I never used cycle paths, for the reasons already posted, but I’d like to add when your training and averaging over 25mph, the cycle paths are a definite no no, even cycle lanes weren’t always practical, there’s one in Leeds at Sheepscar that’s 2 yards long ffs. but then again I did try and avoid the main roads going up Wharfedale, better for the training. I was always sensible, and wore what was appropriate for the time of day and weather, even though yellow don’t half attract bugs in summer. Lights were never a problem as I had dynamos with a home made battery backup on my winter bikes and eventually an eye blistering 10 watt xenon system, even then stoopid ■■■■■■■ still didn’t see me.
Muckaway:
AHT:
Muckaway:
Why do so many of the lycra brigade ride with their heads down? I saw one riding near the Pear Tree park and ride at Oxford ride straight into a fallen tree and go over the handlebars…'king ■■■■■■ myself laughing at the daft ■■■■■■.
I’m amazed at the idiots who cycle on the A34…Why do some truck drivers run into stationary vehicles on the hard shoulder or stationary traffic on the carraige way?
I’ll ask one of my colleagues tomorrow: He tried to push an artic onto a roundabout…in a Daf LF
I cycle to work and I could cycle along an A road but I choose the (bypassed) village, unlike many yoghurt knitters who want an audience to see them save the planet.
Obviously because he thought the truck had a flat battery and he was offering a bump start 
AHT:
Muckaway:
AHT:
Muckaway:
Why do so many of the lycra brigade ride with their heads down? I saw one riding near the Pear Tree park and ride at Oxford ride straight into a fallen tree and go over the handlebars…'king ■■■■■■ myself laughing at the daft ■■■■■■.
I’m amazed at the idiots who cycle on the A34…Why do some truck drivers run into stationary vehicles on the hard shoulder or stationary traffic on the carraige way?
I’ll ask one of my colleagues tomorrow: He tried to push an artic onto a roundabout…in a Daf LF
Obviously because he thought the truck had a flat battery and he was offering a bump start
I think “Bonus scheme” is more like it AHT 
Just a thought
Wernt some of the people saying that useing cycle lanes should be compulsary the same people that were criticising HGV bans and weight restrictions on the reading thread?
Miss informed people trying to ban things that they see as an inconvinience
AHT:
Just a thought
Wernt some of the people saying that useing cycle lanes should be compulsary the same people that were criticising HGV bans and weight restrictions on the reading thread?
Miss informed people trying to ban things that they see as an inconvinience
There’s no discussion with you is there?
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of holier-than-thou, “I’m-right,-and-you’re-a-truck-driver-so-you’re-wrong” response you’ve made, misinformed as it is, that get’s up other people’s noses and creates even more ill feeling, when we should all be trying to understand each others problems whilst using the roads.
What you have very successfully achieved is increase my level of indifference towards all cyclists that I consider are not taking adequate responsibility for their own safety. Previously I was very prepared to believe that some cyclists simply either have a death wish, or no conception of the potential consequences of blindly insisting on their rights, but most, generally speaking, were quite reasonable road users.
Congratulations. You’ve had your say. Unfortunately your attitude on this thread has made cyclists just that little bit more vulnerable. Because now I care just that little bit less!
Going by the slating of cycle paths (and cycle lanes??) by cyclists on this thread, can I just get a simple answer to this question.
Why do these lanes/paths exist AT ALL if they are so useless?
Supplementary question. . . . . …
Why has our hard earned council tax money been wasted on these Unfit For Purpose things?
If its all the fault of the local authorties or government, then why havent the cyclist brigades denounced them publically?
EastAnglianTrucker:
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of holier-than-thou, “I’m-right,-and-you’re-a-truck-driver-so-you’re-wrong”
Why would i be on this forum for truck drivers if i had any issue with truck drivers??
I don’t like to group anyone togeather there are good and bad in all walks of life, But when in the cab of a truck inconsiderate behavior injurs other people, when on a bike its other peoples inconsiderance that causes injury
LandyLad:
Going by the slating of cycle paths (and cycle lanes??) by cyclists on this thread, can I just get a simple answer to this question.Why do these lanes/paths exist AT ALL if they are so useless?
Supplementary question. . . . . …
Why has our hard earned council tax money been wasted on these Unfit For Purpose things?
If its all the fault of the local authorties or government, then why havent the cyclist brigades denounced them publically?
Cycle paths do cator for certain people, normally slower, nervous and less experianced cyclists such as childern or those traveling shorter distances.
Allot of cyclist have complained publically about the lack of appropreate facilities for cyclists aswell as the money that is obviously wated on cycle lanes and paths that serve no purpous
AHT Thanks for that clarification.
AHT:
In my experiance being on a cycle path is far more deangerous then being on the carrageway, they are often coverd in debris such as sticks, they can be very slippery and often have bad pot holes, If you do come off there is a fair change the traffic hasnt seen you at all and you will get hit, also the cycle paths have a habbite of dissaparing at junctions or taking you away from the carrageway meaning you have to try and rejoin it witch is again mroe dangerous then being there in the first place. You make it sound like he/she put you out in some way by making you change lanes when in truth they had as much right to be there as you
Why shouldn’t cyclists stop or dismount at junctions, you are just a lazy pedestrian and don’t pay anything towards these cycle paths or roads, you don’t carry third party insurance or buy road tax, until you do, you don’t really have a say!
Most byclists I know own a grands worth of mountain bike or hybrid and yet they are put off by sticks and slippery bits, we have a good cycle path system around Derbyshire, yet the silly suicide jockeys still try riding over Swarkestone Causeway and get squished into the stone walls because they believe it is their right of way.
Owner of a rather nice Specialized Sirrus Hybrid
AHT:
EastAnglianTrucker:
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of holier-than-thou, “I’m-right,-and-you’re-a-truck-driver-so-you’re-wrong”Why would i be on this forum for truck drivers if i had any issue with truck drivers??
I don’t like to group anyone togeather there are good and bad in all walks of life, But when in the cab of a truck inconsiderate behavior injurs other people, when on a bike its other peoples inconsiderance that causes injury
So no mention of inconsiderate behaviour by cyclists then? Or the consequences of their lack of consideration?
A lack of consideration by any road user is a potential cause for injury, but you’ve chosen to highlight truck drivers to vent your spleen on.
Oh, and at the same time, in your opinion, it’s a lack of consideration by “other people” that causes injuries to cyclists!
Not any acknowledgement that cyclists bear any responsibility to act with consideration? Oh no, that wouldn’t fit your nice cosy, predjudiced world would it?
AHT:
Why would i be on this forum for truck drivers if i had any issue with truck drivers??
Given your attitude and predjudicies, I would suggest you’re on this forum precisely because you DO have issues with truck drivers.
AHT:
EastAnglianTrucker:
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of holier-than-thou, “I’m-right,-and-you’re-a-truck-driver-so-you’re-wrong”Why would i be on this forum for truck drivers if i had any issue with truck drivers??
I don’t like to group anyone togeather there are good and bad in all walks of life, But when in the cab of a truck inconsiderate behavior injurs other people, when on a bike its other peoples inconsiderance that causes injury
So when I’m in Oxford and I’m going over a green light, I’m being inconsiderate to the cyclist crossing my path on red because??
The planners have built cycle paths/lanes without consulting with the cycling bodies to find out what the local needs and wants actually are. The result can be wasted public monies on projects that are next to useless.
Wheel Nut:
Why shouldn’t cyclists stop or dismount at junctions, you are just a lazy pedestrian and don’t pay anything towards these cycle paths or roads, you don’t carry third party insurance or buy road tax, until you do, you don’t really have a say!
Owner of a rather nice Specialized Sirrus Hybrid
Nearly all cyclists are coverd while out on the road by 3rd party insurance either by purchasing specilist insurance from the like of british cycling or CTC etc, and househould insurance policies also provide 3rd party coverd when your out and about for acticities such as cycling.
There is no such things as road tax in the UK there is vehicle or car tax, that is based on emmisions (with allot of low immision cars beig exempt so if figures that cyclists should also be exempt on the groudns on emissions). Vehicle tax has nothing to do with maintaing road ways. Roads are maintaned using local authority money, also all the revenu collected from road tax anually goes no were near covering the anual maintinace bill for motorways witch cyclist don’t use anyway.
So cyclist make as much as a contribution to the roads as any car drivers from income tax, VAT, council tax etc
Oh and i would say nearly all cyclists pay road tax on one or two cars aswell.
Muckaway:
AHT:
EastAnglianTrucker:
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of holier-than-thou, “I’m-right,-and-you’re-a-truck-driver-so-you’re-wrong”Why would i be on this forum for truck drivers if i had any issue with truck drivers??
I don’t like to group anyone togeather there are good and bad in all walks of life, But when in the cab of a truck inconsiderate behavior injurs other people, when on a bike its other peoples inconsiderance that causes injurySo when I’m in Oxford and I’m going over a green light, I’m being inconsiderate to the cyclist crossing my path on red because??
I certainly never mentioned anything about condoning cyclists breaking the rules by jumping red ligths.
And i do accept that some cyclists do act inconsideratly however they are in the minority (although this minority seemes to be concentrated on london) just like any other road users
Oh and i didnt come on this forum to moan about truck drivers btw i came here to gather information on the industry as i am in the process of joining it, but this is the first thread witch i have seen that i feel i could make an input to
Its the Bus drivers you have to watch out for:
bluenose:
Its the Bus drivers you have to watch out for:
Not nice to think that he will probably spend less then a year in proson for effectivly trying to kill someone.
Can’t belive he would get off that lightly if he stabbed someone for no reason
Cyclists are probably the most vulnerable of all road users and many still rely on someone else to keep them safe because they haven’t got the brains to look after themselves.
I drive a lorry and I also ride a bike so I see both sides of the coin. I have never felt uneasy when a lorry has passed me but a few car drivers have passed me a bit too close.
When I pass a cyclist I always move to the next lane, if I have to wait behind them until it is clear, then so be it. I do not want the death of a cyclist on my conscience.
Myself and ten co-workers will be riding John o Groats -Lands End 900miles approx for Help for Hero’s. We will have lights, hi-viz support vehicle etc but unfortunately we will be using A roads.
cycle paths ideal for a family or nervous riders, but not for high end carbon race bikes doing 20mph, if you have 100miles a day to ride do you think dismounting every junction at pelican crossings etc is viable,
same points being discussed.
Many of the cycle lanes are pointless, not wide enough for the bike and cars to pass safely. And why would anyone think that putting buses and cyclists in the same lane is a good idea?