Monte Classico - Route Safety Concerns

[MDB1997]

Well there goes my R500, maybe if the short route is safer I’ll just do that

[love2fly]

I stopped riding races that didn't have full road closure a long time ago after some scary moments during Ride For Sight and Sun City. In SA car drivers are too aggressive for non road closure.

[Spy007]

Does anyone think they will change safety after the Horrible incident this weekend? Surely some riders would have brought this up with them?

[Frosty]

IMO, I doubt it. Safety of the riders is not the number one priority; income is.

The organiser is based in the WC, and therefore won’t see the traffic conditions on weekends. Anyone invested in event safety will spend time on the route watching for trends in the traffic. Examples: many shopping malls open at 08:00, so traffic starts building up from 07:30 (workers).

Then there are the weekend drives to Harties, on three of the major roads heading out of Joburg.

My opinion! 

[Cyclewizz]

I had a look at the route but figured that it was going to be dangerous and I don't even live in that area. If they had gotten full road closure then I would have entered but sharing the roads with all that traffic is probably going to be a nightmare, especially coming back.

those that decide to do the race, STAY SAFE !!!!

 

[rorydewet]

16 minutes ago, Frosty said:

IMO, I doubt it. Safety of the riders is not the number one priority; income is.

The organiser is based in the WC, and therefore won’t see the traffic conditions on weekends. Anyone invested in event safety will spend time on the route watching for trends in the traffic. Examples: many shopping malls open at 08:00, so traffic starts building up from 07:30 (workers).

Then there are the weekend drives to Harties, on three of the major roads heading out of Joburg.

My opinion! 

Wow mate.

I didn't want to be proven right about my concerns in this manner.

Where that incident happened is the same road where this race will go, same traffic same road conditions.

RIP to the guy.

Lets see how this plays out.

 

[Ispeed_V]

Throw into the mix, Taxi's dropping off workers on Beyers, guys and gals out on their Breakfast Runs, think spending the morning on the couch is the far safer option.

Disappointing though, as having missed Ride Joburg last year due to injury, was looking forward to getting a race under the belt. 

Will be interesting to hear the post race revues of those that do do it.

[Paul Ruinaard]

Exactly why i haven't entered the race - those were the exact roads where the triathlete was killed on saturday by an allegedly drunk driver. How will this now work with bunches of cyclists. 

IMO there are two viable scenarios for races:

1.) Full Road Closure - difficult, complex, disruptive and costly

2.) Partial road closure but on remote roads (like for example Ride for Sight) where safety is therefore a bit more improved.

Bringing bicycle races in to urban centres with traffic mixed in is complete madness. I think this is irresponsible and there will be incidents.

[love2fly]

IMO races that don't have full road closure are too risky and put money over safety.

[Frosty]

Not all Metros approve full road closure, and has nothing to do with the organiser not prioritizing safety. Picking busy roads and in urban areas is not ideal. It should be avoided where possible.

For all traffic light intersections, there has to be a trained and qualified person manning it. Joe Soap marshal is not allowed to do that job. In many cases, Metro traffic officials charge a fortune and do half a job; there are so some good ones out there.

Even with full road closure, there are still accidents between cyclists. High speed crashes result in hospitalization. The risk is still there.

[stringbean]

All this talk you guys have got me seriously worried. Entered the race, coming up from Cape Town  thinking it might be a lekker little holiday for me and wife.

Got some serious reservations now especially since we had a fellow cyclist killed in a PPA race here in CT yesterday.

Since I’ll already be up there should we rather just go do SA’s in Graskop

[DanMan]

I am a local and have entered the race. From my point of view I feel safer in the bunches of a race than training alone on these roads. 

Yes, there is a risk when doing the race but its the same than risk when I climb onto my bike to go and train. That is unfortunately the reality we live in. You are at risk when you are on your bike. 

If these roads were as bad as some of the hubbers describe them the I doubt people will enter in masses to do them. 

In my opinion we will be crossing/going over the busy roads and intersections early on a Sunday morning when traffic is at its lowest. I do believe it makes the route a lot safer than having it on any other day. I do believe the organiser has put enough resources in place to make the route as safe as possible. 

If you feel unsafe please don't enter but I will be lining up on the start line and hopefully enjoy a great day out on the bike! 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Sorry i think it is an individual thing and agree if you feel the need then go for it.

But i am not sure if anyone has thought about what the result would have been if that Porsche driver who on Saturday was by all accounts all over the place and probably drunk had ploughed into a pack of cyclists who were part of a race rather than the two that he did? I was FYI also planning to be on that exact road at that time but i didn't go out, so i was pretty shocked and scared when i saw what happened as i also felt that as it was 3 bike widths wide it was safe. Turns out i was wrong and that i dodged a bullet and that my perception of what is safe is actually wrong. No bunch would have protected you in the incident that happened, save to ensure that there are more people between you and the ones that are ploughed down, being brutally honest,.

Do you still feel that it's really a safe route with these sort of people potentially sharing the road with you?

FWIW: My issue is with the organisers and the desire to attract cyclists to Montecasino which is situated in the middle of Fourways and close to some very busy roads and Saturday Shopping malls with a lot of traffic. Just looking at the route it's pretty much straight out crazy - the section past Cosmo and that area  is very dangerous in terms of surfaces alone and then the typical township taxis who will not give a continental about some marshalls telling them not to use the yellow lines if it suits them Never mind the fact that the people they are ferrying to work are actually needing to get there.

You could choose many other routes and avoid the potential of mixing tired cyclists with Saturday morning traffic around some of the biggest shopping hubs in Jhb. I live on the routes and ride them every weekend. I avoid these places intentionally even though i can choose to ride there. Now you take a pack of cyclists and mix them with Sat morning traffic. And it's not the fast guys that matter - its the tired stragglers who are training for CTCT etc that are doing their first 100 km or first 100 km for the year. How are you going to ensure they don't get taken out on those roads.

There are far safer routes out there.

 

 

[love2fly]

A few years ago they tried to run a Pro tour similar to the Rapport tour and it routed past Monte...I happened to be on site to witness the aggression from motorists as the rolling Road closure exited Monte onto William Nicol....be very sure you want to take the risk. A year or 2 ago another drunk motorist ploughed into, yes, you guessed it, a bunch of riders. If memory serves me correctly they were from The Bicycle Co in Centurion out for a club ride. A big bunch is no safer than z single rider.

[buckstopper]

I did my last my last August in 2005. Stampeding down the M3 in a 250 strong herd was quite scary given the different levels of "herd discipline" (C group). And then the crash- a huge cacophony of chaos and the inevitable domino effect. I dodged that one but some of the pro ladies weren't so lucky. Bunches are not without risk, as is going out on your ace, or not exercising for that matter. Just manage the risk as much as you can. BTW I didn't enter because I'm still doing base. I must say I do have some reservations about Peter Rd intersection (and the ones before on Beyers), the Cosmo Mall one, Douglas and Cedar. We need lap racing Belgium/Europe style here. Like crits but maybe longer laps, surely less intersections to manage, less cost? More spectators too maybe. Wed pm races at the Cradle maybe. Maybe worthy of its own thread.

......ramblings of an old fart...

[Spy007]

i think for us locals it is easier than out of towners that do not know the roads this side.