No Cycling on the Mountain during ManxGP

[Bobbie Bobster]

Lol

Someone hasn't read up on public good.

[Neil Down]

30 minutes ago, finlo said:

Only a total moron would even think cycling over the mountain at anytime let alone during TT FOM.

Only a moron would come out with claptrap like that

[Mr. Sausages]

1 hour ago, notwell said:

There's a pecking order on the roads Bobbie . Cyclists are not equal or top of it in TT or FOM.  

 

Is the pecking order published anywhere? Sounds like a handy dandy thing to read up on.

[The Bastard]

It's no different to the closures to non-cycle traffic during Cyclefest. There were a lot of slow-moving cycles on the Cyclefest route (no shit, Sherlock), so for safety reasons, other traffic was stopped from using the roads. There was no mass-protesting from motorcyclists or car drivers demanding to use the roads, they just accepted it for what it was. Over the MGP, there will be a lot of motorcycle traffic, and having slow-moving and vulnerable cyclists on one of the busiest routes is a recipe for accidents. For a few days, go another way, or get the bus. Simples.

[Roger Mexico]

35 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

It's no different to the closures to non-cycle traffic during Cyclefest. There were a lot of slow-moving cycles on the Cyclefest route (no shit, Sherlock), so for safety reasons, other traffic was stopped from using the roads. 

Er not exactly.  The roads were only closed to other traffic during the races.  However if you are suggesting that the relevant roads should have had all cars motorbikes etc banned from them for the fortnight around the race times (the better for visiting cyclists to have a play about), then I'm sure it can be arranged. 

[Bobbie Bobster]

46 minutes ago, The Bastard said:

There was no mass-protesting from motorcyclists or car drivers demanding to use the roads, they just accepted it for what it was.

Har har, nice one!

[RIchard Britten]

16 hours ago, PottyLisa said:

I can understand cyclists being a bit miffed by this but why on earth would you want to go up there TT or MGP week?

Because as its a public road and not a race course...

[PottyLisa]

32 minutes ago, RIchard Britten said:

Because as its a public road and not a race course...

Yes, I know.  And I sypathise.  But it is what it is, bikes go up there and go nuts.  You have horrific closing speeds.  Bikes easily hit 150mph, sometimes more.  It's not a racetrack, they shouldn't but they do.  So again, why on earth would a cyclist want to go up there and expose themselves to that.

Cars sometimes get hit due to closing speed, what it must feel like on a bycycle with bikes flying up behind you I just can't imagine.  I mean c'mon, it's all well and good being principled but it's hard to imagine anything dumber.

[RIchard Britten]

3 minutes ago, PottyLisa said:

Yes, I know.  And I sypathise.  But it is what it is, bikes go up there and go nuts.  You have horrific closing speeds.  Bikes easily hit 150mph, sometimes more.  It's not a racetrack, they shouldn't but they do.  So again, why on earth would a cyclist want to go up there and expose themselves to that.

Cars sometimes get hit due to closing speed, what it must feel like on a bycycle with bikes flying up behind you I just can't imagine.  I mean c'mon, it's all well and good being principled but it's hard to imagine anything dumber.

So you're saying its the bikes that are the problem?

[PottyLisa]

Of course, I'm not anti bike by any stretch but only a fool would try to say they don't cause the issue.

[bloodycomeover]

a

[Mr. Sausages]

2 hours ago, PottyLisa said:

Yes, I know.  And I sypathise.  But it is what it is, bikes go up there and go nuts.  You have horrific closing speeds.  Bikes easily hit 150mph, sometimes more.  It's not a racetrack, they shouldn't but they do.  So again, why on earth would a cyclist want to go up there and expose themselves to that.

Cars sometimes get hit due to closing speed, what it must feel like on a bycycle with bikes flying up behind you I just can't imagine.  I mean c'mon, it's all well and good being principled but it's hard to imagine anything dumber.

All true, I'd never cycle there in TT/MGP weeks.  I rarely cycle there if it's a sunny day because more bikers and boy racers are out on sunny days.  Mark Cavendish was interviewed ahead of the British champs, interviewer talked about his home advantage, he responded along the lines of "yeah, but we don't normally ride on the mountain road" - subtext, it's too dangerous up there.

It's a shame that the govt effectively allows a no go zone to exist on a little island.  And people accept it because, hey, that's just what bikers do.

[Neil Down]

4 hours ago, PottyLisa said:

Yes, I know.  And I sypathise.  But it is what it is, bikes go up there and go nuts.  You have horrific closing speeds.  Bikes easily hit 150mph, sometimes more.  It's not a racetrack, they shouldn't but they do.  So again, why on earth would a cyclist want to go up there and expose themselves to that.

Cars sometimes get hit due to closing speed, what it must feel like on a bycycle with bikes flying up behind you I just can't imagine.  I mean c'mon, it's all well and good being principled but it's hard to imagine anything dumber.

Usually before they either hit some poor innocent motorist or the tarmac. This is what the authorities should be concentrating on

[manxb&b]

I wouldn't want to cycle the mountain at any time of the year, not because of the traffic issue, just that I'd be completely fucked by the time I got to the hairpin.

[The Bastard]

2 hours ago, Mr. Sausages said:

All true, I'd never cycle there in TT/MGP weeks.  I rarely cycle there if it's a sunny day because more bikers and boy racers are out on sunny days.  Mark Cavendish was interviewed ahead of the British champs, interviewer talked about his home advantage, he responded along the lines of "yeah, but we don't normally ride on the mountain road" - subtext, it's too dangerous up there.

It's a shame that the govt effectively allows a no go zone to exist on a little island.  And people accept it because, hey, that's just what bikers do.

As it's perceived to be "dangerous", it's not an unreasonable "no-go" zone - as has already been pointed out, most governments ban cycles from fast-moving arterial routes since cyclists are vulnerable, slow-moving obstacles to modern traffic. It's the same reason why they don't allow mobility scooters on the M1, or steam traction engines on the M25 in rush hour.

For the TT/MGP periods, the mountain road becomes a fast-moving arterial route. Motorcyclists don't conform to a stereotype, they don't all do 150mph (only a handful of bikes will actually go that fast, for a start) ,they are a range of people with different attitudes who happen to be riding on two wheels, and they're not obliged to ride recklessly - the core problem is that there are just an awful lot of them sharing a small road for a short period of time.

It's not about personal liberties or the "right" to use a road, it's simply that an unfit weekend cyclist slowly puffing up the mountain ascent during this busy time would be putting themselves at risk, and risking causing a significant accident, since the mass of faster traffic overtaking this mobile chicane at such a busy time will have to cross into the opposite carriageway and risk causing a head-on collision. It makes total sense to ban cycles from the mountain while the road is this busy.

I'm no anti-cycle fanatic, but accident statistics show that it makes sense to split pedal cycles from fast road traffic. Personally I think with the growth in cycling and personal electric vehicles, a future option would be to restore and resurface some of the older trackways, railway lines and footpaths as cycle/pev routes, giving these slow and vulnerable road users safer routes for training, travelling and commuting.