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Proposed Traffic Regulation Order banning cyclists from the A63

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Karla:
A proposal has been published by Highways England to ban cyclists from This 12 mile stretch of the A63 going into Hull.  The proposal is viewable on the Hull Thursday Road Club facebook page.  It's also hit the cycling press, e.g. here:

Highways England wants to ban cyclists from the UK's fastest time trial course - road.cc

The fuss is because half of the stretch to be banned comprises the V718, which is well known as a fast and very popular time trial course.  The feeling is that this was quite possibly prompted by NIMBYism from local residents.  It is of course couched in the language of road safety, but the arguments are specious and don't have the evidence to back them up.  Time trialling on the course (which let's face it, is the main use of the road) actually has a very good safety record.  The road lacks many risk factors e.g. spearpoint junctions that endanger cyclists on other main roads, and despite it being probably the most heavily raced road in the country, the solitary death in the last 20 years was very much due to rider error.

I think this is an important issue to all of us, because this is an attempt to ban cyclists from an arbitrary, safe stretch of non-motorway road, basically because we're annoying and they feel like it. 

There is now a three week period to file objections, posted to the address in the linked road.cc article.  My own letter will major on the following points, which are free for anyone to plagiarise.  If you're feeling activist, I'd appreciate it if you objected too. 


1) Looking at www.crashmap.co.uk shows that the number of crashes is about the same as everywhere else in East Yorkshire.  Why this road in particular?

2) While there have been a few deaths further into Hull, on the stretch east of North Ferriby (i.e. the V718) there has been one single cyclist death, which the coroner concluded was accidental death due to the rider looking down.  Why is this stretch of road included in the order?

3) There are other steps that can be taken before implementing a drastic measure such as banning a whole user group from a road.  What measures have been put in place so far, and how successful have they been in reducing risk to an acceptable level?  For instance, what steps have been considered to calm the traffic exiting the M62 at Newport, to the east of the course?

4) As cyclists are just one user group, there must surely be other groups that are equally at risk on many of the county's roads.  Could they please tell me what other orders will be put in place to ensure their safety?

Asterix, the former Gaul.:
It's a stretch of road I know very well and often use as a driver.  The speeds are high as it's a dual carriageway and starts where the M62 ends at junction 38. Can't recall any problems at all with cyclists although I have seen time-triallists.  They tend to have very good daytime rear lights. Drivers who seriously weren't paying attention or whose eyesight was very bad would be a danger, as they would be anywhere.

WRT the death, not far from me a cyclist died in a 30 limit after hitting the back of a parked car - no witnesses and it had to be assumed she didn't see it in time.  She wasn't competing in anything.

aidan.f:
A lot of london edinburgh london riders used that road through the night..when you want to get from a-b quickly.

mrcharly-YHT:
It gets used on easter arrows as well. Pretty much empty of all traffic at 3-4 am

Ridiculous to ban, IMO.  No hard shoulder, so if traffic is heavy then it is a bit lairy, but whenever traffic is light it is fine.

Veloman:
Easy solution. TT between 0300 and 0500.

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