Friday 12 September 2003

Andrew Battye writes: As a connoisseur of weird cycle lanes (see my Edinburgh collection at Edinburgh cycling) I enjoy visiting your pages.

A couple of your guest photos are interesting -- the ones of the A6036 between Bradford and Halifax. The caption suggests Calderdale are great for implementing the cycle lane on their side of the boundary, whilst Bradford are bad for not continuing it.

The truth is rather different -- the Calderdale side is much, much worse for cycling. The cycle lane directs cyclists to ride in the 'door zone' right next to parked cars, and also directs them to ride in a very vulnerable position at a side-road. Worse, however, is the treatment of a roundabout -- the cycle-lane runs right up the roundabout, suggesting that cyclists should remain at the kerbside regardless of which direction they wish take at the roundabout. On the circulatory carriageway itself, cycle lanes direct cyclists to ride right at the edge -- outside of the field of view of a typical driver wanting to enter the roundabout.



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