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Went for a bit of a ride there yesterday after getting no advice on alternatives http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/suggestions-of-short-route-south-midlands
So the bike network there is touted as being as good as those in Holland and an example that even if you build it they won't come in the UK? <cough> I must have missed that bit - what I did find was disjointed, had poor bumpy surfaces, more elevation change than the parallel roads due to the need for elevation separated crossings (and clearly you can't make the poor car drivers go uphill), that's where they had underpasses - also plenty of giving way to minor side roads when riding on what was supposedly a through route. So did I miss the good stuff, or is it actually only people who haven't seen proper Dutch infrastructure (or have no idea what good cycling infrastructure is) who think it's good?
BTW - I hadn't thought of mentioning the need for decent headroom in my previous post - I'm effectively about 7ft high when riding and found myself ducking for some of the underpasses!
I'd heard it was good when initially done but then very underused, mostly because it was so easy to drive everywhere, that it didn't get maintained whenever any work got done, which might explain the disjointedness.
Nothing like Holland, as you observed. Nor intended to be.
They're there to allow you to get from A to B without being molested by cars, and they're perfectly comfortable on a sensible bike with wide tyres. I use them all the time and they're brilliant - for that.
However, if I want to 'go for a ride' rather than go from A to B I either ride in the golden triangle between the A421, A422 and western MK or up in the Brickhills.
I use to live in Milton Keynes
There are Redways which meet your description. Some times these cross road so often it is maddening
There are gravel paths in parks. These can be a bit bumpy as the surfaces have gone downhill. But you can link up a good scenic ride with long sections away from roads. I could probably recommend you a loop if you want
I thought the gravel sections were supposed to be bumpy ! Love them as they are. I can do a 20 mile pseudo rural gravel loop never more than 5 miles from home...
When I worked in MK and started riding in I first used the redways. I used to get pretty annoyed at how slow going it was, riding in when kids are walking to school (groups of 8 all not talking to each other and wearing headphones) or people walking one side of a path with their dog with extendable lead across the other side. I gave up and just used the roads.
If you want a nice but pretty easy ride check out the Millennium Cycle route, like a ride through villages even though you're riding through a city. There are bits going off it too so you can add to it.
Yup the millenium cycle route is very pleasant
the redways are a mixed bag, a bit ropey in places and its shared use rather than a cycle track
its certainly no holland but complaining that there is some elevation change??
if you want flat, move to the fens!
overall still the best cycling infrastructure of any city in the UK
The redways were never designed as cycle routes, which is why they're rubbish. It was an after thought to allow cycling.
[quote=kimbers ]its certainly no holland but complaining that there is some elevation change??
if you want flat, move to the fens!
It's elevation change not justified by the terrain which is an issue - doubtless if they built such "infrastructure" in the fens there would still be elevation change. It's just something which makes it feel like an afterthought - if it was all considered together then the designers should realise that elevation change is far more of an issue for bikes than it is for cars, and the roads would change elevation to cross the bike paths.
I admit I was on something less suitable for any purpose than a normal bike, but I have a lot more issue with hills hence why I wanted something as flat as possible (the terrain was fine, it was the slopes added by the designers which were the problem).
As mentioned on the other thread, bumps are also a big issue for me - no reason why bike paths can't be free from those apart from political will to build them properly.