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Comment by flurdy | Hacker News Reader

Hopefully, that will persist beyond the initial knee-jerk reaction to go back to work after lockdown.

Though they (UK gov, and elsewhere probably) do need to invest a lot more in infrastructure to assist.

* Safe and easy to use separated continuous paths. Not just paint strips but actual physical separation.

* Cut/ban hedges so you can see the car coming round the bend at 60mph on a tiny narrow lane. And so the car overtaking you on a blind corner won't push into the hedge when surprised by another car.

* Wider paths to support both walkers, people with pushchairs, and slow recreational cyclist like me without pushing one into the road or hedge as they pass.

* Paths beyond the towns, so you can actually safely cycle / walk to the next village. Was pretty dangerous to go see a friend when I walked everywhere with a pushcair.

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> Safe and easy to use separated continuous paths. Not just paint strips but actual physical separation.

I think this is such a critical point. A lot of people are not interested in getting on a busy road, but would definitely get on a bike only path.

I will also add that I think cities should be creative and try to develop more bike infrastructure that is independent of the roadways altogether. The lakefront trail in Chicago is a good example. Many cities could develop similar infrastructure along rivers, through parks, through repurposed streets, etc. having a separate network is not only safer but if done right can often be faster for commuters than driving or public transport.

We have quite a lot of that in the UK already, the trouble is it isn’t often where people make their daily journeys.

I would not classify it as “a lot” even in the wrong places. And, even when paths do exist they are far from adequate.

Rural driving in England is weird. I feel like cities are relatively safe: cars are typically used to cyclists and look out for them, though they can pass too close. Cycling is also becoming more common in general.

In the countryside (at least the bits I’m used to), driving in general seems pretty dangerous. The roads are old and narrow and windy with tall hedges or walls on either side. The speed limit is usually unrestricted (ie 60mph/do whatever is “safe”) and people tend to drive fast. While it’s obviously bad for a cyclist to surprise a car, it’s also likely for a car to suddenly come across another car coming the other way (and there may not really be enough room to pass) or a horse or a tractor. Hitting any of those would be pretty bad for the car and they aren’t uncommon. It’s somewhat surprising to me that people drive so fast but I guess they are just impatient.

Near where I grew up there was a popular hill climb for cycling but the road was narrow and winding and cars would go up fast (to keep their momentum for the steep bits and the corners). Often wide farm tractors or trailers would go up or down which made things tricky. I’m amazed how popular it was with cyclists as it seemed very perilous. Their only advantage is that it was easier for a car to stop in a short distance (going up) on the steep bits and they were fast on the way down.

Compare that to driving in the Irish countryside (at least the bits I’m used to) where the roads are similar (perhaps you’re more likely to come across a donkey and cart or a hitchhiker) but everyone drives more slowly and patiently.

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