Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

Valbrona wrote:There was that African national team that got chucked off the M54(?) when they were out for a training ride while competing in the UK at some or other Games.

Kenyan Cyclists on M61 Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002 http://www.standard.co.uk/news/games-cy ... 27126.html

There was also the Sri Lankan team at the last Olympics
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maff1977
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by maff1977 »

Coming over here, riding on the motorway!

VOTE UBEND! :lol:
MikeF
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by MikeF »

gaz wrote:In the UK, four lanes plus hard shoulder in each direction,
Image
70 mph limit and you CAN cycle on it legally (at your own risk but I'd advise against it).

I don't think you can. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/schedule/4 prohibits cyclists on "special roads". However I haven't delved further to find what "special roads" are, but M ways are one sort.

There is certainly a lack of signage to indicate these roads on the ground.

The problem arises when an A road changes to a motorway as does the A23 at Peas(e) Pottage where it "just becomes" the M23 if travelling from the south. http://goo.gl/maps/2t8v8
Some years ago I saw an alarmed cyclist suddenly starting to realise he had "joined" a motorway at Peas(e) Pottage!
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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

MikeF wrote:
gaz wrote:In the UK, four lanes plus hard shoulder in each direction,
Image
70 mph limit and you CAN cycle on it legally (at your own risk but I'd advise against it).

I don't think you can. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/schedule/4 prohibits cyclists on "special roads".

It doesn't. It sets out the classes of traffic for the purposes of Special Roads. One of the classes is "Class VII: pedal cycles". As I said on a recent thread you could in theory create a special road which allowed pedestrians and cyclists but not motors.

However I haven't delved further to find what "special roads" are, but M ways are one sort


A special road is a road for which the classes of permitted traffic are explicitly designated in the order creating the road (in contrast to the other 99.99% of roads - "all-purpose roads" - where undesired traffic has to be explicitly prohibited by a Traffic Regulation Order). A special road only exists where it is legally created as a special road, an old A-road which has merely been 'improved' will not be a special road. In practice very, very few non-motorways fall into this category and (with the exception of a few downgraded motorways) I don't think there are any in England.

Any non-motorway special road would have to have its prohibitions (and speed limit) explicitly signed. The "start of motorway regulations" signs fulfil that function on motorways. Cyclists are expressly prohibited from motorways under the motorway regulations.
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by MikeF »

Thanks for the clarification. So what status is say the A1(M)?
Bicycler wrote:The "start of motorway regulations" signs fulfil that function on motorways.
Like this http://goo.gl/maps/DrWGV. Blink and you miss it! As no doubt did the cyclist I saw.
There used to be large signs indicating motorways with a list of prohibited traffic.
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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

MikeF wrote:Thanks for the clarification. So what status is say the A1(M)?

All motorways are special roads by definition. They cannot be designated as motorways unless they are special roads open only to motor vehicles. Normally they follow completely new lines but I suppose if they were upgrading an all purpose dual carriageway they would have to legally stop it up and create it again (probably simultaneously) as a special road. Typically where motorways are created in sections there are multiple special road orders rather than one for the whole motorway, so one motorway like the M6 is formed by a whole series of legally distinct special roads. Given the piecemeal development of the A1(M) it will no doubt be the same. The A(M) notation doesn't affect special road or motorway status, it is just to avoid confusion eg. to distinguish the A1(M) from the M1.
Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

MikeF wrote:There used to be large signs indicating motorways with a list of prohibited traffic.

From our first motorway
http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/imag ... trance.jpg
Note the then "derestricted" speed limit sign.
Last edited by Bicycler on 7 Mar 2015, 3:59pm, edited 1 time in total.
Vorpal
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Vorpal »

There are a few non motorway special roads. http://pathetic.org.uk/features/special_roads/roads/

There are also a number of roads that are theoretically all purpose roads, but from which a number of classes of users have been banned by TRO. The A120 between Braintree and the M11 and the A130 from Howe Green to Saddler's Farm are examples of this.
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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

Vorpal wrote:There are a few non motorway special roads. http://pathetic.org.uk/features/special_roads/roads/

There are also a number of roads that are theoretically all purpose roads, but from which a number of classes of users have been banned by TRO. The A120 between Braintree and the M11 and the A130 from Howe Green to Saddler's Farm are examples of this.

I did say none in England which other than the anomolies of the English half of the Severn Bridge walkway and two Mancunian Way sliproads that article confirms.

The distinctive feature of special roads is that pedestrians can be prohibited which AFAIK cannot be done under a TRO.
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Vorpal »

And that pedestrians can use it, is a reason not to make decent provision for pedestrians :(
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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

Vorpal wrote:And that pedestrians can use it, is a reason not to make decent provision for pedestrians :(

I often wonder just how much a barriered pedestrian/cycle track alongside these pseudo-motorways (indeed some actual motorways) would actually cost compared to the overall costs of the schemes
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Vorpal »

Often, the real problem is crossing them. They aren't pleasant places for walking, and there are usually (not always) better alternatives.

Along the A120 in Essex, although there is a footbridge, and several roads where pedestrians and cyclists can get across the A120, there are places where there are several miles between safe crossings, and one can find that a foot path just comes to a fast dual carriageway and an informal crossing :(
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Bicycler
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by Bicycler »

Vorpal wrote:Often, the real problem is crossing them. They aren't pleasant places for walking, and there are usually (not always) better alternatives.

It's a bit of a matter of principle for me though, an all purpose road should be fit for all users.

The footpaths crossing at level nonsense is part of the reason they don't make these roads motorways where they would be obliged to provide a bridge or subway.

Painful personal experience suggests that making too much of a fuss about such lack of provision merely gets results in a threat of having your footpath stopped up.
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gaz
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Re: Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

Post by gaz »

Bicycler wrote:The distinctive feature of special roads is that pedestrians can be prohibited which AFAIK cannot be done under a TRO.

Think again. Post opening project evaluation for the A2/A282 widening recommends banning pedestrians cyclists and equestrians by TRO.
6.12 The report concluded by recommending that:
Pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians be prohibited by a Traffic Regulation Order from using or crossing the A2 between the Bean junction and the Dartford Heath junction and from the A282 south of J1b. Appropriate signage would be provided;...

The recommendation has not been carried out, why bother when there's already next to no chance of seeing a pedestrian, cyclist or equestrian using either road thanks to the existing "cycle-proofing" of pseudo-motorway status :roll: .
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