Cycleblog

Tim Malburn replies: I am just some bloke (I'll use Brit English) who saw Fred's site and sent a few examples in that to me looked better than the weird or dangerous stuff in many parts of the UK. Although I have to say York is good by our standards.
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Most of the photo's I've sent in of the Netherlands, and some in France are probably as good as there are, but I'm always keen to see better.
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The contraflow bike lane on a road is not ideal, complete segregation and motor vehicles giving way to the bikes (Netherlands and Belgium) is. The one I took in France, well there was not a car in sight, a different situation in Minneapolis I see.
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I am back in the NL tomorrow only for a couple of days and I'd say they and the Belgians have got it pretty good, always room for improvement though.
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Alan already knows that when we bought a new bike for my son when he was 8 and a half in the NL, he and I, were quite happy for him to cycle the new, first time on it bike, back to our friends house through the town centre. We were only happy to do this because of the absolute segregation, or vehicles having to give way at any intersections. I would not have contemplated the same in our home town in the UK.
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Basically we have nothing here, although Worcs County Council say they are commited to improving cycling numbers and sustainability, so there are some places even where they have a bit wrong. Like the French contraflow bike lane, mostly the rest of the French stuff was a lot better that the one white line painted by the side of the road that is driven and parked on in my area, and that is where there is something! We have a couple of segregated bike lanes, in fact there is a new one, lovely separate bike lane on a wide road, when it comes to a narrow road bridge it ends and you have to fight with the lorries which can only just fit on the the bridge�if one comes from each direction at the same time! I must get a photo of that one.
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The time delay you mention on your US photo's, the Dutch method is a bike crossing, with a loop-in separate from the road bike path, when you pass over the loop, if you coast by the time that you are at the road that you want to cross the traffic has been stopped and you have a green light, ace! In tight town centre is Belgium and NL, the law is bikes have priority, full stop. It is like being royalty on�a bike!
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So let's keep at these people at we may get something sensible, I love to drive and fly, but cycling is the best for of short (under 10km) distance and urban transport. I love being in the NL and B, because it is just plain nice and fun to be out on a bike.

PS The UK is getting as litigeous as the US, the idiot that you refer to, I would hope that would get laughed out of court here. But if you can suggest ways to litigate against my council to get them to do something to a worldclass standard to encourage cyclist, please do!