Am 16.09.2014 18:28, schrieb Joerg:
Bike lanes help a bit but a separated bike infrastructure is much better.

My son (8 years old) has now changed to a different school - the least
bad way of getting there is a 2-mile ride on trails and roads (almost)
closed to motor traffic, followed by a 8 mile train journey. For the
first few days I am accompanying him to the railway station.

The ride infrastructure is 'perfect': well surfaced road network 2 to 4m
wide (access roads to some allotments along the railway line) with a
bridsge closed to motor traffic in the middle to keep it car free.
Together with my son, it's a pleasurable ride taking just over 15 minutes.

However, the way back: my son gets on the train at 7:30, I would like to
be home before 7:45 so I can park the bike, kiss my wife good-bye and
still catch the 7:50 train to my work.

Day 1: my son's train was delayed a few minutes, so I wanted to do the 2
miles in 10 minutes.
- On one of the narrow 2-m wide parts, masses of school kids come the
other way. I need to ring my bell and slow down a lot until the kids
have sorted out a way of leaving a part of the trail for me.
- First right-turn onto a bridge. Doing a 120 turn on a narrow road
forces me to slow down anyways, but in the middle of the corner there's
a cyclist coming off the bridge on the left-most edge of the road. I
need to emergency brake to negotiate a wrong-side pass with that guy.
- Right-turn at the end of the car-free part into a residential road.
Again in the corner there is a cyclist cutting his left turn, and I need
to negotiate the wrong-side pass.

Day 2: Behind a slight bend I see a bike lying on the ground on the
left-hand side= Emergency brake. Indeed, hidden behind the bushes
there are two more cyclists standing with their bicycles to block the
road completely. Apparently a kid has come round the bend carelessly,
forcing an old man to fall off his bike.

So in the future, I might prefer to take the multi-lane road where I can
go above 20 mhp and only need to brake for traffic lights, not for
recurring dangerous situations.

Rolf