I find one of the saddest things about cycling is the way in which you have to choose a route. I love riding my bike, I use it to get to work, and for as many other journeys as possible. I also ride out for pleasure. Currently I am knocking 100 miles per week.

Living in the Severn Vale most places are eventually up hill, but that’s not my problem, the Cotswold Hills are great, some steep climbs but never too long and usually great views. The sad thing is when I decide I want to go for a ride and plan a route, from experience there are quite a number of roads that are just too dangerous or uncomfortable to ride and I’m not talking about dual carriageways, but rural roads from “A” routes to country lanes.

Some roads are just best just avoided for personal safety, The A46 for example, linking Bath with Cheltenham (and beyond), an A road with one relatively wide lane in each direction, long straights and sweeping corners. This should be a pleasant ride, however cars also like this section of road and despite drivers having long open views they like to speed along at 70mph plus, blast their horns and pass far too closely. Even if it is only one or two cyclists, single file. What is in the drivers psyche that makes them behave in this way? From the drivers perspective on this road I have found that if you drive at the 60mph speed limit you invariable have someone sat on your rear bumper itching to get past. So what is it that gives drivers this mentality on a stretch of road such as this. I can accept they like the thrill G forces on sweeping roads, but to put other human beings at risk?

From the A roads you switch to B roads, usually narrower with tighter curves creating hidden pockets and again on some and it appears to be certain roads and not all that drivers again speed and become aggressive to anyone who gets in their way. Why, what is it about some stretches of road that causes this behaviour?

There is so much talk about cycle safety in cities, but that isn’t the only place cyclists are at risk. Outside of cities something has to be done also. How do you change the behaviour of drivers to understand the needs of other more vulnerable road users?

Getting away from the busier roads and out into the country lanes there are more selections to make on route safety and quality. Which lanes will be so thick with mud and animal deposits that will cause unpleasantness or danger from being too slippery. Then which lanes are potholed and subsided as to make them only suitable for mountain bikes. Unfortunately some of these poor quality lanes also go to making up parts of the National Cycle Network. Incidentally it would appear that the NCN has no impact on the way in which the Highways Departments maintain these routes, i.e. they are maintained as roads used infrequently by cars, therefore inspected very infrequently and not to the segregated cycle route standard.

On country lanes there needs to be a higher standard of maintenance and a responsibility for the perpetrator of the muddy roads to clean them up immediately. It is not acceptable for someone to leave a road in a dangerous condition and expect someone else to clean it up.

Unfortunately only local knowledge can prepare you for these localised road conditions and often when cycling further from home you run into these issues. Something needs to be done and it’s not all about cities, so come on cycling pressure groups think outside of the city box.

On the plus side, despite all of this there are still some pleasant roads out there that give endless hours of enjoyment as you cycle along in the fresh air, admiring the views and with the knowledge you are having little impact on the environment.