Cycling at home.

CYCLING AT HOME

 

Meanwhile back home in jolly old Kent, things are a trifle different.

For example, we have this cycleway which goes nowhere, and which ends abruptly.   It has been like this for more than 9 years. If they can’t take any further, then why did they build it in the first place?

See the last picture!

They build threatening road-narrowings (pinch-points) despite protests against them.   Cyclists always feel under threat at pinch-points, when there are any M/Vs about.  The DfT advises cyclists to ride in the centre of the lane so that motorists can’t overtake; do so, and one is likely to be on the receiving end of the wrath of the driver.

And where we do have cycleways they can turn into off-road parking lanes.

  

                                                                           

     On road cycleways are usually narrow, and because the road-lane has been narrowed to accommodate a cycle lane, then the cyclists virtually has to rub shoulders with large commercial vehicles as they overtake.  Other problems with the introduction of on-road cycle lanes are that cars have nowhere to park (they can’t even park out at the front of their own properties) and those cycleways do not offer any physical safety.

  They also are used by motorcyclists to undertake.

 There are plenty of examples, which go to show that, so often, where cycle facilities been provided they are not necessarily well designed, and they can lead cyclists into a dangerous situation. 

and when we do have them, they are not always well maintained.

That railway bridge which appeared in the first photograph of that 'Dead-End', well, the other side of that bridge can be seen in this picture.   I am sure that if this scenario was in several other countries, it would not take nine years to complete the link (and there is still no progress) ; especially when it could form part of NCN 18, AND  connect to a proposed leisure complex, AND it would mean that a lot of cyclists would not need to run the gauntlet along a dangerous section of the A2070.

Given the will, and the cooperation from land owners, it could be realised. 

Money?  They can spend untold millions on unnecessary projects;they can find the money if they want to. 

 Some improvements to the cycle network are being made, but it can take much more than a decade for them to be realised. 

  They allowed a newish, and sizable, housing development (Park Farm) to be built hardly 2 km from our  town (Ashford), with cycleways, but without any cyclable connection to the nearby town.  However, at last it looks as if we will get that connection (ready soon), 15 years late. 

      Large sums of money can be spent on dubious prestige projects, e.g.: replacing standard lamp-posts with odd shaped new ones at 7 times the price, etc

     I could go on!