M48 cyclepath

Be warned: motorcycles on cycle path.

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from the
cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path, since
they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway. This
morning I was passed by four motorcycles, very definitely not under 50cc,
unless Harley-Davidson has started making mopeds, two singly and two
together. This was quite frightening and dangerous, I don't expect to be
passed by a motorcycle doing 30+ on a path from which they are banned, with
notices saying so. The path is used by many cyclists and pedestrians who
are being put at considerable risk by motorcyclists blatantly breaking the
law. They appear to think that since the bridge is closed, they can use the
cycle path, rather than go to all that bother of going back a mile to the
Second Severn Crossing.

Police have been informed, and they told me the bridge is covered by cctv.

burtthebike wrote:

Be warned: motorcycles on cycle path.

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from
the cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path,
since they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway.
This morning I was passed by four motorcycles, very definitely not under
50cc, unless Harley-Davidson has started making mopeds, two singly and
two together. This was quite frightening and dangerous, I don't expect
to be passed by a motorcycle doing 30+ on a path from which they are
banned, with notices saying so. The path is used by many cyclists and
pedestrians who are being put at considerable risk by motorcyclists
blatantly breaking the law. They appear to think that since the bridge
is closed, they can use the cycle path, rather than go to all that
bother of going back a mile to the Second Severn Crossing.

Interesting.

I take it that they also avoid the toll (assuming one is payable by
motor-cyclists)?

Police have been informed, and they told me the bridge is covered by cctv.

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
burtthebike wrote:

Be warned: motorcycles on cycle path.

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from
the cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path,
since they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway.
This morning I was passed by four motorcycles, very definitely not under
50cc, unless Harley-Davidson has started making mopeds, two singly and
two together. This was quite frightening and dangerous, I don't expect
to be passed by a motorcycle doing 30+ on a path from which they are
banned, with notices saying so. The path is used by many cyclists and
pedestrians who are being put at considerable risk by motorcyclists
blatantly breaking the law. They appear to think that since the bridge
is closed, they can use the cycle path, rather than go to all that bother
of going back a mile to the Second Severn Crossing.

Interesting.

I take it that they also avoid the toll (assuming one is payable by
motor-cyclists)?

For some reason beyond my comprehension, motorcycles don't pay a toll on
these bridges.

The bridge operators, who have men working on the cycle path, weren't the
remotest bit interested, despite the rather obvious health and safety
implications.

On 21/09/2008 15:15, JNugent said,

I take it that they also avoid the toll (assuming one is payable by
motor-cyclists)?

The toll structure on both bridges is a little bizarre, to say the
least, but motorbikes don't pay.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

On 21/09/2008 15:20, burtthebike said,

The bridge operators, who have men working on the cycle path, weren't
the remotest bit interested, despite the rather obvious health and
safety implications.

Many years ago I was one of the men working on and under the cycle path,
and it was definitely true then that H&S wasn't seen as important. Some
of the working practises were frankly scary, especially considering the
heights involved. So after 20+ years, H&S is still a low priority!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:06:39 +0100, "burtthebike"
wrote:

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from the
cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path, since
they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway

How do you feel about low powered motorcycles being allowed on the
bike path?

The reason I ask is that there has recently been a debate in London
about allowing motorcycles into bus lanes. I was gently flamed in the
local cycling groups' Yahoo! groups for saying that I felt that
allowing low powered motorcycles - under 50cc - into bus lanes was
reasonable.

In my reasoning I cited the M48 bike path as one which allows low
powered motorbikes without any major conflict with cyclists. Of
course traffic volumes on the M48 bike path and some of London's bus
lanes are not comparable.

burtthebike wrote:

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
burtthebike wrote:

Be warned: motorcycles on cycle path.

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from
the cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path,
since they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway.
This morning I was passed by four motorcycles, very definitely not under
50cc, unless Harley-Davidson has started making mopeds, two singly and
two together. This was quite frightening and dangerous, I don't expect
to be passed by a motorcycle doing 30+ on a path from which they are
banned, with notices saying so. The path is used by many cyclists and
pedestrians who are being put at considerable risk by motorcyclists
blatantly breaking the law. They appear to think that since the bridge
is closed, they can use the cycle path, rather than go to all that bother
of going back a mile to the Second Severn Crossing.

Interesting.

I take it that they also avoid the toll (assuming one is payable by
motor-cyclists)?

For some reason beyond my comprehension, motorcycles don't pay a toll on
these bridges.

There's a very simple reason for that, any motorcyclist with normal
(i.e. sensible) motorcycle clothing takes a *long* time to get to cash
to pay the toll. At busy toll booths the "powers that be" decided
that the wait wasn't worth the toll and decided to make it free for
motorbikes.

The bridge operators, who have men working on the cycle path, weren't the
remotest bit interested, despite the rather obvious health and safety
implications.


--
Chris Green

wrote:
burtthebike wrote:
"JNugent" wrote in message
...
burtthebike wrote:

Be warned: motorcycles on cycle path.
The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from
the cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path,
since they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway.
This morning I was passed by four motorcycles, very definitely not under
50cc, unless Harley-Davidson has started making mopeds, two singly and
two together. This was quite frightening and dangerous, I don't expect
to be passed by a motorcycle doing 30+ on a path from which they are
banned, with notices saying so. The path is used by many cyclists and
pedestrians who are being put at considerable risk by motorcyclists
blatantly breaking the law. They appear to think that since the bridge
is closed, they can use the cycle path, rather than go to all that bother
of going back a mile to the Second Severn Crossing.
Interesting.

I take it that they also avoid the toll (assuming one is payable by
motor-cyclists)?
For some reason beyond my comprehension, motorcycles don't pay a toll on
these bridges.

There's a very simple reason for that, any motorcyclist with normal
(i.e. sensible) motorcycle clothing takes a *long* time to get to cash
to pay the toll. At busy toll booths the "powers that be" decided
that the wait wasn't worth the toll and decided to make it free for
motorbikes.


They "decided" that after I and a few score other M/Cyclists showed them
the error of their ways by:-

Stopping at the toll.
Turning off the engine
Dismounting
Putting the bike on the stand
Taking off our gloves
finding our wallets
handing over 10p
asking for a reciept
being ignored
asking far a recepiet again
taking off helmet
asking a third time
getting receipt and placing in wallet
puttign wallet away
putting on helemet
puttign on gloves
taking bike off stand
straddling bike
starting bike
safety checks
move off

around roundabout under M4 and return to toll

Stopping at the toll... etc..

"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:06:39 +0100, "burtthebike"
wrote:

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart from
the
cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle path, since
they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is motorway

How do you feel about low powered motorcycles being allowed on the
bike path?

The reason I ask is that there has recently been a debate in London
about allowing motorcycles into bus lanes. I was gently flamed in the
local cycling groups' Yahoo! groups for saying that I felt that
allowing low powered motorcycles - under 50cc - into bus lanes was
reasonable.

In my reasoning I cited the M48 bike path as one which allows low
powered motorbikes without any major conflict with cyclists. Of
course traffic volumes on the M48 bike path and some of London's bus
lanes are not comparable.

An interesting point, but in something like 30 years of cycling over the
Severn Bridge, I've yet to meet such a beast.

As far as motorbikes in bus lanes go, I can tell you from grim experience
that it is a disaster from a cyclists point of view. Some of them, not all,
not only ride somewhat without consideration, but almost all of them now
consider that any cycle facility is also accessible to them, including ASLs,
cycle parking, cycle lanes, and some of them get very aggressive when you
point out that they are breaking the law. Maybe now that Bristol is a
"cycling city" A&S police might get around to prosecuting a few of them.

Tom Crispin wrote in
:

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:06:39 +0100, "burtthebike"
wrote:

The Severn Bridge, the first one, is closed for maintenance, apart
from the cycle path. Motorcycles under 50cc are allowed on the cycle
path, since they are not allowed on the main carriageway, which is
motorway

How do you feel about low powered motorcycles being allowed on the
bike path?

I beleive this is, or was, the case on the Stevenage cycle routes.
I would be in favour of allowing 50cc m/cs in bus lanes, if it were
enforcable - but it isn't - so on balance I'm not! A 49cc spped-limited
Tomos moped was one of the most dangerous 2-wheeled devices I've ever
ridden - due, exclusively, to the behaviour of other road users to its
acceleration and top speed (speed? that was a misnomer!)