Dumb and dumber

We stopped off in Brockenhurst recently and took the opportunity to see the controversial cycle path.

Quite why anyone thinks that a cycle way which is less than 20 yards long and makes cyclists exit directly onto parked cars has any value, much less the £6,250 that Hampshire County Council actually spent is beyond me.

Closer to home we have the famous A27 disappearing cycle lane, which suddenly stops half way down the hill from Sarisbury Green. You have to wonder what the road planners were thinking, do they expect cyclists to just vanish?

In reality the cycle lanes stops as the busy road narrows, pretty much just when you need the protection of a cycle lane and on a stretch of road notorious for speeding.

Forgive me but what kind of dummies implement this nonsense. Compared to other European countries our provision for safe cycling is laughable. 

Sadly it's not something confined to our area either , NY cycling blogger Eben Weiss  frequently and humorously writes about the badly designed and managed cycling routes in his home town. and don't even get me started on zebra crossings. 

As is demonstrated by many other countries, cycling and especially with development of electric bikes, can become a viable, sustainable and not to mention healthier transport alternative, but only if it's made safe.

We really need to do much, much better.