Can we ban cyclists from rye lane?

[alice]

I have had a great idea. but would it be popular?

[TheArtfulDogger]

And send them where exactly ?

Maybe a better idea would be to make rye lane one way from primark down to the nags head end with a cycle path added along with widening the pavements to make it safer for pedestrians

Cars and buses going from Dulwich to Peckham can go around the back as they do when there are road works on rye lane

Only downside is a slightly longer walk from the bus stop to Peckham rye station

[Blah Blah]

Why on earth would anyone want to ban cyclists from Rye Lane?

Why not ban buses, cars, and pedestrians too?

[dirac]

Why would you want to? Any particular spot in particular?

[Sue]

Blah Blah Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Why on earth would anyone want to ban cyclists

> from Rye Lane?

>

> Why not ban buses, cars, and pedestrians too?

They cycle along the pavement, don't they?

On a not very obvious part of the pavement supposedly reserved for cyclists.

I know somebody who nearly got knocked down by one.

Buses and cars use the road.

Correct me if I'm wrong and have confused Rye Lane with somewhere else.

ETA: But who knows why Alice wants to ban them, may be for totally different reasons as she didn't say ....

[alice]

Saw an accident to a pedestrian today and the cyclists' attitude was unfortunate. Cars and buses tend to move in predictable ways but the cyclists that speed through the narrowest spaces can be unnerving.

if they couldn't be redirected then they must be slowed down.

[Blah Blah]

But I could equally point out that pedestrians don't look before crossing. What must we do to stop them doing that?

Cyclists have every right to be on the road and pedestrians need to be as careful when crossing as cyclists should be when cycling.

I think you mean the shared path at the North of Rye Lane Sue, the lane on the pavement? Many cyclists have complained about this path too, because even when cycling at walking speed, it's too easy to almost collide with a pedestrian if they are not aware of the path. Having said that, I've had cycle bells ringing at me for cycling to slow along it!

The answer to some cyclists riding in a careless way is not to ban all cyclists, any more than banning all cars because of a few wreckess drivers. The same goes for the few wreckless pedestrians too.

[solar]

This stretch of cycle path by the aylsham centre is dangerous. Many pedestrians are unaware that cyclists legally share this path especially when going in the opposite direction to the other traffic. I've seen several near misses there.

[exdulwicher]

In Greater London, in 2013:

65 pedestrians were killed and 773 seriously injured by motor vehicles

0 pedestrians were killed and 227 injured by pedal cycles

Source: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2013.pdf

I think if you want to talk about banning anything, it should be motor vehicles...

That said, the above statistics don't apportion blame so I suppose it's entirely possible that there were 1065 lemming pedestrians around the place.

It's far more likely that the section of shared use cycle path / pavement there is just not fit for purpose or not clearly signed. I'm not familiar with that part of town and generally refuse to use shared use stuff anyway, I'd far rather use the road!

[Jeremy]

Yes, the problem is the poorly marked cycle path. Not cyclists, as such.

[alice]

Rye lane is a busy shopping street with deliveries, buses and people. The headdown lycracyclists just speed through, destination elsewhere.

[clockworkorange]

If you to ban anything from rye lane, it would be shops leaving their debris all over the place, deliveries in unauthorised places,external storage of goods and for good measure- apart from the hair, these issues cause far more *safety issues* than a few over eager cyclists.

Sue - I once knew somebody that nearly got knocked over. ... Sounds extremely serious, I trust the incident was reported?

[alice]

Why should rye lane change to suit the needs of those who do not live there, do not shop there? I shall contact the council re speeding cyclists redirected to Bellenden road or Lyndhurst way.

[Earl Aelfheah]

The shared bike pedestrian lanes are nearly always a nightmare. They've created one at Elephant outside the College of Printing which is clearly going to lead to accidents. The bit at the north end of Rye Lane is a nightmare, largely as the result of pedestrians ignoring it. I would definitely support a redesign. To suggest simply 'banning' bikes is clearly ridiculous though.

[exdulwicher]

What rahrahrah said ^^.

Thing is, anyone coming from East Dulwich is already going to be on Bellenden Road / Lyndhurst Way. Anyone coming from Peckham Rye / Nunhead is not going to add to their journey by going all the way across to Lyndhurst and then back. That's simple desire lines, people will always take the quickest option.

Can't really go further east as that's the one way system around A2215 / Copeland Road / Consort Road which is a traffic nightmare so they're not going to do that. Particularly as the cycle route continues directly opposite Rye Lane by going in front of the library (again on a shared foot/cycle path)

Rye Lane has been set up with shared use pedestrian / cycle paths by the council so they're not going to rip the whole lot out and ban bikes because you've seen one incident. You might be able to press them for better signage, a redesign or (about the best you'll get) an agreement to monitor it.

A suggestion to the council of banning bikes will be met with the contempt it deserves. And regarding this

Why should rye lane change to suit the needs of those who do not live there, do not shop there?

How do you know where they live or shop?

You could say the same about bus passengers - being carted through the centre by a big smelly polluting bus and none of them are shopping there!

[JohnL]

Rye Lane IS pedestrians.

You wait until everybodys drinking outside John The Unicorn in the summer :)

[Jeremy]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You wait until everybodys drinking outside John

> The Unicorn in the summer :)

You mean summer 2018?

[dirac]

I agree that the shared pavement is pretty ridiculous on the street. Why it's not marked by a blue path is beyond me (other than the silver metal line is aesthetically 'cool'). I just stick to the road there and if I'm going in the other direction against the traffic, I just push my bike to save hitting the unknowing pedestrians.

[JohnL]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> JohnL Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > You wait until everybodys drinking outside John

> > The Unicorn in the summer :)

>

> You mean summer 2018?

It's got Windows now :)

[JohnL]

dirac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I agree that the shared pavement is pretty

> ridiculous on the street. Why it's not marked by a

> blue path is beyond me (other than the silver

> metal line is aesthetically 'cool'). I just stick

> to the road there and if I'm going in the other

> direction against the traffic, I just push my bike

> to save hitting the unknowing pedestrians.

It's chaos - but thats Rye Lane.

Rye Lane is the only place I've seen somebody flattened

by the wing mirror of a bus.

He got back up and continued as if nothing happened.

[malumbu]

As John Cooper Clarke once prophesied they should bring back hanging for every one. As someone who has actively participated in the crime of cycling down the Lane, I'll be first against the wall, or on the gallows.

Oddly I have managed to avoid all you dozy pedestrians who don't look as you stroll across the road, nor have I seen any other eco warriers (aka cyclists) come into conflict with bipeds. The worst was when a couple of idiots shot across us on their unlit bikes before Xmas, oh and the guy who thought that it was funny to fire fireworks over our head, bonfire night 2014. The police said that they'd be over in a couple of hours.....

My issue as shared before is the design, the road is too narrow and buses continually mount the cycle track causing continual damage, which is badly patched up on a weekly basis.

Move on everybody, nothing to see on this thread. Good night.

[titch juicy]

The shared cycle path at the top of rye lane is NOT a nightmare if used sensibly and considerately. I and other cyclists slow right down knowing that there could be pedestrians oblivious to the fact that it's a cycle lane and everything is ok.

There've been a couple of times when either I or a pedestrian has had to stop, a little like when a pedestrian meets another pedestrian and the little 'who's going where?' dance starts. It always ended up with a smile and a polite sorry.

Problems start when cyclists speed down there with a high and mighty, "this is my cycle lane, so get out the way" type attitude at top speed, ringing their bells and then jumping the lights at the bottom. It happens too often.

Just because cyclists can get about faster than other road users it doesn't mean it's always right, safe or considerate to do so.

[DuncanW]

It's not a great idea. It wouldn't be popular.

Hope that answers your question.

[pg500]

I cycle up and down Rye Lane pretty much every day.

That stretch of pathway is so poorly marked it is not surprising that pedestrians stray across the cycling strip without looking. However even if it was clearly marked cyclists really must anticipate that pedestrians may well pop out from behind/between buses and therefore moderate their speed where vision is limited. There is a similar pedestrian/cyclist clash on the pathway across the Strand from Waterloo Bridge to Covent Garden. At least once a week I see a fellow cyclist failing to adjust/slow down for an approaching pedestrian who looks like they may not have spotted that they need stop at the cycle pathway - end result either a low speed collision or the pedestrian leaping out of the way as a cyclist zooms past an inch from their face. Right of way or not it drives me nuts as it's inconsiderate, dangerous and contributes to the negative feeling towards cyclists in general.

[Jeremy]

pg500 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> cyclists really must anticipate

> that pedestrians may well pop out from

> behind/between buses and therefore moderate their

> speed where vision is limited.

This. We expect drivers to watch out for pedestrians, and stick to a speed where they could quickly stop if necessary. Same should apply to cyclists.