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Has anyone cycled the Silverstone Bypass?
I ask because of this fascinating bit of cyclelane, crossing a 70mph sliproad to reach the the 70mph bypass. Discovered via Reddit.
Including a Give Way line to make you wait on the sliproad whilst you check for any traffic approaching on the chevrons.
There are no accidents recorded in more than 10 years, so I conclude that no one has ever cycled there.
The lane appears out of nowhere shortly before the junction, and you need to have been cycling on the carriageway to reach it.
Hmmm.
https://tinyurl.com/silverstoneroulette
Piccie below.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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There's similar on the A34 bypass north of Newbury. Clearly it was a thing back when both of these schemes were designed. Prime example of an engineer/designer who hasn't cycled since they were in middle school.
At first glance I thought OMG that's ridiculous.. then I remember that we cycle a couple of junctions of the A45 sometimes on a sunday morning.. admittedly it's not got any cycling infra so a different conversation but then I looked at this road and thought 'the surface of that sliproad looks luxurious!'
Still, it's a bit of a liberty to call that cycling infrastructure by whoever it was who signed it off, certainly does not look very family friendly.
I dont think families are going to be cycling on a dual carriageway FWIW, it's an attempt to stop you being left hooked on a slip road. Not an elegant solution, but an attempt.
Ah.. that makes more sense.
They could use it to improve the £50m mess currently being constructed at Platinum Parkway in Plymouth.
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/FVLR%20Changes%20since%2...
And the 2-3 lanes now being added to part of it by Persimmon Homes:
Construction of the link road was completed in September but it cannot open until Persimmon Homes have carried out widening works where it joins Pintail Way, to provide two northbound lanes and a southbound lane.
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/update-opening-forder-valley-link-road
Well, according to the Strava heatmap the A43 Silverstone bypass does get some cycling traffic. There's even a segment. The local legend has done it once!
https://www.strava.com/segments/27678763
They're a local legend because they did it and lived to tell the tale
A variant is in TSRGD2 from 2016.
If you survive the slip road corssing, youget to use the 75cm cyle lane next to the 70mph traffic.
I've not been on this bit, but did cross it further north near Towcester on some similarly dubious cycling infrastructure:
https://goo.gl/maps/hY1qQyNHREfDcJsu5
I've not been back.
That 75cm strip is not a cycle lane, there would have been a circular blue sign if it was. Nope, that blue rectangular sign means:
"Route recommended for pedal cycles on the main carriageway of the road."
The council, in their infinite wisdom, determine this to be an excellent route for cycling on the road - fully recommended!!
Yes, if you backtrack up the carriageway, it looks like what's actually happening is they divert cyclists off the main road, onto the sliproad, in order then to cross the sliproad at right angles and rejoin the main carriageway.
I think that's actually a fairly common arrangement on dual carriageways with slip roads. 🤢
Yes. If you have somehow designated this as a cycle route, then that treatment of the sliproad does make sense!
Doesn't that show a cyclist being hit when trying to escape on the sliproad and being thrown back to their end on the main carriageway? They just got the colour and shape of the sign wrong - should be a red triangle.
That's something !
So is that the cycle lane going down the sliproad where it advises "cyclists dismount"?
Cycle route ahead:
Entry to Cycle Route on main carriageway?
Perhaps someone was drunk?
That bit is saying cyclists: leave main carriageway, divert down sliproad. Then when you get to the dismount sign, you get off and cross the sliproad, remount and rejoin the main carriageway.
Some works of inspired genius are so advanced they're hard to tell from the scrawlings of the novice or the results of a pathological condition.
Could this be a fine comedy routine? Is it utterly unthinking "doing it by the numbers"? Is an investigation into graft warranted?
It's in duplicate or triplciate at different junctions !
Most baroque thing I've seen.
Ah - option 3 then, it'll be a friend's company who got the contract to design or install the "cycle facility"...!