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Petition launched seeking to ban cyclists from Buckinghamshire's dual carriageways after rider killed last week

County Council urged to take action following death of 91-year-old Raymond Dare during time trial last week

A petition has been launched on Buckinghamshire County Council’s website calling for cyclists to be banned from dual carriageways in the county following the death last week of 91-year-old Raymond Dare, who was hit from the rear by a van driver as he took part in a time trial near Ayslesbury.

> Cyclist, 91, killed while taking part in time trial in Buckinghamshire

The text of the petition, posted last Friday and open until 18 August, reads:

We the undersigned petition the council to Ban cyclists from the high speed dual carriageways county wide

With the sad death of a cyclist taking part in a time trial on the A41 this week it is time the local transport agency did something about the very unsafe practice of cycling on dual carriageways. Cyclists are banned from motorways and many of the counties dual carriageways have the same speed limit of 70mph however there is no hard shoulder so it is in effect more dangerous than a motorway for them.

At the time of writing, 78 people had signed the petition.

Similar petitions have been drawn up before, sometimes following a fatal incident in which a cyclist was killed, such as one posted to UK Parliament site in 2015 calling for bicycles to be banned from the A50 in Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

It attracted 136 signatures, with 10,000 needed to trigger a response from the government, and 100,000 required for the House of Commons Backbench Business Committee to consider holding a debate on the issues raised.

Conservative MP for Burton, Andrew Griffiths, backed that petition, saying: “I can completely understand why residents want to start this petition against the cycling time trials. We’ve seen deaths on the A50 and I’ve seen myself near misses.

> MP supports petition calling for time trialling to be banned on A50

“I think unfortunately cyclists bring it [the petition] on themselves,” he continued.

“Many time trials aren’t well run and aren’t signposted," he claimed.

"Safety measures aren’t in place and unless cyclists start taking it more seriously these calls for cyclists to be banned will only continue.

“It would be a shame for cyclists but they desperately need to do something to protect themselves from other road users.

“One option would be to put warnings and signs at every junction.

“You can get onto the A50 and before you know it there is a cyclist right in front of you.”

Last November, we reported how Surrey County Council had rejected a petition with 306 signatories that had sought to ban cyclists from the A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking, popular with riders particularly at the weekend since it is one of the main access points to the Box Hill loop.

> A24 cycling ban rejected by Surrey County Council

The council said that it had the powers to prohibit the use of a road by cyclists, but not a duty to do so. The Prohibition of Cyclists Traffic Orders are made under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984, and this would require extensive consultation.

"This type of proposal would also require the support of the police, as they would be responsible for enforcing any traffic order of this type.

"This proposal would set an unjustified precedent that would also create an additional budget pressure for the cost of consultation, advertising and potentially enacting a traffic order, signs and enforcement.

"It is acknowledged that this section of the A24 formed part of the Olympic Cycle Route, in 2012, and the use of the road has brought cycling tourism to the area,” the council added.

"Any proposal to ban cycling from the A24 would not support the Surrey County Council's cycling strategy, in particular that 'we will support cycling as healthy, inclusive and affordable'."

Please note: This article was amended on 27 July 2017 to clarify comments made by Andrew Griffiths MP in an interview with the Uttoxeter News in 2014.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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99 comments

Avatar
Phil.p | 7 years ago
3 likes

So signposts should be placed to warn other road users? If drivers can't see cyclist's they're not going to see a sign are they?

Avatar
RobD | 7 years ago
0 likes

Signed, nearly at 200 now, nice to see it going clearly past the other petition.

While we're at it, could we not petition them to reduce the speed limit on dual carriageways (that aren't already at or below) to 50? it'd cut pollution, reduce accidents and is still plenty fast enough to get you where you need to go in plenty of time.

And if they're going to try to ban cyclists, I'd expect speed cameras (average speed ones of course so heavy braking doesn't help) to show just how the well behaved motorists are obeying the law all the time now that they aren't having to look out for 'dangerous' cyclists.

Avatar
theironduck | 7 years ago
0 likes

186

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hawkinspeter | 7 years ago
7 likes

How about someone create a petition to ban women from wearing revealing clothes so that all the rapists don't get tempted all the time? A rapist turns a corner and before they know it, there's a woman showing bare ankles straight in front of him!

Avatar
Al__S | 7 years ago
2 likes

We have ended up with an idiotic situation in this country where we have many roads that have narrower lanes than a motorway and no/a narrow hard shoulder, yet have a 70mph speed limit, yet cyclists (and other road users prohibitied from motorways) are allowed to use them.

Except sometimes they are banned.

 

It's inconistant.

 

And idiot drivers forget that there could be vulnerable road users. Hell, idiot drivers seem to forget there are other road users full stop. Dual carriageways near me (especially the A14) are plagued with crashes.

 

In the short term, a ban is fundamentally wrong.

 

In the long term, all major roads (start with: every Motorway and A Road, and then move onto the B Roads) should have a parallel or equivalent (eg- more direct) high quality wide cycleway. Only then would a ban be appropriate. Might need to rethink a lot of TTing though.

Avatar
TriTaxMan | 7 years ago
6 likes

Is it just me or does anyone else fancy starting a petition to have cars banned from Dual Carriageways and Motorways because of the volume of accidents that they have? 

 

Avatar
Johnnystorm | 7 years ago
1 like

Signed. 200+  1

Avatar
STiG911 | 7 years ago
1 like

Signed - now at 211  4

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SevenHills | 7 years ago
2 likes

 Signed - now at 216

Avatar
SevenHills | 7 years ago
0 likes

 Anyone know what the the original idiotic petition is at?

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barbarus | 7 years ago
0 likes

Signed. It's at 222

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dodgy | 7 years ago
0 likes

241  1

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Crampy | 7 years ago
4 likes

Signed. 264 now.

Can we keep on track and not start with the dinosaurJR esque tangental ranting with a side order of cnut?

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cbrndc | 7 years ago
0 likes

289 now

Avatar
Ungulate | 7 years ago
0 likes

Petition signed. 

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Pub bike | 7 years ago
1 like

This is a real shame.  Most dual carriageways are wide enough for two cars plus a cycle lane but for the love of motorised vehicles there is no provision.

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Kendalred | 7 years ago
1 like

Signed.

Now 325

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craggie | 7 years ago
1 like

Signed.

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IanD | 7 years ago
3 likes

http://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgEPetitionListDisplay.aspx

 

Link above give the two petitions (bottom two in table of four).

 

Currently at 335 v 113

Avatar
John G | 7 years ago
2 likes

Signed. The total was 341 ...

Avatar
HalfWheeler | 7 years ago
0 likes
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ChrisB200SX | 7 years ago
0 likes

382

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alansmurphy | 7 years ago
1 like

I think you get the point I'm making. Roads in themselves aren't dangerous, it's the behaviour of those on the roads. Every single day there are pile ups, unbelievably shocking 'accidents' et al. If there were a thousand cycles on a given strip of road rather than a thousand cars do we think the fatalities would be the same?

As for infrastructure, it is designed by those that are primarily happy to sit in their tons of metal and speed around, designed not to inconvenience them. Take a main stretch of A Road, paint it blue and ban the cars, see how quickly things would change. Given the examples of any trials in London though we know how the lazy and feckless will take to this...

Avatar
Metaphor | 7 years ago
0 likes

Signed! Not the original petition, the counter-petition.

I also wanted to note that some short stretches of dual carriageway (for example on the A421 west of Buckingham) are far from having motorway characteristics.

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 7 years ago
2 likes

https://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=3284&RPID=81...

Some people realy struggle to understand things.

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davel | 7 years ago
0 likes

So who'll start another one to petition against petitions against frivolous petitions?

Avatar
oldstrath replied to RobD | 7 years ago
2 likes

RobD wrote:

Signed, nearly at 200 now, nice to see it going clearly past the other petition.

While we're at it, could we not petition them to reduce the speed limit on dual carriageways (that aren't already at or below) to 50? it'd cut pollution, reduce accidents and is still plenty fast enough to get you where you need to go in plenty of time.

And if they're going to try to ban cyclists, I'd expect speed cameras (average speed ones of course so heavy braking doesn't help) to show just how the well behaved motorists are obeying the law all the time now that they aren't having to look out for 'dangerous' cyclists.

But without warning signs of course, because the nasty warning signs would distract the poor dears.

Avatar
Carlp replied to hawkinspeter | 7 years ago
0 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

How about someone create a petition to ban women from wearing revealing clothes so that all the rapists don't get tempted all the time? A rapist turns a corner and before they know it, there's a woman showing bare ankles straight in front of him!

 

What the fuggery buck has this got to do with the subject?

 

I've signed the petiton, I know the road well, its all but in name a motorway. 

Avatar
TriTaxMan replied to SevenHills | 7 years ago
4 likes

SevenHills wrote:

 Anyone know what the the original idiotic petition is at?

110

The cycling friendly petition 228 

 

Avatar
700c replied to Pub bike | 7 years ago
0 likes

Pub bike wrote:

This is a real shame.  Most dual carriageways are wide enough for two cars plus a cycle lane but for the love of motorised vehicles there is no provision.

Yes that's what we should be lobbying for - Proper infrastructure. Not these 'ban cyclists'  or 'ban cars' nonsense petitions. 60 and 70mph dual carriageways are not nice or safe places to cycle at present are they? as evidenced by several tragic events this year alone

 

 

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