Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Cycle race on a3 - Jo (20th Jul 2016 - 23:16:50) Which clever stick decided to do a cycle race on the a3 when it's at it's busiest! Utterly ridiculous! It's so dangerous at the best of times without cyclists! Absolutely crazy!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Katie (21st Jul 2016 - 06:09:18) I know, they park their cars in front of peoples house so you can't park your car :-( The worst bit is they start on the slip road on the A3 and when they go round the roundabout they just don't think, I have had to brake very sharp as they just carry on, it won't be long before there is a accident :-(

Re: Cycle race on a3 - richard (21st Jul 2016 - 07:48:51) The cycle races happen every year. I suspect it will keep happening on this stretch of road until there is a horrific accident, and we will then have a big investigation to determine what went wrong! The answer is to find a more suitable bit of road. I cycle, but wouldn't dream of cycling down the A3 on a busy evening. Perhaps the cycle club, if they read this, ought to investigate alternative, less risky venues. Their activity is legal, but it just appears to lack common sense. Motorised traffic and bicycles don't mix that well, and I would imagine that a cyclist time trialling may not have the greatest sense of self-preservation if the person concerned is racing against the clock.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (21st Jul 2016 - 08:27:55) Do they have to get permission for cycle races as you do for a car rally?

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Ian (21st Jul 2016 - 09:24:36) What I find unbelievable is when the cyclists pull out to overtake and do not even seem aware they are on a busy dual carriage way! carnage waiting to happen. And before the lycra brigade get going once again this is a very different matter from cyclists racing on the Old Portsmouth road and elsewhere. The A3 is almost a motorway style road and was clearly not built with cycle racing whilst open to traffic in mind. CRAZY

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jonathan (21st Jul 2016 - 10:41:11) The same thing happens on the A31 between Farnham and Alton.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Richard (21st Jul 2016 - 11:32:04) I once asked a traffic policeman about cycle races on the A3, that whilst not an offence, he thought it was a bit daft Unlike on a motorway, a bicycle is not excluded from using the A3

Re: Cycle race on a3 - P Weyland (21st Jul 2016 - 13:35:20) They run it every Wednesday nights in the Summer months. Think they've been going a few years.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jo (21st Jul 2016 - 17:14:44) Well whoever came up with the idea has no common sense. So I think I will complain! Unbelievable!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (22nd Jul 2016 - 10:02:56) The cyclists will complain if there is an accident, then no doubt some hapless drivers will be blamed. I cannot see why you are allowed to race cycles on a public road - you cannot race cars or motorbikes.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - h (22nd Jul 2016 - 10:40:48) If it is not illegal, who would you complain to? the police cannot prevent it? does anyone know which group it is?

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Trevor's (3rd Aug 2016 - 23:16:22) These events run on a Wednesday evening are run by the A3CRG and are professionally run by a group of local people, they are run to a very high standard. The events are organised to and beyond the standards set buy the national governing body and have police permission. There a plenty of signs out warning other road users of the event on the slip roads and on the main dual carriageway you would have to be blind not to see them ! It is not illegal to race on the public highway but it s illegal to drive like a ..... And over the speed limit this is what will cause accidents.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (4th Aug 2016 - 08:17:59) Motor racing on a public highway is illegal and it should be the same for cycles. The cyclists often seem just intent on winning and oblivious to other traffic.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jacob (4th Aug 2016 - 12:27:58) Pardon me, but watched to MAD men/woman on a bike over taking with with out checking what was coming up behind them. Nearly got them both as I could not pull out as the other lane had a lorry in it. They should not be on the A3, much much busier since the tunnel, accident waiting to happen.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jim (4th Aug 2016 - 13:17:37) Jacob, perhaps if you had followed rule 126 of the Highway Code then you wouldn't have endangered people's lives and risked prosecution. "You should leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance." you wouldn't have endangered their lives and risked prosecution.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (4th Aug 2016 - 15:08:44) Jim I don't think you read Jacob's post correctly. As I understand it he was coming up behind the cyclists but in another lane when they suddenly pulled out into his lane without looking. Some cyclist seem to think it is everyone's duty to get out of their way. Yesterday I saw a cyclist ringing his bell furiously at several people crossing the road. Not unreasonable you might think except the pedestrians were on a zebra crossing!!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - tony (4th Aug 2016 - 16:03:30) Jim, I actually think Jacob would also have been putting himself in danger if he'd been forced to slow down to a bicycle speed, it is well known that the biggest hazard on a fast dual carriageway / motorway is vehicles ploughing into the back of very slow/ stationary vehicles, that is why the police advise you to exit your car and get a good distance away if you break down on the hard shoulder, so to ride a bicycle on the carriageway of what is virtually a motorway here on the A3 is very dangerous. I got knocked off there a few years ago when using the new cycle route, just where it ends and sends you back onto the A3, the policeman said although it's not illegal to ride on the A3, it probably should be even though I agree it may be safer for a well organised group than a lone cyclist doing who might only be doing 10mph. The Highways Agency just washed their hands of it, saying there wasn't enough land to complete the cycle path, I've still got the letter. What a cop out.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jacob (4th Aug 2016 - 17:18:32) Dear Jim, I do know how to drive a car, I have taken my advance driving course. They should not be on the A3 plain and simple. I do you hope you have a nice rest of the day

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Richard (4th Aug 2016 - 21:04:19) Quite right. If you have to brake due to people in front not looking, you are in danger of getting shunted by a car. Jacob was in an impossible situation. Let's try and simplify it for Jim shall we. Jim Pay Attention Two lane road, right hand lane blocked by lorry Jacob has to stay in left lane. Option 1 Plough into cyclists who pulled out without looking Result - Jacob gets the blame for their stupidity Option 2 Slow down and get hit from behind by another car who has been put into Option 1 by Jacob due to cyclists in Option 1 Result - Jacob gets the blame for slowing down. Jacob in a no win situation. Cyclists cycle on obliviously. Best outcome. Get off of the Main road. The old A3 is now a B road. STAY ON IT. Did you follow that Jim?

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Steve (4th Aug 2016 - 22:06:02) Richard that doesn't make sense at all. You along with several other posters to this thread seem to ignore the fact that that the cyclist is using lane one. The highway code requires drivers to allow 'plenty of room' (rule 212) when overtaking a cyclist which effecively means moving into lane 2. That may be inconvenient and mean slowing down if that lane is busy but that is how drivers are supposed to behave! In practice many drivers in lane one of a 2 lane road feel that it is perfectly ok to pass the cyclist without moving out into the second lane and this is when a dangerous situation can arise if one cyclist overtakes another. Visibility is very good along the relatively new dual carriageway and drivers should have no problem in anticipating the need to move over into lane 2 and even the possibility that one cyclist might overtake another one that is travelling at a slower speed. Having said all that I personally don't think it is a good idea to use the A3 dual carriageway for time trials in this way, not least because it is clear that many drivers don't understand the rules of the road, but as has been pointed out by others it is not against any current regulations and it would appear that the police have been consulted and presumably given advice to the organisers.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jim (5th Aug 2016 - 08:08:52) Richard, you and Jacob really do need to learn the rules of the road. It is quite simple, you drive at a speed according to the conditions and leave sufficient space in front of you to stop should you need to. In this way Jacob seeing the warning signs would have been driving a bit slower and anticipate the cyclists actions. He would then have slowed as per your Option 2. No one would have hit him from behind because the car behind would also be following the rules of the road and have left sufficient space to slow too. In this way the whole incident would have passed safely and, being so common and trivial, unnoticed. Remember, the A3 is not a motorway and as such does have all the hazards that come with it: cyclists, side roads, pedestrians, pedestrian rights of way crossings etc. Please drive accordingly and safely without being a danger to other road users, who are as just entitled to use the road as you.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (5th Aug 2016 - 08:22:39) Jacob Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't your post imply that the cyclists were in lane 1 and pulled into lane 2 in front of you as they overtook leaving you no options as there was an overtaking lorry in lane 3?

Re: Cycle race on a3 - dave (5th Aug 2016 - 09:01:58) Liz I took it to mean that there were two cyclists in Lane 1 and that Jacob was planning on squeezing past them in Lane 1 too as he could not pull out as he was being overtaken by a lorry in lane 2. He was prevented from doing this when the second cyclist decided to over take the first which he could do within the same lane 1. The cyclists use the narrow left hand area most of the time.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Steve (5th Aug 2016 - 09:05:04) Lane 3?

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Michael (5th Aug 2016 - 09:37:37) Anyway since when did a bicycle go fast enough to over take anything on a dual carriageway. The cyclists race in the evening when there is low traffic and as a driver or 'advanced driver' you should be able to drive with enough care and attention to avoid a bicycle given that you have a whole two lanes to use.....

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jim (5th Aug 2016 - 09:53:34) Rule 163 •give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car That means changing lanes and not squeezing past. Editor - the cycle lane isn't continuous on the A3 and suddenly stops as you approach Liphook southbound for example. Jim. the ride starts southbound from Liphook to Petersfield and back, I believe.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - liz (5th Aug 2016 - 10:00:28) OK sorry, Jacob does specifically mention the A3 - perhaps I should have read the post more carefully too!!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Richard (5th Aug 2016 - 11:06:01) For clarity there are two different Richards on this post!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jacob (5th Aug 2016 - 15:05:27) RIGHT, Just to clarify the cyclist was in lane one (both of them) the one behind the leader cyclist just pulled out with out checking. I was not going to squeeze past. The lorry was traveling to fast and just pulled out from behind me, I was signalling to say that I was going to over take, but the out of the blue cyclist no 2 just pulled out. lorry just went for it.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - rr (6th Aug 2016 - 00:09:04) Common sense should prevail here, the reality is the a3 whilst being an "a" road and not a motorway until further down is still a fast stretch of road with a speed limit to match. It would actually be safer to use the motorway stretch as at least there is a hard shoulder of suitable width for cyclists to overtake competing cyclists. I have passed there on many occasions and always see cyclists who are more concerned over their time rather than traffic around them. Their attire doesn't lend to them even being able to look properly behind themselves (referring to the aerodynamic helmets currently being worn). It is an accident waiting to happen and the main reason they aren't allowed on the motorway section (which hardly differs from our local stretch of the a3) is the simple fact they travel too slowly for the road itself and its expected speeds.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Jim (6th Aug 2016 - 00:26:00) So Jacob and both cyclists were in lane 1 the whole time and Jacob says he nearly hit them both because he was prevented from overtaking them because he himself was being overtaken by a lorry in lane 2. That doesn't sound like Jacob was driving safely as you should never nearly hit anything if you allow a safe distance in front of you.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - valerie (6th Aug 2016 - 12:51:30) Interesting arguments on both sides. One fact stands out to me very clearly and that is NO ONE cyclist or car driver should pull out without first checking there is no one behind them and then giving the appropriate signal.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Diane (25th May 2019 - 18:12:40) 5 pm on a bank holiday weekend and they are racing on the A3. Why do they not use the cycle path made for them? Car in front couldn't get wide enough to overtake because of a lorry in the outside lane, he had slowed down and luckily all the fast moving traffic behind managed to slow. As said before on this thread race by all means, but why not use the lane made especially for you.

Re: Cycle race on a3 - lac (26th May 2019 - 11:08:32) Couldn't resist adding my comments. My job involved me driving a total of about 750,000 miles in its duration. I've been driving since the 70s, so I think I've seen it all over the years. I've NEVER seen a cycle race anywhere else (including Europe) on a very busy dual carriageway. One thing is for certain. If these races continue there will be a fatal accident. Heavy traffic doing 70mph plus does not mix with cyclists doing 20 to 30mph. Cars have crumple zones, Cyclists do not. Humans make mistakes. The Liphook bypass (A3) is a major high speed road carrying large volumes of traffic. It is not the fairly quiet dual carriageway it once was. If the cyclists want to race, they have every right to, just as mountain climbers have every right to climb. They know the risks involved. It's everyone else who has to deal with the aftermath of a crash. I would also add the junctions they use are also dangerous at the best of times. They were designed for small volumes of local traffic on a quiet dual carriageway. The run ons and run offs are very short and give very little time for acceleration to dual carriageway speed, or stopping distance if the lanes are busy. Adding cyclists to the mix is clearly NUTS notwithstanding the previous points on speed differential!

Re: Cycle race on a3 - Yellow bannanna Adrian (30th May 2019 - 18:52:22) Why not use the old A3.

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home