Advice on handing this junction?

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Ben1982

New Member
Got my MD80 through and started using it yesterday for my ~5mile each way commute. Using it mainly for judging which ways have a tradeoff of quickest/safest etc (and of course catching the odd idiot!)
At the moment I have a junction on my way home (which if I want to avoid entirely, is about a mile detour - and involves either using a a poor stretch of the NCN1 or dual carriageway).

Yesterday and Today gave me a good chance to show off both the ways I handle the junction, with yesterday being busy and today being not so busy.

As you'll see from both days no vehicles use the left lane, and everyone uses the right (probably because they don't want to filter in).

The approach is a slight incline, and runkeeper reckons I do around 10-15mph along it (from the 2nd video of me actually able to cycle all the way up).

On busy days I filter into the traffic early, since they're generally moving slower than me, and it's easy enough to find a gap in traffic, and pull in and wait up to the roundable (i.e. Vid 1). On the not so busy days I often stick to the lane (which has a typical British standard cycle lane on it.... i.e. poor), up to where the cyclelane turns into sharing with peds, and I decide to take the lane that comes from the A2 traffic, and then try to filter in to go right at the roundabout. (which is generally a bunfight of people trying to change lanes). i.e. Vid 2

There is a possible use of shared use which goes off to the right where the cyclelane ends, and follows round the pavement, I did this once, and in places the trees are overgrown and it's hardly enough room for a single bike to go round, and I don't really want to try the one going off to the left, as I would assume that's just as bad, and probably makes it difficult to cross on the other side too!

Anyway onto the vids:
Day 1 - Busy:
[media]


]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atRhC9xvtWw[/media]

Day 2 - Not so busy:
[media]


]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbEiOqYLuHI[/media]


What would you do? (I guess those who can pick up more speed would probably filter in anyway - I think at my current speed up there, I would get people undertaking, honking and all sorts :smile: ).

Ben
 

Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
In busy conditions, I would probably be tempted to use the path and then at the island merge across to the traffic. It should be possible to negotiate a space and then filter to the roundabout. However, you will need to have your wits about you and watch the merging traffic like a hawk, because if anything it will the merging traffic that will have you. That would be my take on it, I am pretty confident in my own bike handling abilities to be able to tackle it.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Why aren't you riding along the inside lane and merging across to the RH lane closer to the second island?

On the 'busy' example, use the nearside lane ALL the way and go with the RH traffic through the pinchpoint. Continue up the lane dividers and then merge on the approach to the Island.

On the 'quiet' example, go straight up the lane dividers ALL the way to the Island and then merge as if it was busy.

You are wasting TOO much time pratting about behind slow moving traffic.

You ARE permitted to pass a 'slower moving queue of traffic' on the nearside.
 
OP
OP
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Ben1982

New Member
Thank you both.


jimboalee:
I guess for me its been a confidence thing, I see a gap and head for it rather than think "I can probably get most of the way to the roundabout and get a gap there". And I know from driving that way in the car, that traffic there is generally aggressive at changing lanes, and felt like I didn't particularly want to get caught in it.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Thank you both.


jimboalee:
I guess for me its been a confidence thing, I see a gap and head for it rather than think "I can probably get most of the way to the roundabout and get a gap there". And I know from driving that way in the car, that traffic there is generally aggressive at changing lanes, and felt like I didn't particularly want to get caught in it.


A simple but effective way of gaining authority in traffic is....
Ride along in a highish gear, and stand up off the saddle when you look over your shoulder.

Motorists following will take this gesture as you are going to accelerate and you mean business.

A cyclist riding along 'spinning' looks like they are about to go nowhere, so are ignored.

In a situation like the one in your 'busy' example, I would be in a huge gear standing on the pedals, looking round at the motorists as if I'm going to push their car off the road.:biggrin:
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
A simple but effective way of gaining authority in traffic is....
Ride along in a highish gear, and stand up off the saddle when you look over your shoulder.

Motorists following will take this gesture as you are going to accelerate and you mean business.

A cyclist riding along 'spinning' looks like they are about to go nowhere, so are ignored.

In a situation like the one in your 'busy' example, I would be in a huge gear standing on the pedals, looking round at the motorists as if I'm going to push their car off the road.:biggrin:

Riding out of the saddle is a good way to get attention - I pull away from pretty much every junction out of the sadle, sometimes with an exaggerated sway.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
To and from the Malverns on my 100km DIY earlier in the week ( Wednesday ) I passed through Worcester.



Worcester has one bridge over the river Severn, four lanes wide, two in each direction. On each side of the river, they have a four lane wide one-way system.



The nearest bridge northward is Holt Fleet, 7 miles away. The nearest bridge southward is the A4440 3 miles away which is a by-pass for traffic off the M5.



As you can imagine, every car, van, truck, bus, coach and cyclist is jostling for the correct lane to get round the 'fig-8' gyratory system.



I know this, so I cooled down a little riding into Worcester from the Malverns, in anticipation for the melee.



When the signals give favour, I accelerate and get into 52 x 14 ASAP so I can get across two lanes and then back across to sweep round onto the bridge. 52 x 14 at my pedalling rate then ( must have been mid eighties ) I was at 25mph, the same as all the others.



Standing up of course looking like, well, someone who knows what he's doing. Giving hand signals and looking round like, well, as if I'll push them off the road.



Some suited bloke in a Mercedes actually SLOWED down to allow me to merge.



Another factor was that I was wearing one of my Solihull CC jerseys, so the locals could see I was not a namby pamby 'round the corner' rider.



 
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