new MIllau bridge

[rvb]

Does anyone know if this amazing structure is cyclable?

[MarkW]

It's a motorway bridge so it's likely to be a 'no', particularly since it's so long. However I have emailed Millau tourist information and await an answer.

Here are a couple of interesting sites to look at:

http://www.a75.com/
ttp://www.ot-millau.fr/

This, from the Telegraph, is also interesting: "Its £269 million cost was met by the private sector, with the construction company Eiffage awarded the right to collect tolls for 75 years in return. Traffic is expected to reach 25,000 cars a day during the summer. Motorist tolls are £3.40."

It would take a little over 79 million cars paying the toll fee to pay for the cost of the bridge. They estimate 25,000 cars will cross in summer. So we need 3164 of those days to make the 79 million. Let's assume, for the sake of this bit of light amusement, that half the days of the year may be classed as summer days, ie 182, then the bridge will be paid for in 17 years. Not a bad return, when you can go on putting the toll fee into your pocket for another 58 years!

For those wanting to go and see the bridge, you can fly by Ryanair from Stanstead to Rodez on 21 June next year, returning a week later and pay the princely sum of £14.99 each way for the privilege.

What a nice Christmas present that would be to look forward to!

Mark

[MarkW]

It's me again! The answer back from the Millau tourist office is a resounding NO! For the record, here is their response in full:

Bonjour,
Le nouveau viaduc de Millau est un pont pour autoroute. Dans la législation française, il est interdit de circuler avec un véhicule qui ne peut dépasser les 80Km/h sur les autoroutes. Ainsi les vélos sont totalement interdits sur le pont de Millau.

Shame really. You'd have thought the French might have shown a little more consideration. However, I have no doubt they might close the bridge to traffic for a period to allow the Tour de France to cross over it sometime.

Mark

[troywinters]

can you cycle it at 80kmh or is my french worse than my inglesh

[mbadmin]

I would imagine that the major issues here are safety and security - the whole length of the bridge is covered by cameras linked to a dedicated control centre.

I'm pretty sure that I saw access "pavements" on both sides of the bridge, in the TV shots, but in this day & age I damn sure that they would not want pedestrians and cyclists swanning around. (read also suicide jumpers, demonstrators and terrorists )

Anyhow us cyclists must surely be satisfied with the huge network of picturesque minor roads in the area (?)

[Elucasr]

"It would take a little over 79 million cars paying the toll fee to pay for the cost of the bridge. They estimate 25,000 cars will cross in summer. So we need 3164 of those days to make the 79 million. Let's assume, for the sake of this bit of light amusement, that half the days of the year may be classed as summer days, ie 182, then the bridge will be paid for in 17 years. Not a bad return, when you can go on putting the toll fee into your pocket for another 58 years!"

Have you allowed for compound interest?

[hondated]

Having ridden over it on my motorbike it really is a great bridge with a surface to die for (Mmm perhaps not) but that said I've always regretted not using the roads below it to get it's full impact so you won't be missing a lot by not riding over it lmho.

[Cyril Haearn]

Hondated wins the TRP thread resurrection prize

I would like to go there, take a bus over the bridge, look at it from below, study the maps. It is good to get the lie of the land

What is the alternative to using the bridge?

There are plenty of bridges where cycling & walking are allowed, I want to cycle the Humber Bridge sometime

[hondated]

Hondated wins the TRP thread resurrection prize

I would like to go there, take a bus over the bridge, look at it from below, study the maps. It is good to get the lie of the land

What is the alternative to using the bridge?

There are plenty of bridges where cycling & walking are allowed, I want to cycle the Humber Bridge sometime

Thanks Bryn look forward to receiving my award Got to admit I do have times when I am not the sharpest tool in the box Still hopefully in years to come it will be useful information for someone

[Richard Fairhurst]

What is the alternative to using the bridge?

I asked cycle.travel to plan me a route from one side of the valley to the other, and here's where it sent me: https://goo.gl/maps/b8drvNgTUAx . Looks luscious...

[andrew_s]

There's a good viewpoint for admiring the bridge from, 400m up a track/road at the top of that climb.
Quite good for vulture spotting too.

[bikepacker]

Been under it a few times and drove over it once but by far the most dramatic view of the structure is looking up from the base of the highest tower.

[Samuel D]

Checking to see if there’s been a change of status since this thread was started in 2004, I looked up the site here:

Le viaduc est un tronçon de l’autoroute A75. Selon l’article R421-2 du code de la route, l’accès des autoroutes est interdit à la circulation […] des piétons […]. Rappelons que sur l’autoroute, l’espérance de vie d’un piéton est de 18 minutes en moyenne.

Which means something like:

The viaduct is part of the A75 motorway. According to Article R421-2 of the highway code, motorway access is prohibited for [...] pedestrians [...].
Keep in mind that the average life expectancy of a pedestrian on a motorway is 18 minutes.

Which is a fairly forceful (and surely made up?) way of getting their point across.

[foxyrider]

Hondated wins the TRP thread resurrection prize

I would like to go there, take a bus over the bridge, look at it from below, study the maps. It is good to get the lie of the land

What is the alternative to using the bridge?

There are plenty of bridges where cycling & walking are allowed, I want to cycle the Humber Bridge sometime

The Humber Bridge is a nice ride - easy access from the south bank but a bit convoluted on the north side! Often only one cycle rack/footpath is open so you often have to make detours to get onto the open track which can be a pain! Worth a wobble though.

[Cyril Haearn]

The bridge is 14 years old, eventually it will be Pont Vieux, old bridge

How long do suspension bridges last? Will the Severn bridge by Chepstow have to be pulled down? Or do they last centuries like the old bridge at New-Bridge-on-Wye?