Closed Roads

[drossall]

Which bypass? Only curious.

[Mike Sales]

Which bypass? Only curious.

Bangor bypass.
It is now just part of the A5/A55 but I guess you know the piecemeal strategy of new road building.
When built it was called a bypass.

[foxyrider]

With a couple of friends I rode the new bypass before it was opened to the public.
We rode through the cone barrier and had the pleasure of a few miles of perfect and motor free tarmac.

I've done that a few times, the most memorable the new dual carriageway (well it was then) on the Munich-Fuessen road, @ 10km of the best tarmac i've ever ridden!

When they built Bochum Parkway on the Sheffield ring road, it was a great 'short' cut for several weeks before it was opened to traffic.

[fastpedaller]

Here in Norfolk they seem to sign a road closed with a detour route which is aimed at HGV's, with no alternative info for smaller vehicles - there was a classic one a few years ago which diverted to a small market town 17 miles from Norwich and 17 miles back again because less than 1 mile of road was being worked on. There were several (indeed 10x several) detours which would have been a lot shorter, including at least 2 which would have worked for HGV (indeed, sending them anti-clockwise around the outer ring road would have saved at least 25 miles! Why the big diversion.... who knows? We experienced a 'road closed ahead' whilst out in the car one day, and I said to my Wife "I know plenty of small lanes we can get through, so we'll try it", and despite the 3 signs repeating 'road ahead closed' we got to the next market town 8 miles away until we saw the actual closure, which was easily bypassed within the town. A mystery, and one can only think the people placing the signs take some delight in sniggering at the inconvenience they have caused.
I did get caught out a couple of years ago (on the bike) when I 'pressed on regardless' to find a 7 ft high barrier with one end against a house, and the other against a tree with so many nettles etc the other side of the tree making it impossible to pass

Part of the explanation may be that the official diversion must be expected to take all vehicles, and a high proportion of the traffic, so no low bridges and no villages that can't cope. I recently got round a closed road section myself (driving) using my own alternative in preference to the official diversion, but my route involved a couple of residential streets and sending all the traffic that way would have been intolerable for local people.

Yes, I understand that reasoning, but surely a second set of signs (diversion NO HGV) would be a sensible move (and save a lot of frustration as well as the planet)

[drossall]

Bangor bypass.
It is now just part of the A5/A55 but I guess you know the piecemeal strategy of new road building.
When built it was called a bypass.

My mother-in-law now lives in Llandudno, so we go that kind of way quite often and I know the A55. I also remember travelling from Cheshire to Llandudno as a teenager, long before that road existed.

[Mike Sales]

My mother-in-law now lives in Llandudno, so we go that kind of way quite often and I know the A55. I also remember travelling from Cheshire to Llandudno as a teenager, long before that road existed.

When the road was continued across Anglesey much of Telford's Holyhead Road was left intact. It makes a great cycle route!

[Mike Sales]

With a couple of friends I rode the new bypass before it was opened to the public.
We rode through the cone barrier and had the pleasure of a few miles of perfect and motor free tarmac.

I've done that a few times, the most memorable the new dual carriageway (well it was then) on the Munich-Fuessen road, @ 10km of the best tarmac i've ever ridden!

When they built Bochum Parkway on the Sheffield ring road, it was a great 'short' cut for several weeks before it was opened to traffic.

One trip was on my tandem. There is a nice descent on a slip road to gather speed. Great fun to hurtle down the smooth empty road.

[pal]

I wish they would make it clear when a road is closed if pedestrians cyclist can still get through - some diversions can be 10s of miles and included trunk roads!

Cheshire East Council have granted your wish! https://twitter.com/DameSarahStorey/sta ... 57509?s=20 (But I agree that it would be very good if this became standard practice.)

[nirakaro]

I once came to a road-closure sign in Italy, warning me of a landslide in a very precise 8.76km. Since the detour was onto an autostrada, I chanced it, and took careful note of the mileage. There was no sign of any landslide at 8.76km, or anywhere else. Maybe they were planning a landslide?

[geocycle]

I tend to ignore them like most folk here. There do seem to be more of them and more temporary traffic lights. I wonder if the regulations have changed. It is usually possible to get around or dismount. If there are workers i ask permission and they usually oblige. I only came a cropper once where a bridge was down with no realistic way of crossing. Would be good if more details were on the signs.

[Blondie]

On a club run close to Rhiw on the Lleyn we came across a road closed sign.
Of course we carried on and we came to a place where the tarmac had been nibbled away by a landslide down towards Porth Neigwl (otherwise called Hell's Mouth).
There was enough road left to shuffle by, though it was most certainly impassable on four wheels.
Was there not a similar situation on Mam Tor? I have a hazy memory of pushing on through a road corrugated and eaten away and so signed impassable.

Mam Tor has been closed for decades although with care you can still get a bike through - just not easily!

Indeed Mam tor A625 road went in 1974 almost 50 years ago.

[Blondie]

It would be good to be able to load up a GPX file on a map with the dates you plan to ride it. Then for it to pull up any road works which might affect it. The UK wide roadwork data is available as an API to build such a web page but don’t believe anyone has done it.