I was in Milton Keynes at the weekend for a conference, and having been once before about 20 years ago, was aware they had segregated paths. So I took the silver folder on the train with me, having printed out a map of MK's 'Redways' as they're called (after the red tarmac surface).
Let me be clear that it is not Dutch style infrastructure. The paths are shared use, there are corners and ramp gradients that are well below the Dutch standard, they sometimes end abruptly and some surfaces are old, badly maintained or damaged on occasion. Also cyclists have to give way at junctions with the roads. Sometimes (rarely) I would come across a chicane or a badly placed bollard.
However the network covers nearly the entire town, mostly runs in parallel with roads or close by, and there are some very good areas with smooth surfaces, well designed curves, etc. There were not the continual obstacles, gates, chicanes, etc. that one finds on similar infrastructure in Scotland.
It was actually very refreshing and enjoyable to be able to cycle and only very occasionally have to do it on a road or encounter motor vehicles at junctions. Pedestrians (even dog walkers) are clearly used to sharing space with cyclists and tolerate cyclists, mostly treating them with courtesy. Only once did I get a surly response, from a group of teenage girls: not that surprising.
Certainly the redways are not perfect but it does show what can be done with some foresight when planning new developments. On the other hand MK is really designed around the car, with its grid of dual carriageways, roundabouts, local roads feeding them. Public transport is apparently pretty poor, the grid system does not suit buses I'd guess, and the town is spread out. As a cyclist you need the redways as many roads are too hostile due to the speeds vehicles travel at.
It's interesting though that in Milton Keynes, shared use paths seem to work. I know that Glenrothes has a reasonable cycle path network, but it is tokenistic, limited and poor quality compared to the redways. Livingston and thereabouts has similar issues. Don't know about Cumbernauld and East Kilbride but I suspect the same story.
What a pity that the new housing that has gone up around Edinburgh, Fife, etc, did not include similar infrastructure. I can imagine that a system like the redways, despite its flaws, would work very well in Edinburgh.
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