Hard News: The Cycling Superhighway
40 Responses
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If it wasn't his genuine opinion then that's either downright unprofessional or a forgery. I cannot respect that.
I think your anger and disappointment needs to be directed at the senior staff that signed off the report, not Daniel.
Quite. Managers don't seem to put their own names to a report instead when they insist that underlings make sometimes significant changes to or deletions of content. Part of being a public servant, I guess.
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Nope, no barrier, no signs saying no pedestrians. Can't have everything! Best to just cohabit and be careful. I have a bell, and use it for all pedestrians - they never take offense, because I ring it from a distance.
I have to say, I didn't much like how people acted in Germany regarding cycleways and pedestrian zones, ringing the bell angrily and shouting at anyone walking in the cycleway. If people can walk in your way, exactly as with cars, then I think it's on the person moving faster to keep a good eye out, slow down, and stop if necessary. Ring the bell, sure, but it's a warning, not a demand. Most people look up, then make way.
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Perhaps the law of the sea ought to be applied to land; faster moving vehicles give way to slower moving things (pedestrians or cyclists)?
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still, calling it a cycleway seems a bit misleading.
"shared walkway/cycleway" might be more accurate...i imagine most people, knowing it is billed as a cycleway, would keep well to one side. but there's always the tiny minority who "don't look, don't care" about other path users.
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Perhaps the law of the sea ought to be applied to land; faster moving vehicles give way to slower moving things (pedestrians or cyclists)?
Given that's how I feel about cars vs cyclists, it would be hypocritical to have any other position.
The average punter who just wants to get from A to B without being an athlete is unlikely to be going so fast they can't take evasive action.
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Putting on Elected Rep Hat......
Writing reports is a political game really.
...Taking off said hat...
Oh, is that how you can be more than one person around here?
Now I know.
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is there no barrier separating the two?
Nah man. SOP is to paint the occasional outline of a bicycle on the footpath every once in a while.
It's not really safe to be ripping down the hills on it at 50kmh unless you're certain that people (or dogs) couldn't just step out of the bushes. I very nearly collected one guy doing this - pedestrians just don't expect to have to look on a cycleway.
Very much agree here. Anecdata, but I've known several people who've had very nasty accidents from pedestrians unexpectedly stepping out in front of them (for instance, out of a shop front in Kaiwharawhara in Wellington).
I didn't much like how people acted in Germany regarding cycleways and pedestrian zones, ringing the bell angrily and shouting at anyone walking in the cycleway.
A few years ago I had the misfortune to be cycling about 500m behind someone who did this all along the cycleway along the Hutt Road. He'd come up fast behind the pedestrian(s), ring his bell frantically, and shout at them. People were startled and jumped out of his way. By the time they thought "what a rude bastard!" he was 200m down the road. But by the time I, the next cyclist, came past, they'd had time to get good and angry, and determined to give a cyclist grief.
I have never had so much abuse shouted at me in a short period of time as I did on that commute. Not even the time I rode in skintight lycra through the pissed-up crowds waiting for the AC/DC concert.
Perhaps the law of the sea ought to be applied to land; faster moving vehicles give way to slower moving things (pedestrians or cyclists)
Certainly all the bike paths I can think of here in Wellington have large signs saying "Cyclists give way to pedestrians". It's a good idea, as well as polite.
The average punter who just wants to get from A to B without being an athlete is unlikely to be going so fast they can't take evasive action.
And I'd say that anyone who is going so fast they can't take evasive action is a bloody idiot.
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Oh, is that how you can be more than one person around here?
Now I know.No need for snark. I appreciate Chris's care and clarity in saying who he's speaking as.
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the chair of Cycle Action Auckland
I initially read that as Cycle Aviation Auckland and imagined a sky full of da Vinci style cycle-copters. But the reality is also very cool, great to see this kind of thing happening and I hope it catches on everywhere.Would be nice if every new motorway/arterial road had a separate cycleway built in from the outset.
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i imagine most people, knowing it is billed as a cycleway, would keep well to one side. but there's always the tiny minority who "don't look, don't care" about other path users.
It's not really that practical anyway. There is enough room for 2 cycles to pass in opposite directions, but not enough for 2 lanes of pedestrians as well. So what side do the pedestrians walk? There's no answer, so it's on the cyclists to make their presence known. Not to mention that pedestrians in NZ just don't know about these rules, since there's no official code, and there's always children.
The average punter who just wants to get from A to B without being an athlete is unlikely to be going so fast they can't take evasive action.
You don't have to be an athlete to make a bike go fast downhill. Also, falling off a bike even at slow speed can be quite nasty, particularly if you fall onto the road. What evasive action can you take with a pedestrian if you're riding on the road? Either swerve into the kerb or the road. Both are dangerous.
And I'd say that anyone who is going so fast they can't take evasive action is a bloody idiot.
To a point. There's no accounting for some stupidities, like people or cars just not seeing you and running/driving straight across your path. But yes, you should aim to not ever be taken by surprise. It takes a lot of practice.
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Oh, is that how you can be more than one person around here?
Works anywhere polite, Nick - just say "I'm the secretary of the Act Party" or whatever your role is.
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completely agree with all of the points in Ben's post above.
if you are cycling or driving down a street and someone steps out from behind a car or bush into your path, it is quite possible that through no fault of your own you may hit them. if you are on a bike, this is going to be painful so you do everything you can to avoid collision.as i already said a couple of times, it's a pedestrian and cycle path, which is fine, but it is different from a cycle path because of the dangers presented by mixing the two. i just find it ironic that in NZ it is illegal to cycle on the footpath but no problem to wander all over a cycleway... user beware is the key point then.
i totally agree that it's better than no cycleway at all!
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I'm very pleased to see Auckland getting (marginally) more cycle-friendly in my absence!
I got a pleasant shock last Saturday when riding through a sunny central London, to run into these chaps and chapettes dressed in their finest tweed (although I'm not quite sure a fluoro fixie fits in...)..
The Guardian has a good bike blog too, if you haven't seen it.
There's no accounting for some stupidities, like people or cars just not seeing you and running/driving straight across your path. But yes, you should aim to not ever be taken by surprise. It takes a lot of practice.
Regular cycle commuting has really made me aware just how myopic your average driver/pedestrian is. I just assume that I'm wearing an invisibility cloak and no-one can see me, and take a very defensive approach to cycling. It's worked so far...
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No need for snark. I appreciate Chris's care and clarity in saying who he's speaking as.
Okay, I withdraw and apologise.
Onwards and upwards....
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When I was talking about taking evasive action, I was more thinking about the scenario where pedestrians are wandering on a shared path. I agree, if someone steps directly in front of you, you're both toast.
But we see that with pedestrians and cars too. Here in Welly, pedestrians insist on right of way in the CBD all the time. Mostly they get it, occasionally a car driver will (fatally) remind them that they legally don't...
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