I am planning on visiting friend's who live in Newton Abbot having had a quick look at a route it it looks like I may have to ride along the A303 and A38 for a few miles so wondering what the law is? I don't actually fancy it myself but its a 120 ish mile ride and having never done this type of distance before i maybe looking for the shortest route.
I have only looked on AA route planner so not looked at sustrans paths just yet

Many thanks

PD

it's legal. many time trials use dual carriage ways

If it's a restricted dual carriageway then you cant take bikes on it. You will know if it's restricted if it has 70mph signs rather that national speed limit ones.

100% legal, only motorways you can't ride along.

Whether it's enjoyable is another Morphy Richards of smoked haddock mind…

Edit: with the above caveat, of which the A303 doesn't fall foul! Not sure about the 70mph signs either, as that'd be the national speed limit on a dual carriageway anyway. The A329(M) and A3(M) don't have any special speed signs.

as above,

but i'd avoid it if its a proper dual carrigeway, will not be plesant, some arent too bad but that would require local knowlage.

Get the train for the first 30 miles then take a scenic route?

It's perfectly legal but you'll absolutely hate it. It's different from driving along a motorway in name only most of the time.

Shocks me when I see people riding down the East Lancs on a bike with cars (i.e, mine), passing them at 70. There's a cycle path all the way between Manchester and Liverpool, dear god, please use it.

Contrary to what is asserted above some duels are illegal to ride on. They will be signed tho. Edinburgh bypass and the a90 are illegal to ride bikes on for example and I have come across others

The only ones I'm aware of that are illegal to ride on are the motorway spurs, as I said that's the A329(M) and the A3(M) round here. Be genuinely interested to know if there are other restrictions though? Never seen any signs or anything.

njee – A720 and A90 as I say – I think the A666 near bolton as well as well as the A34 south manchester ( but I am not certain of the last two

legal but be careful!

Someone was riding along on the A127 this morning. Madness – especially as there's a cycle lane on the pavement next to it

Aren't you a transport planner? Getting STW to do your research for you is pretty clever.

There is a bike ban on the Baldock bypass.
http://www.cyclestreets.net/location/16755/

I'm fairly sure the Dartford crossing also bans bikes (they take you in a van for free) but that isn't an average A road.

google street view.

Personally i hate duel carriage ways but occasionally have found myself on them. If it's got a hard shoulder you might find it more bearable.

Junctions are an issue as even though you have right of way you might not want to test it with a car at 70mph.

Contrary to what is asserted above some duels are illegal to ride on. They will be signed tho. Edinburgh bypass and the a90 are illegal to ride bikes on for example and I have come across others

that's some serious potency you're packing there TJ. I'm lucky if I get midway across the hard shoulder.

I am omnipotent!

Whenever I'm on the A14 and I pass those bits where cyclists can nip across the slip road junctions I wonder who would be insane enough to ride along there, and unsurprisingly I've never seen anybody.

As above, I'd say find another route.

I once legally cycled along a new section of the A1 in Hertfordshire back in the 1980's before it was reclassified as A1(M) a few months later.

Three lanes plus a hard shoulder, and emergency phones. Strange feeling.

Around that time the M25 was being built and a section was opened near Watford but temporarily classified A405. That was OK to ride as well before the no-cycling sign eventually went up.

As a kid growing up in East Anglia I used to ride all over the place on dualA roads as it was the only way to get anywhere in a remotley straight line.

Come to think of it I regularly ride round three lane plus ring roads and the like getting to places now.

Just slap on a high vis to make sure you're extra visible and you'll be fine.

njee – A720 and A90 as I say – I think the A666 near bolton as well as well as the A34 south manchester ( but I am not certain of the last two

Was more meaning how are they restricted, you said they'd be signed, but how, I've never seen any signs?

Aren't you a transport planner? Getting STW to do your research for you is pretty clever.

Maybe… I won't be referencing anything found on here though!

Here is a very poor quality picture of the type of sign you would see on a restricted dual carriageway. As previously mentioned by me, if there are 70mph signs then it is restricted.

Just be careful…

I'm amazed when I see fools riding on the local A331 race trackdual carriageway.

They must be barking as there are several quieter alternatives.

(Local knowledge: I live near Exeter) that particular stretch is legal but hilly, fast and horrible to ride. Consider riding the 'edge' of Exeter through Dawlish and Teignmouth along the A379

Coming up the A1 the Saturday before last through Leicester/Notts there was quite a big TT on. The roads were very quiet (an hour or two before the kick off of the England game) but even so there were plenty of drivers who didn't give riders more than eighteen inches of room, with the outside lane clear and available to them, some didn't deviate at all from their line. I literally had to look away at times as I was convinced someone was about to be mashed. Just can't see how that level of risk is worth it, and don't expect drivers to be educated/prosecuted any time soon. I do ride a road bike and enjoy it, but I choose my roads carefully so I both survive and enjoy it.

Cheers Obi_Twa, never seen that before. Don't understand the 70mph signage either, never seen a 70 sign in my life, clearly not a well educated transport planner!

DC danger points are the junctions, it's best to be very careful and if it's at all busy, treat them like crossing a road, because people zoom along and overtake someone in lane one then cut in with no indication e.t.c, and the person driving like a dick can't see you because the car in lane one will be hiding you from view until he / she cuts across. Similarly when people head onto the road and they are coming off of the slip road they are not looking for you, this is not as dangerous as the people coming off of the DC though.

Personally though I'd still rather ride on a good dual carriageway with 70 mph traffic than some of the narrow windy busy 50 mph A roads with lorries that take up the entire lane trying to pass or zooming round corners.

allthepies – Member

I'm amazed when I see fools riding on the local A331 race trackdual carriageway.

They must be barking as there are several quieter alternatives.

The thing is if you're not local you don't know all of these little nice routes and navigating them can be very time consuming and very difficult if you're riding 200 – 300 km +. I've ridden long (200km) rides where I have made up a very good quite routes on minor roads however, it's increased my ride time by 25%+ minimum dealing with all the number turns, looking out for road names and signs, looking at a map and working out if I've made a wrong turn.

Also many flyovers and tunnels are restricted even if the rest of the DC is not.

NJee – there's a 70mph sign just for you.

A55 at before Conwy is restricted, anyone who has been to CYB will have seen the signs.

Dual carriageways are still used a lot for timetrials because they give fast times.Another chap was killed a couple of Saturdays ago during a tt on the A417 near Cirencester

Also I rode from Cornwall back to Somerset there is little choice if in a hurry to use anything but the A30

Shocks me when I see people riding down the East Lancs on a bike with cars (i.e, mine), passing them at 70. There's a cycle path all the way between Manchester and Liverpool, dear god, please use it.

I much preferred the dual carriageway over the East Lancs cycle path, but as I had a riding buddy who hated the road I stuck with him. So much faster and safer on the dual cabbageway, route not interrupted with a million side road crossings where people fly round the bend not expecting you crossing their path, not littered with glass, not littered with people with dogs on leads and the continuous flow of traffic means a constant tailwind (~2mph average speed increase). Some traffic passes close, but so long as you give me a couple of feet on my bar width I don't care.

Thanks for all your replies,

Thanks Basspine I Like the look of that route just need to avoid the 303 now back to the map

PD