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When is cycling infrastructure not actually cycling infrastructure?
When a lorry driver can plough straight over the top of the traffic wands and into the bike lane, probably.
Could we have some kerbs on CS7 please @willnorman? The wands are helpful but aren’t very good at deflecting HGVs.
(CC @JoRigby_Balham) pic.twitter.com/jcMENIqdCe— Bill Hulley (@billhulley) November 13, 2022
The above video, captured by cyclist Bill Hulley as he rode through Balham, south London, at the weekend, depicts quite a few hairy moments in just 40 seconds.
First, Bill narrowly squeezes between the overtaking HGV driver and a van protruding into the cycle lane from an adjoining road, before the lorry driver begins to veer into the bike lane, making light work of the light segregation in place by knocking over the wands like it was a game of Mario Kart.
“Could we have some kerbs on CS7 please?” Bill tweeted. “The wands are helpful but aren’t very good at deflecting HGVs.”
The rather frightening clip naturally prompted a debate on Twitter, about both the driving on display and the usefulness (or otherwise) of lightly segregated cycling infrastructure:
Holy shit that was horrendous, Scary as hell for you. The wands were so much help 🙄. Good god why are such massive vehicles even allowed on roads like that. no room for them.
— Saddle🍁Jockey 🇨🇦 🏍️🚲 🇬🇧 (@J2onyabike) November 13, 2022
It does look like that road needs to be re-thought out. Something is really wrong and looks totally dangerous! The van driver emerging from left hand jct needs to think about what he is doing there as well
— Mahmut (Mike) Yusuf (@MikeMahmut) November 13, 2022
That idiot driver does not give a toss
— Cyclegranny 🚴♀️ (@anneramsey740) November 13, 2022
The idiot in the van halfway across the junction didn’t help either
— Ⓥ MrGoatsmilk 🌱🌽🌍 (@MrGoatsmilk) November 13, 2022
Local Labour councillor, active travel campaigner and live blog regular Jo Rigby – who has previously highlighted that paint does not necessarily equal infrastructure – responded to Bill’s clip by tweeting that “this is why I support the use of wands to protect Tooting and Battersea residents”.
Though some weren’t convinced:
I don’t think the wand was stopping them… eeek pic.twitter.com/OWI8vP6E5r
— Clockwise (@Clockwisesss) November 13, 2022
Painted cycle lanes on the road were always risky, offering make believe safe space for cyclists. Putting wands up as traffic barriers just adds to this make believe. Better off getting rid of both on narrow, busy roads & allow cyclists to become part of the traffic.
— davidshawcurran [at] aol.com (@davidshawcurra1) November 14, 2022
Meanwhile, some Twitter users (both cyclists and motorists, it has to be said) preferred not to focus on the need for properly segregated bike lanes or the bowling alley-style driving on display, but instead chose to blast the cyclist’s “discourteous” riding (some stronger words may have been used):
I’m all for cycling, it’s clean and better for people’s health. But cycling clearly into danger first with the van, and secondly when the lorry moves over slightly….that’s bad. He waved his finger telling the lorry driver off, but the 16.5m long lorry doesn’t have that space.
— Matt Bainbridge (@MattBainbridg13) November 13, 2022
And going between that white van and the lorry! I cycle everyday with the purpose of getting home to my family rather than becoming a statistic.
— Velocirapdad 🏴🏳️🌈🕊️🇺🇸🇪🇺 (@WilliamTParis) November 14, 2022
Today’s scores:
Ego 1 Commonsense and decency 0
An example of extremely discourteous cycling. No wonder @billhulley has turned off comments. Many cyclists are a danger to themselves. What possessed you to squeeze through the gap you entitled fool? Why didn’t you let him out? https://t.co/5FBPkPNCtz
— Mark Sharon (@MarkSharon_DP) November 14, 2022
And finally…
I wonder how many of the respondants arguing the rider shouldn’t be passing the HGV in the cycle lane would also argue that HGV’s in general lanes shouldn’t pass cyclists in cycle lanes…
(outcome/risk is similar…) https://t.co/s0QboiHWse
— qwerty360 (@dvorak360) November 14, 2022
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