Having spent a fair bit of time in the company of cyclists attempting to navigate with gps gadgets, I'm surprised it doesn't happen much more often.
Cycling on motorway
- Thread starter ChrisV
- Start date
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mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
It really doesn't have to be, like how the Dutch do it, with the cycle track outside the motorway soundproofing. It is a bit noisy cycling alongside the M5 near Bristol with just a mesh fence between you and motorists, though.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Maybe, but that's not a reliable testimony, so is there a better source for that claim? I'd expect many more are killed in the running lanes.
Jimidh
Veteran
- Location
- Midlothian
Tragic no matter how he managed to be riding down the motorway.
GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
I've got to admit, I remember illegally cycling over the Sydney Harbour bridge many times in the early 1990's, cycles are not allowed on the actual road, but were restricted to using a path/tunnel with no view of the harbour and many steps, in my defence, I was young(ish).....................
I had to cycle down a busy section of the A27 near portsmouth last week. Only one junction, but looking at the map, it was the only way to get across the water. Once we were on it we realised there was in fact a pathway the other side of a row of bushes and a ditch. However, it wasn't well signposted and once we were on the carriageway we couldn't get back over to it. Technically there's nothing to stop you cycling on that stretch of the A27, but it was a most unpleasant experience. You wouldn't find me on a motorway, but if the guy perhaps wasn't armed with a map of all the crummy backroads the law says he should have taken, and the only signpost for the town he wanted to get to pointed to the motorway which is quite likely, then you can almost understand it. Presumably since it was the middle of the night he rather wanted to get home, than mess about on country lanes (which half the time are more dangerous than the motorway with lack of visibility, poor surfaces, no street lighting and unenforced speed limits).
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
The A23 cycle path out of Brighton is a sneak preview of what cycling along a hard shoulder would be like, albeit with the security of a fence between you and the traffic. It's noisy, and generally unlovely, but does a job.
I did in 1986 in Newcastle (when cycling back from Scotland) although it wasn't that long and I did realise my mistake.Being unfamiliar with the road did not help.Im pretty sure it was a short motorway bit.I had a basic map (if that) and no GPS.
Part of the issue at the moment is that cycle routes in between towns are generally planned on quiet, hilly and scenic routes. That's all very nice, but sometimes on a bike you are genuinely trying to get there quickly and don't have time to faff about trying to work out which combination of scenic lanes might get you there at some point this year.
The cycle path next to part of the A23 is an excellent example of what city-to-city cycle routes should be like - as direct as the car route, with a good surface and distance from motor traffic. However out of towns they're few and far between. Most "direct" cycle lanes are usually just old footbaths next to the main road covered in broken glass and punctuated by tree roots that have grown since they were last surfaced in 1983... Not exactly a joy to ride on...
The cycle path next to part of the A23 is an excellent example of what city-to-city cycle routes should be like - as direct as the car route, with a good surface and distance from motor traffic. However out of towns they're few and far between. Most "direct" cycle lanes are usually just old footbaths next to the main road covered in broken glass and punctuated by tree roots that have grown since they were last surfaced in 1983... Not exactly a joy to ride on...
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
That would be an amusing typo if so many of them didn't flood! I think I saw one flooded cycle track in 200+ miles cycling around the Netherlands - and it's much more difficult for them to get rid of water than us.
Lololol... Well spotted! I didn't even notice!
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Once reported a cyclist I saw pedaling on the hard shoulder on the M602. The direction of travel and where he was, probably joined here. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4...4!1sfMQgb9IsQyPVWGqcm3kENQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
If deliberate, stupid thing was there is a road pretty much parallel which would have got him to the first junction a lot more safely.
If deliberate, stupid thing was there is a road pretty much parallel which would have got him to the first junction a lot more safely.
