Police closed roads - do they let cyclist through?

[PaulSecteur]

Hi,

Im going to be commuting soon I have been off the bike for too long and need to build up to the 20 miles each way.

Anyhow... a few days ago I was doing a reccie of a route that means I have to come out of Stafford on the A449 and head into penkridge and back home through the back lanes. Due to some incident, the police had clased the road just as it goes over the railway bridge... https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=52.77481,-2.109922&spn=0.005712,0.00765&t=h&z=17
As it happened, on that day I was in my car, and knew the alternative route to backtrack a few miles and go down the a34.

But supposing I had been on my bike, and the situation was different meaning a back track of 5 or more miles... would the police let a cyclist through?

 

[PK99]

Hi,

Im going to be commuting soon I have been off the bike for too long and need to build up to the 20 miles each way.

Anyhow... a few days ago I was doing a reccie of a route that means I have to come out of Stafford on the A449 and head into penkridge and back home through the back lanes. Due to some incident, the police had clased the road just as it goes over the railway bridge... https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=52.77481,-2.109922&spn=0.005712,0.00765&t=h&z=17
As it happened, on that day I was in my car, and knew the alternative route to backtrack a few miles and go down the a34.

But supposing I had been on my bike, and the situation was different meaning a back track of 5 or more miles... would the police let a cyclist through?

Depends on the reason for the closure...

I came a cross a murder scene some time ago and the roads and track around were closed to all access. Ditto when i found a body (suicide) in the grand union - tow poath and ajacent road were immediately closed to all access.

 

[L14M]

Depends on what it is, something like a murder, crash etc no.. if its a fire then maybe yes!
All depends on the cops too!

 

[ianrauk]

Depends on the situation and/or the incident. If it's a nasty one they usually turn you back. If it's nothing too bad then they will probably allow you through but by walking the bike.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have always gone up to them and asked politely if it is possible for a cyclist to get around. If it is not, they have usually been very helpful in coming up with a sensible alternative. Politeness goes a long way and recently it has gotten me through 5 or 6 road closed signs with a couple of road workers helping me get my bike over a fallen tree to avoid a lengthy detour or a ride down a local NSL dual carriageway called the A556...

Ask politely if it is possible, is the answer.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Ask politely, explain TRUTHFULLY your destination/reason for the need to ride the road.

Respect the officer's decision whichever side it falls on.

If turned down, accept it, wish the officer well, and resume your slightly longer journey.

If allowed through thank the officer, ride through and don't stop/gawk/get in the way of the incident being dealt with.

Thank the officer at the other end of the road closure.

A small stretch of A road I commute on gets shut on average 4/6 times a year during commute times. I always get through by adopting a respectful attitude.

 

[Sara_H]

It depends on the circmstances. Part of my route home had been closed of due to an RTC once, the police woman directing the traffic let me ride along the pavement to the other side of the road block.

 

[Rustybucket]

I once got turned back from an angry police man in shepherds bush, thinking back he was all kitted out in a bulletproof vest, probably did me a favour...

 

[ColinJ]

I have been turned back when a road was closed due to a fatal RTA, and also on the Pain in the Pennines Sportive which turned out to be due to the discovery of a body in a reservoir that we were supposed to ride past!

I was out on another ride once when I came across a police roadblock. It would have required me to do a very long detour so I had a word with the police officer. He explained that a motorcyclist going one way and a car driver going the other had both apparently decided to go round the same blind bend in the middle of the road. The motorcyclist was very badly injured in the resulting collision and was being tended to by paramedics in the field next to the road before being taken to hospital by the waiting air ambulance. I was allowed to go through on the promise that I would walk my bike along the grass verge and not disturb any of the debris in the road which would be of interest to the accident investigation team when they arrived on the scene.

 

[martint235]

I have always gone up to them and asked politely if it is possible for a cyclist to get around. If it is not, they have usually been very helpful in coming up with a sensible alternative. Politeness goes a long way and recently it has gotten me through 5 or 6 road closed signs with a couple of road workers helping me get my bike over a fallen tree to avoid a lengthy detour or a ride down a local NSL dual carriageway called the A556...

Ask politely if it is possible, is the answer.

This. Just have a chat to the officer there. For one thing it tends to satisfy my curiousity of what's going on. Sometimes they turn you round, sometimes they let you cycle on the pavement, sometimes they tell you to walk it on the pavement. The last time it happened to me a bus had shed its diesel over a couple of miles of the south Circular. Policeyman said I could ride it if I wanted to but he'd really rather I walked it up the pavement.