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

[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  :eek :eek :eek .....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  :eek :eek :eek .....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    :rollin :rollin :rollin

[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...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!

[esetest]

Shame the Police can't put the same effort into the drug dealing /taking scumbag neighbours of mine , who have taken to sitting in there front garden smoking weed , throwing their empty cans of lager all over the street  , playing loud music and shouting there heads off till 2 in the morning , when I have to get up for work in the morning . I don't blame the Police , they do want the government tells them. 

[Grahamm]

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.

Highway Code Paragraph 163

163 Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

    not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
[...]
    give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 213 and 214 to 215).

I suppose you would have me tailing behind the cyclist for the whole 10 mile stretch?

Highway Code Paragraph 169

169 Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

But just because you don't like the way he's riding, doesn't mean that you have the right to drive like a twunt.

PS

It was perfectly safe for me to pass.

Obviously he felt differently. I wonder how you would have felt had it been you?

[stevierst]

Shame the Police can't put the same effort into the drug dealing /taking scumbag neighbours of mine , who have taken to sitting in there front garden smoking weed , throwing their empty cans of lager all over the street  , playing loud music and shouting there heads off till 2 in the morning , when I have to get up for work in the morning . I don't blame the Police , they do want the government tells them.

Your mixing road traffic and criminal law there bud, the cops have seperate departments for each of these, and there's very little crossover between them. Traffic cops tend to stay on the roads, response cops deal with the joint smoking bell-end.
Call your community beat manager and tell him about your neighbour. He'll sort it!

[Chillum]

[quote author=Chillum link=topic=8742.msg94767#msg94767 date=1376667443]
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.

Highway Code Paragraph 163

163 Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

    not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
[...]
    give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 213 and 214 to 215).

I suppose you would have me tailing behind the cyclist for the whole 10 mile stretch?

Highway Code Paragraph 169

169 Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

But just because you don't like the way he's riding, doesn't mean that you have the right to drive like a twunt.

PS

It was perfectly safe for me to pass.

Obviously he felt differently. I wonder how you would have felt had it been you?
[/quote]

Well to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have been riding in the middle of the road in the first place. As for him feeling differently, I couldn't actually care less what he felt.

I drove about 6 inches into the rough on the opposite side and made my way past him at a sensible pace, keeping an eye on him at all times to make sure I wasn't going to get too close.

Please Mr perfect, could you inform me as to the correct way to resolve the dilemma of not wanting to drive at bicycle speeds for 10 miles?

[Punkstig]

[quote author=Punkstig link=topic=8742.msg94712#msg94712 date=1376644580]
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.

Highway Code Paragraphs 154 - 155
[/quote]


No, I am talking about cycle lanes in London where they are seperated from the road by a kerb in order for vulnerable road users to be able to use them safely,
Now, because of these physically seperated areas the roads are now narrower,
A cyclist using the road in these circumstances is a danger to themselves and others!


All these videos I see on youtube from cyclists riding dominantly when it comes to roads narrowing I completely back the cyclist, but when they do it for no reason other than to block the road they have no reason to complain,
Sharing the road between push bikes and motorised vehicles is a 2 way thing!

[Grahamm]

Please Mr perfect, could you inform me as to the correct way to resolve the dilemma of not wanting to drive at bicycle speeds for 10 miles?

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

Shhh!

:lol

[Grahamm]

No, I am talking about cycle lanes in London where they are seperated from the road by a kerb in order for vulnerable road users to be able to use them safely,

I'm not familiar with those. I've seen the blue tarmac ones, but none that are actually physically separate.

[Farjo]

New bike lane Bethnal Green Road

Here's a London cycle lane, which is typical of segregated cycle lanes around the country. If you cycle on the road then you have right of way when approaching side turns. However as shown in the video when on a segregated cycle lane the cyclist has to give way.

Segregated cycle lanes, in my experience, are there to keep cyclists off the road rather than to protect them.

[Slaninar]

New bike lane Bethnal Green Road

Here's a London cycle lane, which is typical of segregated cycle lanes around the country. If you cycle on the road then you have right of way when approaching side turns. However as shown in the video when on a segregated cycle lane the cyclist has to give way.

Segregated cycle lanes, in my experience, are there to keep cyclists off the road rather than to protect them.

In my country whenever a cycle lane crosses a road, the drivers are supposed to give way... which they seldom do unfortunately. For me, on a bicycle, it has been a lot safer riding on the road with traffic. However, by law, we are forced to use bicycle lanes/tracks when they exist by the road we are traveling... which is never enforced by cops. 

[Grahamm]

Segregated cycle lanes, in my experience, are there to keep cyclists off the road rather than to protect them.

I entirely agree with you.

There are some like that in Portsmouth and, like that one, you get pedestrians (or other obstructions) in the cycle lane and if you're cycling, every time you get to a road, you have to waste energy slowing or even stopping to let traffic cross, then expend more energy getting moving again which means you are not cycling in the most efficient manner (which is to lose as little momentum as possible).

As such, I simply do not bother using those cycle lanes.