Is it legal to ride on 'M' roads?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

And I would never ride a bike in central London - that traffic is manic.

 

Completely derailling the thread but, given your handle - what bike do you ride? I'm thinking steel, singlespeed, possibly a fixie 

Did that for 3 1/2 years, to and from work. Was manic. 

[eccc whippet]

The (cycle)circuit in Durban which has a dedicated cycle lane is part of the M12 so that throws that theory a bit.

[xdoomx]

The (cycle)circuit in Durban which has a dedicated cycle lane is part of the M12 so that throws that theory a bit.

True, but being a dedicated lane obviously means bicycles only are allowed there during designated times.

 

I'm guessing hardened riders of this stretch of M4 would love to see a similar lane laid down there. (eg Bicycles only between 4 and 6am)

[BikeLuddite]

And I would never ride a bike in central London - that traffic is manic.

 

Completely derailling the thread but, given your handle - what bike do you ride? I'm thinking steel, singlespeed, possibly a fixie 

 

Nah, I ride a Canyon with Ultegra!

 

I've ridden in London with BorisBikes on weekends - would never do that on a weekday. Feels too risky even though it would be cheaper than those darn tube fares.

 

Hearing and reading about the horror stories about cyclists getting killed and maimed locally in SA and overseas for years and seeing my friend nearly wiped out by a truck, I always opt on the side of caution - in built up traffic - I stay behind big vehicles, etc - I value my life more than gaining a few seconds on Strava, etc. Not apportioning blame by what I've said - but I feel we need to take considered decisions as to which roads we cycle on and then once on the road by cycling defensively and intelligently as much as possible.

 

In the end - regardless of whose fault it may ever be in an incident - we will always come out worse for wear against motorized traffic on the road  

[eccc whippet]

 

 

Just make more interesting...sunday i get on my bike head out for a ride...i dont have goggle maps...gps or even a drivers license for that matter...i ride a bicycle...i know i am not allowed on the freeway...

 

In the old days when the roads were maintained and the budget for road maintenance was used for its intended purpose...there were road signs and no potholes...and grass wasnt kept behind the line using vehicles passing by...we didnt have zero tolerance over the festive session...i think you get my point[emoji57]

[Johan A Marais]

The same goes for Cape Town when you leave the city on the N1.  Cyclists continue to ride the N1 up to the West Coast (Marine Drive) turnoff.  Apparently only after this turn-off the N1 then becomes a free-way.

 

It is one of only 3 ways to get onto the West Coast with your bicycle:-

1. Go through the harbor and get taken out by a truck, if they allow you through.  this is seemingly changing every day and then crossing all the railway lines on a road bike, not ideal.
2. Us the bike path and get attacked, robbed, killed or taken out by a pedestrian - not cool. This path (a great idea) is not being maintained by the city through Woodstock.
3. Use the N1 one and get taken out by a car

Eish - choices that will determine the rest of your life.  That is what we do every day. 

[Friedpiggy]

So if you are in Durban and wanting to go from umhlanga to suncoast, you are not allowed to use the M4. Since I know that road, i wouldn't anyways.

 

Your route if you want to stay close to the beach side is forest drive, then kentucky, into Fairway going into waterkant.

 

Great stuff. Forest drive has a horrendous road surface that destroys your rear end on a road bike. Kentucky is ok. Fairway, bad road surface and vagrants in the bushes at start and end of the road. Waterkant the cycling lane going southbound is so overgrown that half the time its not useable and its not the greateat surface either.

 

With all that in mind, I can see why people use the M4. Personally, I am starting to go on the far more hilly routes a bit more inland, just to save my bum a bit from the road surfaces along the "beach" route.

[Veebee]

So if you are in Durban and wanting to go from umhlanga to suncoast, you are not allowed to use the M4. Since I know that road, i wouldn't anyways.

 

Your route if you want to stay close to the beach side is forest drive, then kentucky, into Fairway going into waterkant.

 

Great stuff. Forest drive has a horrendous road surface that destroys your rear end on a road bike. Kentucky is ok. Fairway, bad road surface and vagrants in the bushes at start and end of the road. Waterkant the cycling lane going southbound is so overgrown that half the time its not useable and its not the greateat surface either.

 

With all that in mind, I can see why people use the M4. Personally, I am starting to go on the far more hilly routes a bit more inland, just to save my bum a bit from the road surfaces along the "beach" route.

 

avoid Fairway drive by going up Mackeurtan avenue, and then you can head up to M12[NMR Ave] and all the way down to Suncoast. this also then helps you avoid the hypermarket route and the blue lagoon bridge which is not safe at all especially if you are alone.

[DenzelM]

So even if there is parts of the stated M4 that a cyclist is allowed to ride, the issue is that there are too many contributing risk factors that are out of our control eg: behavior of other road users etc.

 

I also ride the back roads to umhlanga as stated by "Friedpiggy" but there is still some level of shared risk at times.

 

Durban has a lot of really enthusiastic cyclist, if we in someway , get all the clubs together and form some sort of body to start an initiative with the powers that be in the city, maybe just maybe one day this would pave the way for safer cycling..

 

Easier said than done i know... Happy to assist..

 

Regards

 

[Cube120]

Ok,so here is another note worth mentioning.Some time ago I see a guy on a really aged bike heading along Berea Road and straight down onto the freeway into town...in the morning rush hour traffic.Dressed in shorts,t-shirt and slops,NO HELMET!!!

A few days later he stops alongside me in the traffic and I ask him "why are you not wearing a helmet?To which he replies.."cycling is not an extreme sport and it never protected Burrie did it?"

I am still puzzled that he has survived this long riding like that,but the stupidity of his logic defies any sense at all.

A helmet might not save you I agree,but it just might protect you from serious head injuries in the event of an accident.oH and I still see him riding onto the freeway in rush hour traffic.

[Cube120]

Ok,so here is another note worth mentioning.Some time ago I see a guy on a really aged bike heading along Berea Road and straight down onto the freeway into town...in the morning rush hour traffic.Dressed in shorts,t-shirt and slops,NO HELMET!!!

A few days later he stops alongside me in the traffic and I ask him "why are you not wearing a helmet?To which he replies.."cycling is not an extreme sport and it never protected Burrie did it?"

I am still puzzled that he has survived this long riding like that,but the stupidity of his logic defies any sense at all.

A helmet might not save you I agree,but it just might protect you from serious head injuries in the event of an accident.oH and I still see him riding onto the freeway in rush hour traffic.

[Joe Low]

In the UK, it's illegal to cycle on M class roads. There are no N roads, M in the UK is equlivalent of M/N of SA in my opinion.

 

But from my own personal sensibilities of seeing drivers in SA, I would never ride on a road where the official speed limit is 100 or higher as it is a recipe for disaster as those poor chaps endured yesterday 

 

In this, case I would not recommend anyone, regardless of experience, to ever ride on an M road even if it were legal.

 

 

That's right and there are signs before you get on a M road in the UK saying who can and who can't. 50cc mopeds / motorbikes also not allowed.

 

You would not last 2 minutes before motorists and / or the authorities stopped you - suddenly or otherwise!

[droo]

Neither is the N2 until you get to the Hospital Bend, and even then the M3 continues to be open to cyclists all the way to the top of Edinburgh Drive (Wynberg Hill) where it turns into a freeway going down to Blue Route. 

 

 

PS: Just because something is legal, doesn't make it a good idea. Judgement is required from time to time as well.

 

That about sums it up I think...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

That about sums it up I think...

Yip. Pretty much.

[droo]

Yip. Pretty much.

 

I remember a rant thread around Epic time last year with photos of some dirt roadies riding down Hospital Bend.

 

Not illegal, but definitely p___ dom. 

[Barend de Arend]

Ok,so here is another note worth mentioning.Some time ago I see a guy on a really aged bike heading along Berea Road and straight down onto the freeway into town...in the morning rush hour traffic.Dressed in shorts,t-shirt and slops,NO HELMET!!!

A few days later he stops alongside me in the traffic and I ask him "why are you not wearing a helmet?To which he replies.."cycling is not an extreme sport and it never protected Burrie did it?"

I am still puzzled that he has survived this long riding like that,but the stupidity of his logic defies any sense at all.

A helmet might not save you I agree,but it just might protect you from serious head injuries in the event of an accident.oH and I still see him riding onto the freeway in rush hour traffic.

 

Cycling is the original extreme sport.  It was an extreme sport before "extreme sport" was a thing.

 

• Did you know that the Tour sent cyclists over the Alps before cars went over?  Hors Categorie means "cars don't go here."
• We do 100 km/h on 2.5 cm wide tyres.
• Originally with leather brake pads on wood rims.
• We do 60 km/h with 5 cm gaps.
• In blizzards.  None of this "it rains a bit, let's stop" like tennis and cricket.
• For three weeks straight (these days with rest days)

 

And we're not even talking gravity yet.