In Edinburgh...after an amusing episode...

[tbessie]

I took the A1 most of the way to Edinburgh today (from near Bamburgh)... But then I started noticing people honking at me, and one guy leaned out of his window and gestured wildly at me.

"Could the cycling rules be different in Scotland?" I wondered.

I found a Scottish government transportation agency website and called them. With all the cars zooming past me at 80mph, it was hard to have a conversation, but I told the lady who answered about what was happening, and asked if I shouldn't be on the A1. She wasn't very helpful, though tried to connect me to someone who could help, but they weren't there.

I persevered on the road, but getting the honking and gestures. I pulled over again into a layby, and tried to find a bicycle advocacy group who might know.

While fiddling with my phone, a car pulled up next to me in the layby. I thought "maybe I can ask them".

Then a cop got out of the car. I swear, it looked like a station wagon!

I said "Hi there. Can I ask you a question? Though you're probably here because of what I'm about to ask..."

He was very friendly, and informed me that I can't ride my bike on the motorway.

"Motorway?" I said. "Isn't this an A road?"

"It is, but this section is an expressway. The A1 has an 'M' in parentheses after it."

"Where does it start being a motorway?" I asked.

"Back at Dunbar" (many miles back).

OOPS!

I hadn't seen the sign showing the charge in designation or the one saying no cycles allowed... D'oh!

I asked "Am I in trouble?" "Oh, HEAPS of trouble" he said with a smile. I felt 5 years old.

He also said they'd been getting quite a few calls about me. Not the kind of notoriety I'd really been hoping for...

Luckily, we were right next to an exit that took me to the coastal path bike route. So - after he took down my name and phone number and address and such - he escorted me to and up the exit, before tooting his horn friendily and zooming off.

Quite embarrassing.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my D5803 using hovercraft full of eels.

[Lilyf]

Glad you made it safely, and in one piece!

[Paulatic]

Pleased it had a happy ending.

[tbessie]

Thanks, Paulatic

Is that actually on the A1?

- Tim


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my D5803 using hovercraft full of eels.

[tbessie]

Glad you made it safely, and in one piece!

Almost all the drivers were very good at avoiding me, and there was about a 2 or 3 foot shoulder, and I wear a rear-view eyeglass mirror, so I felt pretty safe. I have nerves of steel in such conditions

- Tim


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my D5803 using hovercraft full of eels.

[Paulatic]

Pleased it had a happy ending.

Yes I think that is the actual sign you missed.

[phil parker]

I might be too late in telling you this, but...the City Of Edinburgh Bypass (A720) does not allow cyclists neither - even though it is not a motorway and it makes 'by-passing' Edinburgh a bit more awkward!

[Vorpal]

I did something similar the first time I ever cycled in the UK. No police, though.

I actually asked directions from 3 people (suspecting that it wasn't the best route for cyclists ) and in retrospect, I am sure that they just gave me directions that way they would drive and never thought about my mode of transport.

I used to hear on the news about twice per year that someone had been escorted off the A120 near Stansted (cyclists are banned there) or the M11. I also read a news report on a couple of occasions about people on mobility scooters being escorted off the A12

[Mick F]

If you had seen that sign, was there any option open to you? Any diversion signs?

I remember cycling out of Edinburgh in 2006 on the A90 and found that the A90 towards the Forth Road Bridge is verboten for cyclists. The last time I'd cycled on it was in 1980 and it was fine then.

I had a great deal of trouble finding my way to the bridge as there didn't seem to be any signed alternative to get me to the other end of the banned section. The main road out of Edinburgh isn't banned to cyclists, only later along the dual carriageway bit. No advice was advertised, no diversion signs, no nothing.

[Richard Fairhurst]

There are indeed motorways with a number like A1(M) or A329(M) or whatever.

But... I don't think this is one of them. If I remember rightly, the A1 from Dunbar to Edinburgh, and the A720 round Edinburgh, are an anomaly called "special roads" - roads with legal motorway status, and therefore a ban on bikes, but still signed as A roads without the "(M)" for some strange reason. Bits of the A55 on the North Wales coast are the same. Here's an article about it: http://pathetic.org.uk/features/special_roads/roads/

(There are also a few normal-issue A roads on which cycling is banned.)

[Vorpal]

Various parts of the A1 are A1 (M). I think there are 4 or 5 sections that are (M), but unless there is new section (last 4 years?), the last section of (M) ends at junction 65 (going north).

It doesn't surprise me that pedal cycles are banned, though.

[DaveP]

Glad you made it Tim. IIRC that's the end of your trip. Do try to let us know which where your best bits. I for one would be quite interested in a non native impression of the Green and Pleasant
PS. I suspect you'll get away with the traffic thing, but if you do hear anymore of it, just leave the country! lots of EU drivers do exactly the same...

[eileithyia]

Never mind, where i live we are 'connected' to Manchester by the M61 or A6 (or other routes that go through places such as Salford and Bolton) a few years back we hosted the outdoor cycle events; MTB, Road and Time Trials for the Commonwealth Games, where everyone was centred in Manchester.
A Kenyon rider had the noteriety of riding out to view the area, on that nice 'blue' route that took him directly to area, according to the map.

You aren't the first and won't be the last.

[RickH]

Having a wander round on streetview, the sign on the roundabout posted earlier appears to be the solitary indication of the change of status. There don't appear to be any earlier signs about "prohibited traffic", that you would get where a road becomes a motorway, or a change to blue signs.

I'm not surprised you missed it.

Rick

[tbessie]

Glad you made it Tim. IIRC that's the end of your trip. Do try to let us know which where your best bits. I for one would be quite interested in a non native impression of the Green and Pleasant
PS. I suspect you'll get away with the traffic thing, but if you do hear anymore of it, just leave the country! lots of EU drivers do exactly the same...

I posted a starter thread, which I'll add to when I have more time.

- Tim