Are UK roads dangerous for cyclists?

[Vorpal]

No "Halal" horror....

And you think slaughterhouses (abbatoir) are kind to animals? I've seen a slaughterhouse. There is is nothing that compare to the terror animals experience there in their last hours of life.

Halal slaughter, on the other hand, follows strict rules, and if performed correctly is a swift end for the animal, with relatively little stress.

I don't believe in killing animals for meat at all, but if people must kill them, the horror is in slaughterhouses, not rituals.

p.s. sorry about going off topic...

[mjr]

The acid test would be if you would be prepared to cycle or walk with your family along these roads when these tractors are operating.

Yes and living in rural West Norfolk, I do. I have not seen one as dangerous as that described earlier, but the police do pretty frequent vehicle inspections here. Such vehicles should be removed from the road and made safe IMO. It is not a reason to restrict all agricultural vehicles.

I have on occasions being asked if I will drive up the road and stop vehicles coming down so a total jamb can be avoided.

I would report the unsafe vehicle use rather than be an enabler.

[[XAP]Bob]

Drive two feet up the road, turn around and hold your hand up in the classic 'stop' pose. Job jobbed

[landsurfer]

No "Halal" horror....

And you think slaughterhouses (abbatoir) are kind to animals? I've seen a slaughterhouse. There is is nothing that compare to the terror animals experience there in their last hours of life.
And i worked in one for 7 months.

Halal slaughter, on the other hand, follows strict rules, and if performed correctly is a swift end for the animal, with relatively little stress.
Abattoirs follow strict rules, modern rules, not medieval rules.

I don't believe in killing animals for meat at all, but if people must kill them, the horror is in slaughterhouses, not rituals.
The horror is in denial. .... of medieval religious practices being promoted above modern practices .... after all we must not upset the Halal (and Kosher) Practitioners !

p.s. sorry about going off topic...

p.s sorry about going off topic, and a positive input is meant ...
Good points, well made Vorpal ....

[Vorpal]

This is not a contest between Industries, even though the race for seasonal low pay is rife in both industries and many many more. The acid test would be if you would be prepared to cycle or walk with your family along these roads when these tractors are operating. Bearing in mind that many are designated as National cycling routes. A proper risk assessment would in my opinion find these routes well below an acceptable level of safety at peak harvest time.

A someone who has been involved on both sides of this question; I have operated tractors on the roads and fields of Essex and Suffolk, and I have also cycled those same roads. I haven't ever had any serious problems with tractor drivers, or other equipment for that matter. I was once startled by a tractor that I didn't hear coming. I had a good tailwind, and I guess the wind carried the sound of the tractor away form me. I had to hop off the road because there wasn't room for both of us (tiny lane, big tractor). Honestly, I'd rather deal with ag. equipment on rural lanes than the near misses, honking, punishment passes, and downright idiotic driving I have experienced around towns and cities.

Several road races in the Eastern Region have been disrupted by tractors or combine harvesters, though I am not aware of any serious incidents.

[landsurfer]

Honestly, I'd rather deal with ag. equipment on rural lanes than the near misses, honking, punishment passes, and downright idiotic driving I have experienced around towns and cities.

A considered +1

[Felty]

Having cycled in North Wales for 45years I feel that most SENSIBLE motorists have accepted the need to drive safely near road cyclists.This observation should make me feel safer huh?Unfortunately the minority who appear to object to our right to be on the road seem,in my opinion,to be intent on "teaching us a lesson " by close,fast passing when the opposite lane is empty.
That's my take on the A roads so how about our quiet country lanes?Again ,unfortunately not so quiet which is to be expected with the growth in population,sat nav!!!!,+tourism and faster,larger agricultural traffic.
I can honestly state that in 7 out of 10 outings I would have been involved in an incident were it not for my awareness on these country roads,mostly down to the speed that vehicles are driven these days on meandering,gravelly,surfaces littered here and there withe debris from past collisions.These roads can be more dangerous for the cyclist(or pedestrian )because very often there's no room to avoid the oncoming idiot.
I therefore agree with Chris about our roads but still look forward to going for a ride tomorrow!!

[awavey]

This is not a contest between Industries, even though the race for seasonal low pay is rife in both industries and many many more. The acid test would be if you would be prepared to cycle or walk with your family along these roads when these tractors are operating. Bearing in mind that many are designated as National cycling routes. A proper risk assessment would in my opinion find these routes well below an acceptable level of safety at peak harvest time.

A someone who has been involved on both sides of this question; I have operated tractors on the roads and fields of Essex and Suffolk, and I have also cycled those same roads. I haven't ever had any serious problems with tractor drivers, or other equipment for that matter. I was once startled by a tractor that I didn't hear coming. I had a good tailwind, and I guess the wind carried the sound of the tractor away form me. I had to hop off the road because there wasn't room for both of us (tiny lane, big tractor). Honestly, I'd rather deal with ag. equipment on rural lanes than the near misses, honking, punishment passes, and downright idiotic driving I have experienced around towns and cities.

Several road races in the Eastern Region have been disrupted by tractors or combine harvesters, though I am not aware of any serious incidents.

I thought there had been an incident involving a hill climb, though that doesnt sound much like East Anglia I know, but I thought the farmer got the hump about not being able to use "their" road where this hill climb had been held for years without issue, and was threatening to drive his tractor over anyone that got in the way, sure that happened, maybe not this year, but within past couple of years.

personally I agree I dont mind dealing with agricultural traffic on rural roads vs motorists in towns/cities, you do have to expect it, I just think the modern tractor is reaching the stage where its too easy to drive stupidly fast in something so big on those roads that really its taking up 3/4 of the width of country roads. Ive had one this year where I had to dive into the hedge as the guy driving his tractor/trailer was just coming through at cough "25mph" and wasnt interested in slowing down, its bad enough when a car does that, when youve got something nearly as tall as a double decker bus with a combined 30 tonne weight bearing down on you, that may or may not have sharp heavy metallic sticky outy bits, like that its not pleasant.

[mjr]

Ive had one this year where I had to dive into the hedge as the guy driving his tractor/trailer was just coming through at cough "25mph" and wasnt interested in slowing down,

And you got the reg number and reported it to the police, right? It won't fix anything to grumble about these things on forums.

[awavey]

Ive had one this year where I had to dive into the hedge as the guy driving his tractor/trailer was just coming through at cough "25mph" and wasnt interested in slowing down,

And you got the reg number and reported it to the police, right? It won't fix anything to grumble about these things on forums.

because the police are really interested in spending time dealing with cyclist complaints about farmers even if Id spotted the number plate, and Id have sworn they didnt have one on the front, but surely they must have done to be road legal right ? but modern tractors are big, and feel much bigger when they are bearing down on you like that at speed,and the last thing you are worrying about is, whats the number plate in case this suddenly goes horribly wrong, like even if Id seen it I wouldnt have remembered it 30secs later anyway. as my brain at least I dont know about anyone else in those situations all its processing ability goes into fight-or-flight mode,

so you are just rolling along, see the tractor think first its ok theyll stop/slow down they can see me, getting a bit close now, they ARE going to stop/slow down arent they? oh felgercarb they arent, aaargh panic brake heavily, steer away onto the grass verge, collide with a bit of hedgerow, try and stay upright, UNCLIP!!!, geez that trailer plough thing was scarily pointy and sharp metal and close and oh yeah number plate on the rear, nope they are at least quarter of a mile away by now.

yeah Ill stick to grumbling as its all I can do about those encounters.

[Debs]

Just my observation but farm tractors have become far more powerful than they were 20+ years ago when a tractor with trailer would typically be smaller and predictably plod along the road with the capability of accelerating gently up to a max of 20 - 25mph. These days tractors frequently whoosh pass me on main roads doing 40+ mph and on twisty country lanes where i frequently cycle [part of the designated National Cycle Network] tractors typically race around at 25mph around blind hedgerow bends until an 'on-comer' hones into their view when they slam-on the brakes leaving black skid tyre marks on the tarmac, and smell of burning rubber. Following one [at a discreet distance] last week & witnessed him do this half a dozen times over a 3 mile distance.
The only blessing is that they're so noisily a cyclist can easily hear them coming!

[old_windbag]

Halal slaughter, on the other hand, follows strict rules, and if performed correctly is a swift end for the animal, with relatively little stress.

I've always been against this, also you say if performed correctly, sorry animals if you get the incompotent executioner. No religion should dictate the slaughter of animals. If we choose to kill animals in a "humane" manner which is how it should be if the market demands the product. Then we should not be allowing, simply for political correctness, religions to kill by the medieval thinking. Our own methods aren't particularly far thinking either.

Why don't we not herd the animals into a large barn environment, as used to, with food to munch on, then simply reduce the oxygen content over 10 minutes or more to near zero. If this was done to us we'd experience euphoria then unconsciousness and death. Not an unpleasant way to go. A large hypobaric chamber i think? No blood, no animal cries, all processing could be done away from this.

If the advocates of halal think it humane then it is good enough for use on them too. I think they'd oppose that. Sadly medieval thinking has to be accepted across many areas of religion for pc reasons, can't offend anyone. Religion has no place in determining any standards in our society, it has a poor track record on many aspects from sexism to child abuse. If humans wish to progress then organised religion is at bottom of the list.

Sorry it is off topic but very important that we support animal welfare and bring more advanced methods to progress it.

[Mick F]

And you think slaughterhouses (abbatoir) are kind to animals? I've seen a slaughterhouse. There is is nothing that compare to the terror animals experience there in their last hours of life.

Did you listen the Farming Today on R4?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09310hx

[Richard D]

To answer the thread's title, UK roads are perfectly safe for cyclists. Uk drivers, on the other hand, are a sodding menace.

[reohn2]

To answer the thread's title, UK roads are perfectly safe for cyclists. Uk drivers, on the other hand, are a sodding menace.

How very true