Advice for riding with tram lines

[Jonathing]

I've recently moved to Sheffield and have been out of my bike this morning for the first time since moving. Aside from the main road not going where google maps said it would go and therefore not ending up in the part of the city I was expecting to be, in I had a run in with the tram lines in Hillsborough.
How does one ride around tram lines, because riding in the usual manner, that is a few feet from the kerb at a similar speed to traffic doesn't seem to work. I now need new handlebars, a new right shifter and new skin from my right hip to my right knee and on my right shoulder. God only knows what happened, I was following the signs, trams only straight ahead, implying all other traffic should be in the off side lane, when suddenly I was upside down missing a significant portion of my epidermis.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[gaz]

Simple, stay the **** away from roads with tram lines. I live in Croydon with a tram system, I purposefully choose roads which either a. avoid the tram line b. cross the tram line at 90 degrees.

 

[jonathanw]

Simple, stay the **** away from roads with tram lines. I live in Croydon with a tram system, I purposefully choose roads which either a. avoid the tram line b. cross the tram line at 90 degrees.

Can't agree more

spawn of the devil...avoid at all cost. If unavoidable keep at 90 degrees only. I also have a suspicion that they physically attract bike tyres, just like potholes

 

[HLaB]

Simple, stay the **** away from roads with tram lines. I live in Croydon with a tram system, I purposefully choose roads which either a. avoid the tram line b. cross the tram line at 90 degrees.

Its pretty simple in Edinburgh but Gaz speaks sense, avoid if possible and if not traverse them at close to 90deg.

 

[marinyork]

I've recently moved to Sheffield and have been out of my bike this morning for the first time since moving. Aside from the main road not going where google maps said it would go and therefore not ending up in the part of the city I was expecting to be, in I had a run in with the tram lines in Hillsborough.
How does one ride around tram lines, because riding in the usual manner, that is a few feet from the kerb at a similar speed to traffic doesn't seem to work. I now need new handlebars, a new right shifter and new skin from my right hip to my right knee and on my right shoulder. God only knows what happened, I was following the signs, trams only straight ahead, implying all other traffic should be in the off side lane, when suddenly I was upside down missing a significant portion of my epidermis.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

Around the tram lines on the Hillsborough end i.e. Malin Bridge and Middlewood routes, I would avoid using Langset Road and Infirmary Road. You can get very aggressive tram and bus drivers behind you arsing around and you have to flick over the rails every few hundred yards because of the tram stops. Middlewood road is not quite as bad as the other two. Use either the A61 road to cycle north/south or the cycle path that you will find adjoining it at various points.

On Holme Lane it is generally all right to cycle on by keeping to the left of the tram tracks (because there are no stops and traffic is slow), this road will give you little trouble and you can get up out into Loxley via this route. A61 + bradfield road --> Loxley. Do not bother with Langset Road.

If you want to get further north you could cycle through Hillsborough Park. It's what a lot of cyclists in the area do.

If you are mad enough to turn right from Holme Lane onto Langset Road, be very careful as the tram track pattern there is very bad and you'll get some numpty bus driver trying to breeze past you.

 

[snorri]

Its pretty simple in Edinburgh

I was tempted to make a funny there, but it's probably been told before, many times.

 

[Night Train]

I frequently ride on roads with tram lines.

Where possible I will use cycle paths off the main road but where the cycle path is in the gutter I will ride on the outer edge of the cycle path or just outside the white line.

Frequent shoulder checks are necessary to check for trams as they are sometimes quiet and will never make a wide pass prefering to keep on the tracks while maintaining progress to time table.
Not only do they not have steering, trams also seem not to have brakes either. They are not known for slowing to a cyclist's speed until there is a safe place to overtake.

For crossing tram lines I will cross between 45 and 90 deg to the line where ever possible, any less of an angle of attack results in painful contact with the tarmac. Even at 45deg I will stop pedalling and try to steer a path that crosses at a greater angle.
When crossing tram lines never end up cycling between the lines as trying to get off when a tram is approaching is potentially painful.

I have come off on tramlines once. Fortunately the junction was clear with no traffic at the point where I was spinning spread eagled in the road with my bike on top of me. Broken helmet and pedal and scuffed glasses where I face planted on the road and my bike came over and hit me on the side of the head.

Trams are a stupid idea for so many reasons.

 

[ColinJ]

Trams are a stupid idea for so many reasons.

It always struck me that trolley buses were a better idea - still electric powered, but no need to have rails. What are the advantages of trams supposed to be?

Oh, hang on - see Wikipedia article

 

[Night Train]

It always struck me that trolley buses were a better idea - still electric powered, but no need to have rails. What are the advantages of trams supposed to be?

Oh, hang on - see Wikipedia article

That's what I was thinking, Trolley buses.

Interesting read about the advantages but I do wonder if all the advantages are lost when the whole service on a line stops because a car is slightly obstructing the line, or a tram breaks down, or there are road works.

 

[gaz]

It always struck me that trolley buses were a better idea - still electric powered, but no need to have rails. What are the advantages of trams supposed to be?

Oh, hang on - see Wikipedia article

The first advantage... what the!

Steel wheels on steel track create about one-seventh as much friction as rubber tyres on bitumen, thus creating dramatically less pollution when carrying the same load.

That's what I was thinking, Trolley buses.

Interesting read about the advantages but I do wonder if all the advantages are lost when the whole service on a line stops because a car is slightly obstructing the line, or a tram breaks down, or there are road works.

Those only apply if the trams run on the same roads as other vehicles.

The Croydon system has a vast proportion of it's track on separate sections, often running along side the roadway. Thus other traffic and road work maintenance is not a problem.

 

[ColinJ]

Those only apply if the trams run on the same roads as other vehicles.

The Croydon system has a vast proportion of it's track on separate sections, often running along side the roadway. Thus other traffic and road work maintenance is not a problem.

And no problem for cyclists either then!

The trouble is when, in cities like Manchester, the tram lines just go down ordinary city streets.

 

[PK99]

The first advantage... what the!



Those only apply if the trams run on the same roads as other vehicles.

The Croydon system has a vast proportion of it's track on separate sections, often running along side the roadway. Thus other traffic and road work maintenance is not a problem.

Long sections (eg the whole croydon to wimbledon link) run along an old railway route meaning tram not trolleybus was the only real option as relaying the track was a fraction of the cost of building a road surface

 

[gaz]

Long sections (eg the whole croydon to wimbledon link) run along an old railway route meaning tram not trolleybus was the only real option as relaying the track was a fraction of the cost of building a road surface

I think that actually applies to all the lines, massive stretches of the becknham line are old railway tracks and a few of the new addington stretches are as well.

 

[ColinJ]

Actually, the same applies to the Manchester trams beyond the city centre.

 

[Davidc]

I sympathise Jonathing

Last time I had an off was due to tram lines and it hurt.

Fortunately it was a Villo! (Brussels version of a Boris bike) so it wasn't my front wheel and a few other bits that broke.

All you can do is avoid the things.