Dual carriageway cycling

[Johnny Thin]

Nah - try the A74 Cumberland Gap which is the non motorway stretch of road that joins the M6 with the M74 only a handful of miles long but total terror all of the way!

I've heard of cyclists being forced to jump off their bikes on a bridge along there to avoid being crushed - by the Metal Bridge pub?

My worst was using the A42 the first time I cycled to E Mids airport, on a Friday afternoon, this links the M42 and M1. I used the sliproads, it would have been suicide not to. I've started using it again at night lately, though last time a lorry came so close it hit my RVM - eeek!

 

[Maz]

*Except on the motorways where they're trialling the use of the hard shoulder at peak times - but bikes aren't allowed on motorways anyway.

Like on the M42 (Junction 6?). I've used it (driving, of course) and it feels very weird.
What if a car had broken down ahead of me?!

 

[snorri]

Thanks User

 

[byegad]

In my experience a heavily used 70mph Dual C'way is no fun and downright dangerous. ANY alternative is to be preferred.
If you must use one you need Hi-Vis all the time and good flashing lights in low light conditions.

 

[Plax]

Evening all! I had another crack at cycling to my dad's today as the weather forecast was good. I decided to actually have a go at cycling on the A55. I joined the A55 at Bangor with the intention of being able to get off at Tal-Y-Bont and go over the back road if I didn't feel safe.

On the way there traffic was pretty light and I was being given a good clearance -the majority of cars actually overtook completely on the outside lane. Had a couple of cars stradling the white line, but no really close passes.

On the way home, there was a lot more traffic on the A55 but I still felt quite safe and was being good clearance, although there was a lot more cars passing closer to me than in the morning, probably due to the increase in cars. Had a recovery vehicle beep at me on the way home. He was completely in the outside lane, and at the time there was no other vehicles approaching from behind so I can only presume that he didn't think that I should have been on the A55 and/or cycling as far out from the verge as I was.

I would happily travel on the A55 again depending on the time. There is not a chance in hell I would go near it at rush hour or in the summer when the traffic practically triples with holiday traffic though.

It took me 46 mins to get there as it was all downhill and the A55 is pretty flat. On the way home it took me 1hr 20mins as after the A55 it was pretty much all up hill. The last 3 miles are awful - it is a gradual incline and the wind is always against you. It's horrid!

I thought my bum ache days were over, but alas, after cyling a litte over 25 miles, my bum really hurts. I'm going to have to eat the rest of the Quality Street whilst watching the new season of Primeval. That is bound to take my mind away from the pain!

 

[gambatte]

Yep been waiting for primeval too. They put the last 2 episodes of last season on this afternoon as a refresher.

Apparantly they did 6(?) episodes last series and they've done 7 for this one. The reasoning being that to sell a series to the states they need 13 episodes.

 

[wafflycat]

I've cycled dual carriageways, as part of a 'journey' or in a time trial. My rules are the same as cycling on any road - pick your road carefully and keep your wits about you - make sure you are *not* riding in the gutter, but are in the lane.

As an aside, the stats over the years from time trials show that cycling on duals is safer than on single carriageways. I guess that's because although the traffic is fast, when being overtaken the traffic has an entire other lane to move into. Cycling many a country lane round East Anglia, it's a mistake to assume that country roads are 'safe' as remember, many a country lane is a 60mph limit, even when it's very, very narrow. That combined with limited sight lines due to trees, hedges, and many a winding turn, and you still get traffic coming along at 60+... It was an 'interesting' experience to be forced into a hedge by a combine harvester-type thing coming along a road just wide enough for a Mini. The spikes on the harvester-type thing were viewed up-close-and-personal less than six inches from my torso as I was squashed into a hawtorn hedge...

Happy cycling!

 

[Pete]

... many a country lane is a 60mph limit

more like 80-90mph, as in this example on my patch, B2112 near Ditchling (not even an A road, let alone a DC, FFS!), with its gentle undulations and blind summits to make it even more fun! I know that road well, used to be my regular commute.

.It was an 'interesting' experience to be forced into a hedge by a combine harvester-type thing coming along a road just wide enough for a Mini. The spikes on the harvester-type thing were viewed up-close-and-personal less than six inches from my torso as I was squashed into a hawtorn hedge...

Happy cycling!

I trust that said combine harvester wasn't doing 60+! Even so! I remember once having to do a spot of mountaineering: drag self and bike up a near-vertical bank in a narrow cutting, because a furniture van had got lost (on a road with a 6'6" limit too). Driver was very apologetic though. I'll never know if he met face-to-face with Farmer Giles further down the road...