Active Travel

[HiVibes]

1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said:

But it is a massive infrastructure project as places like Pulrose Bridge proves.

Pulrose bridge works related more to increasing bridge height, and related power station cabling but carry on talking utter shite.

[The Phantom]

1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said:

But it is a massive infrastructure project as places like Pulrose Bridge proves.

The bridge wasn't re-built for Active Travel and probably wouldn't have had a cycle lane added unless it needed to be rebuilt in the first place. 

 

[The Bastard]

Just now, offshoremanxman said:

But it is a massive infrastructure project as places like Pulrose Bridge proves.

Nope, it's a strategy, not a building project.

Encouraging people out of cars can be done at a stroke of a pen - for example, make e-scooters legal, change the legal level of power assistance on bikes, change the public transport schedules. None of those mean a huge infrastructure project, but all encourage people to think about using an alternative.

[The Phantom]

4 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

Nope, it's a strategy, not a building project.

Encouraging people out of cars can be done at a stroke of a pen - for example, make e-scooters legal, change the legal level of power assistance on bikes, change the public transport schedules. None of those mean a huge infrastructure project, but all encourage people to think about using an alternative.

Exactly.  Although I think for real world use the current limit on e-bikes is fine.  I've ridden a few friends ones and never thought 'i need more power'. 

As I noted the reasons I used to ride in all the time were - it was faster and it was cheaper.  It was also kind of fun as I used to race housemates. 

The reasons I ride in occasionally now I have to ride further - exercise and the 'experience'.  Sometimes I'll take Marine Drive and see dolphins - not many other places you can do that on the way to work.  

[offshoremanxman]

10 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

The bridge wasn't re-built for Active Travel and probably wouldn't have had a cycle lane added unless it needed to be rebuilt in the first place. 

The cycle lane still cost money to be designed and installed. 

[The Bastard]

1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said:

The cycle lane still cost money to be designed and installed. 

The bridge wasn't redesigned for cycling. The whole bridge was replaced, and as part of the replacement, the road was narrowed (which made it safer to cross) and cycle lanes were added into the extra space. That's not unreasonable.

[The Bastard]

4 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

Exactly.  Although I think for real world use the current limit on e-bikes is fine.  I've ridden a few friends ones and never thought 'i need more power'. 

Yeah, for most groups of people, 250w is acceptable. Increasing that limit increases assistance, so opens up e-biking even further to other groups who'd need more assistance on the hills. Adding more power, like they do elsewhere, makes e-bikes more of an option for a wider community. 

[Nom de plume]

Are they going to enclose the Island in some kind of Perspex Eden Project dome?  

[The Voice of Reason]

1 hour ago, doc.fixit said:

I have no problem with a bicycle being used to get to work if that's all you can afford but I have a major problem with packs of specialist racing pattern bicycles using our roads or lanes as practice routes or exercise tracks.

Very well said.
Causing unnecessary inconvenience at best, through to potentially something much worse

[The Bastard]

1 minute ago, Nom de plume said:

Are they going to enclose the Island in some kind of Perspex Eden Project dome?  

Random comment of the year award.

[The Bastard]

1 minute ago, C Montgomery Burns said:

You mean they want to make them more like motorbikes then? That sort of defeats the purpose surely. 

Nah, they're pedal-assisted and still bicycles. There are fully-electric motorcycles out there already. Legally, E-bikes don't have a throttle, just give extra assistance when pedalling, so you can climb the hills easier. Other jurisdictions allow a higher power limit on assistance, and with more assistance, more people could choose to use them as a car alternative. 

 

[HiVibes]

9 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

Nope, it's a strategy, not a building project.

Encouraging people out of cars can be done at a stroke of a pen - for example, make e-scooters legal, change the legal level of power assistance on bikes, change the public transport schedules. None of those mean a huge infrastructure project, but all encourage people to think about using an alternative.

Provision of secure bike shelters in Douglas would make a difference, very few offices have the storage and leaving a nice bike out on the street is not a good idea and I know that puts off many.

Cycle paths that are consistent is another, I like the bit through the nunnery, but when you exit onto old castletown road it goes to a shared space with not enough space right next to a busy and fast road, a small spur off the nunnery path and a wooden bridge over the river emerging in the bus depot / railway station with some secure bike storage would be a great solution.

But the biggest difference would be something like an app based hire scheme like Santander Cycle in London as often I don't ride in only because it does not fit with plans for the return leg.

[Stabit]

29 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Very well said.
Causing unnecessary inconvenience at best, through to potentially something much worse

Are saying that you aren't inconvenienced at all by motor traffic, or are you saything that any inconvenience caused by motor traffic is necessary, or are you saying that cycling and walking are unnecessary?

Either way, more active travel = less cars = better for everyone (less inconvenience !!!)

Why the objection to what ultimately is minor spend (even in context of the DOI budget, let alone at broader Govt level) on such a strategy?  Especially when you consider that the 'spend' more than pays for itself by reducing the burden on healthcare costs in the long run.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Stabit

[The Bastard]

17 minutes ago, HiVibes said:

Provision of secure bike shelters in Douglas would make a difference, very few offices have the storage and leaving a nice bike out on the street is not a good idea and I know that puts off many.

Cycle paths that are consistent is another, I like the bit through the nunnery, but when you exit onto old castletown road it goes to a shared space with not enough space right next to a busy and fast road, a small spur off the nunnery path and a wooden bridge over the river emerging in the bus depot / railway station with some secure bike storage would be a great solution.

But the biggest difference would be something like an app based hire scheme like Santander Cycle in London as often I don't ride in only because it does not fit with plans for the return leg.

Makes sense. I know it's not active travel, but scooter app schemes would be useful, IMHO legalisation of private e-scooters would be even better. Budgets are tight, cheap transport will increasingly be on the radar for many in the years to come.

Not sure about where the money would come from for bridges and shelters in these constrained times- some employers are building shelters and allowing charging, though. Looking forward perhaps encouraging developers to build consideration into new schemes is an option. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by The Bastard

[HiVibes]

1 minute ago, The Bastard said:

Makes sense. Scooter app schemes would be useful, IMHO legalisation of private e-scooters would be even better. Budgets are tight, cheap transport will increasingly be on the radar for many in the years to come.

Not sure about where the money would come from for bridges and shelters in these constrained times- some employers are building shelters and allowing charging, though. Looking forward perhaps encouraging developers to build consideration into new schemes is an option. 

A wooden foot / cycle bridge over a river would be a simlar spec to those in glens, or behind the Quarterbridge car park, that would be a load chepaer than road widening or such like.