Manchester's most Dangerous routes...

[small fish]

Interesting report on today's MEN website.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1072505_citys_most_dangerous_cycle_routes

As you might expect Oxford Road and Wilmslow road seem to be most dangerous, and all the readers comments are somewhat predictable... ie it's all our fault for jumping lights, going on the pavement and not having lights/hi-viz

 

[fossyant]

Sheesh..... like the idiot who thinks cycling is for kids...... fat git !

Oxford Road is a classic place where you will see some god damn awful cycling - fact - I avoid it for fear of ramming the idiots that swerve all over....

 

[fofo]

The comments section reads like that of the Daily Mail when discussing asylum seekers; we are to blame for Manchester's ignorant drivers, congestion, we're all supposed to cycle in cycle lanes despite them being full of broken glass and half of them taken up by parked cars and because some cyclists jump lights we are all tarred with the same brush. Fabulous. I am glad we have such courteous drivers.

 

[small fish]

To be fair, the comment suggesting that oil on bicycle chains is something we should be concerned about is one I haven't heard before...!

I work on Oxford Road but - don't cycle down it unless there's no other option.

 

[fofo]

When the ice caps have melted and everyone is sat on Everest they will all be cursing cyclists for using a few drops of oil to lubricate our chains.

 

[janm399]

I don't even bother reading the comments. Most seem to be written by frustrated and unfit sales-managery types (apologies to all sales managers, but I guess you all know what I mean) who are annoyed that we take "their roads" and that we slow them down on their race to the next set of lights.

At the same time, the vast majority of drivers are still polite and considerate. I guess this short video explains the transformation from "human" into "driver" much better:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZAZ_xu0DCg&feature=related
.

 

[BentMikey]

That's excellent, Jan, I've posted that on my facebook.

 

[simoncc]

I was pleased to see the A56 from south Manchester into the city centre wasn't one of the routes marked in red. I'm not surprised the Oxford Rd area is though - too many students wobbling about inexpertly on bikes while hundreds of buses compete for business.

 

[maxcherry]

I used too live in manchester and yes the roads are congested, with despatch riders, vans, buses (don't get me started on buses and the part about using cycle lanes (god strewth) unless you have forthy inch tread and capable of bunny hoping over parked cars like a monster truck theres not a chance in hell. who are these folks. yes bikes use oil but not at the same amount as the bus infront that's leaking oil and coolent all over the road, what do folks want cyclist to uses second hand chip fat and grow wings and fly over traffic, mind you if that happend you'd have the aviation authority jumping on the I HATE CYCLIST band waggon.

 

[fofo]

I was pleased to see the A56 from south Manchester into the city centre wasn't one of the routes marked in red. I'm not surprised the Oxford Rd area is though - too many students wobbling about inexpertly on bikes while hundreds of buses compete for business.

chances are there are many more cyclists on Wilmslow road than there are on any other road into Manchester. I am not surprised that Chorlton Road/Upper Chorlton Road are not on there as the roads are nice and wide and generally the drivers on them are fairly courteous and that even goes for the bus drivers

 

[janm399]

The A56 can be pretty scary, but because it is double carriage road, it feels safer; the cars quite often overtake in the right lane rather than trying to squeeze past.
The A6, on the other hand, is a death trap -- at least for me. I got left-hooked two years ago there going from Stockport towards Heaton Moor. I ended up with a broken wrist (and a new bike ).

 

[small fish]

fofo do you cycle from chorlton..?

I do Upper Chorlton Road and Chorlton Road every day. Wish they hadn't painted the stupid cycle lanes all over the place though.

 

[ellis]

Nice and safe in North Manchester!...

 

[fossyant]

The A6, on the other hand, is a death trap -- at least for me. I got left-hooked two years ago there going from Stockport towards Heaton Moor. I ended up with a broken wrist (and a new bike ).

Snap...well 12 years ago for me - in Levenshulme.....

 

[fofo]

fofo do you cycle from chorlton..?

I do Upper Chorlton Road and Chorlton Road every day. Wish they hadn't painted the stupid cycle lanes all over the place though.

Yeah that's my route. Cycle lanes? surely you mean extra parking spaces?

looking forward to them finishing the resurfacing of Chorlton Road near the Whalley dodging the raised ironworks is getting a bit boring