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Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 10 Jun 2014, 8:02pm
by Cunobelin
Apparently I now have a real problem, after twenty five years of riding recumbents, twenty years of riding recumbent trikes.

I have a Street Machine, Hurricane, Catrike Expedition, and two HPVelotechnik Gekkos and shortly a Hase Kettwiesel... all of which (along with my 18 other bikes)I seem to be unable to ride more than a hundred yards from my house!

My ride around the English border is also unachievable as well!

If only I had known how unlikely I was to survive these 150,000 miles, I would have stayed at home!

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 10 Jun 2014, 8:05pm
by Cunobelin
beardy wrote:There are two differences that make a lot of difference.

Even the flimsiest car offers considerably more protection to its occupants than does a Velomobile.
Even the slowest car (normally mine) will be much nearer to the speed of the "Audi on autopilot" than it is to the speed of the Velomobile.

Add to that most Juries will think it more reasonable (as in something they themselves are likely to do) to tail end a bicycle than a car whilst driving on a DC.



Given that velomobiles offer more protection than an ordinary "upright" bike... where does that put the average cyclist?

On my commute, I am faster than most of the cars!

My colleague in the next street has a commute that is 15 minutes longer than mine!

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 10 Jun 2014, 9:25pm
by snibgo
redfacedbaldfatman wrote:Point of info: dual carriageways don't always have two lanes in either direction. The "dual" comes from having a physical divider between opposing directions.

E.g., this is a 70MPH zone in law.

I don't think it is.

Speed limits are given in RTRA 1984 schedule 6:
“dual-carriageway road” means a road part of which consists of a central reservation to separate a carriageway to be used by vehicles proceeding in one direction from a carriageway to be used by vehicles proceeding in the opposite direction;

[pedantic-mode=off]

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 12:14am
by sjs
snibgo wrote:
redfacedbaldfatman wrote:Point of info: dual carriageways don't always have two lanes in either direction. The "dual" comes from having a physical divider between opposing directions.

E.g., this is a 70MPH zone in law.

I don't think it is.

Speed limits are given in RTRA 1984 schedule 6:
“dual-carriageway road” means a road part of which consists of a central reservation to separate a carriageway to be used by vehicles proceeding in one direction from a carriageway to be used by vehicles proceeding in the opposite direction;

[pedantic-mode=off]


Not sure what you're getting at. The road pictured is a dual carriageway, either by the definition you quote or as stated by the sign in the photo. The national speed limit for cars on a dual carriageway is 70 mph. Am I missing something?

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 1:19am
by snibgo
My apologies; I mis-read redfacedbaldfatman. Ignore me. I'm having one of those days. Sorry.

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 2:33pm
by Deako
I came across my first velomobile (in the UK) at the weekend as well, just north of Maidstone on the A229, a proper dual carriageway funnily enough only about a mile from redfacedbaldfatman’s "dual" example. It wasn't in a place I’d like to be, stuck at the end of a slipway, and I must say I was irritated that it was (very) slowly continuing to roll out onto the carriageway - I was being overtaken so nowhere to go (only mild irritation, I changed lanes safely after easing off). It’s not a road I’d cycle as there are nicer routes, but then maybe not so velo suitable.

Greg

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 4:28pm
by mjr
Shootist wrote:Pedal cycles are prohibited on motorways for a very good reason, and the difference between motorways and most dual carriageways is largely academic. Or would you happily ride your bike or trike down any motorway? Only a bloody fool would want to.

I'm a bloody fool then. I'd happily ride my bike down any motorway... if they converted all that wasted space at the edges into a two-way bike road with suitable barriers. That space is clearly no longer needed for safety because they're starting to convert it into a fourth or fifth lane for cars on roads like the Birmingham M42, Bristol M4/M5 and probably many more.

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 6:06pm
by [XAP]Bob

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 7:00pm
by TonyR
[XAP]Bob wrote:http://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/idiots/


And what sort of idiot drives their motor vehicle in such a way as it makes it idiotic to share the road with them?

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 11 Jun 2014, 7:52pm
by Si
This topic is getting to be like a doddery old relation doing a yearly visit. Every now and then it crops up, drinks all of your sherry and then embarrasses itself in the living room, leaving the family cat shaking in terror under the sofa. It normally has a number of elements:
- a person with no experience of riding a 'bent suddenly thinks they need to tell those experienced in it how to do it
- someone who admits to being transfixed by this thing that they have seen down the road has to tell us that it was virtually invisible (despite them focussing so much of their attention on it)
- the old "you'll die if you ride on such and such a road" despite a total lack of supporting statistical evidence (hey, who needs real evidence upon which to base an opinion, eh?)
- a number of people with actual experience in the subject running rings around the topic of the OT, and then the topic starts to get subtly changed.
-etc etc

Of course, it's unsurprising that someone with no experience of 'bents has a bit of a head scratch when they first see them, after all they are fairly rare. But, perhaps it would be better to first ask for some information about them rather than getting out the green ink and launching into a full-blooded and scathing attack from the get-go, eh? :wink: That way you are less likely to be greeted by a succession of eye rolling.

Re: A bit of a death wish?

Posted: 12 Jun 2014, 9:56am
by John1054
Si wrote:This topic is getting to be like a doddery old relation doing a yearly visit. Every now and then it crops up, drinks all of your sherry and then embarrasses itself in the living room, leaving the family cat shaking in terror under the sofa. It normally has a number of elements:
- a person with no experience of riding a 'bent suddenly thinks they need to tell those experienced in it how to do it
- someone who admits to being transfixed by this thing that they have seen down the road has to tell us that it was virtually invisible (despite them focussing so much of their attention on it)
- the old "you'll die if you ride on such and such a road" despite a total lack of supporting statistical evidence (hey, who needs real evidence upon which to base an opinion, eh?)
- a number of people with actual experience in the subject running rings around the topic of the OT, and then the topic starts to get subtly changed.
-etc etc

Of course, it's unsurprising that someone with no experience of 'bents has a bit of a head scratch when they first see them, after all they are fairly rare. But, perhaps it would be better to first ask for some information about them rather than getting out the green ink and launching into a full-blooded and scathing attack from the get-go, eh? :wink: That way you are less likely to be greeted by a succession of eye rolling.


+1