Spoilt day.

[bigjim]

I went out withthe club on Sunday. Plenty of sunshine promised. Destination Hebden Bridge. A decent ride through Bury, Rochdale, Littleborough. Then we dropped down into Todmorden and fought heavy traffic into Hebden. After lunch we headed back down the road towards Littleborough and Hollingworth lake, across into Milnrow, Rochdale, Heywood and home. It was a nightmare! From leaving Hebden the traffic never stopped! It was stood still at Hollingworth lake and all the way into Milnrow. We were forced to ride on the outside of the standing traffic, as a few times cars deliberately moved into the gutter to stop us passing on the inside. Drivers were aggressive and frustrated. Traffic fimes were choking. You could not relax or get into a rhythm. The sun certainly shined but this was the first club ride that I did not enjoy and was glad to get home for some peace. I wonder if others are getting a bit disullusioned as I am? Offroad biking is looking attractive at the moment.

 

[derrick]

You need a good ride leader to avoid the traffic.Finding nice lanes round here is easy enough, But we do have a couple of miles of busy roads before we get to them. If we do come across busy roads i try and find another route, But it's not always easy.

 

[Pennine-Paul]

I used to live in Oldham and returning from Hebden Bridge on a Sunday was a pain with all the traffic,I usually peeled off and joined the Rochdale canal towpath at Littleborough, it's a good tarmac surface and totally avoids the bottleneck around Hollingworth lake.

 

[kiriyama]

I try to plan all my routes to avoid any traffic, there is always another road. Easier when you know the roads like the back of your hand. I get very frustrated with traffic and can't understand why anyone would commute by car unless they REALLY had to.

 

[bigjim]

You need a good ride leader to avoid the traffic.Finding nice lanes round here is easy enough, But we do have a couple of miles of busy roads before we get to them. If we do come across busy roads i try and find another route, But it's not always easy.

I was the ride leader on the way back! There is no alternatives on that route but A & B roads. The canal path is a no no for road bikes. narrow, cobbled and gravel stretches and it would be packed with walkers. I've used it a few times on a tourer but it's slow going. I guess it's the first sunny Sunday thing that brings out the hordes of motorists that were just going nowhere. Overcrowded country.

 

[Vantage]

I wonder if others are getting a bit disullusioned as I am? Offroad biking is looking attractive at the moment.

Yep. I certainly am.
I've personally given up on my club but on Wednesday I decided to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and headed off for Bretherton via as many little backroads as I could find.
Compared to say...5 or so years ago, all the little backroads have been discovered by motorists who use them as rat runs to avoid you guessed it...traffic.
By the time I was coming back through Horwich my blood was boiling and I was literally waiting for that unlucky driver to do something stupid just so I could rip them from the driver seat and kick their bloody head in.
When I got home I told my fiancée I was giving up cycling. I've since calmed down, but even todays little 10 miler had me on edge.
Come summer, my tourer will be dusty or mucky from offroading.

 

[steve50]

I tend to think it was just the first taste of spring that brought everyone out, hollingworth lake can be busy at the best of times (though I can't see the attraction myself). Once spring gets here proper people will get over the excitement of seeing a bit of sunshine and all will settle down again

 

[Velominati]

I don't know why but reading bigjim's post just made me feel sad, I guess its the fact that once again I'm hearing stories of car drivers forcing cyclists to give up the road, You should never have to read that a cyclist was 'glad to get home'. I really hope that things settle down and he can get back to enjoying his ride.

 

[bigjim]

I decided to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and headed off for Bretherton via as many little backroads as I could find.

Bretherton is a regular run of ours. To that cafe that doubles as a curio shop. We also try the narrow lanes that are getting busier. I've maybe been spoilt by ten days in Portugal last month.

I can't see it getting better in the UK as our population increases but the number of roads don't. I'm concerned that road cycling days are becoming numbered in this once lovely country.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I gave up road riding when i had my 3rd off of the year last June. I took up riding the canal towpaths and similar routes. After a while it gets boring. Maybe i missed the aggro with motorists? Anyway, after a few months i was back on the roads. I just avoid riding in the rush hours and avoid the congested roads, but i know that's not always possible for roadie commuters.

 

[Big John]

We're losing the battle to traffic. Our quiet lanes are now rat runs, even on Sundays. Traffic flows like water. When it overflows it finds other routes - our lanes. We have to believe it will get better or we'd all pack up and buy mountain bikes. It's a sad state of affairs, for sure, but we can't let the cars beat us, can we?

 

[ColinJ]

Yes - the traffic IS getting worse on these valley roads. I try to get off them onto the quieter, more scenic hilltop roads whenever I can.

I will actually be riding out on that valley road from Todmorden to Littleborough in about 9 hours time on my forum ride. Hopefully, it won't be too bad at that time in the morning. We will be continuing to Milnrow and Newhey, but then turning off for Denshaw and Buckstones which is usually a lot quieter. After that, it will be quieter roads back to Mytholmroyd and then another short stint on the A646 before we take to the hills again.

 

[Brandane]

We are fortunate up here in that the population is not as dense as down south, but even so I have noticed an increase in traffic recently. I reckon it's got a lot to do with the fall in petrol prices (not that I'm complaining as I like my motor bike as well as cycling). The drivers who just go out for a pointless drive may be re-appearing after having given it up for a while. I live in a seaside town which is a magnet for the "let's go for a run in the car at 40 mph no matter the limit" brigade, who are a PITA both on the road, and at their destination!

 

[ColinJ]

Yes - the traffic IS getting worse on these valley roads. I try to get off them onto the quieter, more scenic hilltop roads whenever I can.

I will actually be riding out on that valley road from Todmorden to Littleborough in about 9 hours time on my forum ride. Hopefully, it won't be too bad at that time in the morning. We will be continuing to Milnrow and Newhey, but then turning off for Denshaw and Buckstones which is usually a lot quieter. After that, it will be quieter roads back to Mytholmroyd and then another short stint on the A646 before we take to the hills again.

The traffic had built up by then so I led us the quiet way instead - along the Calder Valley Cycleway, then a quiet road through Fairfield on the south side of Hebden Bridge. That brought us out next to HB Co-op, having let us skip over 2 miles of the busy main road.

 

[Katherine]

I think the problem last Sunday, was that it was the first warm dry weekend of the year. I was with a group that went through Cheshire to Adlington and although we were on some quiet roads, everywhere was busy. It seemed to take longer to get everyone through junctions.