Eastern European cyclist escorted off motorway

[thirdcrank]

M1 cyclist escorted off motorway in Hertfordshire

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-31726226

As the late Robert Robinson was often quoted to have remarked

If this is news, on what basis do we exclude anything?

In the meantime, bicycler beat me to it but here's my edited version of what the legislation says (and editing is my excuse for being beaten to it. )




Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

1984 c. 27 Part I Outside Greater LondonSection 2

2 What a traffic regulation order may provide.
....

(3) The provision that may be made by a traffic regulation order also includes provision prohibiting, restricting or regulating the use of a road, or of any part of the width of a road, by, or by any specified class of, pedestrians—.

(a) either generally or subject to exceptions specified in the order, and.

(b) either at all times or at times, on days or during periods so specified.

.....

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/section/2

[Vorpal]

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

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.

That was my point.

[Bicycler]

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

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.

That was my point.

Ah, okay. My apologies for the repetition.

The one thing I will add is that paths with even moderate levels of use do tend to be provided for and - by and large - the remainder tend to be little used rural paths which seldom have many vulnerable users who would find the road a particular obstacle. It does depend upon the road though. True pseudo-motorways may be difficult for anyone to cross and bridges should always be provided.

Nevertheless, an informal crossing is still preferable to no crossing. One thing to bear in mind with proper motorways is that, though provision must be made, it does not necessarily follow that the provision will be nearly as convenient as the path it replaced. Many rights of way crossing motorways will be extinguished and others significantly diverted to minimise the number of crossings. In some locations a similar policy is followed where a bridge or subway is provided for an A-road.

I live near a dual carriageway crossed at grade by 4 footpaths in relatively short succession (say 200m) . Traffic volumes are fairly high but low enough to mean there is seldom a wait of much over a minute to cross each carriageway. The ideal may have been four bridges but I am fairly confident that the four crossings are more convenient than a single bridge with significant diversions which would have been a much more likely outcome.

[foxyrider]

How about this one in South Yorkshire, a little north of Doncaster.

The road is the A1 and i've never seen this bit of road as quite as Google have captured it! I have used this crossing from Skelbrooke to Campsall but i certainly wopuldn't recommend it. The alternatives are a newish road bridge half a mile north or a footbridge about the same distance south close to where the road becomes motorway. The local buses don't go into Skelbrooke so school children have to cross here every day, on a bike you could more easily use the bridges but it would add quite a chunk to your route especially going west.

[Bicycler]

That situation where there is a junction is an interesting scenario. It is very similar to the one I mentioned earlier where a crossing was threatened with closure without replacement because people viewed the crossing as unsafe and campaigned for a bridge (which the then Ministry of Transport was unwilling to provide). The excuse in that case (and I assume in your example) is that a bridge placed in the immediate vicinity of the junction would limit visibility at the junction.