Cycling bans that aren't (adequately) signed.

[Solocle]

As the title says, roads that are meant to have bans on cycling, but where that ban is either not signed at all, or you can access the road without passing a "no cycling" sign.

Starters for 10, one of my favourite blats along the A4142 Oxford Ring Road. This has a cycling ban from Horspath Road to Iffley Road (as well as one north of Horspath Driftway that I never really explored).

Rather than deal with a cruddy shared path at that point, I'd just use the Mini service road. Couple hundred metres, and no no cycling signs in sight!

As it was, I just wanted to turn right at Cowley Roundabout, so get up to 30 mph and it was much easier to do this route. But there's nothing there to stop you from re-joining the ring road proper.
Google Maps

Or then there's the first such example I ever encountered that caught me out:

The A40 Westway.

Google Maps
And then, last Saturday, again in London. La pièce de résistance. This time I actually knew what I was doing, but wanted to confirm this in person.

End of motorway, but is it any old motorway?

The A282. The. A282.
That would have potentially been quite bothersome had I not had an escape plan for before the hard shoulder ran out! (One that involved hopping over some armco).

So, these are surely not the only examples of such signage failures, only the ones I've encountered.

Generally one would assume that a cycling ban is put in place for a reason (the A282 being an obvious case!), so it seems rather weird to go to the legislative effort, then not bother putting signs up...

 

[fossyant]

Anyone of sound mind just wouldn't go on these roads anyway, pretty obvious TBH.

 

[Solocle]

Anyone of sound mind just wouldn't go on these roads anyway, pretty obvious TBH.

In the case of the A40, I didn't know the lay of the land at all, I was just following road signs at night. The (A40) was in brackets, indicating that I wasn't even joining the major road (which I thought would be a surface street that close to the centre, not a former motorway). It was only when it was already too late that I realised.

Oxford Ring Road, nice convenient trick, where the only cycling on the actual road was between Horspath Driftway and Horspath Rd, never any bother.

The A282, the cycle route to crossing control isn't obvious really until after you cross Watling St. The signage is disjointed and I needed to refer to Sat Nav. Doesn't really reflect the importance of the crossing.

 

[mjr]

I'd bet there are thousands of these across the country. There are often ways into no-cycling streets without passing a prohibition sign, so of course many fines wouldn't stand up in court, but it's still a pain in the bum to contest a fine.

I also know of some one-way streets where traffic joining from a cycleway has no signs warning/directing riders, but the signs at the entrance don't warn the drivers of oncoming cycles, so I don't think these streets are intentionally two way.

The A282 ban in your example seems to be correctly signed with no-cycling signs at the start of the tunnel ramp and a dirt track escape left up a kerb onto a road which I think would lead back to crossing control. Unusually, cycling is restricted on "so much of the A282 as passes through the tunnels or is carried by the bridge and such other parts of the crossing and such parts of the approach roads as may be prescribed" by the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 and not the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

Even though you're apparently allowed to ride most of the A road (I didn't find details of any more parts being prescribed), the rarity of signs surprises me. The route to the northbound crossing bus/van seems only signed from the A206 (last) junction, approaching from the west only, and with the usual tiny blue signs. Nothing from any earlier junction, despite the route running parallel as far south as the A296. There should be something like the "< 🚲 Alternative Route" on the A46 near Kenilworth so only those who really want to joust with the ex-M25 traffic do.

Southbound would be more difficult to miss the crossing control and its van, with a cycleway behind the crash barrier filtering most people off, but I didn't spot any no-cycling signs at first glance and it's not clear to me whether a lack of signs would be a defence against the fine under the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988, like how it usually is for RTRA-based prohibitions.

 

[Solocle]

I'd bet there are thousands of these across the country. There are often ways into no-cycling streets without passing a prohibition sign, so of course many fines wouldn't stand up in court, but it's still a pain in the bum to contest a fine.

I also know of some one-way streets where traffic joining from a cycleway has no signs warning/directing riders, but the signs at the entrance don't warn the drivers of oncoming cycles, so I don't think these streets are intentionally two way.

The A282 ban in your example seems to be correctly signed with no-cycling signs at the start of the tunnel ramp and a dirt track escape left up a kerb onto a road which I think would lead back to crossing control. Unusually, cycling is restricted on "so much of the A282 as passes through the tunnels or is carried by the bridge and such other parts of the crossing and such parts of the approach roads as may be prescribed" by the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 and not the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

Even though you're apparently allowed to ride most of the A road (I didn't find details of any more parts being prescribed), the rarity of signs surprises me. The route to the northbound crossing bus/van seems only signed from the A206 (last) junction, approaching from the west only, and with the usual tiny blue signs. Nothing from any earlier junction, despite the route running parallel as far south as the A296. There should be something like the "< 🚲 Alternative Route" on the A46 near Kenilworth so only those who really want to joust with the ex-M25 traffic do.

Southbound would be more difficult to miss the crossing control and its van, with a cycleway behind the crash barrier filtering most people off, but I didn't spot any no-cycling signs at first glance and it's not clear to me whether a lack of signs would be a defence against the fine under the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988, like how it usually is for RTRA-based prohibitions.

I think that act is to allow the construction of the bridge, rather than the backing legislation for the prohibition per se. A decade old FOI lists the whole of the A282 as prohibited. I guess this constitutes "the approach roads".

And if you look at the A225 Princes Rd, it used to have a sign that has disappeared.

Southbound is actually much better signed.

If you looked at the A13 junction, what you missed is that the A13 itself is prohibited a junction either side.

 

[mjr]

I think that act is to allow the construction of the bridge, rather than the backing legislation for the prohibition per se. A decade old FOI lists the whole of the A282 as prohibited. I guess this constitutes "the approach roads".

Where's the prohibition between J1A( which is crossing control and A206, not M25) and J2(M25/A2)? Still probably means the signs are wrong. Again.

Good catch on the A13 ban I'd missed.

 

[Solocle]

Where's the prohibition between J1A( which is crossing control and A206, not M25) and J2(M25/A2)? Still probably means the signs are wrong. Again.

Good catch on the A13 ban I'd missed.

Almost undoubtedly a fault in the signage. My approach was from the A2, and there categorically were no signs. I was half wondering if I'd missed one on the approach to the A2 when streetviewing!

 

[Drago]

Anyone of sound mind just wouldn't go on these roads anyway, pretty obvious TBH.

Here, hold my beer!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Anyone of sound mind just wouldn't go on these roads anyway, pretty obvious TBH.

Depends on when you reach them. There are plenty of A roads, including dual carriageways which are deeply unpleasant during the day time, but perfectly sound to ride in the early hours.

 

[Solocle]

Depends on when you reach them. There are plenty of A roads, including dual carriageways which are deeply unpleasant during the day time, but perfectly sound to ride in the early hours.

I'm not sure most of the A282 makes that grade (the bits I did were noisy af, but had a wide hard shoulder ).

I note that between 2am and 3am they don't run the shuttle, so unless you wait for an hour, the temptation is there...

 

[a.twiddler]

I suppose that banning cyclists from anything that isn't a motorway is a bit iffy, and could be seen as the thin end of a large wedge. However, there are plenty of roads on which cyclists could legally ride which are so unpleasant at busy times that you wouldn't want to do it unless you were very keen to prove a point. Then again, as @Ming the Merciless suggests, at other times they could be a useful link to speed your journey if you were prepared to travel at odd hours. I am old enough to remember a time when you could travel miles in the middle of the night without meeting a car, even on quite major roads. It's not so easy now.

 

[Solocle]

I suppose that banning cyclists from anything that isn't a motorway is a bit iffy, and could be seen as the thin end of a large wedge. However, there are plenty of roads on which cyclists could legally ride which are so unpleasant at busy times that you wouldn't want to do it unless you were very keen to prove a point. Then again, as @Ming the Merciless suggests, at other times they could be a useful link to speed your journey if you were prepared to travel at odd hours. I am old enough to remember a time when you could travel miles in the middle of the night without meeting a car, even on quite major roads. It's not so easy now.

I mean, ideally, I'd say that there shouldn't be any cycling bans - not even on motorways. Instead, you'd have alternative provision of such a quality that you'd have to be utterly nuts to want to cycle on the motorway.

That said, that's generally the case with motorways, there's almost invariably a convenient non-motorway route.

(Incidentally, there was actually a missing motorway restrictions sign at Gretna Services )

So with things like A30 C2CC, a new build that bans cycles?

The current A30 will still exist and provide a cycle route, and it'll be much nicer!

 

[fossyant]

Depends on when you reach them. There are plenty of A roads, including dual carriageways which are deeply unpleasant during the day time, but perfectly sound to ride in the early hours.

As someone that used to do Time Trials on some very busy roads, A1 (seriously unpleasant), A55, A556, I must have been mad. I avoid them these days.

 

[Solocle]

As someone that used to do Time Trials on some very busy roads, A1 (seriously unpleasant), A55, A556, I must have been mad. I avoid them these days.

A303 at 3am:

The parallel A30 is much quieter, but the A303 is butter smooth and somewhat easier. Crucially though it has 24 hour services!

 

[Jenkins]

A45 Northampton, Barnes Meadow interchange - this is probably aimed more at tractors, but I'm not sure if this counts as a prohibition for cycles.