Route Interruption and New Cyclists

With work one of the things I find myself doing is selecting suitable routes for trainees. It should be boring but it's got me looking at areas outside my usual riding habits with a level of detail and considerations I wouldn't normally have. It's also got me thinking much more about how new cyclists or those considering cycling will see the journeys they could make and with that the huge blow an interruption within a route can make. Obviously interruptions come in different types and some will only feel a few of them are an issue but essentially they can all make or break an ideal journey.

fences/gates

Something I think every cyclist has come to and been frustrated by at one point or another. For those with modified bicycles, trailers or cargo bikes they can make it impossible to continue on that route which makes not only that point but the routes either side of it useless too.

As an example here is a route from google maps that goes across a park then along an old canal path(no longer a canal but a nice green space).



By no means the most extreme but at the crossing from the park onto the canal path are these railings and gates, you would really struggle with a trailer here.



The crossing is a toucan crossing so there is a clear expectation for cycling across. Yes google did give other options but with a busy dual carriageway involved and thinking as a new cyclist the idea didn't look good.

the random dismount

This is something that happens for a variety of reasons all of which are based on very strange assumptions. The first is that your average cyclist is dangerous and has become a danger to themselves and all those around them. The next is that the minority who are cycling dangerously that the sign intends to stop are going to take any consideration to the sign.

So here is another route, a decent mile across a common on a shared use path, another alternative along a busy road.



So by the crossing of tooting bec rd you have this.



A number of shared use signs, a toucan crossing and a cyclists dismount sign. For some who are taking the idea of starting cycling seriously and want to do everything right this will either make for an unplesant walking section or just make the entire route unviable.

I'll add some more to this later, will need to go out and take some better pics.