MP supports petition calling for time trialling to be banned on A50

One cyclist on A50 struck from behind by texting truck driver

http://www.uttoxeter-news.co.uk/News/Dead-cyclists-father-in-bid-to-ban-...

Another truck driver received a suspended sentence for death by careless driving for mowing down and killing a cyclist from behind

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17695954

A quote from the (presumably) naive and completely misguided woman who has put the petition together

“Two years ago I witnessed a cyclist get struck by a HGV. As a witness, the police kept me informed and the cyclist died leaving behind his wife and children.
“The driver was given a driving ban losing his livelihood"

Seems much more concerned that the truck driver lost his job to me.

Personally I avoid A roads when riding. Just not worth the risk.

Can we start a petition to turn the A50 into a cycle path?!

TTing on a busy A road is asking to be removed from the gene pool unfortunately but then banning cyclists from A roads is a little to extreme. The roads are busy, heavy and are meant to be driven at speeds up to 70mph, specially the main 'arterial ones' that supplement the motorway to larger towns and cities.

Like Beaufort, I avoid them like the plague as I accidentally ended up on one once and it wasn't a pleasant 10 minute experience. Wind drag from on a normal bike from a passing truck would be enough to pull you into the middle of the road so heavens knows what it would be like on a TT bike.

It is a shame it has to come to this as we should be able to share the roads but common sense has to prevail. Is someone going to try a TT on the M4/M25 next?

I see one or two cyclists on the A1 in Newcastle every morning driving to work. They must have a death wish

TT on cycle paths.

You can't say all A roads are bad, they usually have the advantage of being wide and with clear visibility for long distances.
There are faster A roads I prefer not to cycle on simply because of the speed difference, it only takes a moment of inattention from a driver and you've had it. This part of the A50 would be one of those I avoided.

The best way to solve the problem is two fold.
1. ban HGV from the roads during daylight hours.
2. to stop Stupid comments from any MP, remove the need to be stupid, and speak before you think from the list of qualities needed to be an MP!

Cycling on A roads isn't any more dangerous than any other road, quite often the opposite.

Drivers have a responsibility not to drive over other road users, let's not side with people who are victim blaming, even if they are doing it unconsciously.

This country is useless really. Just reactive and not forward thinking.

For example, on Sundays there is usually less traffic on many A roads. Why not restrict drivers to the right hand lane where it's possible on busy cycle routes to encourage cycling.

I like to leave as early as possible when I go out cycling to avoid traffic. Many a time you still have idiots sticking to the left lane, speeding in their cars coming unnecessarily close.

What a complete piece of garbage! She says the aim is to educate people, but I think she is in fact the one that needs to be educated.

Along this logic, cyclists shouldn't be allowed to cycle in London, as people have been hit by HGV's and killed there. Road races shouldn't happen. In fact cyclists shouldn't be allowed to ride on roads.

Cyclists don't swerve around in the lane when tired, cyclists swerve to avoid the pothole which could lead to a crash or other dangers, just as a car or lorry would to do avoid breaking the vehicle.

Finally, I much prefer dual carriageway time trials, as I actually find them safer. When you're travelling at 30mph on a single carriage road, car's struggle to overtake, get frustrated and carry out dangerous overtakes. With DC's there is always another lane, to which I find a lot safer.

If she want's to see dangerous cycling, watch a road race. As much I enjoy racing them, there is some genuinely terrifying riding from some riders.

!“You can get onto the A50 and before you know it there is a cyclist right in front of you.”!

numpty basically admits to not being aware of their suroundings...

Let's start a petition to ban Lorries from the A50, we could do it seriously say for weekends (like in France) or as a mickey take and go for completely.

It would be hilarious to get more signatures...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/@51.958917,-2.156817,3a,75y,357.16h,72.85t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1smMtiCwnTzzCwTl8AbRrHGQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x48710315cc0d5163:0x45c5d14f33be793d

once upon a time this was a dual carriage way, now it is single and has a nice wide cycle path...

Maybe this is the way forward for all dual carriageways?

Bit of a pity it starts and stops in the middle of nowhere really! I guess you can't have everything!

The courts found the HGV driver guilty of driving below the required standard. That, in a nutshell, is the problem, not the presence of cyclists on NSL DC's but this woman, being so deeply conditioned by our motor-centric culture, can't see that. And neither can her Tory-boy MP.

Nobber drivers are the problem. And nobber MP's. And nobber petition starters.

MPs also bring it on themselves.

What is "it" anyway?

Have to admit that in the A38 example I'd prefer one of the carriageways to be given over to motor vehicles, the other to bikes. As it is, I find it fairly safe but it's unlikely to convince anyone to take up cycling, which a bike-only carriageway might do.

A little request to road.cc - in these stories, could you cite the party the MP belongs to? Might help people when deciding who to vote for at the next election...

I can't agree with the post above about dual carriageway cycling being safer than single carriageway cycling.

I understand why cyclists want to TT on dual carriageways -they are fast, often straight, smooth roads which can be appealing to someone trying to beat their PB. But traffic doing 70+ mph struggles to react to slow moving vehicles, it's not always possible to change lanes. If you're in lane 2, you may not see the cyclist in lane 1, and the temptation for drivers is perhaps to pass close rather than slam on the brakes in that situation.

I think generally drivers will not be expecting a cyclist and their style of driving is likely to reflect that - ie cruising, motorway style, rather than reading the road far ahead, ready to overtake or slow for turnings/ junctions /other traffic

That being said, I don't agree with the petition which calls for banning rather than improved safety measures, (contrary to what the campaign leader says).

As I say to people when their response is "cyclists shouldn't be on the road it is dangerous" - Everyone is perfectly entitled to use the roads, just because you are driving a bigger vehicle it gives you no more rights than any other road user, whether they be a pedestrian, horse rider, cyclist or driver.
Time the car is king bubble was burst and a zero tolerance crack down on the blight of poor/lazy driving standards was implemented starting with those driving vehicles as part of their work. Nearly wiped out in Bath yesterday while driving by a coach driver who felt that the speed limit wasn't fast enough for them and that indicators were optional!!
Cycling is not dangerous.
Cars & Lorries are not dangerous.
It is the idiot behind the wheel of the car or lorry that is dangerous!

So Amanda Brooks is more concerned about the driver of the HGV losing his job, who happened to be texting on his phone at the time of the accident. than the family of the poor cyclist who through no fault of his own was struck from behind by a driver who was breaking the law. And we have a MP, Mr Andrew Griffiths who thinks the cyclist was a fault too, not the HGV driver. Are these people for real. Mr Andrew Griffiths who in the right mind voted for you. and who in their right mind would support this petition.

Thee's a very good reason this petition has attracted so few signatures. It's completely misguided and ill-informed.

All the open TT events I have seen are well-signed and have marshals on every junction. I have never seen people veering when tired in a TT. As another poster said riders veer because of poor road surface and in and of itself this is only a reason to improve the road surface. It is needless victim blaming as the incident she cites the driver hit the cyclist from the rear. Drivers hit others often because they aren't paying attention.

There are very few dual carriageways that are off-limits to cyclists - the lower section of the A470 down the Valleys to the junction of the M4 being one. I can understand why that one is restricted - numerous slip-wayed junctions, bends, inclined and walled off. Maybe the A50 there is similar. However, this is not the way to petition for a change.

MP has said that the paper misquoted him, with reference to the "cyclists bring it on themselves"

https://twitter.com/agriffithsmp/status/488266166520250369

But then careers off into more victim blaming territory claiming the TTs are not managed or signed enough.

Neatly seemingly forgetting about this gem on his very own website

Quote:

It is a very busy road and a very tight road. I hope to have talks with cycling clubs in Uttoxeter and Burton to see how they feel about cycling safety on the A50 and A38 and what could be done to make them safer or ban it altogether.

http://www.andrewgriffithsmp.com/content/mp-call-a50-probe-after-cyclist...

So obviously does not like cyclists. He has not offered to support road justice or space for cycling.

Agree with 700C.

Our local by pass the A565 ( with plenty of rural side roads) was 70mph but with at least one motorist death a year and countless serious injuries it was dropped to 60mph. Some councillors wanted 50mph but were over ruled. I reckon perhaps 40% are still doing 70mph+ past lorries straddling two lanes to get by a hardy few TT riders. The A59 runs a weekly TT. I support club that runs it: they have a right to do so but it is the front line of the cyclist motorist share the road issue and if motorists don't want to or expect to share the end result is always the same. Motorists are killing each other at a steady rate so cyclists should expect the same.

A roads are dangerous but if it's a danger you choose to accept? Go ahead. As death's increase TT's will either be banned or motorists forced to slow down. I imagine the latter is out of the question.