Preston has a new cycle lane. It's hilarious!

[@Dan200]

Every infrastructure project has to start somewhere, and in the UK they have to fight their way through grumpy anti-cyclist councillors to get every little bit built, which might explain why it's only this little piece at the moment. Fingers crossed this gets connected up to a complete network of safe, useful routes over time.

[@Seb512]

Except that no councillors in Preston oppose ANY cycle scheme, instead they are very incompetent (Lancashire County Council highways) and this is only known locally. They added a cycle lane alongside the only through route through Preston, and they built it too wide into the road, so the vehicular lanes are so narrow that trucks and busses have to pass very close to the pavement. You couldn't make it up! They also have a habit of not listening, for instance the Cyclops junction was an unwanted vanity project by residents, as the junction already had shared use crossings which were faster for those on bikes rather than going all the way around, but green paint makes councillors look more "eco-friendly" and virtuous haha

[@Dan200]

@@Seb512 you lost me when you said "the cycle lane was too wide" as if that's a bad thing

[@Seb512]

@@Dan200 sorry, I meant the divider was too wide between the road and cycle lane, and also the pavement was previously a shared use pedestrian/cycle lane, so they could’ve built into that to maintain better pedestrian safety on the pavement the other side. Nothing against cycle lanes, but look at local news around Preston and you’ll see the fiasco that is the local council, making transport worse no matter the mode

[@Grizzly01-vr4pn]

Get rid of the AI narration.

[@thetruckerseye]

And say nothing? 😂😂😂 just joking. It's going soon. Just waiting for a delivery of a RODE MIC. A few people said this. There'll be a few vids coming out with the AI but then I'll be able to voice it myself. Thanks for your advice. Appreciate it.

[@aarsca6834]

Have to agree. The ai voice leaves a bad impression. I normally click off once i hear that voice, only I know youre a fair channel

[@timoakley277]

Welcome to the classic uk cycle lane. Q. Why dont cyclists use the cycle lanes? A. This...😢

[@petersmithm9]

Another box ticked.

[@Seb512]

Good spot! Hardly anyone knows this was done, as it was hidden as a TRO on Lancashire County Council’s website a year or so ago. The original idea is for it to link up the old rail/tram line from the south to the bicycle and mobility centre next to the station car park. There aren’t any plans for it to go further up the hill to fishergate, as most traffic has been forced off this route so is perfectly safe to cycle on the road itself. The area is also about to undergo a massive office building project, which will see radical changes to the street layout. Though in the meantime (and even in the future) this cycle lane is pointless, as there won’t be as much traffic looking for parking this way, so just another box ticking exercise haha

[@thetruckerseye]

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply and the information. Interesting to lsarn! I cycle (rather than icicle 🤣) and I'm telling you now, if I was cycling down the hill from Fishergate, there's no way I would be braking to get on that cycle bath. I'd just be continuing along the road as a) my momentum wouldn't be broken and b) is it really worth slowing up to go onto that cycle path for such a short length!

[@Seb512]

@@thetruckerseye haha, probably will become a cycle bath as they never unblock the drains 🤣

[@prestonchristianactionnetw4998]

Someone needs to tell this guy that it does link with the cycle route at the end of the car park that goes for miles along the former railway embankment. It is just that the car park is private and the legal work on making it a cycle route has been delayed about 10 years. and the gap in the fence which makes it a viable route is the work of guerrilla cyclists.

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

That junction looks really good! Space for cyclists and pedestrians, well marked crossing points. At first I didn't like the one ways, but when I thought about it more I realised that going the other way when turning right wouldn't save much distance and if the cyclists are only coming from one side that makes it easier for drivers.

[@thetruckerseye]

@@adrianthoroughgood1191 is that the Cyclops junction?

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

@@thetruckerseye yes, obviously I mean the good one! I wasn't being sarcastic!

[@thetruckerseye]

@@adrianthoroughgood1191 no, i agree. I cycle too. I just hate the way they do these half cut schemes! They don't work for cyclists OR other road users!

[@Seb512]

The Cyclops junction was an unwanted vanity project, as the junction already had shared use crossings which were faster for those on bikes rather than going all the way around, but green paint makes councillors look more "eco-friendly" and virtuous haha. There are hardly any people crossing the jct on foot anyway, so shared use worked very well for those cycling along the river, but it wasn't green enough!

[@prestonchristianactionnetw4998]

The film maker should have come with me (a local cyclist) for a bike ride and I would have explained how to us it as a valuable commuter route to South Ribble

[@thetruckerseye]

The film maker is a cyclist! I wouldn't be using that small of section of cycle lane if I was coming down the hill from Fishergate! I'd stay on the road with the momentum I would have!

[@pamvarnsverry2444]

On the cycle route to no where - should there not be a dropped kerb for mobility scooter users????

[@thetruckerseye]

Excellent point that! I never thought of that!!! I can only assume there is more to be sorted, but why leave it like that? 🤣

[@michaelburggraf2822]

Well, at least cyclists can choose between a hard and a softer landing zone.

[@HyperDaveUK]

Goes nowhere... for now..

[@thetruckerseye]

@@HyperDaveUK it would be great if it was all linked up and done properly, but I just can't see how it will be completed like that little bit they done. Like I say in the video, it has nowhere to go unless they go through the car park or uproot the trees to make space for it.

[@prestonchristianactionnetw4998]

It does go to the old railway cycle route and I do use it to get to the park and across the bridge

[@phililpb]

Box ticking exercise

[@northcliffe]

Clown world!

[@kalpat5753]

My local city centre has a proliferation of bike lanes which are mostly never used, however the single lane left for everything else including, cars, motorbikes, lorries and buses is always congested and vehicles are standing for long periods of time. If that is intended to make for a cleaner environment then it has failed miserably. Prior to the multitude of cycle lanes the only congestion was at the usual peak "rush" hour. Most people entering the city centre live well out of the city so will either drive or use buses so presumably the cycle lanes are there for City Centre dwellers who presumably are walking to work hence the empty cycle lanes. The council spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers money to produce this fiasco.

[@johanwittens7712]

That cycle lanes are underused is mostly due to them not being safe. Just a few painted bicycle gutters next to high speed traffic is nowhere near enough. That's just a sign of bad design and an excuse to say they're pointless... Also bicycle lanes need to connect places people actually want to go to. If most people live in the suburbs, than that's where the cycle lanes need to go. But most of the time, especially in the UK, that's exactly where the cycling lanes disappear and only high speed roads remain. Good cycling infrastructure means separated lanes where cars drive above 30km/h, and only mixed traffic is ok for speeds at or under 30 km/h. Anything else is unsafe, feels unsafe, and puts people off cycling. If you're not comfortable letting your kids bike alone to school on all those bike lanes in your city, they're bad unsafe bike lanes. Simple as that. Also, safe biking infrastructure is more than a couple of painted lanes. It's safe protected intersections, it's connected bike routes, it's car resistant city centers, it's abundant bike parking spots all over the city, at train stations, at transit stops, at shops and public buildings, etc etc, it's priority for cyclists at intersections, it's "unentangling" cycling and pedestrian traffic from motorised traffic, it's giving cyclists and pedestrians rights and protections, it's not surrendering every single road and public space to cars and motor vehicles, it's actively removing parking, it's making all parking paying, etc etc. My city in Belgium DID make an effort for the last 30 years, built a ton of safe and comfortable biking infrastructure, did all the other things, and it DID work and DID make a difference. Now the city is full of cyclists, kids and old people alike, moms with kids in "bakfietsen", people going to work, people going shopping, etc etc. The city center is now completely car resistant and more pleasant and popular than ever. And the city went from a declining population to one of the most popular to live, shop, visit, study and work in the country. Cycling infrastructure only works if the approach is comprehensive and universal. The fact that those lanes in your city are mostly empty just means they aren't good enough. Doesn't mean cycling infrastructure won't and will never work.

[@trilingualfudge7307]

@johan not to mention needing to add lots of public transport in order for a clean and smooth transition for longer journeys instead of relying on cars for that too.

[@rdrhouse]

so that's all very nice for cyclists, but when the speed limit is dropped to 20 and both cyclists and cars travel at the same speed why would they need to be separated

[@bobstr6224]

No cars actually travel at only 20mph everyone speeds and bikes often don't reach that speed either.

[@rdrhouse]

@@bobstr6224 well i don't agree with you on that Bob, whilst a lot of cars do speed up to roughly 25 - 30mph, the vast majority are rigidly sticking to the 20mph speed limit set by this ignorant welsh tyrannical group that say they run Wales for the Welsh.

[@thetruckerseye]

@@rdrhouse Huntingdon has just done a Wales, and announced a mass of 20mph limited roads. Wales now taking them out so I have no clue why Huntingdon thinks they'll work there!

[@FakeSchrodingersCat]

@@rdrhouse Sure they do, which is why you and most of the rest of the population have absolutely no problems or complaints about the new speed limits. But even at 20mph it is unsafe for most cyclists in traffic. I mean lets put it this way the average speed of professional athletes in the Tour de France is only 25MPH, you expect your average middle age Welshman to maintain 20mph on anything but a downhill?

[@bobstr6224]

@@rdrhouse Very different in my area haha

[@oliverrushworth702]

Where are all the cyclists 🤡 same place as all the cars and pedestrians in your shot: busy places. All the lanes were empty

[@thetruckerseye]

@@oliverrushworth702 a good few cars pass! No cyclists pass as the cycle lane goes nowhere at all. The cars are using the car parks, they have somewhere to go! The cyclists aren't there because the council has built them a cycle lane to nowhere

[@oliverrushworth702]

@@thetruckerseye surely the car park must be near to something? Otherwise it would be a car park to nowhere as well?