Avoid SW4 when the cycle super highway goes live

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Number14

Veteran
Location
Fareham
Letter in today's Telegraph;

"SIR – All over Lambeth, hideous bright blue cycle lanes have appeared without warning.
We have been given no guidance as to whether cars are allowed to put their nearside wheels into them. The cycle lanes have squeezed two-lane roads into one and, visually, they are a blight on the landscape.
Charles King
London SW4
"

I agree that the colour is bad and they probably will be an eyesore but, what I really draw confidence from, is the fact that Mr King doesn't know which bit of the road he can drive on! His summary is wrong though - they squeeze two lane roads into two lanes, one of which is now a cycle lane. :biggrin:

I'll start the sweepstakes for guessing what car he drives - BMW? :rolleyes:
 

zimzum42

Legendary Member
This guy sounds like a bit of a twunt, but they could have publicized what they were doing a bit better
 
I've not seen any of these lanes with solid or broken line markings, so honestly - do you really think it's that clear that you can drive in them or not?

Additionally - at least they are asking...
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
drsquirrel said:
I've not seen any of these lanes with solid or broken line markings, so honestly - do you really think it's that clear that you can drive in them or not?

Additionally - at least they are asking...

Some have mandatory lines, some advisory, some have none:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huy-FLpV8_w


It's certainly true that there is a good deal of confusion surrounding the implementation of the CSs.
 
Origamist said:
Some have mandatory lines, some advisory, some have none:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huy-FLpV8_w


It's certainly true that there is a good deal of confusion surrounding the implementation of the CSs.


Aye - seen your videos, I like the mix of fixed bar camera + TT bars (usually bar cameras suck).

Saying I've not seen was wrong then, just couldn't think of any - most I see have no markings. So I don't see any legal reason why you couldn't just drive in them.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
drsquirrel said:
Aye - seen your videos, I like the mix of fixed bar camera + TT bars (usually bar cameras suck).

Saying I've not seen was wrong then, just couldn't think of any - most I see have no markings. So I don't see any legal reason why you couldn't just drive in them.


I was told by TFL that where the CS lane had no markings, it should be treated as an advisory lane. However, this seems to have no basis in law. I'd be interested to hear if anybody knows different.
 

BenM

Veteran
Location
Guildford
I was walking through London on Monday and was amazed by the road markings at the north end of Southwark(?) bridge - the Cycling blue patches seem to be arranged in a random chequerboard pattern... glad I don't have to negotiate them here in sunny Weymouth.

B.
 
Other than those very few places where there is a marking, the CS has no legal status whatsoever. Solid & broken delineation offer the same as before for any lane.

I had been hoping that delineation would be following on, but that doesn't seem to have happened, and we're getting awfully close to the launch.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
Outside clapham south satiation north bound they have painted the whole inside lane blue. I saw traffic backed up yesterday in the normal lane and not a vehicle in sight on the blue paint. Fantastic!
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
gaz said:
Outside clapham south satiation north bound they have painted the whole inside lane blue. I saw traffic backed up yesterday in the normal lane and not a vehicle in sight on the blue paint. Fantastic!

Yes, you can just see the full blue lane at the start of this vid (to the right as you look, in front of Clapham South tube):


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrT-wrsrVcA


This lane is bounded by a broken white line. The full lane is a good idea as it makes hooks harder (a lot of vehicles go left at Nightingale Lane).
 

Lizban

New Member
So far from being a 'insert rude word' he raises a valid point that he and other road users (including us cyclists) are confused as to the status of these new blue lanes.


I was cycling in one today (CS7 over the bridge going towards cannon st) and there is a whole blue lane - it had a taxi and a car in it and I honestly didn't know whether they were allowed in it...

(As it happens I like the blue.)
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
Lizban said:
So far from being a 'insert rude word' he raises a valid point that he and other road users (including us cyclists) are confused as to the status of these new blue lanes.


I was cycling in one today (CS7 over the bridge going towards cannon st) and there is a whole blue lane - it had a taxi and a car in it and I honestly didn't know whether they were allowed in it...

(As it happens I like the blue.)

I imagine that is the point of the pilot CSs - they are experimenting with blue lanes (sans advisory/mandatory markings - sort of "suggestive cycle lanes") to see how this affects road user behaviour. I fully anticipate that the CS markings will evolve in the next few years.
 

Lizban

New Member
Origamist said:
I imagine that is the point of the pilot CSs - they are experimenting with blue lanes (sans advisory/mandatory markings - sort of "suggestive cycle lanes") to see how this affects road user behaviour. I fully anticipate that the CS markings will evolve in the next few years.

Which just goes to reinforce the point that the letter writer was making. THey are unclear, despite heaps of paint there is a lack of clarity.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
Lizban said:
Which just goes to reinforce the point that the letter writer was making. THey are unclear, despite heaps of paint there is a lack of clarity.

Yes, I've been agreeing with him on this point!
 
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