A “bike train” in which cyclists would ride along Brighton’s Lewes Road in a convoy for safety reasons will be piloted in March.
The train is being organised by Duncan Blinkhorn of the Lewes Road for Clean Air, who is planning to get cyclists to gather and ride together with volunteer marshalls at intervals between The Level and Falmer.
He told Bricycles: “Bike Train aims to create a safe space in the form of scheduled mass rides, where cyclists are highly visible and able to hold the road for each other on routine journeys to work, school and university.”
If successful, the train would launch in April, and more routes may be set up between The Level and Dorothy Stringer or Varndean schools.
However, the scheme does not have everyone’s support. Roger French, managing director of the Brighton and Hove Bus Company, told The Argus: “I think it’s a crazy idea.”
To offer Duncan your support, email duncanblinkhorn@yahoo.co.uk.
It is a completly unnecessary annoyance on a dual carriageway which has a perfectly good cycle lane there. I speak both as a motorist and a cyclist.
As a motorist, it is a nuisance to have to overtake.
As a cyclist, I have seen no need for it in 5 years of cycling that route. Furthermore it is not only a nuisance to have to overtake, it is also dangerous. This group moves slowly and is oblivioius to other road users, including other cyclists. It takes up the whole of the cycle lane and inside lane of the Lewes road, meaning that if I want to overtake on my bike, I am forced into the outside lane. Unfortunately, this means competing for space with the (rightfully) angry car drivers who have had to wait to get round it.
I would fully understand the point of this group if there was no cycle lane, but there is, so use it. In my opinion, these people only do it to inconvenience motorists because they are anti-motorists/pro-hippy/naive and have nothing better to do.
Hi,
Im sorry if that’s the impression you have but in our ride ettiquette we clearly state not to take up the cycle lane so apologies if one ride did. Recently we have been seeing constant numbers of >15 people on the 8:30 ride so taking the lane on the road is more than justifiable at that level when we should have that space designated to cyclists and public transport anyway. To inexperienced cyclists the narrow cycle lane is quite intimidating and as a confident cyclist I have had many a near miss as traffic speeds by…
regards,
Jethro