ASL at T-junction

[buggi]

It depends on the situation. There are a few indicators to look for.
First... Did you see the lights change from green to red when you were cycling towards them? If you have only seen them on red, the chances are they will change to green before you have time to get to the front. Ask yourself if its worth filtering or just joining the queue and going thro normally.
... 2nd, how many cars are already waiting? If there is a long queue, the chances are the lights have been red for a while, so again, the chances are the lights will likely change to green before you get there. Or if there are only a few cars, why bother if you know you will go through on the next green anyway, even if you join the queue.

If unsure of filtering, it's better to take primary behind the last car in the queue than struggle nervously to the front and have to suffer all those drivers trying to overtake you again.

For me, it all depends on the situation. If I am sure I can get to the front and take my place in the ASL,I will filter. If there are cars waiting and I know I will go thro with them and I'm unsure when the lights will change, i may wait. If there are loads of cars and I know it may go back to red before I get there, or I'm just in a hurry, i will definitely filter.

In this situation though, if you do filter, I'd be inclined to filter on the right, not the left, and then, if the traffic does start to move , your on the correct side to slip back in the flow.

 

[captain nemo1701]

ASL's are plagued with this problem at junctions. I gather that one is supposed to enter via the dashed line, always on the left. My understanding is that under current law, going over the first white line on a bike at a red light is acrually a traffic offence as all vehicles must stop at the first white line on red. So crossing from the right is technically illegal if you are turning right. But to enter via the left can get you hit by left turning cars.

Few ASL's have a central feeder lane, it's usually just those irritating little dashes on the left. Bad design,I suppose. I've often thought that a simple change in the law to allow one to cross the line on a bicycle is all that's needed as ASL's are supposed to be for cyclists.

On my commute home I use one to turn right. I generally enter via the left if it's empty but if there's a line of cars, I use my judgement and either filter in via the right as some cars are turning left or if there are a lot of cars or the ASL is blocked, I stay in primary. But as buggi said, if you must filter, do it on the right as you can rejoin the traffic flow. Luckily at the ASL I use, there's a ped crossing with lights adjacent left, which keeps the lights at the junction red for longer than usual. When the peds stop crossing, I know a light change is seconds away and rejoin the line quickly. I also find that thanks to congestion, any cars turning right will only get a few yards along before they stop in a line of traffic.

 

[summerdays]

In the same way that most people dont know anyone who has been fined for stopping their car/lorry etc in the ASL, does anyone know of any cyclists fined for not entering via the correct side, some don't even have dashed lines.

 

[jarlrmai]

I reckon about 10 people know the actual and contradictory rules re ASLs and 9 of them post here.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Your safety always trumps advice and law.

So enter the box in whichever way you think is safest for you. If that means ignoring the stupid left hand feeder, ignore it.

We've got one in town on a three lane junction where the right most lane is the one I want and the two left most are on a different phase of the lights. I'm not ever going in through the feeder and then riding across two lanes of (moving) traffic to get to the right turn lane.

 

[andyfraser]

Your safety always trumps advice and law.

So enter the box in whichever way you think is safest for you. If that means ignoring the stupid left hand feeder, ignore it.

We've got one in town on a three lane junction where the right most lane is the one I want and the two left most are on a different phase of the lights. I'm not ever going in through the feeder and then riding across two lanes of (moving) traffic to get to the right turn lane.

In a world where a 4 year old gets told to stop riding her bike on the pavement or else it'll be confiscated, try explain your (perfectly correct IMHO) manoeuvre to the police if they want to make an issue out of it.

 

[summerdays]

In a world where a 4 year old gets told to stop riding her bike on the pavement or else it'll be confiscated, try explain your (perfectly correct IMHO) manoeuvre to the police if they want to make an issue out of it.

My reply to the police officer would be (I hope if I'm being calm): "sorry officer, I don't understand, could you demonstrate on my bike please?" (And hopefully it would be a junction like GrumpyGregry's one, knowing my luck it would be on some sleepy junction).

 

[Arrowfoot]

The left feeder seems counter-intuitive when you want to do a right turn. I too would wait as the primary behind the vehicle or wait for the vehicles move on unless you have seen the light turn red. But generally I would have filtered to the right lane if I was expecting to turn right.

 

[steveindenmark]

If you know there is a chance you will be left hooked, i am wondering why you still do it after you have recognised the danger.

One day it will occur and you will be laying on the floor saying " I knew that was going to happen"

 

[GrumpyGregry]

In a world where a 4 year old gets told to stop riding her bike on the pavement or else it'll be confiscated, try explain your (perfectly correct IMHO) manoeuvre to the police if they want to make an issue out of it.

I'd (like to think I'd) take a different tack I think. "Yes officer, no officer, three bags full officer." and return to my wicked ways the very instant they depart the scene.

 

[mjr]

I don't really understand why people who are brave enough to ride on roads busy enough to have ASLs and to take primary in a queue aren't confident enough to overtake cars and merge in or stop out of lane until the lights turn red again if the cars start moving before you reach the box. If you're overtaking the motors safely and don't pull in, they can overtake you back safely.

The main problem I have is when there's no feeder lane and a risk that oncoming traffic will start coming while I'm overtaking on the opposite side of the road and then if I pull in close to the queue, their lights may change and they start moving... so feeder lanes of safe width, please!

 

[Drago]

Some of us have scraped cyclists off the tarmac who've been doored, and that's why we filter with extreme caution at best, or not at all at worst. A several hour round trip to Hospital kind of offsets the 2 minutes saved across a long commute.

 

[mjr]

Oh yes, stay away from doors and don't ride into roads when you should yield and you've eliminated the two biggest self- inflicted cycle collision causes. I didn't get the sense that people were refusing because they'd pass near doors, though. If there's not space to overtake safely, I'd wait too.

 

[summerdays]

The main problem I have is when there's no feeder lane and a risk that oncoming traffic will start coming while I'm overtaking on the opposite side of the road and then if I pull in close to the queue, their lights may change and they start moving... so feeder lanes of safe width, please!

If that happens you just rejoin the main line of traffic, I've never had a problem getting back in the line, even if the first driver didn't let you the second would.

 

[Hip Priest]

It's hard to advise on asls because I have no hard & fast rules. I treat every one differently depending on a number of factors (light sequence, amount of traffic, road layout, space...etc), but it's never a good idea to be on the inside of a left-turning vehicle.