Our "easy run" a few weeks ago (which basically turned into a race after a couple of miles), was complete with some very suspect crossing of junctions.... i basically steeplechased the central reservation of the A45 dual carriageway in the final mile to steal a gap on the lad behind me.
I like the green man!Originally Posted by mr brightside
Any ride home from west of Ilkley requires me taking a right turn off the Skipton road (A65) towards where I live. Although the side-road junction has traffic lights the road is narrow, it is at the bottom of a long hill and a large vehicle cannot safely squeeze past little old me waiting on the centre line for a gap in the oncoming traffic to turn right at the lights.
A crash last week demolished one of the traffic lights.
But if I ride a few hundred yards further to a pedestrian crossing, I can press for a green man, ride across the crossing, cycle back up the A65 a few hundred yards and take a safe, and now left, turn.
I suspect I get dirty looks from drivers for stopping the traffic in/out of Ilkley for a minute; but that is the cross I must bear.
So what this country needs is more green men!
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 22-11-2023 at 02:11 PM.
I'm not surprised that you get "dirty looks" from drivers Graham. I'd be glaring at you too!I like the green man!
Any ride home from west of Ilkley requires me taking a right turn off the Skipton road (A65) towards where I live. Although the side-road junction has traffic lights the road is narrow, it is at the bottom of a long hill and a large vehicle cannot safely squeeze past little old me waiting on the centre line for a gap in the oncoming traffic to turn right at the lights.
A crash last week demolished one of the traffic lights.
But if I ride a few hundred yards further to a pedestrian crossing, I can press for a green man, ride across the crossing, cycle back up the A65 a few hundred yards and take a safe, and now left, turn.
I suspect I get dirty looks from drivers for stopping the traffic in/out of Ilkley for a minute; but that is the cross I must bear.
So what this country needs is more green men!
It is called a pedestrian crossing for a reason.
There are already too many cyclist's giving cycling a bad name, without you adding to them
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
There's no way I would allow myself to be intimidated into adding an extra few hundred yards to my cycle journey just because of a difficult junction. The way to deal with this is to wait, close to the road centre-line but sufficiently far into your own lane to make it obvious that anyone behind you can't squeeze past, they just have to wait. After all, if it was a car trying to turn right, they would definitely have to wait. And even Llani Boy would have no reason to give you a dirty look.I like the green man!
Any ride home from west of Ilkley requires me taking a right turn off the Skipton road (A65) towards where I live. Although the side-road junction has traffic lights the road is narrow, it is at the bottom of a long hill and a large vehicle cannot safely squeeze past little old me waiting on the centre line for a gap in the oncoming traffic to turn right at the lights.
A crash last week demolished one of the traffic lights.
But if I ride a few hundred yards further to a pedestrian crossing, I can press for a green man, ride across the crossing, cycle back up the A65 a few hundred yards and take a safe, and now left, turn.
I suspect I get dirty looks from drivers for stopping the traffic in/out of Ilkley for a minute; but that is the cross I must bear.
So what this country needs is more green men!
As for when I am on foot, I always "freestyle it" (to use Mr B's expression). I won't wait for a green man unless it is absolutely necessary. I am one of the most fanatically extreme members of the Pedestrians' Liberation Front.
Ah! I misled you. (It happens).I'm not surprised that you get "dirty looks" from drivers Graham. I'd be glaring at you too!
It is called a pedestrian crossing for a reason.
There are already too many cyclist's giving cycling a bad name, without you adding to them
It is actually a toucan crossing and so is also emphatically for cyclists, as in "two can" cross.
So a little green bike symbol tells me when to cross simultaneously with the illumination of the little green man.
I used green man to follow Mr B's theme but pedestrians and cyclists actually cross together in perfect harmony.
Usually smiling at each other
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 22-11-2023 at 07:41 PM.
I hate those lights, they go red on you when you're doing 30 down the hill into Ilkley. I don't have it though, i mount the kerb at the dropped section on the left and tear down the pavement instead rejoining the road 10m further on by manualing off the kerb into the road.
CBD reps tonight, a welcome return to hard rep sessions after a misguided foray into slower sessions, led astray by heresy.
7 x 0.25m/110'
1.58...!, 1.53, 1.52, 1.53, 1.54, 1.52, 1.53
Bit of a slow start as I found the pace, not done these reps since last winter, but the block of 6 were a solid and consistent high quality effort.
This is basically a 5km session including the warmup, very good value.
When I saw CBD at the start of your post Mr B I thought we were going to have a cannabinoids tale!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
No, my days of getting stoned are over. Carr Bridge Drive, near my house in Tinshill.
Had a look at the Carr Bridge Drive on google maps.
Looks a decent hill rep. We have a similar profile one in the University grounds which is away from the roads and is paved. Not quite as long from top to bottom, but does kick up steeper than Carr Bridge Drive for the last 75 metres or so.
In fact, that was the club session last night, which i missed as still recovering from the weekend.
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