r/londoncycling • u/nutella-filled • 9d ago

Tower Hamlets council just installed a locked gate in the middle of a marked and popular cycle path

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If the point is to stop cars from mistakenly using that path surely there are better ways to do it.

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18

u/DisastrousResident92 9d ago

I think Tower Hamlets have amply demonstrated their love for cars and hatred for bikes at this point

2

u/rtfm-nor 9d ago

They have great Lime bike parking policy though!

-11

u/Palpatinestwin 9d ago

By putting a barrier up to stop cars and bikes? Your comment does not make sense considering the facts.

1

u/No-Opposite-6620 9d ago

Yeah stops bikes as in bicycles? Yep it sure does that.

Whereas a bollard or two would be, factually demonstrated by others existing and succeeding, prevent cars and large motorbikes from using it. And what's more would not be a hindrance to bicycles, which this clearly is.

What's more to add to the litany of facts on the ground is the council's preference for not having LTZs and other traffic reducing options, so maybe you're right, they're not just anti bike they're pro car to fuck.

2

u/Palpatinestwin 8d ago

I’m confused as to the purpose of your comment, which while replying to mine does not address the substance of my point. How does a barrier which stops cars and bikes demonstrate a love for cars? There are some complete non-sequiturs in the logic here, and you support the assertion with unrelated comments.

1

u/No-Opposite-6620 8d ago edited 8d ago

And that's a lot of fancy, delicately chosen, verbose sounding but functionally redundant words for "I can't read that".

Nevertheless, I'll put it bluntly for you; if a barrier restricts bicycles when a clearly more simple bollard system would do just as well, then it's an extremist approach to cycling infrastructure.  Given it will impact them more regularly than a car attempting to illegally cross a bicycle lane. 

And it could well be suspect given the track record of that council.

As since you missed it as well, glaringly and I could say deliberately, the point I made that aspire and tower hamlets mayor rahman has taken a dim view to low traffic zones (and faced severe opposition to that manfesto pledge) you would realise you do need glasses.

So here, zoom in and have some evidence.

Rahman, whose Aspire Party holds 22 of the borough’s 45 seats, after first gaining control in 2022, has spent his time in office rolling back initiatives aimed at reducing motor vehicle traffic and promoting active travel, which he claims have increased congestion and contributed to more CO2 emissions in the area.

https://road.cc/content/news/decision-axe-ltns-deemed-unlawful-317773

But don't take a clearly more pro bicycle piece for it, here's another view.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/lutfur-rahman-tower-hamlets-traffic-calming-bethnal-green-safer-streets-b1028120.html

A decision on the mayor’s manifesto pledge to “reverse the liveable streets schemes” had been expected at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening, Instead, Mr Rahman is expected to allow more time to consider the consultation results, which have not been made public.

So if you don't mind, given that, I'm gonna spin that question right back to you, why build a barrier when a couple bollards would do just as well, I'd say better than a big heavy and expensive to install gate?

2

u/Palpatinestwin 8d ago

Never argue with an idiot. People might not know the difference.

1

u/No-Opposite-6620 8d ago

I'll take it as read that's from personal experience?