Are Roads like Naas Rd and Clane Rd Safe for (dark?) Commuting

2011abc

An experienced cyclist once told me he thought the Naas Rd was just too dangerous for cycling at night and admittedly he had taken a serious knock .Im considering doing a bit of commuting and with Winter months approaching of course would be lit up like a Christmas tree .In your opinion are roads shared with heavy volumes of traffic at rush hour ( and/or boreens?!) safe for cycling particularly in dark ? Is a major knock almost inevitable ? I'd tend to be gung ho in outlook to this sort of thing .But it's ages since I cycled much .Last Saturday cars were blowing horn at me on Naas Rd as if I shouldn't be on it in broad daylight ( of course the merge city bound just after Naas garden centre is a squeaky bum moment with traffic on both sides like the one beside Liffey Valley leaving city .Today on another long commute I notice there seems to be a serious spectrum in attitude to overtaking and bike lanes ! I'd nearly prefer vehicles get the heck past than be over cautious and build up a queue behind them .
So have YOU been knocked off your bike commuting ?!Whats others opinions?And what the flip is with women who can't judge size of their people carriers and insist on having them half in bike lane while miles from the centre white line ?!

Wishbone Ash

The main problem on the Naas road (presuming you mean the dual carriageway section to/from Naas/Dublin) are the slip road exits which have to be crossed just where they join the carriageway. Many motorists will not be expecting to encounter cyclists and their speed is usually quite high as they join the carriageway.

You will probably be more visible at night than during the day with appropriate lighting but the other problem is the amount of metal debris on the hard shoulder which will be more difficult to see at night and may lead to punctures. The hard shoulder also disappears in places to make way for islands and there is loose gravel along some sections.

Personally, I'd use an alternative route.

mloc123

Personally I would not cycle the N7 between the M50 and Naas.... Day or night. Where is your destination... Clane?

Mr. Grieves

I'd consider the Grand Canal towpath, as far as I remember there's a good surface to close to Straffan.

2011abc

I did some of the Grand (Royal?) Canal towpath heading between Hazel Hatch and Sallins and there's a stretch after Ardclough behind NAas Golf Club that is very heavy going in daylight .2mph sinking into grass .Id say close to impossible in dark .

07Lapierre

I wouldn't cycle on the Naas Road day or night! Cycling is supposed to be enjoyable, not stressful!

iwillhtfu

mloc123 wrote: »

Personally I would not cycle the N7 between the M50 and Naas.... Day or night. Where is your destination... Clane?

I cycle it regularly and never an issue as WA mentioned the off/on ramps are the worst part of it. In general I find the cars on the on ramp pretty decent with letting you over to the hard shoulder. I stopped to help a woman change her tyre not to long ago balance the karma scales a bit

It's great cycling south on a bank holiday Fri watching all the lads stuck in traffic

listermint

It's not the lighting up like a Christmas tree that's the issue. It's the folks on their phone while driving over 100k drifting left and right that is where your in trouble.

It doesn't matter how you look after yourself against that

nilhg

A couple of lads I know commute to Dublin, one living in Naas goes Clane, Celbridge, Lucan, Strawberry Beds, the Park and into Fitzwilliam square, 42.7km.

Another works inconsistent hours but often cycles Kildare Town to city centre straight up the N7

The third goes from Newbridge to Punchestown, Eadestown, Kilteel, Rathcoole and picks up the N7 at the Avoca shop

The third lad in particular frequently does his spins at night or very early in the morning, all three are well accustomed to their routes and wouldn't change, all think the others are mad not to do it their way....

AstraMonti

Avoid N7, it's a horrible, horrible piece of road for cyclists. The problem is that is by far the fastest route to the city. But being alive is worth more than 10mins of your time.

iwillhtfu

AstraMonti wrote: »

Avoid N7, it's a horrible, horrible piece of road for cyclists. The problem is that is by far the fastest route to the city. But being alive is worth more than 10mins of your time.

I'm always amazed at this view. Most cyclists cycle om roads with cars passing at similar speeds only without the benefit of a hard shoulder.

Admittedly it's not a pretty route but for commuting it's grand.

crosstownk

Just to echo what others have said - avoid the N7. It's an awful road to cycle. It's one of those roads that has nothing to offer by way of enjoyment.

Fast moving traffic. Awkward graded junctions built for motorised traffic. It's noisy, very noisy. It's boring and soul destroying. It's exposed and windy at times.

And I've only cycled it twice. I shudder to think of the prospect of having it on my daily commute.

AstraMonti

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I'm always amazed at this view. Most cyclists cycle om roads with cars passing at similar speeds only without the benefit of a hard shoulder.

Admittedly it's not a pretty route but for commuting it's grand.

I 've cycled a lot in N11 which have similar speeds and personally I rarely felt threated by cars.
My house is just 5k from work, 4.5 of which are on N7. If I want to avoid it, I have to cycle 10. I much prefer the 10 than set a wheel on N7. I also don't have any confidence issues on the road, I just really dislike n7.

iwillhtfu

AstraMonti wrote: »

I 've cycled a lot in N11 which have similar speeds and personally I rarely felt threated by cars.
My house is just 5k from work, 4.5 of which are on N7. If I want to avoid it, I have to cycle 10. I much prefer the 10 than set a wheel on N7. I also don't have any confidence issues on the road, I just really dislike n7.

Which is fair enough. Personally I find the back roads worse as they're regularly used as rat runs to avoid traffic build up on the N7 and with tight bends and blind bumps and no run off I'll take my chances on the N7. To each their own.

Wishbone Ash

I'v probably cycled it about a dozen times and while it's not ideal, you can cover a serious amount of ground in a short time especially going northbound with a tailwind. It's easy to average 45/50km/h without much effort.

magicbastarder

there's a lot of disagreement in this thread; speaking as someone who has never cycled it, my opinion is clearly the least biased by experience, so the most trustworthy. it's (probably) noisy and distracting.

Roadtoad

I've cycled the Naas/ Newlands cross bit hundreds of times at rush hour. It is noisy and generally unpleasant compared to rural roads, but the hard shoulder makes it safe. The slip roads are troublesome, you cannot assume 'normal' rules of the road, as exiting cars are going too quick. Go up to the narrow part, and cross when there's a good traffic gap (e.g. Citywest outbound), or exit/return if appropriate (e.g. Rathcoole inbound). Don't be too proud to stop and wait. Christmas trees are good, all year round.