Drivers using Cycle lanes–surely not

Another out of order Posting. I’ve mentioned this news item before  “Call for cameras to catch drivers using cycle lanes”. Well here are some examples.

When I am driving, like other drivers I tend not to take a coat with me after all my car is rain proof and you can run from the car to the building you are visiting can’t you. The trouble is this can make it irritating not to be able to park close to your intended destination. When I am on my bicycle, I tend to have pretty decent raingear and just get on with it.  I’d rather be wet than cold. Mind you it is an example of my approach to driving which probably mirrors many other drivers and leads to a desire to be able to park close to my intended destination.

The article has a truck-load of comments, many somewhat weird. The trouble is some motorists are just casually “cyclist or anti-cyclist really” without thinking about it. This is the NCN51 along Newmarket Road just at the turn to take a tunnel under the A14. I was approaching from the Quy direction, tinged my bell as I prepared to swing onto the pavement – imagine my surprise when a bl**dy great truck was parked right across the flipping shared-use path. I had to creep alongside it with cars coming at me kicking up spray.

At time like this, and to be frank most other times, my wit deserts me. All I could manage was a “not a very clever place to park”. Mind you the guy trying to pull out in the pickup was probably also not very happy with the stupid stopping place.

NCN51 – Newmarket Road, near Quy – shared-use pedestrians, bicycles and trucks

Another example – the second of its type in the week.  It is not uncommon to see car transporters stop on the road unloading or loading cars from a nearby garage. They tend not to respect cycle lanes much. Now this looked as if it was only carrying one car – but it is a bit much when they can’t be bothered to drive into the garage area – and instead make the cyclists suffer.

Cycle-lane hog – Milton Road

The trouble is no-one blinks an eye at such behaviour – this country has a long way to go before this sort of thoughtlessness stops.