Advance stop lines (asl's/ bike boxes) A WARNING!

[Punkstig]

140Cycle lanes. These are shown by road markings and signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line during its times of operation. Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable. You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane whilst waiting restrictions apply.
Law RTRA sects 5 & 8

[Punkstig]

We shouldn't be riding in any cycle lanes solid line or broken, only enter a cycle lane with a broken lane to avoid an accident!


Although we all know in town we use them when we shouldn't (like on upper Thames)
I've been avoiding doing this as I've seen many being pulled for it!


As for your question I can't pinpoint from the top of my head the markings- but clarify which way as riding east would be left to right
Right to left is heading west!

[Frosties]

We shouldn't be riding in any cycle lanes solid line or broken, only enter a cycle lane with a broken lane to avoid an accident!


Although we all know in town we use them when we shouldn't (like on upper Thames)
I've been avoiding doing this as I've seen many being pulled for it!


As for your question I can't pinpoint from the top of my head the markings- but clarify which way as riding east would be left to right
Right to left is heading west!

You're right...travelling West - was up at 5am!


As far as I knew, a dotted line meant you can enter the lane (as it is leading up to the junction) and use it as you can a chevroned area with dotted lines. However, I think I've just been proved wrong. I never use a lane when its a solid line.


If you've seen riders being pulled for riding inside a dotted line then I'm going to have to learn to adjust to this one also.


Christ I hate London but it's where the work is 

[Punkstig]

Sorry to say this but we shouldn't use those chevron areas either (yes the ones with broken lines!)
These are provided as a safe area for vehicles turning right and also to avoid blocking flowing traffic.


Same as the broken line cycle lanes they should only be used only if completely necessary!


Don't get me wrong, in the past I've used the cycle lanes  (but don't anymore) and I currently still use chevron areas to filter down, so I'm not giving a holier than thou statement, I'm just letting you know if you see police about best avoid them!
When I do use them I try to pay special attention to all vehicles I'm passing, this is one of the instances where if you are involved in a collision its more likely to be a 50/50 fault
What annoys me is those drivers that don't use those areas for their purpose and do block flowing traffic when they're turning right- dumbfocs!

[Hedgetrimmer]

Looks like it's time for me to invest in a new copy of the highway code, as half these road markings weren't around when I last read it - as for London, nope, too scary for me, I'll stick to the tube...

[Frosties]

Sorry to say this but we shouldn't use those chevron areas either (yes the ones with broken lines!)
These are provided as a safe area for vehicles turning right and also to avoid blocking flowing traffic.


Same as the broken line cycle lanes they should only be used only if completely necessary!


Don't get me wrong, in the past I've used the cycle lanes  (but don't anymore) and I currently still use chevron areas to filter down, so I'm not giving a holier than thou statement, I'm just letting you know if you see police about best avoid them!
When I do use them I try to pay special attention to all vehicles I'm passing, this is one of the instances where if you are involved in a collision its more likely to be a 50/50 fault
What annoys me is those drivers that don't use those areas for their purpose and do block flowing traffic when they're turning right- dumbfocs!

Jesus Punkstig, you're just a big meanie.....next you'll be telling me it's wrong to lean down on BMW and Merc side mirrors 

[Pat]

My understanding of this is that TFL have applied for the breaching of ASLs in London to be decriminalised hence allowing them or other London local authorities to fine offenders. However, they don't have the authority to dish out penalty points, only the police have the legal authority to dish out points (in reality an offer of the option of a fixed penalty notice (currently 3 points & £60) in lieu of going to court to be tried for the offence).


This already happens in London with box-junctions & illegal turn offences having been decriminalised a few years ago, they are now monitored by local council & TFL CCTV & transgressors are sent £60 penalty fines with no points.


So if you are nabbed by plod in a cycle box you can get points & a fine but not if caught by CCTV.


Also, when I did Bikesafe with the Met a month ago, the coppers there made a point of explaining that it was perfectly legal to filter using chevroned bits of road if enclosed by broken white lines & actively encouraged their use by bikers as it's often the safest way to do it.

[richfzs]

Thanks for that last paragraph, Pat - I'll also add, that if you don't make use of them to filter, you'll fail your advanced test for not making progress. It's a perfectly valid, legal and safe thing to do.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Also, when I did Bikesafe with the Met a month ago, the coppers there made a point of explaining that it was perfectly legal to filter using chevroned bits of road if enclosed by broken white lines & actively encouraged their use by bikers as it's often the safest way to do it.

Yep, won my case (well, 70/30) when knocked off filtering over such chevrons. However, there is of course another risk here - because it's an area not used often, there's often a lot of road debris there so you can easily pick up a puncture.

[Lawrence]

It's also a good way to pick up punctures     I do it where necessary though, but I don't tend to use bike lanes unless it's the only way round some idiot who's blocking the bus lane because he had to wait right til the last second to pull out 

[Exupnut]

So if you are nabbed by plod in a cycle box you can get points & a fine but not if caught by CCTV.

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong and wrong again. If u read the leaflet or spoke to plod u would understand we WILL be getting 3pts aswell.

[seangee]

Miss that one by a couple of hundred metres so haven't ridden there 

[JZS 600]

Looks like they're stepping it up,,,


http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/drivers-and-cyclists-warned-of-fines-as-tfl-clamps-down-on-road-safety/201326839

[Lawrence]

In addition to stepping up enforcement on motorists, cyclists who jump read lights are also being warned to change their behaviour or incur a £30 fine.

How, if they've just jumped a red and buggered off down the road, are you going to fine them?

[seangee]

Have noticed an increase in the number of two wheelers being pulled over in the last few weeks. Obviously an educational / safety campaign in progress. (How dare you suggest funding is needed for the policepersons summer ball).


Really large flock of bike police at the embankment end of Northumberland this morning pulling bikes over this morning. Cyclists were included in the campaign, although I don't understand how they could enforce it - especially if they are just dishing out warnings..


Hmmm - wonders if its time to unwrap the shiny baffle from the bubble wrap it was shipped in and insert into appropriate orifice

[stevierst]

Cyclists jumping red lights has been an offence for years, but rarely enforced. If the cyclist gets tw@tted by a car, its his own stupid fault anyway.

[red98]

this was all over the news last night....with footage in london showing cyclists in blue cycle lanes but also a lot more outside it  .....works both ways cyclists 

[Punkstig]

this was all over the news last night....with footage in london showing cyclists in blue cycle lanes but also a lot more outside it  .....works both ways cyclists 

Don't get me started, they want roads to be made safer for them- completely understandable, but the amount of cyclists I see out of these lanes is unbelievable, then there's the spanking new cycle super highways that at junctions have their own set of lights so as not to get squished by cars but the majority still don't stop on a red at them!

[Chillum]

I don't have a problem with cyclists - I have a problem with some people who ride bicycles.

I was travelling home yesterday and some of the lanes round here are *just* wide enough to get two cars past each other. Came up to a couple of cyclists, one was about a foot or so from the edge of the road - no problem. The other one was in the middle of the road. I initially thought he was alongside his mate and would move up and in when he heard me, but as I got closer I realised that he was about 15ft in front of his mate and just riding in the middle of the road.

He didn't move as I approached, so I beeped my horn (didn't lean on it or anything, just a bipbip you deaf foccer). He turns round and promptly didn't move anywhere. Since we were running out of visible space for me to get past him without risking something coming round a bend up ahead I decided to squeeze past him, probably left him with about 6 inches between his elbows and my mirror, my rhs wheels were on the grass verge on the other side. I did it reasonable slowly as well, just in case.

As I got past him and checked my rear view to make sure he was still upright and everything I saw him gesturing quite rudely it has to be said. Although it made my blood boil for a second or two I resisted the urge to mow the fucker down and drive back forth over his limp body just to make sure I just don't understand why it has to be an 'us and them' situation. It will all end in tears for someone.

Since mentioning this to a neighbour he then told me to watch out for a monthly 'moon ride' that goes on round here where cyclists go out on a night time ride (on these same little roads) and often there are several who don't wear hi-viz or use lights - so be careful. He then told me how many there were - about 100! (and this guy is a super-keen cyclist but seems quite reasonable about the whole car/cyclist situation).

[red98]

Looks like it's time for me to invest in a new copy of the highway code, as half these road markings weren't around when I last read it - as for London, nope, too scary for me, I'll stick to the tube...

 
that reminds me...........two brothers on there way to the sperm bank,one came on the bus the other missed the tube   

[Slaninar]

FUCK. Bloody 1984.


In Serbia, 2 biggest cities are CCTV covered and cameras are programmed to automatically snap plates of cars using bus lanes, running red lights, while it takes human operators to spot cars not letting pedestrians cross at zebra crossings.

Fortunately, bikes are somehow not big enough to trigger those, and license plates beneath back wheels are still looked over by cops (though they tell you to fix it... every time...).


Gangsta' style:




So no speeding tickets, no stopping at police stops, motorway pay tolls (just ride past the ramp) etc.


Also, the traffic CCTV used to use OCR for automatic reading of plates. Not sure about today, my info is couple of years old. There was a way of fooling the OCR software by not damaging or painting over numbers. Just using some dark paint/stickers next to numbers/letters. Since the algorithm used the amount of "black" (among other things) to recognize numbers and letters. Haven't tested it live, though.

[Grahamm]

Don't get me started, they want roads to be made safer for them- completely understandable, but the amount of cyclists I see out of these lanes is unbelievable

1) Cyclists are not *required* to use cycle lanes.

2) Cycle lanes (at least the ones down here) are very often not swept by road sweepers, meaning that all the crap and debris end up in them and it's very easy to puncture a cycle tyre.

3) Not all cycle lanes are actually of any foccing *use* to cyclists. Some of them are completely useless or can put you in a bad position where you either get traffic turning across you or you have to try to get out into fast moving traffic coming past you in order that you can turn right.

4) I've often seen cars and vans etc parked in cycle lanes, again meaning when I'm cycling I have to try to get past the obstruction and the best way to do that is to assertively position myself (as I'm allowed to do by law) out of the cycle lane to stop someone trying to squeeze past me in a dangerous way like Chillum describes above because he couldn't be bothered to wait until after the bend to pass the cyclist.

Highway Code Paragraphs 154 - 155

[Chillum]

someone trying to squeeze past me in a dangerous way like Chillum describes above because he couldn't be bothered to wait until after the bend to pass the cyclist.

Highway Code Paragraphs 154 - 155

I had a look at that code and I can't see where I broke it. I was very careful to avoid him, and I gave him as much space as he allowed. I notice you didn't mention anything about the cyclist being in the middle of the road. I suppose you would have me tailing behind the cyclist for the whole 10 mile stretch?

[alan sherman]

If it ain't safe to pass, don't pass.  Even if the bloke in front is being a nobber.  Allow at least a metre to pass cyclists.  https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/overtaking-162-to-169

But you know that are just trying to wind people up aren't you

[Chillum]

If it ain't safe to pass, don't pass.

It was perfectly safe for me to pass.

But you know that are just trying to wind people up aren't you

Shhh!