Another Delightful Farcility...

In article <[email hidden]>

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

Because if they don't use the allocated budget someone will get it in
the neck, and because they have to be seen to be doing someting to cater
for cyclists?

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote on 01/12/2006 00:31 +0100:

Quoted message said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

a) Because it's what they do
b) They were probably a couple of meters short of some target.

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tony Raven said:

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote on 01/12/2006 00:31 +0100:

Quoted message said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

If they want to cater for cyclists they should maybe organise a stall
handing out jammy rolls or large slabs of fruit cake eh?.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Robert

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

Well obviously the answer to that is:

"Because!" ;-/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

And indeed, How? (are you expected to use this one?)

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

Because they can.

Helen Deborah Vecht said the following on 01/12/2006 00:31:

Quoted message said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

I cannot for the life of me understand why someone in that council (or
many others) thinks that what they have just spent time and (other
people's) money on is worthwhile. Can they really not see for
themselves the nonsense that they have just created? The people
responsible for many of the "facilities" shown really ought to be made
to prove the workability of them by getting on two wheels and attempting
to use them!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

I cannot for the life of me understand why someone in that council (or
many others) thinks that what they have just spent time and (other
people's) money on is worthwhile. Can they really not see for
themselves the nonsense that they have just created?

It is clear from the above that you've missed a trick. They cannot see
that because they didn't think at any point, just running along on
autopilot.

Quoted message said:

The people
responsible for many of the "facilities" shown really ought to be made
to prove the workability of them by getting on two wheels and attempting
to use them!

Indeed. If traffic engineers "designing" such things were cyclists
there might be some vague danger of them understanding the issues. As
it is, "design a cycle lane from A to B" translates as "well, we'll need
about X square feet of paint. Next!" :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Paul Boyd usenet.dont.work@plusnet said:

I cannot for the life of me understand why someone in that council (or
many others) thinks that what they have just spent time and (other
people's) money on is worthwhile.

I've discovered two absolutely amazing ones this week:
1. several signs in Taunton directing cyclists to the bike park, which
is a bit out of the town centre (further out than car parking AFAICT).
Once you get there, it is so overgrown as to be unusuable;
2. a lovingly painted end-of-cycle-lane left turn onto the path at
the Summerhouse end of New Bristol Road in Worle, which is actually
into a high kerb about 3m before a lowered kerb - good luck spotting
that one at night!

I have pictures. Will post later.

Another one is in the pipeline: signposting the main route into
Weston-super-Mare over two railway bridges (Summer Lane, Flowerdown)
and along a track-in-a-ditch covered in standing water and rotting
vegetation (Somerset Avenue), just to avoid cycle lanes along straight,
flat roads (New Bristol Road, Locking Road). I think sending cyclists
out of their way over more hostile terrain will not promote cycling!

Quoted message said:

[...] The people
responsible for many of the "facilities" shown really ought to be made
to prove the workability of them by getting on two wheels and attempting
to use them!

I'm surprised how rare 'hotspot' rides seem to be. Get in touch with your
local cycle campaign and council cycling officer and offer to take them by
the hand and lead them through the streets of nonsense.

--
MJR/slef
http://mjr.towers.org.uk/

MJ Ray <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

and offer to take them by
the hand and lead them through the streets of nonsense.

Do I detect a Ralph McTell take-off?

Have you seen the bike path,
That leads into a lampost,
Stretches for five metres
Till it ends in a wall?

Starts up in nowhere
And doesn't seem to go where
I want to at all?...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Response to Helen Deborah Vecht:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and offer to take them by
the hand and lead them through the streets of nonsense.

Do I detect a Ralph McTell take-off?

Have you seen the bike path,
That leads into a lampost,
Stretches for five metres
Till it ends in a wall?

Starts up in nowhere
And doesn't seem to go where
I want to at all?...

So how can you tell me you're happy
And say for you the journey's fine?
Let me take you by the hand
And lea&*$%£@CRASH&*£$

[I really *must* do some work...]

--
Mark, UK
"Without the aid of prejudice and custom, I should not be able to find
my way across the room."

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

Why?

Councils put cycle paths in to go from A to B.

However, when they find something in the way (such as lampposts, bus
shelters, phone boxes, etc) they can't work out how to deal with it
properly, so they don't even bother trying. They just stop the
cyclepath and start it up a bit later.

I'm guessing the one above is at the end of one such path.

Another example is this near me:

http://www.greenbank.org/misc/cyclepath.jpg

It's part of a cyclepath which is designed for people who want to turn
right from a small side road (behind the photo) and onto the main road.

But there's a bus stop, lamp-post and rubbish bin there. So they just
stop the cycle path, and start it up the other side of these obstacles.

You're then directed over the road at the traffic lights and onto the
opposite pavement. You then make another 20m progress before you're
dumped back onto another side road (rather than the main road) and the
main road goes under a railway bridge where it narrows and has no
designated cycle path.

Bonus points for the electricity company that recently dug up the path
and replaced some of the "rumble" paving slabs in the wrong orientation
on the cycling side.

-Alex

BigRab said:

If they want to cater for cyclists they should maybe organise a stall
handing out jammy rolls or large slabs of fruit cake eh?.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

That's the kind of cycle facility we need. A country-wide network of
24-hour manned Audax controls with unlimited beans on toast, tea, and
Sudocreme.

--
Dave...

Paul Boyd said:

Can they really not see for themselves the nonsense that they have just created?

In cases like this it is inconceivable that it's accidental. Creating
cycle farcilities enables anti-cycling officials to strike a blow
against cyclists while pretending to do the opposite.

--
Dave...

Alex said:

Bonus points for the electricity company that recently dug up the path
and replaced some of the "rumble" paving slabs in the wrong orientation
on the cycling side.

That would improve them, surely? (See discussions passim.)

--
Dave...

Mark McNeill <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Response to Helen Deborah Vecht:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and offer to take them by
the hand and lead them through the streets of nonsense.

Do I detect a Ralph McTell take-off?

Have you seen the bike path,
That leads into a lampost,
Stretches for five metres
Till it ends in a wall?

Starts up in nowhere
And doesn't seem to go where
I want to at all?...

Quoted message said:

So how can you tell me you're happy
And say for you the journey's fine?
Let me take you by the hand
And lea&*$%£@CRASH&*£$

Quoted message said:

[I really *must* do some work...]

Have you seen the bike path,
That leads into the cesspit
Though piles of wet leaves
Trash and broken glass?
No lights for the night time
Dog walkers when it's light time
Hoodies lurk in bushes
Tie some wire in the way

So why are the cyclists all moaning
Writing verse that does not rhyme?

Let me take you by the hand
And lead you through
The Streets of Nonsense
Many useless farcilities
Are what we'll clearly find...

.... to be continued...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

MJ Ray said the following on 01/12/2006 10:13:

Quoted message said:

Another one is in the pipeline: signposting the main route into
Weston-super-Mare over two railway bridges (Summer Lane, Flowerdown)
and along a track-in-a-ditch covered in standing water and rotting
vegetation (Somerset Avenue), just to avoid cycle lanes along straight,
flat roads (New Bristol Road, Locking Road). I think sending cyclists
out of their way over more hostile terrain will not promote cycling!

I've not seen that plan, but there is already a signed cyclepath in that
area - I use parts of it to commute! I'm not sure what you mean by
hostile terrain, but I will agree that the path alongside Somerset
Avenue could be better drained. http://www.pbhome.plus.com/somerset.jpg

The Flowerdown bridge is a bit of a convoluted route though. Going home,
I come in from the bottom left on the path near the main road (from
Locking), go under the A370 (Flowerdown Bridge), double back a bit,
double back again and over the railway bridge, then negotiate a housing
estate and local shops with attendant inattentive motorists before back
onto cyclepath through the greenery of
http://www.pbhome.plus.com/maltlands.jpg If I was to continue into
Weston though, with a bit of jiggery-pokery you ride alongside Herluin
Way http://www.pbhome.plus.com/herluin.jpg at which point, by
Winterstoke Road, you have to jiggle further south around Marchfields
Way http://www.pbhome.plus.com/marchfields.jpg then over the Great
Western Bridge. God knows where you go from there on cyclepath.

On second thoughts, I think I would just stick to using New Bristol Road
and Locking Road after all to get into Weston if I was coming from the
Summer Lane end! That is a straight line, more or less, and a darn
sight easier :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Hmmm - a link went missing...

Quoted message said:

The Flowerdown bridge is a bit of a convoluted route though. Going home,
I come in from the bottom left on the path near the main road http://www.pbhome.plus.com/flowerdown.jpg

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

dkahn400 said:

In cases like this it is inconceivable that it's accidental. Creating
cycle farcilities enables anti-cycling officials to strike a blow against
cyclists while pretending to do the opposite.

"Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than
even malice and wickedness." Goethe.

I don't know about Manchester, but where I live the island, footpath &
cyclepath are the responsibility of the County, and the lights are the
responsibility of the District. So the chances are high that they /never/
communicate with each other about this sort of thing. The tarmac and the
furthest light column look very new, so I suspect that when the farcility
was planned the column/s were either not there, or in different locations.

Sadly there's more wrong in this picture too. Where is the dropped curb
with tactile paving on the far side of the road? Out of sight to the
right presumably. This means that there will be a tight turn to the left
for anyone cycling in the direction we're looking, and that anyone walking
or cycling in the opposite direction will be crossing that slip-road out
of sight to traffic coming along the dual-carriageway because of that
high wall and fence.

Mike