Cyclists banned from stretch of A19 – but is there a viable alternative route?

For example. Picture dated October 2014!

I take it that the council's first action, then, will be to remove the signs designating the hard shoulder as cycle lane!

See here.

This page is a few years out of date and shows the A19 slightly south of where this death occurred but the same trick has been pulled in that location.

I quote "In January 2012, Christopher Griffiths was killed while cycling along the southbound carriageway of the A19 between the A689 and A1027 junction, near Billingham. He was struck from behind while riding along a one-metre wide strip of asphalt to the left of a rumble-strip on the left-hand side of the dual carriageway road."

Now correct me if I'm wrong...
1) The white line rumble strip marks the edge of the carriageway.
2) Mr Griffiths is to the left of this line.

Therefore Mr Griffiths is not in or on the carriageway; therefore the driver has to leave the carriageway in order to hit him.

The driver either...
a) Deliberately left the carriageway (Dangerous), or
b) Accidentally left the carriageway (Careless).

How, for the love of all things holy, can the driver be acquitted? How is this different from a driver leaving the road, mounting a pavement and killing someone at a bus stop?

Please tell me I've missed something!

If there's no alternative for cyclists on this road, it would make more sense to keep the route open for cyclists only - make motor vehicles take the detour - why should they expect entitlement to direct routes when they are the ones endangering others (from pollution, deterrence contributing to obesity etc etc etc and all the economic impacts - NHS etc).
Too much too ask?
Well get some decent Netherlands style bike roads put in then.

I was under the impression that when they want to ban any class of user from a public highway (bearing in mind that a highway is open to all users, whatever vehicle, on horseback or on foot) they first had to provide an alternative route. This is why the Highways Agency surfaced a cycle track across Hindhead Common when the A3 was put in a tunnel which was not open to unmotorised vehicles and mopeds under 50cc.

ah but that will annoy motorists

If it's a dangerous road, reduce the speed limit to a sensible level and police it with average speed cameras. Simple.

Is it legal they can ban cyclists from other than motorways ?

gazza_d wrote:

I suspect this is the new true-blue form of 'cycle-proofing' that we were promised.

Spot on.

There is however something that Highway England haven't quite got about the term public road. Everyone has a right to use it and it, only motorways are exclusively reserved for cars.

I banning of cyclists from the road is a failure of Highway England to make the road safe for cyclists. I'm sure their decision can be contested in court, and should if there's no reasonable alternative.

spot on mate ...

Of course this is bikes colliding with cars ....

I just rode the A45 from the City centre of Brum to the airport, will they want to ban me from that then ?

Why not just ban (dangerous) drivers from this road. They’re the ones causing the accidents. Easier for them to take alternative routes from the article.

The lanes are wide, so with a tiny bit of imagination a 2m wide cycle lane could be put at the side of this road.

Of course if there is a multiple car accident on this road killing a few nothing is banned then ...

Car is king don't you know and people can do what they like in a car with few consequences.

I suspect this is the new true-blue form of 'cycle-proofing' that we were promised.

It's a hideous road to drive let alone cycle, especially at peak times. 4 and 5 lanes wide in places on the stretch of the ban.

There may be alternative routes, but they ones I know of go miles out of the way. A lot of the time the A19 IS the only North-south road for miles

Bazzer you've just summed up the problem, crashes/incidents DAILY on the A19 because its a drag strip with too many junctions and lane changes at times.

I don't live there or know the area, but HOW can you BAN cyclists from a road? It's not a motorway! How about encouraging drivers to drive SAFELY?