Most mornings I drive across country and pick up the A420 trunk road, where I make a right-turn (head west).
If you’re not too familiar with this corner of the countryside, the A420 trunk road is the only arterial road that connects the city of Oxford with Swindon (and with the city of Bristol, beyond).
Significant stretches of the A420 are national speed limit dual-carriageway (70mph).
Other parts of the road are national speed limit single-carriageway (60mph).
In a few places the speed limit is lowered to 50mph.
The four-mile stretch in to Swindon is that – 50mph, single lane traffic in both directions.
Except.
Except most days I get to a point on that road where, even at 6.50am, the traffic suddenly bunches right up because the speed has dropped to…
13mph.
Thirteen. Miles. Per Hour.
Why?
Why is the entire westwards traffic flow suddenly reduced from 50mph to 13mph?
Because of one of these:
Well, when I say ‘because of one of these’, what I really mean is ‘because we encounter one of these being ridden on the road’.
The tricycle, being significantly wider than a bicycle, coupled with the single lines of traffic in both directions, means that the humble motorist – every single one of us – have to slow down because of one person riding a tricycle.
Tricyclist.
Whatever he’s called.
So, to sum up, the daily traffic blockage, being one man on his tricycle, reduces the flow of traffic on a major arterial trunk road from 50mph to strangulation point.
This guy adversely affects the routine journey of several hundred motorists.
Every. Single. Day.
My question is simple.
What position does a person’s mental compass have to be pointing at, for such antisocial behaviour to become acceptable?
This sort of thing drives me potty too. The stretch of road that runs between Purley and Banstead is single lane and it’s quite tight so there has to be no oncoming traffic to get past any cyclists (nevermind tricyclists!) The thing that makes me so irritated about it is that it’s almost a ‘country’ road in the respect that it’s lined on both sides by fields and woodland with the occasional house dotted here and there. On one side of the road there is a dirt pathway and I have never ever seen a pedestrian on it. I know that it’s ‘illegal’ for a cyclist to ride on a pavement, but it always strikes me as utter madness that this dirt pathway with zero pedestrians is not used by cyclists who:
– wish to look after their own skin
– be a bit more considerate to all the road users they hold up
I think it highly unlikely that any cyclist using the diry pathway would ever be stopped by the police, let alone fined or cautioned.
As you know Bren, I also use the A420. Whilst I haven’t seen the tricycle I have seen a very underpowered cross between a motability scooter and a Sinclair C5 creating similar chaos.
Given the volume of traffic on that road, I wouldn’t want to be in anything other than a car for my own safety.
I know he has every right to be there but my panties would be in a bunch as well! Such an aggravation!
Aww, man alive, he must have had some abuse shouted at him in his time….. and he still does it. Probably out of sheer bloody-mindedness. That is just totally rude.
I’m pro-cycling, but if he can’t go faster than 13MPH then he shouldn’t be on the road.
I’m really sorry.. but it’s the only way I can get to work….
ONLY joking you wouldn’t see me dead on one of those things!
If he was driving in front of me he’d better be carrying a puncture repair kit. What a knob.
Mya x
What a total asshole. Seriously, that’s really rude of him. I recommend bunging a Russian HGV driver £500 to fail to spot him while doing 50. Job done, problem permanantly solved.
Thanks folks. I have to say that so far, Vicola’s suggestion of encouraging a tame Russiion HGV driver to… Well. That’s the best one so far. 🙂