Cyclists, motorways and pseudomotorways

jonesjjff@hotmail.com

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
.....
>
> Motorways are restricted roads closed to a variety of slower-
> moving traffic including horses, low-power motorcycles and
> learners. They are generally designed and built as restricted
> roads. This is done almost entirely for the benefit of car
> drivers.

In Canada, that would certainly be true. Freeways and toll roads are
built for motorized traffic only, just as railroads are restricted to a
particular class of vehicle. (We also have busways for buses only.)
When a public highway is converted to a freeway, adequate alternative
routes have to exist or be provided, e.g. the adding of a parallel
service road.
One of the reasons we are able to successfully fight the occasional
municipal "bike ban" is because "public highways" are exactly that -
highways for public use, and the right to travel on them goes back at
least to Roman times and I'd imagine is well-established in English
common law. Many of our legal precedents are inherited from the latter.


There's an interesting related article on a US bike ban at:
http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/7346.0.html

JFJ, Canada

Simon Brooke

in message <cr0kt2$p7e$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>, Tony B
('tonySPAMTRAPbramah@involutedesign.fsnet.co.uk') wrote:

> FWIW i think you would have to have rocks in your head to want to ride
> on an M-Way. Noisy, busy, boring - that's enough to put me off even
> before we get to risk of puncture/accident...

Ah, now, I have long wanted to have the M6 cleared of pesky motor
vehicles so I could join it at Shap and then head either north or south
depending on the wind on the day. That would have to be the longest
free-wheel in Britain!

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Simon Brooke

in message <Pine.SGI.4.44.0412300205060.813072-100000@mercy.ncl.ac.uk>,
Kit Wolf ('kit@brain.ncl.ac.uk') wrote:

> On Wed, 29 Dec 2004, Epetruk wrote:
>
>> I know that cyclists are forbidden to cycle on motorways. I'm
>> guessing that the intent here is to prevent cyclists from being
>> injured by fast moving cars.
>
> AIUI one of the major dangers when there's fast traffic about is that
> you can be sucked under HGVs. IIRC Bicycling Science (Wilson, MIT
> press 2004) says that a lorry passing close can have the same effect
> as a 25N shove, which is quite a lot.

I have had this happen. Many years ago (1972), I was cycling from
Lancaster to Manchester, and somewhere along the route (towards the
Manchester end of the journey) crossed a motorway on one of the
roundabouts. An unladen flat-bed artic came up off the motorway at
speed and passed me close.

My memory is quite vivid and yet at the same time I can't really believe
it is true - sort of a cross between a memory and a nightmare. I was
very badly frightened. So the following is what I /remember/ happening.
I'm not absolutely certain in my mind that it is what /did/ happen.

The tractor unit went past me very close on my right and there was, as
you say, considerable suction. I remember being sucked in under the
deck. I remember the tie-down hooks on the edge of the load deck going
past my /left/ ear, implying that at least the whole of my head was
actually under the load deck. I don't really remember what happened
next, but when recounting the story I've said that I got blown out by
the air stream in front of the back wheels. This may be true, or
possibly I swerved to safety, or possibly my memory is exaggerated and
I wasn't really that far under. I don't remember having time to make a
voluntary correcting move. It certainly all happened very quickly
indeed.

The next thing I remember with any clarity is sitting on the kerb
outside a suburban pharmacy, shaking with adrenaline reaction and
gobbling down glucose tablets

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; All in all you're just another nick in the ball
-- Think Droid

JLB

Simon Brooke wrote:

[close encounter with wagon on roundabout]
>
> The tractor unit went past me very close on my right and there was, as
> you say, considerable suction. I remember being sucked in under the
> deck. I remember the tie-down hooks on the edge of the load deck going
> past my /left/ ear, implying that at least the whole of my head was
> actually under the load deck. I don't really remember what happened
> next, but when recounting the story I've said that I got blown out by
> the air stream in front of the back wheels. This may be true, or
> possibly I swerved to safety, or possibly my memory is exaggerated and
> I wasn't really that far under. I don't remember having time to make a
> voluntary correcting move. It certainly all happened very quickly
> indeed.

Just guessing, but as the wagon passed, you were trying to counter the
force moving you rightwards towards the wagon. If that force suddenly
lessened towards the rear of the trailer, you would swerve leftwards
without any further action on your part. Just like it can happen if you
are riding in a strong sidewind, and it suddenly stops.

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

JLB

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <cr0kt2$p7e$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>, Tony B
> ('tonySPAMTRAPbramah@involutedesign.fsnet.co.uk') wrote:
>
>
>>FWIW i think you would have to have rocks in your head to want to ride
>>on an M-Way. Noisy, busy, boring - that's enough to put me off even
>>before we get to risk of puncture/accident...
>
>
> Ah, now, I have long wanted to have the M6 cleared of pesky motor
> vehicles so I could join it at Shap and then head either north or south
> depending on the wind on the day. That would have to be the longest
> free-wheel in Britain!
>
I find the A6 is a reasonable substitute. Quite enjoyed riding over Shap.

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

Peter Headland

The point is that one does not have to cross them at all - on at one,
off at the next. I agree 100% that crossing merge lanes of all kinds is
one of the most dangerous manoeuvres on a bike.

--
Peter Headland

Tim Woodall

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 19:35:11 -0000,
Simon Mason <simon@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:
> I can see what you mean. For example, the A1 has several sections where it
> becomes the A1(M). You can cycle on the A1, but not the A1(M) and there is
> no discernable difference, except the signs are blue and there may be an
> extra lane.
>
> Dunno mate, it's like a lot of things in this country. Someone writes a bit
> of paper saying you can or can't do this or that - and that's it!
>
> I wouldn't cycle on the A1 anyway, so I won't lose much sleep over it ;-)
>
But there are a lot of differences.

For example, you will NEVER find a slip-lane to turn right from the
right hand lane of a motorway (somebody is now going to tell me there is
some motorway in Scotland that does :-)
ditto, you will never find traffic attempting to turn right across the
the traffic on a motorway.
You will never find bus-stops on a motorway either.

The fact that many drivers can't tell the difference, and drive as
though all roads were motorways, is the reason that the accident rate is
higher on A roads than on motorways.

Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/

JLB

Tim Woodall wrote:
[snip]

> For example, you will NEVER find a slip-lane to turn right from the
> right hand lane of a motorway (somebody is now going to tell me there is
> some motorway in Scotland that does :-)
> ditto, you will never find traffic attempting to turn right across the
> the traffic on a motorway.

There are "chicanes" ratherlike those in good old Scalextric included in
the Newcastle upon Tyne motorway: two entirely separate carriageways
merge and cross over, giving the drivers who enter from either
carriageway a choice of exiting to the left or right.

It works fine as long as the drivers are used to it. Now and then a
driver who has never seen anything like it comes along, and hilarity ensues.
--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

Simon Brooke

in message <cr9qrq$ou9$1$830fa795@news.demon.co.uk>, JLB
('JLB@bigbad.demon.co.uk') wrote:

> Tim Woodall wrote:
> [snip]
>
>> For example, you will NEVER find a slip-lane to turn right from the
>> right hand lane of a motorway (somebody is now going to tell me there
>> is some motorway in Scotland that does :-)

The M8 at Charing Cross, to be precise; I think it's junction 19.

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us
;; many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets.
;; Imagination without skill gives us modern art.
;; Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase

David Hansen

On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 21:04:20 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be Tim
Woodall <devnull@woodall.me.uk> wrote this:-

>But there are a lot of differences.
>
>For example, you will NEVER find a slip-lane to turn right from the
>right hand lane of a motorway (somebody is now going to tell me there is
>some motorway in Scotland that does :-)

Correct. The M8 in Glasgow has a number of "features" that motorways
supposedly do not feature. Scotland also has the M90, which has no
hard shoulder in most places, though there are fairly frequent
emergency laybys instead.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

David Hansen

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:24:44 +0000 someone who may be JLB
<JLB@bigbad.demon.co.uk> wrote this:-

>I once needed to get from the middle of Dublin to Dublin Airport early
>on a Sunday morning. Could I hell find that alternative non-motorway
>route (it does exist, but for some reason it was particularly well
>hidden on this occasion).

Eurotunnel operate a service to convey cycles to and from France,
which they decided to show to "cycling" journalists.

Being an example of Thatcherism the Eurotunnel terminal is not
accessible by the public, except via a motorway. Thus cyclists
either have to negotiate the motorway, or be picked up elsewhere.
This the neglected to mention to A to B magazine:-)


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

David Hansen

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 20:22:37 +0000 someone who may be JLB
<JLB@bigbad.demon.co.uk> wrote this:-

>Motorways were a new phenomenon and it was not difficult to create new
>rules for them. Other roads, even A roads, have a long history and
>various rights associated with them. It would be contentious to remove
>the established rights of a class of road users;

That is precisely what the "cycle friendly" City of Edinburgh
Council have just done on the A90. They lost all the arguments, but
did it anyway because they wanted to do so.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.

NC

David Hansen wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:24:44 +0000 someone who may be JLB
> <JLB@bigbad.demon.co.uk> wrote this:-
>
>> I once needed to get from the middle of Dublin to Dublin Airport
>> early on a Sunday morning. Could I hell find that alternative
>> non-motorway route (it does exist, but for some reason it was
>> particularly well hidden on this occasion).
>
> Eurotunnel operate a service to convey cycles to and from France,
> which they decided to show to "cycling" journalists.
>
> Being an example of Thatcherism the Eurotunnel terminal is not
> accessible by the public, except via a motorway. Thus cyclists
> either have to negotiate the motorway, or be picked up elsewhere.
> This the neglected to mention to A to B magazine:-)


May or may not have been true at some past event, but a misrepresentation of
the service offered to cycling passengers by Eurotunnel. The current system
has been in operation for some years.

For the Eurotunnel cycle service, you take your bike to their offices
(Cheriton High St), where you can optionally park your car for free (*), and
you and the bike are carried through the tunnel in a vehicle to an
"industrial estate" hotel on the other side. This is better than anything
offered to foot passengers where there isn't a service (you have to use the
more expensive Eurostar from Ashford to Frethun instead). The website
includes travel directions from the railway station, so assumes that some
cyclists do not use cars.

http://www.eurotunnel.co.uk/ukcMain...g/ukpBoardCycle


(* whereas for a foot passenger, as well as a higher fare, the parking at
Ashford is £9 per day).



- Nigel (not connection with Eurotunnel)


--
NC - Webmaster for http://www.2mm.org.uk/
Replies to newsgroup postings to the newsgroup please.

Eiron

David Martin wrote:

>>> Had a similar experience once at Heathrow; could not find an
>>> alternative to that horrible tunnel that all the motorised traffic
>>> off the M4 uses. Head down, keep the speed up, it'll be ok...
>>>
>> There used to be a ped/bike tunnel at Heathrow, used to be properly
>> signposted too.
>
>
> It still is but is a little difficult to get on to when heading out of
> the airport.


Anyone know where it is?

--
Eiron.