I'm a cyclist. I cycle to and from work and, occasionally, as a past time. I can't consider myself a "pedalhead" but neither a total novice. I've also cycled abroad pretty extensively, from Denmark to Tajikistan. I don't own a car, I don't really drive in London and I find car owners in London to be average in relation to us two-wheeled people.With that said... I wholeheartedly agree that bikes should have no place on pavements and parks like Acton Green. And I agree that there's too many mindless riders on bikes. I crashed into one "pavement warrior" Tuesday morning in Hammersmith: he was on the other side of the pavement by the Hammersmith council offices, crossed into the lane, weaved in and out of the lane and as I was overtaking him (saying "on your right, on your right") he just turned without indicating or checking anything. I think the only way forward is education, enforcement when needed but also improvements to the roads. I understand why people go through Acton Green rather than South Parade/Acton Lane: the tarmac there is atrocious and the road is just dangerous. I do it day in day out and every day I see either people opening doors without checking, cars pulling in without giving right of way, cars overtaking where they shouldn't (and mind you, I clock close to 20mph there so...), cars not giving right of way at the Duke of Sussex roundabout... Those are all dangers to life. If I compare that road with any similar road in, say, Antwerp in Belgium the difference is that there are clear line of sights at junctions, so that drivers can "see" the cyclists, and an allocated bit for bikes to ride on. Doesn't need to be a segregated lane, just somewhere for riders to ride, a bit like on Goldhawk road (just without the cars using it as a parking space to drop their kids off to ArtsEd perhaps). If such teeny tiny bit of infrastructure was implemented, together maybe with a resurfacing of those roads, then I don't see why not making Acton Green absolutely verboten to bikes.
Francis Sheehan ● 1657d