Cyclist death on a90 dual carriageway

[Huan Andol]

I've ridden NSL dual carriageways on many occassions. In fact, to get the the famous Eureka Cafe for a Sunday club ride, taking the dual carriageway is the only feasible route for some. Yes it's fast, but many motorists drive those sort of speeds on 40/50 and 60 mph roads regardless.

By their very nature, there's something comforting about knowing that approaching vehicles will usually have a whole other free lane that they can pull into to overtake, rather than squeezing past on a narrow single carriageway.

Dual carriageways don't always have a second lane. There is a NSL dual carriage way which forms part of the Pilgrim's Way in Kent which has only one lane in either direction. The "dual" part just means the different directions of traffic are separated by a physical barrier (could be grass, armco, hedge etc). The number of lanes in either direction is not important for the dual carriage way classification.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I've ridden NSL dual carriageways on many occassions. In fact, to get the the famous Eureka Cafe for a Sunday club ride, taking the dual carriageway is the only feasible route for some. Yes it's fast, but many motorists drive those sort of speeds on 40/50 and 60 mph roads regardless.

By their very nature, there's something comforting about knowing that approaching vehicles will usually have a whole other free lane that they can pull into to overtake, rather than squeezing past on a narrow single carriageway.

When I rode LEJOG in 2009 the entire first day was 100 miles of A30. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the fastest route from A to B. During a time restricted event, sometimes you feel the need to get some fast, direct miles in, and I'd do the same again. Usually on the busiest of roads there's a hard shoulder that you can sit in, and the biggest danger is usually making sure you effectively manage crossing the on/off slip roads.

I probably can't remember all the other major DCs that I've utilised, but they certainly include the A55 to St Asaph and the A470 to Cardiff.The A6 in the Lake District is DC at times also.

Unless there are specific bike restricted sections I don't see the harm in riding them. We see too many injuries/fatalities on minor roads to state that this sad incident is directly related to carriageway type rather than driver/cyclist error that could happen on any road at any speed.

Potentially much more traffic on dual carriageway and almost always moving faster. You don't often see 3 or 4 hgv's riding back to back on normal roads but this is quite common on dual carriageway. If any of these decide to pass at an unsafe distance then you may be put in to harms way as the driver behind won't see you.
There is also the serious issue in that drivers simply don't expect bikes to be on dual carriageways. Drivers mostly don't expect to have to slow down much for anything on these roads and are rather worryingly in auto pilot mode. I've seen so many near accidents with tractors with drivers locking up and swerving to avoid. With a cyclist they may just choose to pass extremely close.
Bottom line is you just don't know and if there is an alternative then i would strongly suggest cyclists use it. If someone is confident enough, and willing to take the risks involved, then it is not illegal and by all means go for it.

I try to stay as safe as i can on the bike, within reason. This leads to my choice of very rarely using dual carriageway where other options are available.

 

[lejogger]

Dual carriageways don't always have a second lane.

I did say 'usually'... but don't let that get in the way of your pedantism

 

[lejogger]

Potentially much more traffic on dual carriageway and almost always moving faster. You don't often see 3 or 4 hgv's riding back to back on normal roads but this is quite common on dual carriageway. If any of these decide to pass at an unsafe distance then you may be put in to harms way as the driver behind won't see you.
There is also the serious issue in that drivers simply don't expect bikes to be on dual carriageways. Drivers mostly don't expect to have to slow down much for anything on these roads and are rather worryingly in auto pilot mode. I've seen so many near accidents with tractors with drivers locking up and swerving to avoid. With a cyclist they may just choose to pass extremely close.
Bottom line is you just don't know and if there is an alternative then i would strongly suggest cyclists use it. If someone is confident enough, and willing to take the risks involved, then it is not illegal and by all means go for it.

I try to stay as safe as i can on the bike, within reason. This leads to my choice of very rarely using dual carriageway where other options are available.

Of course I see what you're saying Pedro... I'm sure that some dual carriageways are among some of the most dangerous roads to cycle on in the country. My point was that because they often have a second lane or a hard shoulder, fewer sharp bends and lesser gradients etc you can sometimes be gifted the luxury of more passing room, a smoother surface to ride on, better visibility from a greater distance, higher average speeds etc than you might on a busy single lane A road, or even a very minor but twisty NSL country lane.

That doesn't mean that I'm saying they should always be chosen over an alternative route. There are many reasons why the opposite will be true. Often the hard shoulder is littered with obstacles, the density of the traffic may make riding completely unsafe.

Sometimes they will be unsuitable, sometimes they will not.

 

[lejogger]

I've just realised that my avatar picture is of me fixing a puncture by the side of a duel carriageway on a stag do jaunt down to Cardiff last summer!

 

[Brandane]

You don't often see 3 or 4 hgv's riding back to back on normal roads but this is quite common on dual carriageway.

This is where the real danger arises for cyclists. Due to the low speed differential between HGVs, they tend to take a long time to pass each other. So when you get 4 HGVs in a row, and #4 at the back of the line decides to overtake the 3 in front of him who are going about 0.5 mph slower, you have the following situation:
The pack of HGVs moving at 56 mph catch up with a cyclist. Front HGV sees the cyclist and moves into lane 2 to pass. HGV #2 then sees the cyclist, and likewise moves into lane 2 to pass. By this time they are very close to the cyclist. HGV #3 only sees the cyclist when he gets a view up the inside of HGV #2, because they have been tailgating (as they do, due to speed limiters). By this time HGV #4, who cannot see the cyclist as he/she is obscured by #1 and #2, is alongside #3. HGV #3 cannot move out because of #4. HGV #3 weighs 44 tonnes and is moving at 56 mph with a cyclist moving at 15 mph in front of him.......

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

This is where the real danger arises for cyclists. Due to the low speed differential between HGVs, they tend to take a long time to pass each other. So when you get 4 HGVs in a row, and #4 at the back of the line decides to overtake the 3 in front of him who are going about 0.5 mph slower, you have the following situation:
The pack of HGVs moving at 56 mph catch up with a cyclist. Front HGV sees the cyclist and moves into lane 2 to pass. HGV #2 then sees the cyclist, and likewise moves into lane 2 to pass. By this time they are very close to the cyclist. HGV #3 only sees the cyclist when he gets a view up the inside of HGV #2, because they have been tailgating (as they do, due to speed limiters). By this time HGV #4, who cannot see the cyclist as he/she is obscured by #1 and #2, is alongside #3. HGV #3 cannot move out because of #4. HGV #3 weighs 44 tonnes and is moving at 56 mph with a cyclist moving at 15 mph in front of him.......

And how often do you see HGV's anticipate this and brake to the speed of the cyclist|? I'm still waiting for this phenomena..............

 

[Brandane]

And how often do you see HGV's anticipate this and brake to the speed of the cyclist|? I'm still waiting for this phenomena..............

Problem being in my scenario is that #1 doesn't have any cause to slow down as he knows he can move out to pass quite safely. #2 doesn't have time to slow down as he only sees the cyclist after #1 has pulled out to pass it, but #2 still has a space to pull out to his right. #3 doesn't have a chance to either slow down or move to the right .

 

[srw]

Problem being in my scenario is that #1 doesn't have any cause to slow down as he knows he can move out to pass quite safely. #2 doesn't have time to slow down as he only sees the cyclist after #1 has pulled out to pass it, but #2 still has a space to pull out to his right. #3 doesn't have a chance to either slow down or move to the right .

And I'm sure you can point to the news reports which demonstrate that this is a real issue rather than just a made-up imaginary thing.

Dual carriageways are sometimes safe, sometimes horrible. It depends on too many factors - time of day, weather conditions, light conditions, width of the road - to be universal about them.

 

[Brandane]

And I'm sure you can point to the news reports which demonstrate that this is a real issue rather than just a made-up imaginary thing.

It was a made up scenario, but a very realistic one. I can point you to an artic driver with 8 years full time experience, 6 years of which was spent driving on the A90 most working days between Glasgow Airport and Aberdeen Airport. That driver is me, and I can assure you that the above scenario is a very real possibility. It is only down to the lack of cyclists on roads such as the A90 that it does not happen often.

 

[Herbie]

A cyclist has been killed on the dual carriageway running from Dundee to Perth. First off i would like to extend my deepest sympathys to the family and any friends.

I must ask though, again, why cyclists continue to use dual carriageways when there is a reasonable option!?! There is a cycle route from Dundee to Perth which is all good A road. There is also a cycle path on the A90 which runs beside the motorway.
Whether the driver of the lorry is to blame or the cyclist is to blame makes no difference - it could have all been avoided if we, as cyclists, choose the safest option and not necessarily the quickest.

Please be careful out there and consider your route carefully.
FWIW, I cycle these roads daily and have never found the need to ride the dual carriageway. There are 2 other options both ways and both are significantly safer.


http://news.stv.tv/tayside/218044-c...g-hit-by-lorry-on-a90-named-as-charles-aimer/

I hope my view on this does not offend anyone. I am simply asking people to think twice before riding on busy dual carriageways.

RIP.

I totally agree with you.I see cyclists on the dualled bit of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverurie and even in the dark....someone folk have a death wish...sorry to hear about that fatality though

 

[Twilkes]

I drive/bus the stretch of road between Perth and Stirling, and I wouldn't cycle on it - I don't think it's the speed, it's because the lanes aren't very wide. Even in a wee Honda Jazz it's still a bit claustrophobic overtaking an HGV in its own lane. On the other hand, I remember cycling the A30 towards Land's End with no problems at all, because it was a fairly new road with wide lanes and good sight lines, and a couple of feet of tarmac to the left of the white lines which I see on most newly built roads.

There's been a handful of times I've cycled on a road I shouldn'a cycled on, and I realised it very quickly - it's not a nice feeling waiting for the next slip road to make an appearance.

 

[snorri]

Sometimes they will be unsuitable, sometimes they will not.

............and that is the crucial point.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

It was a made up scenario, but a very realistic one. I can point you to an artic driver with 8 years full time experience, 6 years of which was spent driving on the A90 most working days between Glasgow Airport and Aberdeen Airport. That driver is me, and I can assure you that the above scenario is a very real possibility. It is only down to the lack of cyclists on roads such as the A90 that it does not happen often.

And long may it last.

 

[Crankarm]

Personally I avoid main dual carriageways wherever possible. I have ridden on the A14 a couple of times and even though both times were on relatively quiet Saturday's there were still a lot of HGV's and it is not an experience that I enjoyed, nor one that I would wish to do again.

You're the nutter I have seen riding along the A14 . You have a death wish.

I try to avoid driving along it let alone cycling which I would never ever do anyway. Madness to do so. Anyway there is now the GBW to ride along instead so no excuse cycling along the A14.