Is anybody using the new Bike Super Highway?

Not really. When half the space is a segregated cycling lane, what additional measures would you suggest?
It's not just private transport which has its roadspace halved by the new arrangements (which, do note, I personally support), it's buses too.

The historical stuff (yes, there has been a historical bias against bikes and pedestrians in some cases) is precisely that - historical. And yes, there are lots of roads where this issue still exists, but my question is about how to coexist sensibly on the roads where cyclists and pedestrians now have (what I would call) a fair share.

Ivanhoe wrote:

... my question is about how to coexist sensibly on the roads where cyclists and pedestrians now have (what I would call) a fair share.

If we're specifically talking about whether to prohibit cycles from the main carriageway where segregated cycle lanes are available, I still say no. I just don't see the point. Bikes present no hazard to motor vehicles and in central London traffic conditions they don't slow up motor vehicles either. If faster/more confident riders might prefer to use the main carriageway, what's the problem?

I think the problem is that cyclists have long campaigned for segregated cycle lanes and now, where they are available - at vast expense - they're basically being shunned. What, exactly, is the point if cyclists won't use the dedicated cycle lanes. Why are all tax / council tax payers funding this if it's not really wanted or needed?

suziq wrote:

I think the problem is that cyclists have long campaigned for segregated cycle lanes and now, where they are available - at vast expense - they're basically being shunned. What, exactly, is the point if cyclists won't use the dedicated cycle lanes. Why are all tax / council tax payers funding this if it's not really wanted or needed?

Far too soon to say that they are "being shunned". In general if you look around central London, where there are any kind of designated lanes for bikes - segregated or otherwise - they are well used.
And still doesn't answer the point of what would be gained by removing from cyclists their existing right to use the main carriageway?

suziq wrote:

I think the problem is that cyclists have long campaigned for segregated cycle lanes and now, where they are available - at vast expense - they're basically being shunned.

That's not my experience; in many cases the lanes are packed full of cyclists. It's not fair to comment until they are complete though, as the sections which are open can be quite hard to enter/exit and if you're only travelling a short distance the road may be more convenient.

I agree with Sandgrown Dave - the cycle lanes are not being shunned, they are not complete.

If you cycle south from north of the Thames (or even north of Southwark Station) you have to cross to the new lane and then back again, so many people don't - but quite a few do. And the re-design of Blackfriars Road to standardise pavements has also made the main road safer for cycling - before they were irregular in design and occasionally forced those on bikes to move out into traffic and were very uneven for pedestrians.

Even when the new N-S cycle lane is complete between Elephant and Kings Cross (a long time off) it will still dump you at the Elephant Roundabout or navigating dark back routes around it, so it will be a long time until there is a network decent safe cycle routes in SE1 and beyond that allow safe cycling door to door.

I think there is much to celebrate about having a much nicer Blackfriars Road street layout, and feel that some of the comments in this thread which imply that this remodelling (part of which is a cycle track of less than a mile in length) is a sign that the world has gone mad, is hyperbole in the extreme.

I saw this photo recently which I think also shows well how the traditional road layouts in London feels like for pedestrians - I think the new Blackfriars Road layout has improved this enormously.

I went south this morning down Blackfriars Road (which is actually rather difficult to turn onto from The Cut) and was basically shunted to the side by the sheer number of cyclists going North. It was cold this morning and the lane isn't finished. In summer that bit is going to be totally full.

Yesterday my daughter was walking on tower bridge rd. near green walk and a cyclist on the pavement came hurtling towards her and expected her to jump out of the way. He screeched to a halt and waited for her to move out of the way gave her a menacing look, she refused saying this is a pavement you arrogant b..... He sneered and rode off. So that's where a lot of cyclist are...on the pavement. Two minutes he would have collided with me trying to walk with my wheelchair.

Sorry did mean to hijack this very worthy thread..moan and whinge over.

Not to be rude, but can we not make all discussions about cyclists descend into an angry rant about the behaviour of one person. We can all give tales of poor behaviour by people, but I am sick of being told as a cyclist that I am somehow responsible for this behaviour and that any discussion about cyclist safety has to be hijacked by a discussion about bad behaviour of some cyclists.

Matthew 7:1-5