Bike traffic lights

[u9ge]

Have been thinking about this the last couple of days. If there were mini traffic lights at head height on the posts of traffic lights which displayed a picture of a bike would more RLJ’ers be better behaved.

I think so, not the hardcore lycra lout category or the pikies on bikies, but the clueless knobbers and ill educated. I think you’d see a 25% reduction min?

 

[Bristol Dave]

TBH I don't think it would matter. The vast majority of RLJers know what they are doing and don't care IMO.

BD

 

[marinyork]

Have been thinking about this the last couple of days. If there were mini traffic lights at head height on the posts of traffic lights which displayed a picture of a bike would more RLJ’ers be better behaved.

I think so, not the hardcore lycra lout category or the pikies on bikies, but the clueless knobbers and ill educated. I think you’d see a 25% reduction min?

Not the point you wanted to highlight but where there are "cyclists go" on sets of traffic lights they do tend to work quite well.

 

[gaz]

not going to change a thing imo.

as mentioned before, the people that jump them know what they are doing, and will jump the next set as well

 

[Dan B]

I sometimes "anticipate" the lights at junctions where I know the timing, to get a head start on the other traffic. If there were bike lights which were phased to go greeen before the regular ones it would legitimise my practice ;-)

 

[Brains]

It may reduce RLJing, but there are two sets of Cyclists Only lights on the Cable Street route (soon to be one of Boris's superhighways).

Unfortunatly lots of cyclists tend to go through them no matter what

In my opinion and experience (of only two sets of lights
The thing that would resuce RLJing would be to get the sequence right
So that bikes go BEFORE cars, not the other way around, as it is currently on the two Cable St sets

 

[thomas]

I always find that tilting my head up so far to see a normal traffic light to be quite difficult...

It would make no difference. If someone wants to jump a red light it won't matter if the light is red in the shape of a circle or a bicycle.

 

[u9ge]

I think part of those jumping them have no association that the lihts have any bearing on them. Linking this to them may help make them think about it and identify with what they are doing. Alternately you could place Mattew Paris on the other side of the junction and have him attack offenders with a claw hammer?

 

[Matty]

If you use the ASL you are normally ahead of the lights anyway!

 

[thomas]

I think part of those jumping them have no association that the lihts have any bearing on them. Linking this to them may help make them think about it and identify with what they are doing. Alternately you could place Mattew Paris on the other side of the junction and have him attack offenders with a claw hammer?

I'd rather just have red light jumpers than spend millions on new lights...maybe we also need ones with cars on, lorries on, buses on, motorbikes on, etc, to stop everyone red light jumping. It's not just cyclists.

 

[BentMikey]

More traffic police would be a far better solution.

 

[purplepolly]

I always find that tilting my head up so far to see a normal traffic light to be quite difficult...

+1

A lot of junctions round here are being redesigned with an ASL and the only lights facing the queue are just at the ASL - they previously had another set repeating the signal across the junction. The new set up is fine if you're in a car and not at the ASL but not if you're waiting at the ASL.

 

[ron4322]

+1

A lot of junctions round here are being redesigned with an ASL and the only lights facing the queue are just at the ASL - they previously had another set repeating the signal across the junction. The new set up is fine if you're in a car and not at the ASL but not if you're waiting at the ASL.

Isn't that ridiculous? That completely defeats the purpose of the ASL, so that the cyclist knows that the lights have changed only when a car drives past him.

Luckily, round here, I think all the ASL lights are correctly placed - at least I haven't yet seen one like you describe.

Do you think it would serve any purpose if you were to write to your local council and point out the problem? Could it be that they just do not realise how badly designed they are?

 

[neslon]

In Spain, all traffic lights have 'repeaters' at eye level, which are very handy whether on a bike or in a car - saves craning the neck up vertically etc. As for the RLJ'ers, you could lase them in the face with a red version of Close Encounters and they would still wobble past.

You might be able to guess that its new student time again

 

[Davidc]

Not just Spain, they're standard in France and several other countries.

The height is sensible for many road users, and the most recent ones I've seen are just big bright LEDs in a plastic enlosure so can't be very expensive.