A thought for the timid rider

OK so the original concept of this video was simply some footage to pan out some music I wrote last night. I have plenty of footage of traffic, plus some sundry walking. However when I watched it back it brings out the same old questions. Would you cycle here? Would you even want to walk besides roads like this?

Cities and towns, and many villages have effectively become islands surrounded by rivers of cars. This was my view 10 years ago, this is very much my observation today. Outside of urban areas speed limits increase, so that even a destination a few miles away becomes somewhat frightening for many prospective cyclists.

Take Southampton to Hamble as an example. In the video at 1.39 we see Bursledon road leading out of Southampton. This is a main corridor towards the local supermarket, towards the M27, and to access Hamble Lane. It has no cycle infrastructure for most of the length, this only appears some short distance of a few feet outside the new Eastpoint Centre, and for a few feet at the end of the pavement where I am standing.

Sharing the road here is a frightening experience, even for someone who has been on the bike my whole life. If I find that a scare then no new rider is going to return, children certainly wont be able to use it. Its fast, 40mph is the limit, but during "quiet times" (less motor traffic late at night, early morning) cars can and have exceeded 70mph. I have experience of riding here on bank holidays when most people are in bed, and the only few cars to go past have drivers that decide "screw it, why turn the wheel and use the other side of the road" as they should.

During peak time the road becomes blocked. Nobody moves at 5.30pm on a Friday afternoon. I timed my journey one night in such a situation and found the average speed our car did was 4mph. If that road were a blood vessel the brain must surely be dead. "He's getting away from us!" I shouted in jest at the driver, as a pedestrian walked past with three bags of shopping.

At 1.58 you see the shared status signage that suggests we're allowed to cycle here. However its just one sign. The route isn't marked out on local council maps, and if you're heading out of Southampton its difficult to get over to that side of the road safely from any of the junctions near the car sales firm. The ambiguity of where it starts and where it ends leads to confusion.

A confused or frightened rider is less likely to ride. If they do they're likely to put themselves in a situation where they'd ride on a pavement, and as such they'll risk the fines. "£30 or my life?" is how they must feel in situations like this.