Cycle lane pit stops - why?

[HovR]

Can you imagine the uproar if they had done it the opposite way, so the cyclists got a straight road and motorists had to negotiate a sudden swerve?

Actually, in my area of the UK we have something like that, supposedly a traffic calming feature.

Often used on roads with only a single lane in each direction, one lane is effectively blocked off with some sort of raised kerb or barrier, forcing motorists in the obstructed lane to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear the road narrowing before they can pull into the other lane to clear it themselves.

There is a gap between the barrier and the pavement/sidewalk wide enough for a cyclist to fit through, so they can carry on unobstructed.

 

[Piemaster]

Locally theres been a shared use path just installed. It is complete crap (did you expect anything else?) It goes across lots of driveways, is, at best, a bike wide, and occasionaly just stops as the path zig-zags a bit due to varying lengths of adjacent gardens.
It is surprisingly missing the 'Cyclists Dismount' signs, though the existing 'Warning to cyclists'* signs have been retained.

I despair. I can think of few cycling facilities that are for cyclists - they are there to ge them out of the way of motorists.

*these signs warn of £30 fixed penalties for committing offences, such as cycling on pavements.

 

[Pauluk]

That's not a pit stop. This is

That cannot be serious. I reckon that's just some navies had some spare tarmac and paint and didn't want to take it back to the depot.

 

[potsy]

Actually, in my area of the UK we have something like that, supposedly a traffic calming feature.

Often used on roads with only a single lane in each direction, one lane is effectively blocked off with some sort of raised kerb or barrier, forcing motorists in the obstructed to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear the road narrowing before they can pull into the other lane to clear it themselves.

There is a gap between the barrier and the pavement/sidewalk wide enough for a cyclist to fit through, so they can carry on unobstructed.

One of those was put in recently on my commute route, works quite well, unless it's the cyclist that is the oncoming traffic, and drivers then don't bother waiting they just barrel their way through.

 

[Asa Post]

Actually, in my area of the UK we have something like that, supposedly a traffic calming feature.

Often used on roads with only a single lane in each direction, one lane is effectively blocked off with some sort of raised kerb or barrier, forcing motorists in the obstructed lane to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear the road narrowing before they can pull into the other lane to clear it themselves.

There is a gap between the barrier and the pavement/sidewalk wide enough for a cyclist to fit through, so they can carry on unobstructed.

Sheffield could do that, but chooses not to.
This chicane was deliberately placed so that a bus at the bus stop blocks the entire road. Some sort of safety feature, apparently.
Plenty of room for a cycle path, but no chance of having one.

 

[Banjo]

Going back to the OP it looks like some dick put the lampost in the wrong place so they routed the cycle lane around it. Your lucky, here in south wales they would have just had a lampost in the middle of a pathetically narrow cycle lane.

 

[Pauluk]

Sheffield could do that, but chooses not to.

That to me looks like the height of stupidity. The buses in our town would stop for a bit of a break there just to make sure they pis*ed everyone off.

I'm not a pavement cyclist and I obey traffic signs and signals but that would tempt even me if a bus were stopped there, which ever way I was going.

There is a bus stop near where I live and its right by a central pedestrian sanctuary with a keep left sign on it. The buses stop there for ages blocking the left carriageway and the locals know it. So they just drive round the right hand side of the sanctuary. Some planners are truly not living in the real world.

 

[Ian Cooper]

Actually, in my area of the UK we have something like that, supposedly a traffic calming feature.

And I'll bet there are rumblings about it on the radio and in letters to the editor.

 

[HLaB]

Long straight flat road, 30mph limit, no side roads. Why do the road planners see the need for some kind of pit stop thingy? The picture doesn't really do it justice. Its actually tighter than it looks, you have to slow right down to get through it. Anyone know why?

View attachment 10174

My guess is that its to present the image of road narrowing to a driver ( a traffic calming feature) but its pretty ineffectual and pointless in that case, the only thing it'll calm is the cyclist!

 

[sidevalve]

To answer the OP It's to prevent cars drifting into the cycle lane. It appears to be a bend and many would simply clip the apex of the bend,running into the cycle lane. Oddly most drivers don't like swerving in and out and the occasional fixed barrier tends to keep them in their own lane. As for being slowed down a bit well boo hoo, are ten or twenty seconds really going to make much difference.

 

[Cyclopathic]

That's not a pit stop.

this is :-

Surely this is the expected destination and terminus of the cycle route. Oh good, we're here.

 

[BrazingSaddles]

Don't you just love the little give way lines on these cycle lanes, what were these complete prats thinking of when they did that. They should have been sacked.


That's 59" in English. I've never seen a cycle lane that wide in my town.

How old skool!!! We're metric now, grandad!!!

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

View attachment 10177
Also, further back up the road, here is what must be one of the most narrow cycle lanes in the country (unless any of you know different).

I think I may know different:

 

[MisterStan]

Back to the OP, maybe it's to give the peds a 'refuge' between crossing the cycle lane and road? :-)

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

To answer the OP It's to prevent cars drifting into the cycle lane. It appears to be a bend and many would simply clip the apex of the bend,running into the cycle lane. Oddly most drivers don't like swerving in and out and the occasional fixed barrier tends to keep them in their own lane. As for being slowed down a bit well boo hoo, are ten or twenty seconds really going to make much difference.

I posted earlier that I thought it was there for that reason. But there's something daft about the kind of logic that says:
Let's give them a cycle lane.
Oh, cars drive in the cycle lane at the bend.
Let's stop anybody using the cycle lane at that point.