Cyclists have to use cycle lanes❌

Posted on 12th Jun 2025 by insightndes

In the U.K. this is not true, as rule 61 of the Highway Code says.

Referring to cycle lanes and cycle tracks “While such facilities are provided for reasons of safety, cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them.”

The Highway Code defines what cycle lanes and cycle tracks are, they are different.

A cycle lane is marked on the road, with either a solid line or a broken line. Vehicles cannot drive in cycle lanes marked by solid lines or park in them. From my observations this is not observed. A cycle lane which is only half a meter wide are worse than useless. There’s not enough space between the bike and the vehicles, and does not comply with Highway Code rule 72. I recently saw useless cycle lanes of this nature in Guildford and Wallingford. This is the part of the road which collects debris.

Cycle tracks are routes physically separated from vehicles, so, they should be good. Unfortunately in the UK they are often poorly designed, with dangerous entry and exit points, obstructions, debris, poor surfaces and no right of way when crossing side roads.

Why would a cyclist not use cycle lanes and cycle tracks? For the reasons described above, the UK cycle infrastructure is often useless. The UK needs to look abroad to see how to make proper cycle infrastructure.

Safety, Travel

Lawbreaker!

Posted on 11th Jun 2025 by insightndes

When cyclists are a topic on social media there are always those shouting their condemnation because all cyclists are law breakers, according to them. But does this stack up?

Anecdotally, on my commute to work I see no cyclists breaking the law but I see plenty of drivers breaking the law, either contravening the double white lines or speeding.

If you look online there are plenty of studies showing drivers break the law, in their respective countries, far more often than cyclists, so why is there this apparently unwarranted demonisation of cyclists? Probably because when cyclists break the law, usually by running a red light, they are visible.

Speeding drivers are less obvious and there appears to an acceptance among a large minority that this is ok, to an extent that many complain about speed cameras, “it’s a money earner”. It’s actually easy to avoid being caught by a speed camera, don’t speed.

Drivers of vehicles cause far more damage when they have a collision than a cyclist, they are far heavier and far faster. Non compliance with the law by drivers is far more consequential.

When I have cycled through London, I have wondered why cyclists jump lights 🚦, a bad idea as this could end in death. Cycling between Euston and Padding, I add 25% time wise to the journey waiting at traffic lights. However I am still faster than the motorised vehicles.

It appears that both cyclists and motorists have impatience in common.

Cyclists are an easy target. Mostly harmless, mostly law abiding, but a minority. This is what is known as prejudice.

Car drivers moaning about cyclists feel free to keep complaining if you have never contravened the law while driving, otherwise be quiet.

The sound of silence!

It is Bike Week 2025. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This bike week I thought that I would address a few of them.

Environment, Travel

Bikes hold up traffic❌Cars hold up traffic✅

Posted on 10th Jun 2025 by insightndes

You are driving along and there’s a bike in front of you going at a slower speed. Impatience builds, you can‘t get past. Bl**dy cyclist🤬.

In reality you may have a perceived delay of a few tens of seconds. But as you speed on to the next queue of vehicles , where you lose minutes, the bike made no difference. And why can’t you overtake the bike? Because of the oncoming traffic. The problem is the excessive number cars not the bike.

But it’s worse! In 2024 the average UK driver lost 62 hours due to traffic congestion. That’s more than two and a half days. In London that’s 101 hours. That’s a lot of time spent staring at someone‘s rear bumper. Look for INREX 2024. This is due to excessive number of motorised vehicles.

Traffic also delays pedestrians, you can’t get across the road due to the traffic wizzing past. Cars also delay cyclists, sometimes it’s impossible to get out of junction due to the traffic. The congestion also gets in the way of emergency vehicles.

I have had cars overtake me while I was cycling, stopping just in front of me, to turn right, which they can’t due to the oncoming traffic. Its then tricky to get past the immobile blockage on the road. Waste of my time and very rude.

There is another cost of congestion. Pollution! Shortens the lives of the drivers and the non drivers.☠️

The way to reduce that wasted 62 hours or 101 hours in London is to get on your bike. Reduced delays for you riding the bike, reduced traffic because you are riding your bicycle instead of driving. Less congestion, reduced delays for those in the cars. Everyone is happy.

It is Bike Week 2025. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This bike week I thought that I would address a few of them.

Environment, Safety, Travel

Cyclists should be as near the kerb as possible ❌

Posted on 9th Jun 2025 by insightndes

This is rule 72 from the Highway Code:

72
Road positioning. When riding on the roads, there are two basic road positions you should adopt, depending on the situation.
1) Ride in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible, in the following situations

on quiet roads or streets – if a faster vehicle comes up behind you, move to the left to enable them to overtake, if you can do so safely
in slower-moving traffic – when the traffic around you starts to flow more freely, move over to the left if you can do so safely so that faster vehicles behind you can overtake
at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you

2) When riding on busy roads, with vehicles moving faster than you, allow them to overtake where it is safe to do so whilst keeping at least 0.5 metres away, and further where it is safer, from the kerb edge. Remember that traffic on most dual carriageways moves quickly. Take extra care crossing slip roads.

So it’s ride at least 0.5 m from the kerb but in some circumstances in the middle of the lane. In particular when the road is narrow, so it is unsafe for the vehicle to overtake the cyclist.

It is Bike Week 2025. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This bike week I thought that I would address a few of them.

Number one – not particularly contentious, it’s in the Highway Code.

Travel

North

Posted on 7th Jun 2025 by insightndes

No window seat on the way to Paddington, so no photos.

Dinner at the Great Nepalese Tandor next to Euston station.

And we’re off

Still had a four hour journey north and the sleeper breakfast is not sufficient. So..

Too much chatting to take pictures. I reach my destination only ten minutes late.

Tourism, Travel

Surrey and beyond

Posted on 2nd Jun 2025 by insightndes

The worst cycle infrastructure on Epsom Road in Guildford.

The cycle lanes marked out in Guildford are beyond useless. No segregation, suggesting a totally inappropriate position for the cyclists to take on the road. I would cycle at least at the line. I actually cycled in the mostly in the middle of the lane to take the decision away from the drivers, so they did not attempt to overtake at the frequent traffic islands. Of course I was hooted at, but ironically I was going faster than the motorised vehicles. Guildford suffers from pollution,

There are plenty of stations in the commuter belt.

Someone had pulled a communication alarm on a train causing all the trains to be delayed.

Two days later headed back to Oxfordshire. Dodged the rail replacement buses by travelling from Farnborough.

The Thames at Wallingford – The Boat House.

Travel

North to the south

Posted on 1st Jun 2025 by insightndes

Blue skies and a few clouds heading south.

Changed from the far north line to the sleeper at Inverness.

Speeding away from Inverness.

Near Kingussie

Not sure this breakfast looks appetising. It tasted ok. A few issues on the train. The lock on the cabin was not fully functioning, no pull out table in cabin, coffee machine in buffet car not working. There are some maintenance issues it appears.

Arrival in Euston is 20 minutes late due to work in the line. I had been forewarned by text.

Then headed back east

I witnessed an old couple falling over on the escalator just after getting on. while they were heading up. I was heading down. A woman at the top shouted for someone to hit the emergency stop. A hapless woman holding a dog appeared transfixed and unable to hit the button. After what appeared to be an age someone finally hit the button. Chaos. No staff about.

It’s sunny again

https://videopress.com/v/249gmvXk?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Ash

https://videopress.com/v/Iu5wpKT9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Farnham

Environment, Tourism, Travel

Thurso to Bucharest and back- the summary

Posted on 6th Mar 20256th Mar 2025 by insightndes

The journey

The map taken from the Interrail app shows just how far the journey was, but misses the far north line and the detour to Oxfordshire.

From the Interrail app: 5784 km distance

15 trains on the Interrail ticket, 20 in total.

Seven countries.

Weather

Sunny almost throughout, but a big variation in temperature. Highest ,around 14 centigrade in Augsburg, lowest -10 in Bucharest.

Food

The food was good, but had to get creative in the meat centric countries. I had my first experience of a Lebanese restaurant in Bucharest, the very good Coin-Vert Libanez.

I had to fight through the snow and ice to get to it. A week later I had my second Lebanese restaurant experience in Paris.

Plenty of good food on this trip.

Hotels

I stayed in three Premier Inn plus rooms, three varieties of Ibis: budget, styles and no moniker, a Radisdon Individuals Schiller Park in Linz and Ramada by Wyndham in Bucharest.

Best bed:Premier Inn plus

Best shower: Premier Inn plus

Best view: Ramada by Wyndham

Best location: Hotel Schiller Park- in central location near the railway station.

Best breakfast: Ramada by Wyndham

Best rooms: Premier Inn plus

Most expensive: Premier Inn St Pancras

Best check out times: Ibis / check out by noon.

I like the simplicity of the Ibis Budget.

Locations

Both Augsburg and Linz were amazing places to visit. Smaller and not as busy as Vienna but interesting buildings and history. Bucharest lacked the beautiful buildings but the lake was beautiful.

Travelling by train emphasised the change in landscape and buildings. Farmhouses are tiny and ramshackled in Romanian but huge and well maintained in Austria and Germany.

People

As well as meeting the natives of each country that I visited I was surprised to meet people from so many other countries. I had conversations with Qataris, Russians, Albanians, Norwegians, New Zealanders, Moldovans, Canadians, Taiwanese and probably more. Talking to Austrians in German with their local accents was a joy, including a woman in her 90s from Vienna,

Cycling

Cycling was awful in Bucharest, but faster than cars. Driving in Bucharest also looks awful. Paris cycle way provision is good in Paris, but blocked by vehicles on the Sunday. Vienna was busy, Augsburg pleasant. I heard a tram hitting a car in Vienna and saw the massive crumpled side of the car, the tram just drove off. The closest I came to an accident was Inverness, where a car was being driven at 60 mph in a 30 zone, as I was turning right. The bike gave a good way to cross cities between stations and to get to hotels. It was also a great luggage trolley.

Travel

Inverness to Thurso- the last leg

Posted on 5th Mar 2025 by insightndes

Yesterday there had been issues with the far north line, with rail replacement buses provided, but today the train seems to be running.

Due to the early start Premier Inn provided a pack breakfast.

Inverness station – the Kings Cross Train.

The train arrives almost on time.

Travel

Paris to Inverness

Posted on 4th Mar 2025 by insightndes

Is it possible to get from Paris to Inverness in a day by train? Yes, and with only one change.

It’s an early start but not overly early from the hotel. Onto the Gare Du Nord.

Speeding across France

Lunch or second breakfast at Giraffe , Kings Cross

Arrived at Inverness just after 8 having left London at 12 and Paris at 9:10 French time. 90 minutes to change in London, but 12 hours to get from Paris to Inverness.

Insight

Insight

No fly zone

Tag: cycle

Cyclists have to use cycle lanes❌

Lawbreaker!

Bikes hold up traffic❌Cars hold up traffic✅

Cyclists should be as near the kerb as possible ❌

North

Surrey and beyond

North to the south

Thurso to Bucharest and back- the summary

Inverness to Thurso- the last leg

Paris to Inverness