8 Aug 2016

8th August 2016 Google camera tricycle marooned at lights in "Cycling Friendly" Odense?

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Monday 8th 63F, 17C, windy and overcast. Showers promised. If this is summer then I want a refund.

I forgot to mention that many of the posts at the countless traffic lights in Odense had signs thanking cyclists for cycling. I had plenty of chances to read them because I was stopped at so many traffic lights, as is my usual experience. The "Cycling Friendly City" proved to have one more surprise in store for this particular cyclist. I waited [and waited and waited and waited] at the traffic lights leading to Sanderum, half a mile on from the Hospital. The lights changed three times for the traffic lanes without the special cycle lane lights changing once! 

The Google Street View image shows the huge intersection. With red arrows to show where I was waiting to go straight ahead and the non-functional cycle lane traffic lights. The lights should change just before the right-turning traffic lane but nothing happened for three complete changes. There is no access to the cycle lane system to the right unless one crosses the four lane road. Or ride for about a mile and then do a double U-turn at the next traffic lights. The pedestrian crossing is [presumably] under the control of the same lights? However, I have to admit that I failed to spot any mummified pedestrians or Google tricyclists. The strangely truncated yellow line in the middle of the crossing [image below] suggests later editing by Google. Perhaps it was a Google trike which ran out of battery power after being marooned in mid-crossing by the lights?

Unfortunately the Google camera car did not travel in a suitable lane to capture my view of the crossing. Why the camera car would be in the overtaking lane is a mystery considering they were supposed to be recording the scene. It was a similarly grey and miserable day, when the camera car raced through. So I had to considerably brighten these scenes for your enjoyment. Am I allowed to call this a visual rant on account of all the red arrows? Thought not.

The cycle path beckoned on the opposite side of the crossroads but might as well have been on the Moon! This has happened to me before now at this huge, 20-lane crossing. I had to give up in the end and ride along the main road branch to the right to join the cycle path system at the tunnel on the opposite side of the multi-lane road. The problem was I was riding a loaded trike and had to cross an incredibly busy, four lane, wide main road with high pavements to reach the exit! Not "cycling friendly" at all! It is lucky I am quite fleet of foot even when on <cough> foot and pushing a trike. Rest day of showers and gales and chauffeuring The Head Gardener. If it goes on like this I may have to consider a new cap.


Click on any image for an enlargement.

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