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Cycling on the road approaching a dual carriageway. THe inside lane is coned off. There doesn't appear to be any work taking place, but it's coned off nonetheless.
If you were to continue your cycling journey on the dual carriageway, which lane should you cycle in?
Pavement.
You ride in the remaining (outside) lane, but go eyeballs out to minimise disruption to other road users.
Legally? Well your bicycle is a vehicle so merge into the single un-coned Lane, and then of course await the verbal abuse for holding up car drivers or some squeezy past dickhead overtakes...
However from a practical point of view if there's no work actually taking place and the surface is rideable (which ofter seems to be the Case) I would nip between a couple of cones and use the empty lane...
I'd use the coned off lane personally 🙂
Wot allthepies says.
Cone slalom
Inside the cones for me , maybe not correct but a lot safer imo
I just rode in the outside lane and got a lot of abuse, off pretty much every driver that overtook me after the dual carriageway (about a hlaf mile stretch). One car even tried to undertake when there was a break in the cones for a junction. Horrible experience.
I did consider the coned off lane but thought maybe the'd been cutting the edges and there might be thorns, or there could've been broken glass, diesel there etc. Didn't fancy risking it.
You judge risk very differently to me.
I did consider carrying a few gold ball sized pebbles in a jersey pocket I could just throw on the vehicle behind if the driver was acting too aggressively. Good idea? 😀
I ride in the single open lane and claim the lane so cars can't pass. It's not me holding up the traffic. It is the coned off section. Same with commuting. I don't hold up the traffic. The large amount of oncoming traffic is what hinders other cars from making a safe overtaking maneuver.
And there is no risk because the cars can't pass. Risk comes when others think there is an opportunity to make an unsafe maneuver. Better to not give them the chance. Did this riding around Heathrow during the recent resurfacing and never had a moments trouble.
I have as much right to use the road as the next road user.
"Should" = ride on the main carriageway - the lane was coned off for a reason and all cyclists should adhere to the rules of the road just as much as drivers...
"Would" - as driving brings out the inner moron in so many people, I'd ride in the coned off area for as long as it looks safe to do so...
Funny how so many people think the rules of the road should only apply to cyclists when they're looking for an excuse to criticise, but when those rules mean they have to act like grown ups and just wait (or at least slow down) then those rules appear to no longer apply.
We've turned into a country of man-babies...
I have as much right to use the road as the next road user.
You have more right to cycle than you do to drive - you have no right to drive unless you hold a licence and insurance... You have a natural entitlement to cycle 🙂