Migueloliv Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 I will soon need to commute, I want to know if commuting through the R59 is safe. The area of the R59 i'm planning to commute is not close to Joburg therefore traffic is not that harsh. If the police see me on a road bike on the freeway will they stop me? Will i just be told to get off the highway or any severe punishments? The reason i have the need to commute through the R59 is that it is the fastest and most direct route to my destination. From a documentary i heard Chris Froome traveled through some highways in his teen days. Thanks in advance for help and your answers are appreciated Miguel
Frosty Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 IMO, you're crazy to ride on the highway - but that's my opinion and you're free to yours. As you haven't posted the full route, I would ask what's wrong with the R42?We used to ride that road back to Jhb from the races in Vereeniging/Vanderbijlpark (Stonehaven and Hyper to Hyper). Nothing wrong with the R42 and a lot *safer. *Safer: trucks and cars doing 120km/h or faster on thst section of R59.
HappyMartin Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Commuting is all about finding the best route. In my mid thirties I never owned a car so all commuting was by bike. Some hard lessons learnt along the way. This freeway thing is nuts. No way it's your best route.
mrbaker Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Freeway is illegal.I don't know why some cyclists out there think this is an option.
The_black_stig Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Have you got a good medical plan??Or one of those Kaizer-Chief funeral plan....
GaryvdM Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Have you got a good medical plan??At highway speeds, a funeral plan probably more important.
Migueloliv Posted March 29, 2015 Author Posted March 29, 2015 Thanks a lot guys, i wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe I didn't notice the R42 at the time. Isn't that the road that passes through Vereeniging? There are a couple of stop lights through the city, not that i mind stop lights but if i stop isn't there a chance i could get hijacked or my bike stolen? I never commuted in SA before sorry if the questions seem foolish for a south african born person. Thanks in advance for help and your answers are appreciated Miguel
Wyatt Earp Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 I will soon need to commute, I want to know if commuting through the R59 is safe. The area of the R59 i'm planning to commute is not close to Joburg therefore traffic is not that harsh. If the police see me on a road bike on the freeway will they stop me? Will i just be told to get off the highway or any severe punishments? The reason i have the need to commute through the R59 is that it is the fastest and most direct route to my destination. From a documentary i heard Chris Froome traveled through some highways in his teen days. Thanks in advance for help and your answers are appreciated MiguelNo true, he was on the N1 once trying to beat the dark from University and was stopped by a metro Police officer, he never did a stupid thing like that again .
Paddaman Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 In the old days BigH would give you a three pager on the difference between national roads, Regional routes, Highways ext. But Oom Hendrick is quiet these days. Maybe we should Facebook him for a response.......
Tubehunter Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Welcome dude! Where are you originally from Miguel? The highway code may allow cyclists in that country to ride on the verge, but in South Africa it is illegal and you will be asked to move off the freeway. More importantly the driving style of many of the road users here in South Africa is nothing like there and most of the heavy vehicle drivers use the verge for no apparent reason and are typically not the types to worry about the safety of other road users. As a cyclist facing this type of situation you have less than no chance and it's not a question of if you will encounter an incident but rather a case of when! Do the right thing for this scenario and stay off the highway irrespective of how appealing it may seem to be there!
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