September
Issue No 249
September 2020
W I R R A L A D VA N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S Group Council 2019-2020 IAM Group 5115 Web Site
http://www.w-a-m.co.uk
Chairman
Ken Smith
chairman@w-a-m.co.uk
Vice Chairman
Rob Tutchings
vicechairman@w-a-m.co.uk
Honorary Treasurer & Gift Aid
John Temple
treasurer@w-a-m.co.uk giftaid@w-a-m.co.uk
Membership
Andy Poustie
membership@w-a-m.co.uk
Associate Coordinator
Pat Goodison
associatecoordinator@w-a-m.co.uk
Trainee Observer Coordinator
Steve Hunter
TOC@w-a-m.co.uk
Chief Observer
Derek Jeffries
chiefobserver@w-a-m.co.uk
Honorary Secretary
Rob Cooper
secretary@w-a-m.co.uk
Minute Secretary
Mike Round
minutes@w-a-m.co.uk
Events Organiser
Chris Livett
events@w-a-m.co.uk
Newsletter Editor
Peter Lovatt
newsletter@w-a-m.co.uk
Data Manager
Chris Livett
DataManager@w-a-m.co.uk
Social Media
Steve Lord
SocialMedia@w-a-m.co.uk
Group Shop
Martin Titley 0151 632 3570
groupshop@w-a-m.co.uk
Rob Tutchings
rideouts@w-a-m.co.uk
Ride Out & Bike Safe Coordinator Other Council members
Dave Spotswood, Steve Molyneux, Nina Jeffries, Pete Montgomery, Mike Hurst, Dave Rees
MAGAZINE Editor:
Peter Lovatt
Duplication: CS Digital Wallasey 2 Distribution: The Post Office!
Welcome to the WAM newsletter for September! I think 2020 is going to be the year people want to forget (or remember?) because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which looks to be going on for some time yet. This has obviously affected so many things, including Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists. At the time of typing this newsletter up (3rd August), there is no indication of when normal club nights will resume, but we do now have some semblance of normality because the ARC courses have got going again, albeit with some restrictions/social distancing rules. And the WAM Council meetings are now held on Zoom. Since lockdown eased in England there have been quite
a few ride outs by members of the club to other parts of the country such as Ludlow and Ironbridge, which at the time made a change from Wales, which still had travel restrictions. But fairly recently, they too have been relaxed, so there have been a few ride outs into Wales. Butties and a drink advisable though, as some of the cafes are still closed! Marriotts had a Demo Day in June, which had a wide selection of bikes:Kawasaki KLE300, Z400, Z900, Z1000sx, Ninja Z1000sxH2, Versys 1000SE+, ZX636 and Suzuki Vstrom 1000 & 650, SV650, GSX1000, DL250, Katana 1000
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IAM RoadSmart Polo Shirts
We can now take orders for polo shirts. These are a charcoal shirt showing the new logo plus two lines of text Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists Your Name Size Guide: S: 36/38" M: 40" L: 42" XL: 44" XXL: 46/48" Female: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 ÂŁ20 each - Nina Jeffries will take your payment at the group social evenings (second Tuesday of every month).
You may see some WAM members wearing them at club nights
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The M53 - Wirral’s own Motorway At the start of August, the Highways Agency set about replacing one of the bridges at J2 of the M53, a task that’ll take until April next year. Here is a picture of the bridge I took, before it gets demolished and replaced with a new one. That got me thinking about how the M53 came to be in the first place. So I’ve cobbled together some information about it, and it makes interesting reading, if you are into that sort of thing! So next time you go on the M53, look at it with new eyes! Read on…... The M53 forms a spine road along the Wirral, beginning at the Wallasey (Kingsway) Tunnel under the Mersey and passing through the industrial areas of Ellesmere Port before reaching the Chester Bypass. This is a road that turned out very differently to the original plan. The M53 was what became of a 1940s proposal to build a road running the length of the Wirral to link to new docks at Bidston Moss. By the 1960s, the plan had grown into a motorway linking Birkenhead's new tunnel with the A55 near Queensferry. Construction started in the early 1970’s but things turned out rather different….. The M53 is unusual in starting on a road with a number that's actually a name. At the northern end it flows directly into the Mersey Tunnel at Wallesey at J1, whose road number is "(Tunnel)". This is confirmed by signs, which read "(Tunnel)" 5
as if it were any other number. However, some early plans for the Kingsway Tunnel showed it as part of the M53, and even today the roadside marker posts are calibrated from a zero point at the Liverpool end of the tunnel, not from the start of the motorway in Wallasey. The Moreton Spur. Junction 2 is absolutely enormous, and has the kind of nice free-flowing links that some motorway-motorway connections like the M60-M62 junction at Simister, north of Manchester can only dream of. It has a gradeseparated junction all of its own with the A551. It's all quite stunningly good, and well designed. Then the spur almost immediately crashes into a tiny roundabout, with absolutely no provision made for any extension to the west. These two facts have led to some serious speculation about an extension to the west and over the Dee Estuary. This seems somewhat unlikely, and no evidence has yet been found to support it. Junction 3 - Woodchurch The general air of brilliance continues as the road heads south. Junction 3 is also far too good for words, with the A552 suddenly becoming a dual carriageway and flying over the top of the junction - the sort of thing that most junctions can only dream of. Add that to the fact that it's got a really clever design where the roundabout rises and falls so it's at the level of the motorway whilst passing under the A552, and at the level of the A552 6
whilst passing over the M53. This means less bridges and less visual intrusion on the local area. At the time it was built, it was the only motorway junction in the country with this design. Between junctions 4 and 5, the carriageways split where the M53/M531 junction should have been. Driving through this part is very strange: it looks for all the world like a junction, and it's painfully clear that one road is turning into another, despite the continuous number. Until the early 2000s, there was even an unused flyover wide enough for a three-lane motorway standing across the northbound carriageway. When it was finished as far as Bebington, it connected to the new M531 Ellesmere Port Bypass towards Chester, with the intention that it would become a spur of the M53 when the motorway was finished, even though for the time being it was a direct continuation. When it became clear that the M53 would never be extended any further, the M531 was absorbed into the M53. It was then extended south from the end of the Ellesmere Port Bypass to join the A55 east of Chester. The Ellesmere Port Bypass section often feels like the little brother of the road to the north of there. In many ways it is. It was originally opened as an unclassified dual carriageway called the Hooton Industrial Road, intended to carry traffic to the motor plant and other heavy industry, before being hastily upgraded to carry the motorway. This is why it has such closely-spaced junctions and some surprisingly tight corners. Between junctions 5 and 10, the old M531 is there in all its glory. After the wide expanses and brilliantly engineered junctions of the northern section, this part is pants. It feels all narrow and claustrophobic. It's got junctions that are on top of one another. It's even got the outstandingly rubbish junction 6, where the junction goes nowhere and is only for Vauxhalls or the Eastham Oil Terminal. South of J10 - The bit between junctions 10 and 11 was actually built as M53, and upon completion of this section came the big renumbering exercise. As a result, it (and the section to the south) which now meets the A55 is just plain two lane motorway. Construction timeline Open Junctions
Section
Feb 1972
J1-5
Mersey Tunnel → Hooton
Jun 1975
J5-10
Hooton → A5117 (Opened as M531)
Mar 1981
J10-11
A5117 → Stoak
Jul 1982
J11-12
Stoak → Chester
1991
J12
Flyover to A55 7
Bloodbikers praised by Wirral University Teaching Hospital A TEAM of volunteer bikers that works around clock to support the health service has been praised for their amazing dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes charity have covered many miles for Wirral University Teaching Hospital, taking urgent blood and COVID-19 samples, as well as test kits, across the region. They provide regular night time transport between Arrowe Park Hospital and the laboratory at Bromborough, seven days a week.
They have removed the need for couriers and taxi transport on Bank Holidays, offering their services at no cost to the Trust. Janelle Holmes, chief executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust,
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said: "I would like to say a huge thank you for everything that the Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes do to support us. "Knowing we can rely on their support, seven days a week and throughout the night, really does make a difference. "We are certainly in unprecedented times but the support of the Bloodbikes team has helped so much and provided a degree of stability and reassurance when needed the most." To help the Trust's laboratories meet the challenges of COVID-19, the charity has provided dedicated riders round the clock.
Graham Bryson, one of the volunteers at Blood Bikes Charity, gave a comment after one of his shifts and said: "I had a busy night last night, 117 miles completed. "I get a lot of brilliant comments from the clients we serve through the night, two of the samples I delivered through the night were urgent test samples, they commented on the speed of the delivery and how fast the results were going back to the hospital." Andrew Bamber, pathology directorate manager at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said: "Having a dedicated volunteer has meant that urgent samples are quickly on their way to our laboratories. "In turn, we can carry out vital tests and report the results to the clinicians with minimal delay." Kirk Phillips, Chairman of Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes, added: "When the COVID-19 outbreak first started we prepared the team for the increases in demand if called upon. "When the call was received to provide extra support, we were ready to provide whatever assistance and support the NHS needed.
"All of our volunteers feel it is an honour to help an amazing institution like the NHS. "The whole team at Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes feel it is a privilege to work alongside and support the brave men and women of the NHS."
Article from Wirral Globe
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Cycling safety: Passing distance signs a 'UK first' 9 July 2020 - article spotted on the BBC website
Cyclists taking to mountain roads in one part of Wales will see new signs reminding motorists to keep their distance, said to be a first in the UK. The signs have been installed along popular cycling routes in Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd council said. The council hopes the signs, which urge motorists to leave a 1.5m (5ft) gap, can help keep cyclists safe as traffic levels return to pre-lockdown levels. Cyclist Ann Williams welcomed the signs on roads which could be "dangerous". The council said it was "eager to ensure that cyclists continue to get the respect and space they deserve" as lockdown restrictions are eased. Image caption Gwynedd council traffic manager Dylan Jones says there is a "very real" conflict between cyclists and motorists in the area "We feel the message needs to be clear for vehicle drivers," said Dylan Jones, traffic manager for Gwynedd council. "The popularity of cycling has increased over the years, but with lockdown we have seen it become even more popular." Mr Jones said similar signs are used in European countries.
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Lockdown 'reigniting a love for cycling' Crash victim wants wearing cycle helmets made compulsory He added: "The conflict between vehicles and cyclists is a very real one in this area, especially over weekends when masses of cyclists congregate in the area and use the stunning landscape we have got here. "The signs will be there to reiterate the message that there needs to be a safe distance when passing cyclists." The Highway Code says drivers should give cyclists "at least as much room" as they would for a car when overtaking. The signs have been placed on a number of roads in the in the national park, including at: Llanberis Pass Pen y Gwryd Nant Gwynant Drws y Coed Ogwen Valley Dyffryn Mymbyr
Ms Williams, a member of Dwyfor Cycling Club, said roads in the park could be particularly dangerous during the summer months, as tourists arrive in the area. Cyclist Ann Williams hopes the signs will be introduced in other areas of Wales "Any steps taken to help the safety of cyclists is to be welcomed," she said. "And it is encouraging to see Gwynedd council taking the lead with these signs, and hopefully it will be emulated across the country."
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I’ve started this edition with some (hopefully interesting) information about the M53, so to put you all to sleep, I’ll finish off with this article - ever wondered about the posted 70 limit on the A55 near Colwyn Bay? Why not a National Speed Limit sign? Well, its really all about…….
Special Roads A Special Road is a road within the United Kingdom which is defined as such by a Statutory Instrument. Special Roads are unusual because they do not constitute a right-of-way, and as such are open to no traffic unless allowed to do so by the Statutory Instrument. The opposite of a Special Road is an All-purpose Road.
Contents 1 Classes 2 Special Roads and Motorways 3 Non-motorway Special Roads 4 Legal background 5 Learner Drivers 6 Links 6.1 legislation.gov.uk Classes The Special Roads Act defines the following classes of vehicles: Class I Class I: Motor tractors, heavy motor cars, motor cars and motor cycles, and trailers drawn thereby, which comply with general regulations as to construction and use made under section thirty of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, and in the case of which the following conditions are satisfied, that is to say :— (i)that the whole weight of the vehicle is transmitted to the road surface by means of wheels ; (ii)that all wheels of the vehicle are equipped with pneumatic tyres ; (iii)that the vehicle is not controlled by a pedestrian ; (iv)that the maximum speed at which the vehicle may be driven under section ten of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, on roads which are not special roads is not less than twenty miles per hour. Class II Motor vehicles and trailers the use of which for or in connection with the conveyance of abnormal indivisible loads is authorised by order made by the Minister under paragraph (b) of the proviso to subsection (1) of section three of the Road Traffic Act, 1930. Heavy and light locomotives when being used for or in connection with the conveyance of abnormal indivisible loads. Motor vehicles and trailers constructed for naval, military, air force or other defence purposes, the use of which is authorised by order made by the Minister under paragraph (b) of the proviso to subsection (1) of section three of the Road Traffic Act, 1930.
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Class III Class IV Class V Class VI ans. Class VII Class VIII Class IX
Motor vehicles controlled by pedestrians. All motor vehicles not comprised in Class I, Class II or Class III. Vehicles drawn by animals. Vehicles (other than pedal cycles) drawn or propelled by pedestriPedal cycles. Animals ridden, led or driven. Pedestrians
Special Roads and Motorways The majority of Special Roads are motorways, which have been defined as Special Roads that allow Class I (cars, motorcycles and light vans with pneumatic tyres) and Class II traffic (goods vehicles and military vehicles) only to use them. As such, motorways are a subset of Special Roads - or, to put it another way, all motorways are Special Roads, but not all Special Roads are motorways. Non-motorway Special Roads A Special Road that is open to classes of traffic other than Class I and Class II (or indeed to only Class I or Class II) is not a motorway. There are a small number of roads in the UK that have been built using Special Road powers, and opened to some classes of non-motorway traffic, which are therefore non-motorway Special Roads.
Where these non-motorway Special Roads exist, they appear to road users as if they are all-purpose roads, but usually have NO Signs at their entrances in order to specify the restrictions that apply to them. In most cases the restrictions are very similar to those imposed on motorways. However, not all roads with NO signs are non-motorway Special Roads. There are other roads in the UK that are ordinary All-purpose roads and which have motorway-style restrictions applied by traffic orders or by other means. The existence of a NO sign is not necessarily proof of the existence of a non-motorway Special Road.
One of the unusual characteristics of all nonmotorway Special Roads is that they must have their Speed Limits defined within their Statutory Instruments and signposted explicitly, as the National Speed Limit only applies to all-purpose roads and motorways. One common feature of many non-motorway Special Roads is the presence of speed limit signs indicating "70" where a National Speed Limit sign would normally be expected. A good example is the A55 at Colwyn Bay, where you will see a posted 70 limit 13
Note that while the National Speed Limit does not apply to non-motorway Special Roads, specific limits for classes of vehicle (such as the 60mph limit for heavy goods vehicles) is specified in separate legislation and does still apply - so the existence of a 70mph speed limit sign on a non-motorway Special Road does not exempt vehicles from lower limits that normally apply to them. Examples of non-motorway Special Roads include sections of: A55 near Colwyn Bay, including the Conwy Tunnel footpath alongside M48 Severn and Wye Bridges A720 Edinburgh City Bypass A1 east of Edinburgh A57 Mancunian Way sliproads from A5103 Princess Road A12 Westlink, Belfast A87 Skye Bridge A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and associated link roads A90 south of the Forth Replacement Crossing A725 underneath M74 J5 Austhorpe Interchange connecting roads Legal background Special Roads were first created by the Special Roads Act (1949), which was intended to provide the Ministry of Transport with legal powers to construct roads that could only be used by motor traffic. Early drafts of this legislation were actually called the Motorway Bill, but this was changed to the Special Roads Bill as it 14
was drafted and redrafted. The powers were not used for another six years, until a Statutory Instrument was published for the Bamber Bridge to Broughton Special Road Scheme 1955. This enabled construction of the Preston Bypass, the UK's first motorway, which is now largely part of the M6. The Special Roads Act was superseded by the Road Traffic Regulation Act (1984), and today Special Road schemes are made under the powers of this act. The legal concept behind Special Roads is slightly unusual. Most roads in the UK are All-purpose roads, which means they are open to all traffic. An all-purpose road can be restricted - for example, by banning vehicles over a certain weight from using it - by imposing a traffic regulation order and erecting suitable signage. Unless a type of road user is specifically prohibited from using an allpurpose road, they are permitted to use it. Special Roads operate in the opposite way: their default state is that no road user is permitted to use them, and classes of vehicle must be specifically permitted by the Statutory Instrument in order to allow it to be used. There is, therefore, an absolute and unequivocal ban on all types of traffic that are not specifically permitted to use the road. Learner Drivers From the early days of Special Roads legislation, learner drivers were prohibited. However, from 4th June 2018 learners accompanied by an approved instructor with dual controls are to be able to use Special Roads, in response to the increasing differential between driving on a motorway and an all purpose route (i.e. traffic volumes, technology, signing, regulations). Footnote
A55 The A55 is a very high quality road, much of it rebuilt since the 1970s in response to traffic problems in Colwyn Bay, Colwyn and Llandudno caused by traffic having to pass through town centres on totally unsuitable streets, (especially in Conwy where lorries often scraped their paintwork as they passed through 12th century arches in the town's walls), leading to the construction of an east-west expressway bypassing the urban centres. It is a dual carriageway primary route for its entire length with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All of its junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts; one east of Penmaenmawr and one in Llanfairfechan. The road originally ran from Chester to Bangor but was extended parallel to the A5 across Anglesey right into Holyhead Docks in 2001.
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DISCLAIMER:-
The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Advanced Motorists Ltd, or the Wirral Group of Advanced Motorcyclists. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with the view that free expression promotes discussion and interests. So you have been warned. Interested in doing the Advanced Car Test? Wirral Advanced Motorists are the people to see. Go to www.wirraliam.co.uk