Annoymouse Posted October 9, 2018 Share Posted October 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Kopek said: I only use Peel Road in the evenings but I have never ever seen a cyclist on this road using the cycle lane! Perhaps 9 to 5ers will have come accross more? We need to be told just how this 4mil quid will be spent, is it x mil on consultants and the rest on carrying out the work recommended? 4 mil quid, that's 20,000 walking machines or Gym memberships!!! I see people use it everyday although I see more people cycle from Brown Bobby to Pulrose bridge lights (going over pulrose bridge) obviously choosing to avoid Quarterbridge (can you blame them?!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 6 hours ago, Non-Believer said: I've followed fecking pelotons into Ramsey, all of whom have ignored the cycle lane and used the traffic lane (probably on the grounds that the cycle lane would make them ride single file and they wouldn't be able to talk to their mates as they rode side by side?) Feckin' infuriates me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Down Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 10 hours ago, Non-Believer said: Since it was finished I've only personally witnessed 4 cyclists using it. Two were a father and young child on their bikes. I've followed fecking pelotons into Ramsey, all of whom have ignored the cycle lane and used the traffic lane (probably on the grounds that the cycle lane would make them ride single file and they wouldn't be able to talk to their mates as they rode side by side?) Them fuckwits give the other cyclists a bad name... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 It’ll be interesting to see what they decide to spend the money on; the answer is to speak to people who regularly commute by bike and find out what problems they encounter. The biggest issue by far is the road surface; in places it’s like riding over corrugated iron and can slow me down by about 5mph which can be fairly significant over a 1 hour ride. Secondly they need to improve the road sweeping; gravel and general road shit tends to gather in the few feet at the side of the road usually inhabited by cyclists. A puncture adds about 5-10 minutes to my journey; replacing an inner tube in the dark when it’s pissing down is the most fun you can ever have! If I get my hands on the shit that decided to ‘resurface’ Richmond Hill with loose stones I’ll throttle the bastard. I agree that Manx roads are unsuitable for cycle lanes and personally I don’t like the idea of a kerb stone limiting the road I can use as I occasionally overtake other cyclists (but more often than not I’m the one overtaken.) I’d be happy with a painted line that denotes the safe passing distance but when no cyclists are present vehicles are allowed to cross. I average about 100 miles a week, usually between south and Douglas and whilst I don’t ride at peak times I would say that only about 1% of drivers have ever really caused me concern; usually passing too closely but occasionally pulling out on me. Most are very considerate; sometime a little too considerate. Giving a wider than normal berth to cyclists in windy conditions would be appreciated too. There’s nothing we can do about the weather; but providing information about the best kind of gear to get for different conditions would be a big help. There’s also nothing we can do about hills which I know puts most people off riding a bike. Overall; if this is done well I think it will be a great thing and quite timely as the rapid uptake of e-bikes are seeing increasing numbers of people cycling and commuting by bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 at nearly £1 million a year..... for this money they could of employed 10 new nurses or 5 new doctors or one wrighty....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bees Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 I completely love my bike, I'd go everywhere on it if I could, when I pack in work I'm going to cycle around all day, everyday. We generally go through the plantations (especially in the dark) & on the Heritage trail (the gates are a bit silly) - the other day there were bats flying around us, totally ace! I don't really like to go on the roads much because of car fumes & risky drivers. They could make 'cycle roads' next to the train lines & improve the pass-ability of the heritage trail (bye gates) cyclists don't want to inconvenience cars any more than car drivers want to harass cyclists so rather than making cycle lanes on car roads why not take the initiative and make cycle roads? I'm sure that there are loads of old roads that could be tarted up a bit for cyclists to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 ..........went to get 4x 125 ltr bags of compost from B and Q today, Wondered how I would have got that on my bike?............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 .........went to see son number 1 in Copenhagen, now that's how to incorporate bikes into traffic.........no lycra, no helmets, no lightweight racing bikes, just thousands of comfy bikes, trikes and goods bikes being ridden by all ages and sexes in ordinary clothes, not impeding vehicles and everybody happy............brilliant.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 10 minutes ago, doc.fixit said: ..........went to get 4x 125 ltr bags of compost from B and Q today, Wondered how I would have got that on my bike?............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 16 hours ago, Gee Cee said: Lets face facts - cars, bikes and pedestrians do not mix very well. Put them together, and you are going to get frustration, road rage, and accidents. When I used to live across, I had occasion to visit Stevenage quite frequently. They had the problem sorted, there were separate car lanes, bike lanes, and pavements. These were quite separate tracks, with their own kerbs. I believe that Milton Keynes had a similar system. From what I have seen on recent visits to other parts of England, councils seem to be painting white lines, and then pretending that they have created cycle lanes. We need to spend real money on building separate cycle tracks. Motorists do not want to share the road with cyclists. Pedestrians do not want to share the pavements with them. So lets start charging cyclists a realistic 'cycle track tax', and build them their own reserved cycle lanes. The cycleways in Milton Keynes and Royal St Evanage (as the locals call it) have been a complete and utter failure. In fact you could say the MK "redways" are perfect for muggers, sex offenders and so forth so much so it puts folks off. They failed to get cycle use much above the average 3%. In fact, they didn't even make 4%. A great idea in practice that turned into a waste of time, effort and money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 lightweight........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 .......Laurel Bank and Creg Willies might pose a slight problem................lol.............mind I would have collapsed long before then.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 could always put the tram horses on a winter work scheme....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 As usual, the Sustrans piece was actually almost entirely copied from an IOM Govt press release, as you might have guessed from the leaden prose and the 'quotes' that make our politicians sound even dumber than they actually are[1]. But one thing struck me about it: Quote Minister for Education, Sport and Culture Graham Cregeen MHK said: ‘I’m pleased that trials are set to take place here at Ballakermeen in relation to crossings, better signage and improved bike facilities. In addition, Sustrans will be working with us to reduce traffic issues at drop-off and pick-up times. They've decided to start with a group of people (schoolchildren) who are already most likely to walk or cycle[2] and with the only secondary school that isn't on a main road and where the problems with safety, traffic speeds and so on will be the least. It also has by far the smallest catchment area. Presumably they do have problems with drop-offs etc, but the way to do that is to restrict drivers - something that they don't seem keen to consider. So rather than looking for where the problems are greatest, they have chosen to start with what is the easiest. [1] OK, maybe not Cregeen. That might not be possible. [2] They're also the group over which the Government has most control over how much activity they undertake, so concentrating on the small portion of their day where they are travelling seems a bit pointless. Of course the other group government policy could directly influence would be civil servants, but they seem to decided not to pick on them for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 2 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: Of course the other group government policy could directly influence would be civil servants, but they seem to decided not to pick on them for some reason. Didn't they already try something with them though by offering huge amounts of money off new bikes a couple of years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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