not those people who might not drive that journey, if they could rely on the cycle infra.

dodgy wrote:

But the cycle path wouldn't have been suitable for drivers to use if the road was obstructed. Cyclists, however, can use the road for what, 20 feet? until they are past the obstruction.

I think one complaint is that it would be 20 feet into oncoming traffic…

dodgy wrote:

But the cycle path wouldn't have been suitable for drivers to use if the road was obstructed. Cyclists, however, can use the road for what, 20 feet? until they are past the obstruction.

We're losing our bloody minds on this extremely minor inconvenience. I think I'm the only cyclist here who has the ability to be at least a bit pragmatic.

Of all the things bad on our roads, this is the issue we're all moaning about today? We just love to feel victimised 🤷‍♂️

It's not simply a matter of just hopping into the road there, it's a one-way street with a contraflow bus lane on the opposite side to the cycle lane, so you would have to wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic (on a very busy road), cut across the road to the bus lane and then cut back, again across the oncoming traffic, to rejoin the cycle lane.

On the wider issue, how many "minor inconveniences" does it take until they become a major inconvenience? First you get this, oh it's only once a year, what's the problem, then 200 yards up the road there's a delivery van in the cycle lane, so it's only there for a couple of minutes, what's the problem, then a bit further on a scaffolding van is unloading, well it's got nowhere else to go, what's the problem, then a bit further up they are digging up the pavement and so they've closed the cycle lane to let pedestrians through instead of asking them to cross to the other side of the street…it all mounts up into a succession of stop start, dismount remount, cross to the other side and back events that severely impact on the ability of cyclists to get quickly and smoothly across town, which is exactly what the infrastructure is designed for.

I cycle along this route. in the last couple of weeks I have seen all of these scenarios, so what you are describing is not that far fetched!

a1white wrote:

I cycle along this route. in the last couple of weeks I have seen all of these scenarios, so what you are describing is not that far fetched!

Indeed, I was drawing from personal experience – I don't use it that often but it's such a nice bit of infrastructure that I sometimes go out of my way to use it if I have business in the City or East End, but far too often it's not a clear run.

dodgy wrote:

But the cycle path wouldn't have been suitable for drivers to use if the road was obstructed. Cyclists, however, can use the road for what, 20 feet? until they are past the obstruction.

We're losing our bloody minds on this extremely minor inconvenience. I think I'm the only cyclist here who has the ability to be at least a bit pragmatic.

Of all the things bad on our roads, this is the issue we're all moaning about today? We just love to feel victimised 🤷‍♂️

 

Absolutely agree with you however you have completed the cardinal sin of disagreeing with the cadre who truck no dissent ! 🤣

When, in the past it's been something like Ride London and it's a motorist that is affected, the overwhelming majority of comments are about it only being for the day, plenty of notice yada, yada.

No hypocrisy here 😂

How was your motorist affected exactly? By an officially approved road closure, of which advance notice had been given, or by a cyclist who decided to park his bike trailer in the middle of the road?

Yeah well it doesn't just happen once a year, it happens all the time, and as the original poster pointed out is systemically anti-cycling.

The Marathon may be once a year. But similar happens throughout the year. Many once-a-year events from construction to delivery to this. The ladder and sign leg are affecting the pedestrian passage too. And this section of the street makes getting off bike and stepping into road and walking with bike in road particularly scary and dangerous.
Having ridden there for 40 years, I wouldn't have a bike lane there at all but, if it is there, use and respect it properly because not doing so makes it worse