How much traffic is present when you ride?

[MrJamie]

Usually my rides start and finish using cycle network paths or the local residential roads which are littered with speed bumps so you can avoid interactions with vehicles completely. Out on the country lanes the traffic is usually minimal and very considerate, so its pretty good as far as it goes.

Last week I cycled an old main road (superseded so lovely for cycling at weekends), which it turns out is crazy busy at rush hour. 10 miles on a large 60mph road with nearly no turnoffs at rush hour near M1 J13 was horrible. I dont mind urban traffic at 30mph or less, but this felt like I was cycling along a motorway and its wide enough that cars dont really need to slow down to overtake you. Its actually one of the local 10 mile TT routes which is why I went there, but its a totally different road in rush hour.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

With you there, when I first started I used to go down Bishops Hill, Star Lane and head up the "cycle lane " death lane" on Norwich Road before fine tuning.

Glad it's not just me who feels like Norwich road is used for cyclist target practice!

 

[Matthew_T]

It depends on where I go. I can go into the centre of my local town and have a lot of near misses and close passes and see a lot of traffic. Or I can head into the hills where I only encounter people speeding or overtaking in stupid places.

I always thought that the US was probably the best place to cycle because of the wide roads and lanes.
If cagers in the US get frustrated easily over a cyclist cycling at the side of a road with plenty of room to overtake and the road is clear and straight, then just think of how difficult it is for cagers in the UK to manouvre around cyclists. Here we have pinch points, corners on roads, crossings, narrow lanes, one way systems.

Cycling in the US is underrated. The worst that happens is close passes and the occassinal abuse from cagers because (for some reason) there are different laws in different states relating to cycling on the road.

 

[willhub]

Depends on the route I can take, around here near Selby in North Yorkshire, it takes me about 120 seconds to get onto pretty much empty roads, no traffic lights for miles, it's awesome. In Manchester, well, traffic lights instantly, cars trying to kill me everywhere, but I still live inner city riding despite this and miss Manchester!

 

[Sittingduck]

Plenty! Looks like this...

 

[compo]

With you there, when I first started I used to go down Bishops Hill, Star Lane and head up the "cycle lane " death lane" on Norwich Road before fine tuning.

I used to go up Sirdar Road, right into Bramford Road and into Norwich Road, through the town then work my way into Foxhall Road and into Camden Road where I worked. Later I worked at Hewlett Packard on the Whitehouse Estate so just rode up Bramford Lane, avoiding Norwich road altogether.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Commuting out of Coventry through Ash Green and Bedworth into Nuneaton and back again, mornings its quiet with few cars, evening its a lot busier. Sunday mornings out getting a few miles in I see a few vehicles when crossing Coventry but very few once I'm out in the lanes.

 

[sgtjiggy]

Plenty! Looks like this...

Oh my god! That is ridonkulous! I'll stop complaining now......


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[Blue]

I live on the edge of my hometown so ride out onto either a quiet coastal 'A' road with a light trickle of traffic or onto a quieter country 'B' road with even less traffic.

It never ceases to amaze me that, even with such light traffic, I still get my fair share of motorists passing close enough to take a layer of material from the elbows of my cycling tops!!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Glad it's not just me who feels like Norwich road is used for cyclist target practice!

Normal for Norfolk?

 

[Keith Oates]

Here in Ho Chi Minh City there are reportedly 4 million small motor bikes and they are more of a problem than the cars. Luckily I can miss the city centre heavy traffic on the commute but it can still be stressful in some sections!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DaveW]

Hardly any. I'm lucky enough to live in a pretty quiet part of the Hampshire countryside. I normally ride a 25 mile or 40 mile loop from home where I might see a dozen cars or so if I catch the rush hour. Was thinking a couple of nights ago when I did the 40 mile loop that I'd only seen a few cars.

 

[GordonB]

Rezillo and I have a number of routes we ride, all roughly between the A140 and the A12, and we see very little traffic as we keep to the maze of unclassified roads. One some evening rides of around 30 miles we might get overtaken to 2 or 3 cars, can be 10 miles into the ride before we even see a car.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Rezillo and I have a number of routes we ride, all roughly between the A140 and the A12, and we see very little traffic as we keep to the maze of unclassified roads. One some evening rides of around 30 miles we might get overtaken to 2 or 3 cars, can be 10 miles into the ride before we even see a car.

I'd love to know where, do you mean Coddenham area or further out?

 

[HLaB]

According to a traffic survey I was looking at today there's about 1400 veh per hour go northbound and 900 vph go southbound respectively in the peak hour on the road I commute on.