Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

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redefined_cycles
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Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Had always wondered this after having ridden mine last year (or was it the year before). But after the 'everyone is Bonkers thread', it seems appropriate to start up this beautiful thread and hopefully it might advise and inform/help others.

Few rules:

1- Its a road you've physically ridden or been past and know your reasons to avoid it.

2- Its somewhere in the UK so as to make the thread more useful to more people (feel free to mention another country if you really must :wink: ).

3- To make something really useful, its always useful to know the alternatives. So if you know the alternative route/Rd then please do mention it...

4- Please try to include Rd name, area, county, West or North or East or South etc etc... You get the drift, so someone making a route might just be able to figure how to avoid your suggestion

So... whats the worse/most dangerous* road you've travelled and why? :-bd Thanks in advance

*whatever
redefined_cycles
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Oh... Pictures on a zoomed out google maps or OS would be good too as would be pics of the actual road if you could be bothered... :smile:
ScotRoutes
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by ScotRoutes »

I've cycled on the A9, officially "the most dangerous road in Scotland" based on fatalities. I'll not bother linking to Street view as it goes on for miles. There are decent alternatives between Edinburgh and Inverness but North of that there starts to get little choice.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by BigdummySteve »

A9 into Inverness is the pissing rain, it’s like being on a motorway but with zero hard shoulder. Very scary and not recommended even in good visibility. You hear another lorry bearing down on you and wonder ‘will this be the one?’
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by In Reverse »

I actually found the A9 quite pleasant. :grin:

For the worst road in terms of multiple hazards you can take your pick of pretty much anything inside Zone 1. Worst/most aggressive are the other cyclists...
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by fatbikephil »

B921 onto and across A92T in Glenrothes. Its a fairly quiet dual carriageway joining a very busy dual carriageway via a very big roundabout. All national speed limit. Many times ridden in rush hour crossing the A92 to get to the Office. The trick was to keep your speed up on the approach as traffic on the roundabout was going fast so if you have to stop and then pull away it could get a bit tight. Of course maintaining speed meant filtering between two lanes of traffic at 20 - 25mph, seeing a gap and giving it full gas. Provided a nice adrenaline surge to start the day. A few work colleagues saw me and raised a few eyebrows. Given that I work in road safety I decided to quit whilst I was ahead. These days I have an engine to assist me but other than that its the same approach :mrgreen:
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

For me... Just North of Salisbury in the far South. A303

Image

Image

3rd day of a 4 day trip and on this day I was coming from Minehead and at 106 miles I dont think I had the energy to try and reroute the long way round. Thankfully I didnt die though.

Turned left onto the A303 in the pitch black and before long I realised I was in a nasty DC with trsffic blaring at most likely the 70s. Even though it was a 50mph speed limit. Worse thing was that I needed to turn right across the DC but if I stopped there I'm not sure I'd ever make it. Managed to get into the overtaking lane and get myself ready for the maneouvre without being hit from behind aswell as timing it perfectly to get past the oncoming traffic.

Somehow managed to make it across and just a few more minutes and I was at the YHA hostel at Cholderton/Stonehenge. Have thought many a time that had it not been pitch black (and thus my rear Bonty or Exposure light blazing at traffix from afar), would that have been a potential day for me to end up :o

At the hostel I learnt what the alternative rpute was and it was a massive detour around some army barracks apparently....

Anyway, A9/Inverness... I'll know to not go up there I suppose. Is that road not part of the NC500?? :sad:
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by ScotRoutes »

The A9 north of Inverness is, indeed, part of the NC500 route. It is also commonly used by hundreds/thousands of LEJOGers every year. I can't recall any cyclist being involved in a collision on it and there is a TT route near Evanton. I can't recall any cyclist being involved in a collision on it (and I'm admin for an A9 monitoring group on Facebook) so for some definition of "dangerous" perhaps we need to look elsewhere.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by RIP »

'Zone 1' - curiously I found that the 15 years I biked it were perversely enjoyable :smile: . I would, sadly I'm afraid, agree that some other cyclists were the worst hazard. Note that video this week of a cyclist who ran a red light and smacked into a zebra crossing user. The biker then proceeded to lay into the pedestrian.

Thing was, all the different transport modes hated each other but they understood each other, and we all sort of rubbed along. Compare that to my town where nobody hates you (well not much) but neither do they understand you. I'd much rather be hated and understood, it's safer :smile:

Question is though, what does 'dangerous' mean?

Anyroad, I'll go with Lindisfarne Causeway :wink: .
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by In Reverse »

You were undoubtedly a lot more inured to it than me Reg. I didn't do it regularly but every time I did it was a pretty hellish experience. There just seemed to be so many things that could go wrong :lol: give me a busy dual carriageway any day. :-bd
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by whitestone »

Lindisfarne Causeway? Tide in or tide out? Then again you are only on it for a few seconds when you've a tailwind and going for a Strava KOM :lol:

One road that regularly features on "The most dangerous roads in Britain" lists is the A682 between Gisburn and Long Preston. Unfortunately there's about a mile of it that features in my rides heading westwards, the only alternative is a bit of a detour and involves crossing the A65 twice and still uses a bit, about 200m, of the A682.

I grew up near Grange over Sands and would commute by bike into Kendal. The first part was along the A590 which was old single carriageway for a couple of miles then modern dual carriageway until it met the A6 which was "old" dual carriageway without the dead space to the left of the solid white line you get on modern roads. Those few miles were scary!
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by Dave Barter »

Roads are mostly benign regions of tarmac and offer very little threat.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

"most dangerous road" - it's a very blunt question really and the answer will be subject to personal perception. Surly, the most dangerous road you've ridden on must be the one where you've been personally involved in an accident which wasn't directly your fault (but again 'fault' is somewhat subjective). If you've never actually been knocked off but simply felt that it was likely, then that stretch of road isn't dangerous, 'tis just your perception of it?

A random twisty country lane with grass up the middle, gravel down the sides, high hedges and a large tractor travelling towards you at 30mph, would IMO be potentially more dangerous than a fast, well surfaced A road ... yet you'll probably feel much safer riding on it.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by RIP »

About the only roads I feel a little "uneasy" on are indeed the twisty ones with high hedges etc. Can't be seen from behind. Of course, any road user should not approach any corner at a speed that means they couldn't stop if an obstruction was just ahead round said corner. Some drivers moan about cyclists "going too slowly" and "I can't slow down in time". So would it be any different if it was a massive tractor just round the corner in front of them? Would a faster driver still blame the tractor[-driver] for them "not being able to stop in time"? Someone's always slower than someone else, so everyone has to allow for that.

If I'm a little uneasy biking up to a blind left-hand bend I'll often slow down to let people pass then power round it quickly in a gap of traffic, so I know nobody can then rear-end or swipe me :smile: .

(your comment gave me a larf Dave, good one).
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Stu... Yup, thats right regards the 'perception' and 'blunt'... Its a subjective question and eaxh pers9n wiuld have their own perceptions and hopefully reasons why its what they feel it is (dangerous or worst or whatever other denomination of dangerous/worse one can think of :smile: )...

On topic of "being knocked off"... I'm not sure thats exactly the case as the one time I did get knicked off and almost get run over with almost a few months off bike thereafter, wouldn't be on my list of 'nasty/dangerous'...

Granted also that what one person classes as dangerous (or hairy) might be someone elses enjoyable one... Take the A9 Inverness for example. Seems like out Andy loves it :-bd
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

In Reverse wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:16 pm I actually found the A9 quite pleasant. :grin:

For the worst road in terms of multiple hazards you can take your pick of pretty much anything inside Zone 1. Worst/most aggressive are the other cyclists...
Sorry... he 'quite pleasants' it :lol:
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by AlasdairMc »

BigdummySteve wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:15 pm A9 into Inverness is the pissing rain, it’s like being on a motorway but with zero hard shoulder. Very scary and not recommended even in good visibility. You hear another lorry bearing down on you and wonder ‘will this be the one?’
I was going to post the A30 in Cornwall, but then saw you'd posted the A9 as well. Both of these were on my Lejog, and both never to be repeated.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by ssnowman »

In Reverse wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:16 pm I actually found the A9 quite pleasant. :grin:

For the worst road in terms of multiple hazards you can take your pick of pretty much anything inside Zone 1. Worst/most aggressive are the other cyclists...

I used to cycle from North London into The City and now cycle to South Kensington. Zone 1 isn't scary at all. My average speed is double that of cars.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

redefined_cycles wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:49 am
In Reverse wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:16 pm I actually found the A9 quite pleasant. :grin:

For the worst road in terms of multiple hazards you can take your pick of pretty much anything inside Zone 1. Worst/most aggressive are the other cyclists...
Sorry... he 'quite pleasants' it :lol:
:lol: :lol:
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by In Reverse »

ssnowman wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 1:01 pm My average speed is double that of cars.
Not much of a boast tbf :grin:

Again, it's down to what you're used to. If you do it every day you'll become comfortable with it. I'd occasionally ride from Rotherhithe to Cheapside and from Brockley to City Hall. Hated it and never felt safe. Conversely on my Jogle I rode the dual carriageways mentioned in this thread that everyone says to avoid and enjoyed them both. I ride the busiest A roads locally and have never had an issue.

One man's meat etc.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by Charliecres »

A3054 into Ryde on the IoW. We missed the cycle route signs and suffered a couple of miles of butt-puckeringly close passes by an endless stream of inexpertly driven caravans. Never again.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by Lazarus »

what stu said any number of single lane country roads i have ridden on in wales and devon in particular for me but I am sure they are everywhere

high hedges, no views, twisty, 100% single lane and if it was windy you could not hear anything Blind bends were the worst , and there were plenty of them.

I had the ZOOM air horn [forget the actual name]you pressured up and tractor once slammed on for me on a blind bend [did not see him using for defence] and was rather surprised to see a bicycle.
I was once even taken out by buzzard - rounded a corner doing about 20 nd it was in the road with a kill it took off towards me - christ its a big bird when a foot from your face with it talons out - I bailed from bike .
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by redefined_cycles »

John, that actually reminds me. It was when I was in Wales (driving) to try and get to The Devils Staircase and I noticed them actual roads you talk of. They did give me a fright, especially when one particular (I'm gonna use the word) Chav (here) came blasting around said blind bendy country at what I reckon was at least over 50.

Point of the story is that, even though I wasn't cycling just yet, it was an hour or so later as I got closer to my prize (the climb mentioned) that I decided to chuck in the imaginery towel**. I decided I wasn't gonna go for the climb as getting closer too it and the roads seemed to be getting narrower and twistier and I suppose it just wasn't worth it. No particular road to note but you ignited my memory and I recalled that day... Went and did The Burway and Asterton Bank up in Shropshire instead (both scary in their own way with the DH return on Burway having risk of brake fade and failure and the uphill on Asterton Bank* almost popping my heart quite literally)...

** Attempting to do the 100 Climbs as listed by Simon Warren in his book of "hardest climbs of UK".

*Its on the list of Another 100 Climbs in his second book and can categorically state its probs one of the hardest climbs I've had the fortune of actually being able to ride. Its heart popping secret is that its a continuous gradient of around 20 percent (peaking at 25 which isnt the steepest of the 100/another100) for an extended distance
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by Escape Goat »

This is a hard one.

I've ridden the A9 in bright yellow clothing and 5 rear lights as part of the NC500 - I was petrified.

I've went over the Bealach Ne Bà in 75mph gusts - I was petrified.

I went for a local ride the other day - again, same.

All different roads - the more offroad I do, the more all roads are starting to appear dangerous.
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Re: Whats the most dangerous (legal UK) Rd you've ridden?

Post by ScotRoutes »

Here, knock yourself out...

https://www.cyclestreets.net/collisions/
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