Why do some people cycle down a dual carriageway?

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Admiral Huddy said:
Here starts the Cyclist -v- Motorist debate !! :rolleyes:
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Major post count bump here we go! :D

soundood said:
my brother in-law, was drivng back one night (11.30pm) from his dads in hindhead, it was raining hard, and he turned a corner on a dual carriageway and smacked a guy from behind on a cycle. (he had no lights)

the guy went through the windscreen and crushed his hand on the wheel, he lost his middle finger, the cyclist lost his life.

the cyclist was a class A honours student over from india on invite, to progress his studies in the UK, he was 22, he had been here just under 2 months.

my brother in law was found not to be at blame, after a long investigation, and the inquest found it to be accidental death

just such a waste, my brother in law, is still in therapy with nightmares etc :(
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There was a Traffic Cops programme on BBC iPlayer a few months ago where a woman did the exact same thing, going 70mph at night round a left turning bend and she hit a cyclist and killed him. He had no lights as well and she didn't even realise she hit a person.

The girl was distraught once the police went to her house to tell her she killed someone, in the end found not to be at fault.
 
Oh good god not this again. I'm gonna go for 65% of the posts in this thread will be retarded.

Not sure if mine is classed as such though, kinda borderline.
 
moogle said:
There was a Traffic Cops programme on BBC iPlayer a few months ago where a woman did the exact same thing, going 70mph at night round a left turning bend and she hit a cyclist and killed him. He had no lights as well and she didn't even realise she hit a person.

The girl was distraught once the police went to her house to tell her she killed someone, in the end found not to be at fault.
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Saw that myself, she thought she had hit a Deer, but her Father and Brother realised it was clearly something much worse and phoned the Police.

Wasn't the cyclist also found to be slightly intoxicated when they did tests on the body as well, I can't remember?

You would have to be to attempt cycling on an unlit dual carriageway with no lights.
 
Nexus said:
Saw that myself, she thought she had hit a Deer, but her Father and Brother realised it was clearly something much worse and phoned the Police.

Wasn't the cyclist also found to be slightly intoxicated when they did tests on the body as well, I can't remember?

You would have to be to attempt cycling on an unlit dual carriageway with no lights.
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I think so, I remember he had a musical instrument case with him or something. Could be the reason he did decide to cycle there as he would have known he's not allowed to.

I agree cycling at night without lights or high-vis vest even is signing your own death warrant.

However cycling on a dual carriageway might be a little crazy but it's allowed. Plus I think the speed limit on them is 40mph.
 
moogle said:
I think so, I remember he had a musical instrument case with him or something. Could be the reason he did decide to cycle there as he would have known he's not allowed to.

I agree cycling at night without lights or high-vis vest even is signing your own death warrant.

However cycling on a dual carriageway might be a little crazy but it's allowed. Plus I think the speed limit on them is 40mph.
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50mph IIRC

The guy was an idiot for cycling drunk with no lights in the dark on a carriageway.
 
paradisiac said:
motorists pay road tax, cyclists do not. therefore motorist wins :p
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No one pays road tax, however everyone pays VED on the amount of carbon they produce per mile. As pedestrians and cyclists are below the limit, similarly electric cars/hybrids...They don't pay anything.:p

scorza said:
For all their bitching about lack of cycle lanes, cyclists don't actually like cycle lanes so it wouldn't solve anything
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Cyclists love cycle lanes, however the clue is in the name, not path, lane...

Give cyclists a four-six ft wide clean lane to cycle on where pedestrians don't wonder all over it and car rubbish isn't and it will be used. Unfortunately most lanes are just a 1.5-2ft wide strip painted on at the edge of a proper road lane or on a path shared by pedestrians. Fine if you're cycling along at 5 miles an hour but rather dangerous if you are doing 15+mph.

Something like these would be ideal...

copenhagen_cycle_path.jpg


3ae194f1323dff3773ed8be89129_grande.jpg


EDIT: Actually this one isn't, in fact it's a prime example of why so many cyclists don't use what appear to be perfectly fine cycle lanes. See the blue box on the pavement? See the car on the left hand side in the distance. It's not a cycle lane at all, it's a parking lane with a bike drawn on it... :rolleyes:

This would be fairly ok...

Waterloo_bus_lane.jpg


However most cycle lanes/paths are more like this...

cycle_lane.jpg[


Cbad_Cycle_Lanes_by_Warr_001.jpg


So with the latter for anyone with an ounce of road knowledge and speed the road is a safer place.

I agree though, most dual carriageways are certainly not good for a cyclist, way too many speeding motorists.
 
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moogle said:
I think so, I remember he had a musical instrument case with him or something. Could be the reason he did decide to cycle there as he would have known he's not allowed to.

I agree cycling at night without lights or high-vis vest even is signing your own death warrant.

However cycling on a dual carriageway might be a little crazy but it's allowed. Plus I think the speed limit on them is 40mph.
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What? The speed limit on a dual carriageway is 70mph unless otherwise stated.
 
I know we have a forums lurker and he may email me with the exact facts.
His brother (my mate) was coming home from JCB down the A50 from Uttoxeter and got hit at about 60 mph from behind by a lorry which carried him about 200 yards and left him in the last lay-by before the roundabout where you turn left to Stoke.
The lorry driver carried on but heard a sound coming from the front so pulled over to find some of his bike wedged and he realised he had felt a bit of a bump a couple of mile back.
He turned round and made his way back up the carriageway where he noticed my mate waving.
Paramedics came but that stretch of road is about 8 miles with no turn off so one got out while the ambulance did a massive U turn.
My mate was very lucky but some of his injuries included 180 stitches, two punctured lungs, loads of broken ribs, two broken hips, 5 crushed vertebrae and he became 2" shorter.
As soon as was possible the daft bugger got straight back on again.
 
Pudney said:
Slightly OT but isn't it illegal to cycle whilst intoxicated? That may be a recollection from some traffic cops type show.
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Yes, it is illegal to be in control of a bicycle while intoxicated. However it doesn't work the same as being drunk while motoring is. You don't require a licence to use one, so you won't be getting points or a suspension, end up in court etc.

I have in the past seen Police giving cyclists tickets in Soho, where they have witnessed people leaving pubs on a Friday night and jumping straight on their bikes while clearly wobbling a lot. It's basically just an on the spot fine and told not to use the bike and go home.

It's not really a great idea though.
I once tried to cycle my mountain bike while drunk... I'll add that this was in another country, on a specially designed cycle trail, late at night in a village, so I was nowhere near any roads.
It usually took me 5 minutes to cycle to where I lived. It took me 30 minutes and I fell off into a hedge at least twice!
Not good, not good!
 
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moogle said:
You're right, I'm thinking of the smaller A-roads.
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The NSL on an A road is 60 unless in residential areas where it's 30. Of course some roads have their own restrictions.

Hope you don't drive :p

Nexus said:
Yes, it is illegal to be in control of a bicycle while intoxicated. However it doesn't work the same as being drunk while motoring is. You don't require a licence to use one, so you won't be getting points or a suspension, end up in court etc.
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Thought there was something like that, cheers! :D
 
tomoW1 said:
What annoys me is when there is a perfectly good, purpose-built cycle path along the pavement; But they still choose to cycle in the road.

Dey turk err roads!
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What's your definition of 'perfectly good'? Most cycle tracks are rubbish, built by folks who don't have a clue what cyclists want. Additionally, most accidents happen where roads and cycle paths meet (I'll dig out the research when I get to a PC) so its safer to stay on the road if you have to rejoin it later.

sketchytom said:
Only a retard would cycle on a dual carriage way plain and simple. there is always another route

i cycle everywhere now i no longer have a motorbike but i just stick to a path since im not putting lights on my bike. already out of pocket 50 quid for my lights that got robbed off it
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Lots of routes require dual carriage ways; most riding around Box Hill in Surrey (including the Olympic road race route) requires riding on the A24. There is also an annual time trial straight done the A24 from Kingston to Worthing.

Riding on the footpath and riding without lights are pretty foolish.
 
Ahleckz said:
Few roads are 40mph, the majority will be 30 (built up areas), 60 (single carriageways) or 70 (dual carriageways). Stick to these targets unless there happens to be a 40/50 sign.
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Pudney said:
The NSL on an A road is 60 unless in residential areas where it's 30. Of course some roads have their own restrictions.

Hope you don't drive :p
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I was thinking about the A406 mainly :)

But yeah I don't drive





yet...
 
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