cycle lanes
A boring answer about why I don't always use cycle lanes:

They are usually crap. They are *not* cycle lanes. They are allow-council-to-tick-box lanes.

A real cycle lane would not have driveways and sideroads cutting across it every 20 yards, giving a gamble as to whether a car will shoot across in front of you without looking. Cycle lanes should have priority at driveways, but they don't. Not round here anyway.

A real cycle lane would not end and dump you unexpectedly in the main carriageway just were the road gets dangerous.

Cycle lanes are usually covered in thorns, broken glass, nails etc. They never get swept and are a sure fire way of getting a puncture.

A real cycle lane would be wide enough to pass a cyclist coming the other way without having to stop.

So most cycle lanes are the equivelant of a motorist driving on a single track road where you have to pull on to the verge to let approaching cars by, littered with 6 inch nails and tacks, with blind bends so you can't get out of 2nd gear, speed bumps at every driveway and sideroad to jolt you, and with the driveway of every house also having priority over you, but with no markings to indicate that a vehicle may pull out from each blind entrance. Oh, and juggernauts also feel free to park right in this road, blocking it completely.

Or I can just cycle on the smoother main carriageway and travel at a decent speed, with sideroads giving way for me, space for 2 lanes of traffic, and less broken glass, until they build me a *real* cycle lane.
(anonybloke, Sun 27 Mar 2016, 13:56, Reply)