London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network".
Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. Many miles of cycle track
were built alongside the new bypasses in the 1930s, but much of those
routes vanished in the 1960s, mostly unnoticed, and unmourned. You
don't see people mourning lost bike tracks in the way they mourn
canals, or steam trains, or the routemaster bus. Cycle tracks
weren't that popular at the time, actually, except among motorists
who hoped that cyclists could be forced, officially or unofficially,
to get off the roads onto them

Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around.

Here's a first attempt at starting an inventory of what we still
have, and what we have lost. For those tracks that used to exist,
and now have vanished, any information on when, how, and why they
went would be useful.

Some people have posted on this before, but I've lost my notes.
Apologies for repeating myself

Please say what's wrong or missing from the list below. I know that
the A24 isn't strictly London, but perhaps there are other suburban
routes that should also be remembered.

Remaining
---------

A30, Great South West Road - not real cycle tracks, only pavements?
A4, Great West Road, N Circular - M25
A 4020, Uxbridge Road, Grand Union Canal - Hayes End Road
A40 - Western Avenue - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? Only
one side.
A41 Edgware Way to Watford, not real cycle tracks?
A1 Barnet Way, not real cycle tracks?
A10 Great Cambridge Rd, s. of N. Circular to M25 (only one side
remaining. Not all proper cycle tracks?)
A24 past Box Hill

Lost
----

A406 North Circular Rd - which parts?
A41 Hendon Way
A12 Eastern Avenue
A127 Southend Road
A13/1306

Never had any
--------------

A3 Kingston bypass
A20 Rochester way
A23 Purley Way

Are there other facilities that should be recalled? For example
there are the remains of London's earliest bike race track in the
grounds of the Welsh Harp Reservoir

Jeremy Parker

"Jeremy Parker" wrote in message
...
London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network".
Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. Many miles of cycle track
were built alongside the new bypasses in the 1930s, but much of those
routes vanished in the 1960s, mostly unnoticed, and unmourned. You
don't see people mourning lost bike tracks in the way they mourn
canals, or steam trains, or the routemaster bus. Cycle tracks
weren't that popular at the time, actually, except among motorists
who hoped that cyclists could be forced, officially or unofficially,
to get off the roads onto them
Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around.

MAJOR SNIP

Jeremy Parker

The London Borough of Harrow (and probably all of yours) must have spent
thousands and thousands of our pounds, painting cycle lanes on our roads. In
some places they are even coloured green and seem to have a different
surfacing. On one railway bridge on the road between Pinner and North Harrow
they have even planted a line of metal bollards (how much do they cost ?) to
enforce the cycle lane which reduces the road width but which I have NEVER
seen a cyclist use !! In the last two years I don't think I have seen more
than a dozen cyclists using any of these cycle lanes which are all the more
stupid when you see that cars are parked across them. Long Elmes in Harrow
is a typical example with probably as many as 50 cars parked on the cycle
lanes at any one time but never a cyclist in sight. I really resent the
squandering of so much money on a laudable but stupidly executed idea. Given
that there are now far more active motorists than pedestrians or cyclists,
cycle lanes should either be on pavements or segregated completely from the
roads but WITHOUT reducing the road width. /rant
Cheerz,
Baz

I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south of
the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses the
North Circular Road) back in the 1970's

The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the
give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So
mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path
without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every junction.
I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main carriagway
where I had right of way.

Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big
junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use
them was zero!

The London Borough of Harrow (and probably all of yours) must have spent
thousands and thousands of our pounds, painting cycle lanes on our roads. In
some places they are even coloured green and seem to have a different
surfacing. On one railway bridge on the road between Pinner and North Harrow
they have even planted a line of metal bollards (how much do they cost ?) to
enforce the cycle lane which reduces the road width but which I have NEVER
seen a cyclist use !! In the last two years I don't think I have seen more
than a dozen cyclists using any of these cycle lanes which are all the more
stupid when you see that cars are parked across them. Long Elmes in Harrow
is a typical example with probably as many as 50 cars parked on the cycle
lanes at any one time but never a cyclist in sight. I really resent the
squandering of so much money on a laudable but stupidly executed idea. Given
that there are now far more active motorists than pedestrians or cyclists,
cycle lanes should either be on pavements or segregated completely from the
roads but WITHOUT reducing the road width. /rant
Cheerz,
Baz

I know that stretch of road between Pinner and North Harrow well and have
cycled along it many times.

The cycle lane is too narrow (less than 1m wide) I always ride at least 1m
out from the kerb, so the lane is pointless and filled with parked cars anyway.
The section over the Met line with bollards is not swept clean and is often
strewn with debry, I avoid it and use the road.

Why do councils spend money providing such useless farcilities ?
As far as I can tell its because they get grants to do so, they don't consult
cyclists and don't follow recommended practice (e.g. cycle lanes should be
1.5m wide and free from parked vehicles). In my opinion separating cycle lanes
from the road is not to be recommended, every crossing point now becomes a danger
zone, where traffic comes into conflict. My preferred solution - cycle on the
roads - its what they are there for !

Douglas

"peter" wrote in message
oups.com...
I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south
of
the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses
the
North Circular Road) back in the 1970's

The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the
give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So
mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path
without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every
junction.
I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main
carriagway
where I had right of way.

Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big
junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use
them was zero!

In 1958 Professor Sir Colin Buchanan, one of Britain's greatest
traffic engineers and town planners, wrote in his book "Mixed
Blessing, The Motor in Britain"

"The meagre efforts to separate cyclists from motor traffic have
failed, tracks are inadequate, the problem of treating them at
junctions and intersections is completely unsolved, and the attitude
of cyclists themselves to these admittedly unsatisfactory tracks has
not been as helpful as it might have been."

Not much changes. The consulting firm that Buchanan founded has been
quite active in planning the London Cycle Network, but doesn't seem
to have kept it's founder's attitude



Jeremy Parker

It was a dark and stormy night when peter
wrote in article .com
....
I remember trying to use the old cycle paths alonside the A10 south of
the Cambridge roundabout (now an underpass where the A10 crosses the
North Circular Road) back in the 1970's

The problem was that whenever a side road joined the main road, the
give way line was between the cycle path and the main road. So
mototists joining the main road would shoot across the cycle path
without looking, and cyclists would have to look out at every junction.
I soon realised that it was far easier to cycle on the main carriagway
where I had right of way.

Add to that the fact that the cycle paths always vanished at big
junctions (like the Cambridge roundabout), and the incentive to use
them was zero!

For some truly inspired examples of badly planned and executed cycle
lanes, see he

http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....aign/facility-
of-the-month/

Don't overlook the archive too!

Grebster

"Grebbsy McLaren" wrote in message
...

For some truly inspired examples of badly
planned and executed cycle lanes, see he


http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....-of-the-month/

Don't overlook the archive too!

http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....h/July2005.htm

LOL.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Grebbsy McLaren typed


For some truly inspired examples of badly planned and executed cycle
lanes, see he

http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....aign/facility-
of-the-month/

Wonderful website isn't it? I sent a North Harrow example a while ago...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

In article ,
(John Rowland) wrote:

"Grebbsy McLaren" wrote in message
...

For some truly inspired examples of badly
planned and executed cycle lanes, see he


http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....mpaign/facilit
y-of-the-month/

Don't overlook the archive too!

http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co....mpaign/facilit
y-of-the-month/July2005.htm

LOL.

At least April 2003's didn't last. The local councillors had that one
removed almost as soon as the paint had dried. A good example of "engage
brain before applying paint brush".

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Jeremy Parker wrote:

London is about halfway through building the "London Cycle Network".
Actually to some extent that's rebuilding. ...

Not all the tracks vanished. Some of them are still around.
...
Please say what's wrong or missing from the list below. I know that
the A24 isn't strictly London, but perhaps there are other suburban
routes that should also be remembered.

Remaining
---------

A30, Great South West Road - not real cycle tracks, only pavements?
A4, Great West Road, N Circular - M25
A 4020, Uxbridge Road, Grand Union Canal - Hayes End Road

There is also a short stretch on the north side east of Southall,
which could be that old. I plan to remove most of it.

A40 - Western Avenue - not real cycle tracks, only pavements? Only
one side.

The only bit that suggests it's not an adapted pavement is the
disintegrating path parallel to the pavement on the south side west of
Greenford Roundabout.

Lost
----

A406 North Circular Rd - which parts?

Nothing visible between Stonebridge and Chiswick Roundabout.

Colin McKenzie