Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Are our roads simply too dangerous for bikes?

[yeti]

Having made the conscious decision to give up riding the public highway, I couldn't help asking if anyone else felt the same way. Of late it seems that the roads are becoming an increasingly dangerous place to be and expecially for bikes.

There is without a doubt far more traffic about, especially HGV's, and as a direct result far more numpty's.

Old farts who should have had their licence's revoked years before as they are clearly incapable of coping with the increasing demands on the driver.

Boy racers with backward caps, and bloody minded "professional" drivers who feel because they drive for a living, it gives them the right to be less considerate and stuff the rest.

Not to mention the latest breed of super tractor capable of quite high speeds, unlike the particular item of farm equipment they haul along behind dropping whatever s**t is the current flavour of the day.

In addition, I feel a certain conspiracy between the police and the local authorities when it come to road repairs. On the roads around me (Notts and Lincs) it seems that all the favourite biking roads are last in the queue to be repaired. On one particular road there has been a large pothole right on the line mid way through a corner. Perfectly placed to catch a front wheel, but also near enough the middle of the lane to not affect non-bikes. I would hate to hit that with a magnesium front wheel!

I do further realise that in many cases we are our own worst enemies, given the type of bikes we ride, the wholly illegal exhausts and the excessive speeds we do sometimes ride at, and before you all shout at me, I include myself in that number. Yes, I ride a 996 with far more performance than is required for British roads, and Yes it does have "race" cans, and Yes yes yes, I do when the conditions are suitable ride in excess of the published speed limit. Though in my defence, not in built up area's. Hypocritical I know, but that's the reality. We ALL speed.

Well I've decided that in my 34 years of biking I've seen too many mates killed and badly hurt, hurt myself on occasion, and had a few too many near misses, so have decided to call it a day - on the road at least. So from now on it's track days for me. At least you can only be hit from behind...........