“Let's hope footpath users' groups get involved and seize the opportunity to plan, promote and raise funds for improved links from the Festival Way.
I have in mind:
The muddy and quite appalling path crossing the route from Church Lane, Long Ashton, to the Park & Ride;
The wheelchair-unfriendly flights of steps from the route to the main road in Long Ashton, through Barratt Homes;
The promised route through the Strong-Vox development in Long Ashton;
The wheelchair-unfriendly link to the mobile homes park in Flax Bourton, with its dangerous crossing of the B3130 Clevedon Road;
The muddy link to Post Office Lane, Flax Bourton.
I congratulate the Festival Way promoters for securing funding for this much-need through route. I hope local councils and community groups along the route will strive to make it happen.”

“This is great news. The Flax Bourton cyclepath is already a welcome resource, though like others I'm perplexed why some cyclists prefer to risk their necks cycling along lanes with blind corners every view metres, including hills that they have to creep up, in the dark mornings or evenings, surrounded by cars, which even within speed limits have difficulty always spotting them. It's not THAT you cycle that's important, but where and how you cycle. Earnest cycling commuters trying to get to their destination as fast as possble seem oblivious of the traffic around them and the potential danger they cause to themselves and other road users. Imagine if all car users shared the mentality of "wanting to get there as quickily as possible" (I know - some do!). Any road user needs to consider how their actions affect other road users, whether they are on four wheels or two. I look forward to commuting to Bristol by bike on a designated pathway and not having to worry about car-users nor them worry about me.”

“Well, now that we have our Cycling City status, and that Sustrans is based in Bristol, it's about time we lead the way with cycling facilities to be proud of...

Make cycling acessible to all, as commuter cycling only seems to be feasibly for the hardcore, experienced cyclist..

Imagine a city where more than of commutes are done by bike - it'd be amazing!”

“Shelly: I cycle up through the A38 most mornings and tend to mix up using the cyclepath you mention with going on the road.

Reasons for not always using the cyclepath include:

(1) In icy weather it is not gritted and is a bit of a black-ice nightmare.

(2) The surface is poorly maintained in places; sticking up manhole covers and potholes (worse than the road!)

(3) Now they're building at the north end of the airfield, rubble lorries pull out of the gates by Kwik Fit at speed - they generally don't tend to stop/look/listen before getting to the edge of the road.

(4) Similarly, the path is regularly blocked with parked vans in the same area.

(5) As Howard writes, it is mixed use thus only really suitable for very low speeds in the morning; pedestrians, PO workers on a fag break, other cyclists, bus stops, ... are all sharing it.

Overall that A38 cycle lane gets the thumbs up from me. It's one of the better ones on our major arterial roads (don't read any of the above as a whinge - am grateful for it!) However, there are times when it's simply better to use the road.”

“Shelly: In answer to your questions: Many cyclists prefer cycling on the roads because it's quicker. Most cycle paths are only safe at low speeds, mainly because many of them are mixed use. They also tend to become more dangerous passing side junctions where you have to give way to all traffic coming from three different directions, whereas if you stay on the main road you can maintain progress with the traffic. There is no legal obligation to use a cycle path, just as there is no legal obligation to use a motorway - we are free to use the parallel road if we so choose.

Path width: the standard guidelines state that the minimum width should be 4 metres, comprising of a 3 metre path with a half metre verge on each side. Having said that, in Scandinavia and the Netherlands the minimum width has recently been increased to a 4 metre path and some new routes are as wide as 6 metres. Over there, of course, they are 40 years ahead of us in the development of quality cycle facilities that encourages everyone to use.

Hope that helps.”

“It's not likely this route would be used by 'Commuters', as it's not direct. It winds around all over the place, and serious commuters like to get to their destinations quickly, which is why so many ride on the road, rather than on a cycle-path that runs nearby, but not as convenient. It's more likely to be used as a 'Leisure Route' much like the Avon Gorge route. If the powers that be "really" want to improve safety for cyclists they need to do something in the Central Area, which is where most commuters end up. Those short sections of cycle-lane marked on the roads are next to useless to encourage more folks out of their cars and onto their bikes . . . . I suppose that's the general idea of spending all this dosh, rather than for Leisure use.”

“Maybe this route along the A38 just isn't adequate enough to take commuting cyclists?”

“Alex. As far as I can tell it's clean and in good nick. It runs from Filton Roundabout up to Patchway and past the airfield so nt many people would walk down there. All the houses and stuff are on the other side of the road. I would hate to cycle on that road. In fact there are times I'm tempted to take the car on the cycle path to keep away from the lorries that roar down that stretch of road”

“If it gets you off of the roads, then I'm all for it, Charlie Cairoli.”

“Maybe because it's full of glass and dog-doings. Shelly?”