ASLs..... Worth the paint?

[RWright]

WTF is that supposed to be?
Looks like it belongs here http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-month/index.htm

That link to the facility of the month is funny but doing what they are doing seems almost scary stupid. I guess painting the pedestrain symbol on their side of the path would have been too easy and made too much sense.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

That link to the facility of the month is funny but doing what they are doing seems almost scary stupid. I guess painting the pedestrain symbol on their side of the path would have been too easy and made too much sense.

Sorry this is going completely off topic but does bother you that we are actually paying people out of our taxes to make such moronic decisions?

Alan...

 

[Sandra6]

I use them if they're there - but if there's a lot of traffic between me and the asl I'll stay in the traffic because I'm convinced I'll get squished trying to get to the front if the lights change earlier than anticipated.
I'm not particularly quick off the mark at the lights so I guess I'm inconveniencing the driver behind, but that's got to be true of any driver behind me anywhere in the queue of traffic. It's not as if they have to follow me all the way home.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

ASL is my initials, so this thread title totally confused me.

But to go back to topic I use ASLs if I'm a couple of vehicles from them when traffic stops, but otherwise I'd rather sit in primary. In my limited experience the vehicle at the front of the queue is itching to get away as soon as the lights change whereas cars further back seems to be a bit more accepting of the fact that they're going to have to wait a wee while as the traffic starts lumbering forward.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I've also had a few motorists revving their engines behind me while I'm sat in an ASL, if they try that once the lights change I have no choice other than to slow right down so that I can make sure I carefully look all around me and fully take in the situation.

By revving his or her engine the motorist introduces a bit of a wild card that I need to make sure I'm not going to fall foul of. If they drive normally and accelerate smoothly and predictably behind me then it frees up my attention to give it some beans so that I can safely move forward to a point in the road whereby I can move back to a secondary position and the flow of traffic can safely pass little ole me.

 

[ManiaMuse]

I think they have a purpose. The fact that they are painted across the width of the road does encourage some less experienced cyclists to position themselves more centrally where they are more likely to be seen.

Heavily used ones do discourage motorists behind from racing off the lights which is a good thing.

They aren't a complete solution and potentially cause conflicts with left turning vehicles, but I think overall they are better than having nothing at all, at least they raise the profile of cyclists?

 

[Alun]

Sorry this is going completely off topic but does bother you that we are actually paying people out of our taxes to make such moronic decisions?

Alan...

I wouldn't think it bothers RWright very much at all, if his avatar location is correct.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Oh yes. I am by no means quick, but even an average cyclist can get away from the lights fairly rapidly which surprises some drivers who decide that they can cut in front. Once they have decided to cut in front I rarely find one who has the ability to change their mind after the lights have gone green.

Well I can't so I have to play it different.

 

[hoski]

For safety, sometimes being at the front is not the best idea but each junction is different and even at the same junction, each queue is different

This. You have to judge each situation on its own merits - in the same way you do for deciding road position, when/how to filter, etc.

On a less serious note, anything that allows me to get to the front of the queue and stick my arse in the face of motorists is fine by me. The buggers hold me up every day with their insistence on driving to work and the bizarre 'one person per car' rule.

 

[chewy]

is it safe to say that this is another 'grey' area?

or do they have to be red / green?


In my experience they haven't been much help, I prefer to use my own sense and judgement to be in the best position in that particular situation.

That said I don't live in a city, and we are relatively quiet in our traffic levels. Still enough numpty's around though lol

 

[thefollen]

The ASLs along Millbank/Grosvenor Road (along the north side of the Thames) can be like the start of a Tour De France stage.

Long lights, rush hour and a popular route towards Chelsea/Vauxhall Bridge (delete depending on direction) make for lots of cyclists. The ASL does take care of the volume somewhat. Otherwise there'd be countless people weaving in and around the traffic. You do get this a bit anyway but the ASL takes the worst. Allows cyclists to start and merge into the cycle lane when they can.

Ok this stretch and large ASL by its nature encourages SCR but it does make for one of the most fun sections of the journey home. Tough Strava segment to crack too. Might do it today actually... (not Strava though- my iPhone was nicked the other weekend, but that's another story).

 

[growingvegetables]

Not worth the paint, for the most part - at least as they are implemented now. I don't care that there are ways aware and experienced cyclists can use them safely - for far too many cyclists they are an invitation to NOT think, to ASSUME the wisdom of road engineers, and to find themselves in nasty situations which can turn ........ really nasty, fast.

One exception I'd make, from my experience, is here, where the cycle lane heads out between the left turn lane, and the straight ahead lanes. The cycle lane works, and the ASL works (partly because it also takes cycle traffic across the road, using the crossing).

But I like thefollen's point about where there are large numbers of cyclists. That makes sense to me (at least in theory - not a situation I've seen in Leeds ).

It'd change the standard design and the legislation - no more silly excuse for a very narrow cycle lane to filter through on the left to the front. A "safe box" in the front, with an advance green signal for cyclists to get started and more or less clear before the "motor traffic" green ? Hmmm - one problem: it's kinda commonsensical. Won't happen.

 

[Davidsw8]

The ASLs along Millbank/Grosvenor Road (along the north side of the Thames) can be like the start of a Tour De France stage.

Long lights, rush hour and a popular route towards Chelsea/Vauxhall Bridge (delete depending on direction) make for lots of cyclists. The ASL does take care of the volume somewhat. Otherwise there'd be countless people weaving in and around the traffic. You do get this a bit anyway but the ASL takes the worst. Allows cyclists to start and merge into the cycle lane when they can.

Ok this stretch and large ASL by its nature encourages SCR but it does make for one of the most fun sections of the journey home. Tough Strava segment to crack too. Might do it today actually... (not Strava though- my iPhone was nicked the other weekend, but that's another story).

That route down Millbank would terrify me! You're right, it looks exactly like Tour de France, and with the motorists careering down you can add Wacky Races into that

 

[Hip Priest]

I cannot be sure when I saw my first one. Or where.

I can remember precisely! It was 1998. I was on one of my first driving lessons in the Old Swan area of Liverpool. My instructor told me to stop at the first line, as the box in front was a new thing for cyclists. I did as he told me, and got beeped by the van behind.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Thank you for all those responses. Opinions seem mixed.

I appreciate the positives and am slightly surprised there were so many. I do get the point of the post saying they give that little bit of space to filtering bicycle between the fog lights and the stop line. That holds water for me, although I remain slightly on the 'Waste of Paint' side of the fence.

I'm slightly surprised that no-one else admitted to my occasional habit of using them to get to the front of the Traffic Light Grand Prix grid, although there is some suggestion of that along Millbank.

I continue to see ASLs everywhere. I'm pretty sure that many, many road users have no idea what they're for.

It does strike me that a local authority keen to show its commitment to sustainable transport initiatives might point to the cycle lanes and ASLs it has put in place.