[Talk-GB] [OSM-talk] dangerous cycling lanes (was Re: A new highway tagging scheme - thinking about)

Mark Williams mark.666 at blueyonder.co.uk
Tue Aug 28 17:40:24 BST 2007


graham wrote:
> Or more dangerous. I won't mark some roads with cycle lanes where I 
> think they are really unsafe (ridiculously narrow and over drains; 
> jumping off road onto pavement and back again at dangerous points; 
> stopping suddenly where roads narrow leaving you in an unsafe position 
> to continue; crossing roads at points where the traffic signals are not 
> visible; etc). I also won't map footpaths as for cycling where our local 
> council has recently started putting up signs showing pictures of 
> parents with small toddlers and bicycles, after nearly hitting mothers 
> with children in buggies a couple of times: I don't think mapping 
> includes making councils look as though they have a real policy when all 
> they are doing is taking the cheapest route that technically satisfies 
> targets.
>
>   

We have a local area (Chafford Hundred)where these signs are common -
this is in fact a 2-level way with a distinct step/kerb to segregate
foot/cycle lanes, and purpose-built in a new (20 years) development. I
have a bit of it mapped at
http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=51.49369594708108&lon=0.3169588268851326&zoom=14&layers=B0T
(lots to do).
This is however a net of cycleways in a residential area, not
through-ways for serious long-distance travel. I wouldn't go fast here
as it crosses roads frequently, and toddlers don't read the signs. I
have them in the maps as highway=cycleway, foot=yes, bicycle=yes which
brings them up green in Osmarender, as opposed to highway=footway,
bicycle=yes, foot=yes which is brown.
Perhaps the route itself speaks volumes on the speed of these paths? The
main cycle route is a separate lane alongside the old A13 (now A1306),
which is clearly straight past the area but short of adding a separate
way, doesn't show on a map. Or perhaps a better method would be
maxspeed=10, which on a no-car route tells you it's a bit slow... When
TomTom for pushbikes comes out, it would tend to avoid these!

Mark






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