r/Glasgow Tools

Lots of reasons people might be cycling on the road, parallel to a segregated cycle lane. Top thoughts that come to mind:

1. They're a confident road cyclist who doesn't need or want a segregated lane. It's important to understand that new, segregated cycle lanes aren't designed for this type of person. They're for people who don't feel safe to be on the road on their bike. So, this by itself shouldn't be taken as a reason to say "we'll just get rid of them then". These cyclists go faster on the road than they would in a cycle path, and wouldn't have the freedom to follow the road network, if they stuck solely to cycle lanes.

2. The cycle lane itself is incomplete, or partly blocked by works. See the southbound side of the South City Way, pretty much any time from now going back 12 months, with large sections out of commission. Cyclists who regularly use these lanes *know* where the gaps and interruptions are, and so often just make the common sense choice to use the road - especially if repeatedly joining and exiting the cycle lane to avoid a blockage is difficult.

3. Glasgow's network of lanes isn't exactly, well, a network. Not yet anyway. You have a few long, very straight routes, which don't cross one another or come close to other cycle lanes. If you're leaving the road which does have a cycle lane, and want to make a right turn up ahead for example, very often the safest thing to do is to leave the lane and join car traffic to turn at the main lights.

4. Very closely related to the last point - while the cycle lanes themselves are improving, the junctions are still a disaster for the most part. To the point where it doesn't necessarily make sense (for your above average, confident road cyclist) to use a cycle lane for a short stretch, before having to deal with an inevitable car-centric junction. They'll just stick to the road and use the junction as normal. It's quicker.

5. Plenty of cyclists are using the lanes and you're making a sweeping generalisation.