by Derek Morrison

If all the roads we could hack
Turning all to one cycle track
There would still be no fix
Man would still wield his sticks
Asserting rights over others
True path only for the brothers.

[To listen to this verse select below]

Commentary

My part of the UK is blessed with a particularly long asphalted path for non-motorised traffic and pedestrians. I often muse on what life would be like if dedicated cycling routes were actually considered to be the key elements of the world’s sustainable transport infrastructure rather than the network of increasingly frenetic roads we actually have. In this alternative universe where cyclists were in the majority and individual motorised transport was (or returned to) a minority activity I suspect we would still generate conflicts and tensions. Would we need motorways (freeways) for cyclists so that the fast ‘serious cyclists’ weren’t inconvenienced by the slower, learners, children, pedestrians, dogs? Currently, navigating the multi-use non-motorised vehicle pathways we currently have can be like an obstacle course at peak times, bank holidays, and weekends with different types of cyclists and pedestrians all trying to co-exist – and sometimes not.