Judge wants us banned from dual carriageways!

[mcshroom]

So the judge is admitting his bias in a national newspaper a few months after giving a lenient sentence in accordance with his bias.

 

[Recycle]

The same Judge Simon Tonking!

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3372221.ece

How ironic. Leaving aside the lack of custodial sentence for taking a life, the motorist in this case will now probably have to cycle to work along the A38 to Derby during the period he has been banned from driving. Along this stretch the A38 is dual carriage way!

 

[arghill]

The following are from the US, but the same principles apply (just on the opposite side of the road):

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W0twza9B7o&feature=plcp

I think that guy should check his shoulder before sticking his arm out!

 

[Bromptonaut]

Has anybody considered a complaint to the Lord Chief Justice or the office that handles complaints against the judiciary?

Writing to a paper using his judicial title on a matter that may be controversial is sailing close to wind IMHO.

Too near my professional locus for me to raise it personally.

 

[middleagecyclist]

Why are you cycling to the left of the lane edge marker? A stupid place to be...

Thanks for your...err...[struggles to find the right word]...insightful input. It's a help. But not much.

 

[400bhp]

Why are you cycling to the left of the lane edge marker? A stupid place to be...

Have you ever tried to cycle on the A556 between altrincham an knutsford? It's essentially a Motorway. The stupid place to be is cycling on that road, not your position. IMO the position was a sensible place to be.

 

[GrasB]

I'm with User on this one. If you are going to be on that kind of road then you need to be serious about taking the lane. If you don't you'll get people sneaking past with 18" if that to spare at >50mph. Taking the lane forces drivers to avoid you properly.

 

[martint235]

Have you ever tried to cycle on the A556 between altrincham an knutsford? It's essentially a Motorway. The stupid place to be is cycling on that road, not your position. IMO the position was a sensible place to be.

Not at all. If you're intent on cycling on the road then cycle on the road, not on the verge (which is what anything to the left of the white line is classed as) - and there's nothing wrong with cycling on dual carriageways. I quite often cycle on the A14 but I take the lane properly...

Not often I agree with Reg. The road is fine, I've cycled the A2 at Gravesend when the M2 joins it and everyone still behaves like they are on a motorway. As I said in a post further up this chain, you don't need to take primary to be safe but you do need to take enough of the lane that a car can't overtake you while there's another car on his/her right. In effect, as I said, you have to force the overtake into the next lane (which is where it should be). You're also more visible if you're out in the lane rather than hugging the side.

I also agreed with MAC though in that if you're not comfortable on these types of road, don't force yourself to go on them in "I've got a right to be here". You'll just scare yourself silly.

 

[MontyVeda]

...
HGV's etc have a decision to make. Do they slow down to potentially 10-20mph or do a risky overtake?
...

I don't drive a HGV so may need correcting here... but how long does it take a fully laden HGV to slow down from say 55mph to 10-20mph. I'm sure it's very different to slowing down a Fiat Punto.

Years ago i advised a friend of mine give up driving altogether after a very scary trip to Manchester. Torrential rain and a driver in panic, constantly slowing down to 20-25 mph on the motorway as fear got the better of them. This speed, in my opinion is dangerously slow on a road intended for traffic travelling at 50-70mph... especially in reduced visibility.

 

[400bhp]

I've never seen a cyclist on that road and you'd have to be insane to choose to cycle on it. Putting yourself in the middle of the lane will, IMO

Not often I agree with Reg. The road is fine, I've cycled the A2 at Gravesend when the M2 joins it and everyone still behaves like they are on a motorway. As I said in a post further up this chain, you don't need to take primary to be safe but you do need to take enough of the lane that a car can't overtake you while there's another car on his/her right. In effect, as I said, you have to force the overtake into the next lane (which is where it should be). You're also more visible if you're out in the lane rather than hugging the side.

I also agreed with MAC though in that if you're not comfortable on these types of road, don't force yourself to go on them in "I've got a right to be here". You'll just scare yourself silly.

Have you cycled on it?

 

[400bhp]

Not at all. If you're intent on cycling on the road then cycle on the road, not on the verge (which is what anything to the left of the white line is classed as) - and there's nothing wrong with cycling on dual carriageways. I quite often cycle on the A14 but I take the lane properly...

Have you cycled on the road in question?

Apologies for making a point about this but, IMO, the road is just not somewhere where cyclists should be or have been. It's very difficult to make the point stand out but unless you know this particular road then it's difficult to convey how dangerous it is.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Have you cycled on the road in question?

Apologies for making a point about this but, IMO, the road is just not somewhere where cyclists should be or have been. It's very difficult to make the point stand out but unless you know this particular road then it's difficult to convey how dangerous it is.

Agreed.
I have cycled the A1 out of scotland into england and would much prefer to repeat that or the A3/A27 or any of the other major A roads I have cycled, than go anywhere near that particular section of the A556. Further down the road on my side of the M6, the A556 is fine again, but without being there when it is even vaguely busy, you can't hope to comment on it. That section of road is shear hell even as a car driver. the number of accidents that I have seen along that section is stupid. Whoever thought that cramming 2 lanes each way into that A road was a good idea ought to be shot - or better still... and as for the location of that BP garage at the roundabout where peoples left hadn indicators have not yet autocancelled so no-one actually realises.... I'll quit on the rant there.

You have to know that road and know it well and then you won't want to cycle it. the M6 itself would probably be safer with that big wide open hard shoulder....

 

[martint235]

Have you cycled on the road in question?

Apologies for making a point about this but, IMO, the road is just not somewhere where cyclists should be or have been. It's very difficult to make the point stand out but unless you know this particular road then it's difficult to convey how dangerous it is.

So we're putting this road up as the most dangerous road in the world? And if we've not cycled on this actual stretch of tarmac, we're not allowed to offer an opinion despite that fact that MAC has offered us video evidence of what the road is like?

I've never cycled the A1 from Scotland into England either. I have been on it as it approaches London though. I would also hold up the stretch of A2 mentioned earlier as amongst the busiest (and at times fastest) stretches of road in the UK. It carries a lot of the traffic from Dover into London. I wouldn't count myself as an expert on A roads in the UK but I've cycled on quite a lot of them including two that rank in the top ten most dangerous roads in the UK (A12 and A1306)

I may as well say that the stretch of road on the A207 outside my house is freakishly scary and that no one who hasn't actually cycled that bit is allowed to disagree.

 

[400bhp]

So we're putting this road up as the most dangerous road in the world? And if we've not cycled on this actual stretch of tarmac, we're not allowed to offer an opinion despite that fact that MAC has offered us video evidence of what the road is like?

I've never cycled the A1 from Scotland into England either. I have been on it as it approaches London though. I would also hold up the stretch of A2 mentioned earlier as amongst the busiest (and at times fastest) stretches of road in the UK. It carries a lot of the traffic from Dover into London. I wouldn't count myself as an expert on A roads in the UK but I've cycled on quite a lot of them including two that rank in the top ten most dangerous roads in the UK (A12 and A1306)

I may as well say that the stretch of road on the A207 outside my house is freakishly scary and that no one who hasn't actually cycled that bit is allowed to disagree.

Of course not, but this started by intimating that MAC was taking an incorrect position on the road. He wasn't, he just shouldn't have been on it.

 

[martint235]

Of course not, but this started by intimating that MAC was taking an incorrect position on the road. He wasn't, he just shouldn't have been on it.

I think we have to agree to disagree. I think MAC was in the wrong position for, shall we say, a road of that kind. I think we agree (and I think that MAC will concur) that MAC shouldn't have been on that road as he's obviously not comfortable being there from what he's said, I don't think that is the same as cyclists shouldn't be there.