Commuting using dual carriage ways?

[annedonnelly]

I'm new to cycling in general and even more new to cycling on major roads coming from North Wales I have only been riding back roads and small A roads, but I have recently moved to Newcastle and was wondering what are peoples take on riding on dual carriageways, I know it's legal but I've never seen it personally, so was wondering what you guys do?

I've seen people ride the A1 Western Bypass near Newcastle and also the A189 Spine Road north of the city. Mainly they seem to ride to the left of the white line where a hard shoulder would be if there was one.

Are you asking because you're looking for a particular route near Newcastle?

 

[Pat "5mph"]

It's up to the time of day. I don't ride my local dc at peak rush hour.
Try to find an alternative route if you can.

 

[Crankarm]

I don't even drive on some dual carriageways. Cycle - no chance. You MIGHT have the right to cycle on them, but on such a road Might is Right I am afraid. You are a long time dead so going looking for any early death is something to avoid. Occasionally you see chavs and nobbers riding down the side of the A14 with heavy traffic going from the Eastern ports to the Midlands and Northwest and vice versa thundering past inches from their handlebars. If I could stop safely to take them and their bikes off the road I would, but there is nowhere to stop unless they happen to be near a lay by but then you have to try and get back out onto the road which is pretty dangerous as well.

 

[Leodis]

I ride Leeds outter ring road which is two lane carriageway, the road surface and ride feels a lot safer than roads leading to town. I ride roughly three miles of it in the morning, some up and some down and generally it feels safer than busy one lane roads with parked cars.

 

[theclaud]

And your post is of no help whatsoever.

It is only helpful in assessing the helpfulness of yours. Your being frightened of a dual carriageway tells us nothing whatever about the road, because you are frightened of all roads. In an obvious sense, dual carriageways are some of the safest of all roads, because there is always another lane in which traffic can pass, without encroaching on the one a cyclist is using.

 

[4F]

I am in agreement with the earlier posters that it depends on the dual carriage way in question. I have ridden on the A14 on 2 occasions and that is not something I ever plan on doing again, a truly horrific experience of 2 lanes of solid smelly traffic passing within feet with a huge amount of HGV's. (That said the view from the top of the Orwell bridge was outstanding)

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

It looks to me like a speed differential question. On a 40mph DC you're more liable to have people hang back and wait. On a NSL carriageway the driver in lane 1 is more worried about the vehicle in lane 2 stopping them from moving over and is more likely to pass inches from the bars. The idea of slowing from higher speed is probably unthinkable to people who in general these days are only anticipating as far ahead as their front bumper. The lack of anticipation is what causes the danger.
I don't ride on dual carriageways, but if I did I'd have a good think about whether a NSL was worth it.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I cycle on dual carriageways but I do tend to stay off the fastest/busiest ones.
The main trouble I think with DC are they tend to be all or nothing. You either cycle along them without an accident or you dead.
And the chances of having an accident increase with both the speed differential and the traffic density.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

More of the same here. It's not the road per se, it's the speed of the road and the traffic on it. Urban dual carriageway with a 40mph limit would rarely worry me. Anything with an NSL I'd avoid on almost every occasion. I was reminded of this while taking the wrong route to Slade Green a couple of months ago and almost becoming a bonnet mascot for an ASDA lorry. I will do a short bit of the A229 on my Chatham commute, but only because I'd be going down hill at 40mph for it, and even then it can be a little hairy. If the road has acceleration/deceleration lanes then it's probably best to avoid as well, they leave you either crossing traffic in a weird fashion, or out in No Mans Land for far too long.

 

[vickster]

To the OP, if you must ride on fast moving roads, get hold of a copy of Cyclecraft to get information about positioning. Essential for any new rider who is going to be going out on roads, especially busy and/or unfamiliar ones

 

[User16625]

Why is cycling on duels legal, but cycling on motorways (which are essentially duels with a spare lane) is'nt? I agree that cycling past the slip roads is like playing with fire so I personally never use them.

 

[Hacienda71]

Some sections of dc prohibit cycling. I think a special order is required. The A55 in North Wales has a non cycle section. Mind you why anyone would want to cycle on it is beyond me as the old road runs adjacent to a lot of it.

 

[jefmcg]

Why is cycling on duels legal, but cycling on motorways (which are essentially duels with a spare lane) is'nt? I agree that cycling past the slip roads is like playing with fire so I personally never use them.

Most roads are available to all people, no matter what mode of transport they use, including walking. That's as it should be. Banning anyone from a road is a bad idea. Motorways are an exception to this, and it should be a rare one.

Plus, I've always like the idea of shouting at a car "we built you a motorway, why aren't you using it?", if anyone told me I should be on the cycle path.