{"id":2862,"date":"2018-11-27T20:31:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T20:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/2018\/11\/27\/bad-planning-ignorant-motorists-or-just-plain-unsafe-what-stopping-more-people-getting-their\/"},"modified":"2018-11-27T20:31:42","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T20:31:42","slug":"bad-planning-ignorant-motorists-or-just-plain-unsafe-what-stopping-more-people-getting-their","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/satellite.mmu.ac.uk\/northernquota-old\/bad-planning-ignorant-motorists-or-just-plain-unsafe-what-stopping-more-people-getting-their\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad planning, ignorant motorists or just plain unsafe: what is stopping more people from getting on their bike?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyclists in Greater Manchester are voicing their anger over the dangers they face when using Manchester\u2019s bicycle lanes.<\/p>\n

Images shared by cyclists show that poor planning and vehicle obstruction are among the many problems which means traveling along cycling routes is not the safe option it should be.<\/p>\n

Cyclists across Greater Manchester are campaigning to tackle the reasons that stop more people from getting on their bike.<\/p>\n

NQ spoke to Nick Hubble who is an avid cycle campaigner.<\/p>\n

\"Nick
Nick campaigns for better bike routes and for more people to get on their bikes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said the most unsafe and \u2018useless\u2019 bike lanes are those with a painted line on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cA painted line is completely unprotected. In order to provide adequate safety for someone on a bicycle you need a protective lane. With a lot of the cycling infrastructure, you might as well not bother,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\"Greater
An unprotected ‘painted line’ cycle lane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not properly protected, you can still drive into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick and many others believe the future of cycling and the way to getting more people on their bikes is through \u2018Dutch style\u2019 bike lanes.<\/p>\n

Iin 2015 Manchester opened its first such lane on Oxford Road, giving cyclists a safer journey and enables them to bike behind rather than in front of bus stops.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve taken car traffic off the road, it\u2019s reasonably wide and that feels pretty good,” said Nick.<\/p>\n

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Since they finished it, cycling levels have gone up<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Oxford
Bike lane usage on Oxford Road has risen by a massive 118% since the dutch-style lanes were installed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TfGM recently announced a \u00a31.5bn investment in new cycle routes and are planning for a 300% increase in levels of cycling by 2025.<\/p>\n

A total of 1, 000 miles of safe cycling routes are to be constructed in Greater Manchester which include the Dutch-style bike lane.<\/p>\n

\"Oxford
Dutch-style bike lane on Oxford Road in Manchester<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Nick said that educating motorists is also key to achieving a safe city for cycling.<\/p>\n

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There needs to be a massive shift in the mentality on how people drive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He said educating motorists on cyclists should be part of the UK\u2019s driver theory test.Several cycling groups campaigned for there to be changes to the driving test to make road users more aware of cyclists.<\/p>\n

In 2016 British Cycling campaigns manager, Martin Key said: \u201cOur members tell us that drivers overtaking too close to them is one of the biggest concerns they have about cycling on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Images from several Twitter users show that vehicles also frequently obstruct bike lanes by parking in them.<\/p>\n

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#BobbinsInfraGM<\/a> – Sackville St with a confusing, often abused layout where a separated cycle lane decants onto a slip road pic.twitter.com\/x552rOk0Ud<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\u2014 Josh R  (@technicalfault) November 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n