I've heard it all now!

Sharkyssurfers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-26336618

Not even a sane person would try this i hope :shock:

markhewitt1978

Motorway hard shoulder is probably a reasonably safe place to cycle . But agreed, sat nav or no sat nav, you have to pass many signs before you get to the motorway so there's no excuse.

notsoblue

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... orway.html

pblakeney

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-26336618

Not even a sane person would try this i hope :shock:

The insane ones would have a blast though!

rolf_f

His Strava KOMs should remain safe indefinitely!

mtb-idle

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Motorway hard shoulder is probably a reasonably safe place to cycle . But agreed, sat nav or no sat nav, you have to pass many signs before you get to the motorway so there's no excuse.

I know you are joking but I can confirm that the hard shoulder is not a nice place to be. Many years ago I was driving back late from my sisters house up the M23 with my wife and two young (at the time) sons in the back when I got a puncture.

I had no choice but to change the wheel which was on the driver side of the vehicle (I always forget if that is near or off-side) but anyways I was changing the tyre in the dark whilst side on to the traffic with trucks and cars screaming by about 6 inches from my back.

Terrifying.

EDIT: I just remembered, it was a Mark II Cortina 1600 Super somethnig like this

markhewitt1978

Changing a wheel on the motorway isn't a good idea anyway. I believe the official advice is to call for assistance to get you off the motorway and *then* change the wheel.

goonz

I ended up on the motorway in France on the way to Paris.

We were into the final third of our L2P24 ride with 50-60miles left to Paris. I was feeling strong so in a moment of stupidness decided to breakway leaving the other 15 riders and the suport vehicle with all my gear in it behind! Stupid I know.

I built up a good lead and was simply following the main A road towards Paris. Then the rain came, now stupidly I was only in jersey and shorts so was now drenched. Then the A road without warning joined a motoway and with no sign posts I simply continued on. At first I didnt realised why all the cars were honking and shouting at me as they drove past. Picture this a lone stranded cyclist in summer gear in pretty torential rain standing on the hard shoulder and trying to get back to the junction as safely as possible.

I tried asking directions on the junction but couldnt understand any French so was pretty much lost. The rain stopped and now I was beginning to get cold. After about 10 mins the bunch came around the corner all just as lost as I was! Lucky they did otherwise I would have been royally lost!

monkimark

When I lived up in sheffield I had my brakes fail on the M1 and needed recovering back to Preston. Chatting to the driver on the way back, he told me about a colleague who'd been loading a car onto the back of his truck on the hard shoulder a few months earlier and someone drove into the back of the car, crushing him between the car and truck. That was a recovery truck with yellow strobe lights etc. I don't at all fancy spending any time on the hard shoulder if at all avoidable, I'd rather crawl to the next junction or services and risk knackering the tyre.

markhewitt1978

monkimark wrote:

When I lived up in sheffield I had my brakes fail on the M1 and needed recovering back to Preston. Chatting to the driver on the way back, he told me about a colleague who'd been loading a car onto the back of his truck on the hard shoulder a few months earlier and someone drove into the back of the car, crushing him between the car and truck. That was a recovery truck with yellow strobe lights etc. I don't at all fancy spending any time on the hard shoulder if at all avoidable, I'd rather crawl to the next junction or services and risk knackering the tyre.

It's all too common on a road such as a motorway for drivers just not to be paying attention, or be fiddling with their radio, looking at the side of the road etc, because most of the time driving on a motorway is a mind numbingly boring experience.

There's been a few times I've followed lorries down the A1(M) which has been swerving half into the hard shoulder.

The Rookie

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-26336618

Not even a sane person would try this i hope :shock:

Did you really mean that or 'not even an insane person' or 'no sane person''?

Sirius631

Satnavs & apps are substitutes for maps, not brains.

In the US, cyclists are allowed to ride on the hard shoulders of some inter-states. However, the speed limit on inter-states is lower than on our motorways, and rules for riders coming up to off-ramps must already be in place.

As hard shoulders in this country are being adopted for managed motorway use, there are a growing number of incidents where drivers do not know when they are or when they are not allowed to use the hard shoulders.

Pross

Rolf F wrote:

His Strava KOMs should remain safe indefinitely!

You haven't checked the common sense of the average Strava user when they can smell a possible KoM have you?

jamesco

(Motor)cycling home on the weekend a couple of weeks ago I passed a cyclist on the A40/Westway/Marylebone-flyover; clearly not a newbie - she was in Team-Something lycra - but very silly to be there! The hard-shoulder was blocked off for one long stretch, which must have been sphincter-tightening...

essex-commuter

MTB-Idle wrote:

EDIT: I just remembered, it was a Mark II Cortina 1600 Super somethnig like this

Cortina 1600E, think it's a series 2 (bucket seats and the clocks were set in the dash rather than in a raised pod on top). God I loved my 1600E.

rolf_f

Pross wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

His Strava KOMs should remain safe indefinitely!

You haven't checked the common sense of the average Strava user when they can smell a possible KoM have you?

Of course, it would be irresponsible to suggest that some fun might be had by taking a car and a GPS unit onto a quiet stretch of motorway in the early hours and just cruising at 20mph between two closely positioned junctions.....

BillyMansell

Saw two incidents on Saturday of people walking on the carriageway of a dual carriageway with their backs to the traffic. I would have called the police but I was driving.