I always hesitate to reply to these threads, similar to brexit it seems to polarise people beyond any rational debate.
I'm a driver - I drive a lot for work, I spend a lot of time on the road and see some truly terrible driving. Every other person is on their phone, eating or generally ignoring the speed limit. Dan Bank is a prime example, the stack of traffic going down in the morning sees people staring at their phones and very few drivers do less than 35/40mph coming up.
interestingly having just spent quite a bit of cash on a car, I'll no longer pay any 'road tax' (i know that was abolished in the 30's)
Some drivers are great, courteous and sensible. Many are not. Many can be sensible one day and terrible the next.
When in the office I cycle. This trip is either a bike ride to Stockport and a train to London, then cycle across London. I also do a day a week in Horwich, the other side of Bolton, which is a 50 mile round trip. By bike.
I also live near the Middlewood Way. so see some terrible cycling, mainly be teenagers who haven't been taught how to ride on a road, or are carried away messing with their mates. On my ride through Manchester I also see people Cycling in a way I wouldn't - using pavements, turning left on red etc.
I've put the passage above to give some context to my thoughts. Hopefully you'll think i'm qualified to give my opinion based on by experience as someone who uses a bike as a form of transport rather than a recreational thing.
I think this thread was started to explore thoughts on cycling infrastructure. On my travels i get to see a lot, and Stockport has some of the best and worst. Around Marple we have virtually non existent infrastructure and it is a problem. It is a problem for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
If you build good, segregated cycle lanes then it removes bikes from the carriageway. It also removes cars from the carriageway as it enables short journeys to be done by bike. Not all of them, not everyone, not all year round, but even a handful would be a big improvement. This will require a cultural change, it has happened in other countries so is possible with some effort.
Cycle infrastructure won't solve the problems by themselves. We need a proper program of training delivered through schools to encourage better cycling, potentially backed up by enforcement.
Around here Salford has some great cycle lanes, Manchester has one down Oxford Road that is brilliant. This has meant that the flow of busses can increase. There have been recent planned improvements in Stockport, nothing for Marple which is disappointing. My focus for Marple wouldn't be to improve commuter routes to Stockport but rather improve the provision within Marple so children can get to schools, the pool by bike and people can pop to the shops easier. Compared to roads, cycling infrastructure is quite cheap. We could easily do something like Poynton, or the 'mini hollands' planned in Manchester. It would be a real step forward.
I'll also make a point about road positioning, i'll not quote select parts of the highway code but provide an example which may help those who don't cycle. Coming out of Marple to Stockport you reach a blind corner near Offerton. I always take 'primary position' on this corner. This means i'm in the centre of the lane and no cars can pass me. This is the point of me taking this position. It isn't an accident, or to frustrate you. It is to stop you overtaking me on a blind bend. The consequences of which for me could be fatal.
Which leads me to my final point. Cars do cause many more crashes and deaths than cyclists. Having had several near misses or close passes it can be very scary. I've spent hours on motorways crawling past horrific crashes - it isn't nice.
So, if you have reached this point, please - practice some tolerance with each other. Let's not get angry, aggressive - it isn't worth it.
Andy