Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:55 pm
Absolutely. Human nature means people will generally choose the easiest route. The LGA cycleway was designed I suspect to deliberately slow down cyclists at the junctions using the barriers, the upshot of which is of course that a lot of cyclists will use the uninterrupted, smooth, wide, and generally not overly busy pedestrian lane instead. Not the right thing to do, but understandable really.
Likewise, a cycle path by the side of the road that’s interrupted by parked cars, or full of potholes, or a cycleway that’s properly segregated but very short, is unlikely to attract people to use it.
I get as annoyed as the next person by cyclists using the pavement, but I don’t think they generally do it to annoy pedestrians or be deliberately obstructive. It’s because they prefer it to the alternative.
The advantage with these new lanes is that they should offer a better, easier, more comfortable experience than using either vehicle carriageway or pavement, and over a pretty long distance. I see no reason why cyclists wouldn’t use them over the alternatives.