Today A11 Norfolk- Time Trial (Not good)

[Drago]

Most, though not all, riders have a flashing rear light set on stun so I honestly don't know how anyone could fail to notice it!

The OP noticed them, yet seems strangely annoyed.

They're conspicuous to a careful and competent road user, theyre behaving in a lawful manner, what's the big deal?

Sure, some HUA pilot could take one out, but they could do that anywhere. Even kids playing in secure school playgrounds aren't safe from them, as several such recent incidents have shown, but I don't see the OP shaking his head and tutting whenever the play time bell rings.

Im afraid that the opening post is, with the greatest respect, nothing more than Daily Mail level histrionics. Stop blaming victims, or potential victims, for the behaviour of the careless or the criminal.

 

[PeteXXX]

Mine was a general post re observation, particularly from a driver at the top end Hierarchy of Road Users rather than OP specific but I get what you mean.

 

[JonBuoy]

This was a 10 mile TT on the A11 yesterday but it was in Cambridgeshire: https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/events/41786-lea-valley-cc-10

 

[annedonnelly]

I drive a truck along the A11 fairly often early on a Sunday morning and expect to see a TT going on, though I haven't for a while.
Most, though not all, riders have a flashing rear light set on stun so I honestly don't know how anyone could fail to notice it!

A policewoman was killed on a dual carriageway in Northumberland recently when a car driver ploughed into the back of her police car. The policewoman was setting up a road closure after an accident and the police car must have had its blue lights flashing. If someone could fail to notice that - in the dark - they can fail to notice anything.

 

[PaulSB]

I drive a truck along the A11 fairly often early on a Sunday morning and expect to see a TT going on, though I haven't for a while.
Most, though not all, riders have a flashing rear light set on stun so I honestly don't know how anyone could fail to notice it!

As a truck has a maximum powered speed of 56 mph (90kph) and a TT bike is, guessing here, 30 mph (?) I have time to see, react & indicate to pass. A car driver will probably see the truck & me indicating but will not see why I'm wanting to pull out as any sight of the cyclist is blocked by the truck & trailer.

I did have it once where I moved over a lane, to overtake, and was undertaken by a car driver whereas if I hadn't been on my toes the rider would have likely been killed.
The rider must have been riding high on the saddle after that!! 💩

The rear light is a CTT requirement, and has been for several years. The organiser should have a strict no light, no ride policy. I think, but I'm not sure, a front light is now a requirement. My own lights are visible from at least 350 - 400 yards, I fail to see how any driver could not see me. That doesn't though prevent them from hitting one. I know from painful experience and a shoot tractor driver!

 

[HLaB]

This was a 10 mile TT on the A11 yesterday but it was in Cambridgeshire: https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/events/41786-lea-valley-cc-10

Ahh the E2/10 in Cabridgeshire not Norfolk as per the thread title. Most folk get a good time on it, so it used to be oversubscribed even with 120-160 places but you'll get in now more easily but its still popular. Most folk set a PB on it, except me when I done it last.

 

[HLaB]

The rear light is a CTT requirement, and has been for several years. The organiser should have a strict no light, no ride policy. I think, but I'm not sure, a front light is now a requirement. My own lights are visible from at least 350 - 400 yards, I fail to see how any driver could not see me. That doesn't though prevent them from hitting one. I know from painful experience and a shoot tractor driver!

Front lights are a requirement now. For the last 3 or 4 years they've been mandatory. Sorry about your crash and I hope everything is sorted now!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

were surprised to see time trialists riding along the dual carriageway

It is not a motorway and you should not be surprised to see people cycling on it. Please drive as though on a road where you should expect more vulnerable road users to be. As that is what it is.

 

[honeybadger]

As my avatar suggests I’ve been racing competitively doing TT’s for a number of years, on both DC and single carriage ways and always felt safer on DC roads. The line of sight is generally much greater, giving approaching motorists plenty of time to spot a rider up ahead and move over into the second lane. Single carriage roads mean they have to move over into the opposite side of the road, sometimes making a rash overtake with oncoming cars coming the other way, thus giving you a close pass. My team also organizes open events on a DC that I help to marshal and big, day glow placards saying cycle event are put up at every minor road coming onto the DC (as per the CTT rulings) All marshals wear hi-viz tabards at the turn around roundabout and major junctions. Basically everything that can be done to make motorists aware that a cycle event is on is put in place.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Haven't read details of how it happened, but a cyclist was killed in Dorset recently, riding an electric unicycle on a dual carriageway. The mind boggles.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg53p7g5n4go

 

[simongt]

When I used to live in Suffolk in the mid 70s, it was common to see times trials on the dual carriageway heading towards Colchester / Chelmsford.
But of course, the traffic wasn't as heavy then.

 

[katiewlx]

What I’m saying is there should be signs warning other road users, even more important if there is a race meet at Snetterton.

fwiw I dont know they even use that course anymore, but I do know when there were organised events, there were plenty of warning signs, riders always had very bright rear lights, there were often marshals standing in hi-viz along parts of the course or where they thought drivers might miss what was going on, there would be multiple riders on the course, as even when there arent events at the track, theres usually a car boot sale/sunday market, and theres a bunch of delivery companies based around there thesedays

and its like a dead straight bit of road for most of it (which is its problem), but if you cant see on a straight bit of road whats ahead of you to avoid it, because it could be a slow moving tractor, it could be someone has stopped because of an accident or congestion, should you even be driving ?

unfortunately as I say its problem is its straight and so people feel they can often not bother looking at the road ahead and play with their phones more. Its the kind of road the police dont have to try very hard to catch people breaking the law, more often speeding, but the speed often results in crashes, or they catch them on phones, watching youtube videos and so on, they caught nearly 900 drivers around Snetterton speeding recently, and not at the track obviously, but its the place in Norfolk with the highest rates of speeding offences, followed by Wymondham which is just down the A11.

so the problem is the driving, not the cyclists doing a tt, if these drivers arent killing cyclists, theyre just driving into each other. so it becomes a dangerous road to cycle on purely because drivers arent capable of driving safely on it.

 

[katiewlx]

When I used to live in Suffolk in the mid 70s, it was common to see times trials on the dual carriageway heading towards Colchester / Chelmsford.
But of course, the traffic wasn't as heavy then.

but certainly IME the A12 or A14 (was A45) were never like so busy with traffic that you never had enough time to see the riders and not be able to move immediately into the outside lane to safely pass them, it wasnt like omg theres a cyclist what do I do, not that they ever were taking up the inside lane anyway most of them seemed to ride just shy of the outer line markings avoiding most of the debris that ends up there.

youd see the signs, youd see the riders, even at 70mph you had plenty of time to safely give them the road space theyd need, even the lorries if you just happened to catch them off a sailing or heading towards the ports, theyd move over, youd sync up with their speed and again plenty of time and space to handle it.

I dont tend to catch them thesedays as most often than not Im out cycling myself, not on the dual carriageways TTing, though Ive ridden bits of the A12 dual carriageway, which was an experience I must say, because even when there is an outside lane free it seems modern drivers dont like to change lanes much. but I dont feel the traffic is super heavy on the courses that are still used.

 

[Sharky]

My own view of time trials and tt courses, are they are safer than general riding.

Never crashed in a time trial, but have had numerous spills when riding by myself, including fractured pelvis and collarbone twice.

I know riders have been killed, riding TTs, but only one in an event that I have ridden and that was 60 years ago on the J14 course and the rider had ridden into the back of a parked car. I was about 20 minutes behind him, it wasn't a pretty sight when I passed him, surrounded by people.

Contrasting that with three clubmates, who came to grief just commuting and/or leisure riding.

I've ridden some of the "fast" courses of dual carriage ways, O2 (A1), E72(A12) and courses with U turns and they seemed safe, especially when the start times were 6am.

I do wonder why Saturday afternoon events were allowed though.

The biggest risk on these dual carriage ways courses, were those that had lengthy slip roads and riders were expected to keep on the main road. However, most of these were mitigated, by making the riders leave via the slip road and rejoining it on the other side. Sadly a lot of these courses are no longer used, but with increasing traffic counts, perhaps for the best.

The only course I now ride is the one used for our evening 10's. This is a single carriage way road, but does get some very big lorries on the course. However, a lot of the lorries are from the continent and their drivers seem very aware and courteous and gives riders good space when overtaking.