There must be some bright ideas from those of us who don't live in large urban areas!
The roads around where I live, about midway between Tiverton and its eponymous Parkway, are very popular with the more Lycra-clad end of the cycling spectrum. At weekends, hardly a moment seems to pass without a peloton whizzing past, and our local farm shop cafe has simple but effective parking for many bicycles of the "lift with one finger" variety.
God only knows why it's so popular, because it scares the living daylights out of me. The main road towards Tiverton is largely OK, with the traditional dotted line forming a bike path with all the drains in it, but the lanes to be negotiated are narrow with high hedges, sufficiently so as to hide from view the tractor towing a tank of slurry on the way to the antisocial digester, about to appear from around the bend. The surface of the lanes mirrors that of the moon to a large degree, having borne the double whammy of heavy use by agricultural vehicles and the woes of a cash-strapped council. The main road in the direction of the station is very narrow with no pavement or refuge for large parts, and pretty hilly at times for the less athletic. (Actually, it is just as hilly for the athletic, but they don't get off and push). It is pretty busy, with the occasional bus, more farm vehicles, delivery vans and the sort of idiot who thinks a 60 mph limit is something that must be exceeded whether it's safe or not, sometimes driving one of the farm vehicles or vans. Nothing I can think of would transform this into a safe and inviting cycle route for the non-Tour-de-France rider, other than a parallel road for cycles only.
There is, close by, the Grand Western Canal. That makes for a pleasant, gentler, ride. It's a circuitous route to the station, but flat and in reasonable order, and a joy to trundle along on the colder, wetter days when pedestrians, fishermen and picnickers are at home. I haven't been there for a few months, because it is impossible to stay 2 metres apart on a 1-metre towpath without getting very wet. In normal times, fishermen complain about cyclists and canoeists, pedestrians complain about fishermen and cyclists, and cyclists complain about pedestrians, fishermen, and the pinch points at bridges. I always slow done or stop (most pedestrians are faster than me anyway) because it takes less time than an argument, and doesn't leave the same sour taste. The owners of the horse-drawn barge complain about all of the above, but only if they misbehave or act intolerantly. Most folk respect them and especially the horses, and even the lunatic fringe of the angling fraternity realise that the boat doesn't have brakes.
So I applaud the move to make all this better, but consider that without solving the problems that face the ordinary cyclists, e-bikes would only make things slightly faster, not easier or safer. I would love to be proven wrong, though, and shall let you know how I get on when my e-bike arrives.
