Non cyclist whinge

[Nick 50]

So as per title, i'm not a cyclist, but very much admire the engineering of some of the bikes. Also i'm not a "They should pay road tax whinger". I realise most cyclsists are road users anyway.

Anyway, my reason for posting........Dual Carriageways???

I do know a couple of avid cyclists. Yes I mean avid, as in who are talking about buying a £5000 Yeti mountain bike and a cousin who would think nothing of spending +£1000 on a road bike.
They both have the same opinion as I.

Why oh why are people cycling on Dual Carriageways???

I've seen this on an ever more often basis. The worst was on the weekend. Not too far from where I live is a town with a dual carriageway running through the middle of the town. In major parts it is enclosed by very high walls. So blind corners,

Yet cyclist think it is appropriate to cycle on dual carriageways??
Case in question was 6 riders riding in groups of 3 side by side, on said walled road.
Lucky for them I was on a bike as the lane to the right of me was full. So on my bike I could pass them. If I was in a car it would of involved serious braking as they were doing no more than 15mph.

So my question, why do cyclists go on dual carriageways and endanger themselves in such a way??
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First bike: A GZ125 Lemon.......

[Ste]

They've got just as much right to use the road as you have.

Riding side by side is the problem, not their choice of road.

Google Maps link to the dual carriageway with blind corners?

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

I've only ever seen Time Triallists practising on dual carriageways out of what you'd call "enthusiastic" cyclists. Have also seen a handful of nutters riding along A road dual carriageways, but they seen to on the way home from work.

I wouldn't fancy my chances personally. Those lorries must seem awfully close.
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[JonB]

Yes, quite often Time Trialists will use a duel carriageway, they tend to be straight, good surfaces so you can go quite fast.

I personally wouldn't use one unless there was no reasonably good alternative route.

As for riding 2 abreast, it is not against the law, however I think cyclists should use their discretion. 2 abreast in a lane isn't sensible.
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[stinkwheel]

I'd hve thought a dual carriageway would be perfect for cyclists. No problem passing them wide and clear.

Unless you're saying you ride/drive so fast your stopping distance exceeds your visability? If it does, you need to have a long, hard look at your own driving before you criticise someone elses.
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[Drew]

In theory, 2+ lanes at 70mph should be safer than 1 (probably narrow) lane at 60mph.

Though riding three wide is either just stupid or ignorant.

[G]

By riding cycles rather than driving an Abrhams tank, they're putting themselves at more risk.

I've occasionally ridden on the local dual carriageway. Can sit at 20mph or a bit more for most of it.
A moped may often average not much faster than a well ridden push bike (or even slower on the downhill stretches - I've certainly been held up by cars in a 50 while I was on a push bike - I was only doing 40 to be fair.)

And yes; people should really be riding to their visibility.
If it's a cyclists, they'll probably come off ok physically.
If it's a broken down car, less so.

[Rigga]

I'm a fairly keen cyclist and I agree with the op. There is a horrendous dual carriageway near me called the Mad mile which you sometimes see cyclists on, crazy no way would I ride up there.
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[dransy]

[arry]

Had a bit of a ruck with a lycra mental case the other day for exactly the opposite reason - he thought I shouldn't be using the local country track road in my car as it was used by lots of cyclists

I politely told him to go fuck himself and advised that 2 tonne of BMW wouldn't bode well for his face

[chris-red]

There used to be a guy who would cycle on the A13 at rush hour filtering through traffic. Dude was boss.
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[stinkwheel]

Fuck da police
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Rigga]

[Alpha-9]

Because they think they have a right to (because they are allowed to) but not everything legal is good and not everything illegal is bad

So they choose to flaunt that right without giving a shit about how many people they inconvenience or become a hazard to.

Really it's the councils fault for not putting no bicycles signs up if thats the case, email them
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Alpha-9]

[Derivative]

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[Ste]

[Alpha-9]

[Ste]

Lots of vehicles hold up traffic, why single out cyclists?

[Alpha-9]

[SQL]

Suicyclists on the A2 are fucking mental its basically a motorway.

[Baffler186]

IMHO it's very dangerous to cycle on a dual carriageway, just because the majority of car drivers do not know how to pass a cyclist safely. So, they see cyclist(s) in the distance and think that there is plenty of room to pass them in the same lane, so don't bother moving over to pass. You may say that this happens anyway, yes it does, but not usually when the car is doing 70+. Also if a lorry does it then there's danger of side draft etc