Cycle Super-Highways

[theboytaylor]

But the lane puts you on the left, next to the curb. Is this always the right place to be?
What happens if you don't use it when it's provided for you?

See your point, but (unless he staged this all as a demonstration of the problem ) Origamist doesn't seem to be the type to blindly follow the CSH because it's there, so his road position - I am guessing - most of the time would have similar to the one he's taking in the vid. I'm sure from Origamist's posts and chatting to him that he's not the type of cyclist to be influenced into doing something that will cause him more inconvenience solely because it's been put there for cyclists to use, so he would most likely have been on that part of the road, blue or not, and the driver would have been just as likely not to see him.

On the whole I am sceptical of the true value of the SHs and am always wary of this type of specific provision as it entrenches the "you should be there" mentality of certain people. I was just making the point that this type of incident may have happened on any road in any conditions - it seemed irrelevant to me that this was on the CSH. Nit-picking, I'll admit, but I'm bored and my self-edit function isn't working so well today!

 

[gaz]

But the cyclists who are slower are never going to take a strong position and hold it.

 

[gaz]

But the cyclists who are slower are never going to take a strong position and hold it. They will just follow the blue line. As is expected by the motorists.

 

[theboytaylor]

But the cyclists who are slower are never going to take a strong position and hold it. They will just follow the blue line. As is expected by the motorists.

But if a quick, experienced cyclist such as Origamist is taking that position on that piece of road, then perhaps it's a reasonable position to be in on that particular stretch of road in the conditions experienced at that time. The cyclist's position is not necessarily the problem in this case: the problem seems to be that the motorist looked down the road, saw no cars and started to turn right, almost into the oncoming cyclist.

I think we're both labouring this point now. Encouraging inexperienced cyclists to follow set routes that may in fact be more harmful or bring them into conflict with other users is clearly poor and there are many instances of this in the CSH system to date. 100% agree with that. Just wasn't 100% sure that the CSH in any way contributed to this incident.

 

[BentMikey]

I think that perhaps best practice might have been to ride a little further out, but I'm also not sure it would have made much difference in this specific situation. Somewhat unusually, not covering the brakes either.

 

[Origamist]

I ususally either ride in the right-hand side of the CS (about 1.2m from the kerb) or in the centre of the nearside lane along there. Riding on the edge of the CS creates conflict as the nearside lane has been narrowed.

Normally I would have pulled out more when approaching that junction, but I'd shoulder checked and was watching the bus stop - just as I was about to move right I spotted the car indicating. At that point, there was no advantage to moving right as it would have made a collision more likely.

The inclusion of the CS changes the way I ride and I'm compromised from time to time...

 

[Origamist]

Mayoral Questions September:

Question No: 2766 / 2010

Jenny Jones

Is there a way to expand the education about the rights of cyclists referred to in your answer to my question 2182/2010 beyond taxi drivers to all vehicle users? This follows feedback from constituents using the Cycle Superhighway and Cycle Hire schemes, where they have experienced dangerous and disrespectful driving, and motorists driving or parking in cycle lanes.

Answer from the Mayor

I would encourage all drivers to be considerate and try to find alternative places to park and to respect the cyclist’s right to use the lanes whilst driving.

There are two types of cycle lanes across London. As a general rule cycle lanes with a solid white line are mandatory and therefore enforceable. Cycle lanes with a broken white line are only advisory and not enforceable. The majority of cycle lanes across London are advisory due to the limited road space. This means that drivers who park or drive in advisory cycle lanes are entitled to do so without any enforcement.

It was my understanding that advisory cycle lanes are enforceable if a cyclist is riding within the lane when a motorist encroaches.

 

[Origamist]

Mayoral Questions September:

Question No: 2576 / 2010

Valerie Shawcross

You did not answer my question No: 2548 / 2010. It was

Will motorcycles be allowed in the Cycle Superhighways? Your answer is ‘’The Barclays Cycle Superhighways are not designed for motorcycles.’’

This is not a reply to the question. The reply should be a yes or a no. I am concerned that motorbikes are not banned from using the blue cycle lanes where they do not over lap with bus lanes. There are also some areas on the network where motorbikes are allowed in cycle lanes. Can you please answer the question are motorbikes allowed into cycle lanes? And for the sake of clarity can you confirmed whether there are any enforcement action taken against motorbikes or other vehicles which drive in the superhighways?

Answer from the Mayor

Cycle Superhighways (CSHs) were developed using existing traffic orders and in accordance with DfT guidelines. Where CSHs are mandatory on-carriageway cycle lanes or physically segregated cycle lanes, no other traffic may use them. Where CSHs use bus lanes on borough roads, buses and taxis may use them, but motorcycles may not. Where CSHs use bus lanes on red routes, motorcyclists may use them, but cyclists are still protected from general traffic when the bus lane is in operation. Other parts of the Cycle Superhighways use advisory cycle lanes, blue surfacing or logos – other traffic may use these areas. Enforcement is undertaken through the established procedures.

 

[Origamist]

Mayoral Questions September:

Murad Qureshi

What safer "diversion routes to avoid the barriers" have TfL provided on CSH7/A3 at Stockwell and Oval, as these are major KSI hazards which TfL have still not resolved.

Answer from the Mayor

The road layouts at Stockwell and Oval have been changed to improve conditions for cyclists.

At Oval, the major conflict point between cyclists and other road users travelling southbound along Kennington Park Road at the junction with Brixton Road has been removed. Additional safety features, for example a new five metre deep advanced stop line, have also been included at this location to provide an overall safer route for cyclists. This junction was formerly seen as a barrier to cyclists wanting to cycle here, and the work done as part of the Cycle Superhighway has helped to make this junction more cycle friendly.

At Stockwell, work was also done to the gyratory as part of the Cycle Superhighway programme to remove barriers to cycling. The layout of the northbound route was altered to improve priority for cyclists by installing physical measures such as a protective island and a segregated cycle lane on Stockwell Terrace. Improved Advanced Stop Lines have also been installed throughout the gyratory for cyclists to get ahead of traffic at the traffic lights. The gyratory is now more cycle friendly and an important element of CS7 as many cyclists pass through here.

Initial observations and comments from cyclists indicate that the new layouts at both Oval and Stockwell have been welcomed as significant improvements.

 

[Origamist]

Mayoral Questions September

London cycle hire scheme – Advanced Stop lines

Question No: 2587 / 2010

Valerie Shawcross

A constituent who cycles has asked me to put this question to you “ASLs are added to junctions to increase cyclists’s safety. I find them particularly useful when a cycle path leading to a junction is on the left hand side of the road, but I need to change lanes across the stream of traffic to turn right at the traffic lights. However, many of the ASLs that I use are now frequently occupied by other vehicles, particularly motorbikes, rendering them useless – and dangerous – for cyclists. Are there any plans to police this and prevent vehicles other than cycles from using ASLs?”



Answer from the Mayor

It is an offence for any vehicle to impede an ASL. However, the difficulty in enforcing an ASL is that the breach has to be witnessed by a police officer.

Recently there have been several operations by TfL and its policing partners to encourage mutual respect amongst all road users. Consequently, the police have been more focused on enforcing ASLs across London and this will continue to ensure cyclists remain safe on London’s roads.

 

[Origamist]

Work starts on two new London cycle superhighways:

http://road.cc/content/news/25012-work-starts-two-new-london-cycle-superhighways

 

[Origamist]

Cycle Super Highways
Question No: 3248 / 2010
Valerie Shawcross
Why are you spending money to install two additional Superhighways before you
have evaluated the performance and safe record of the first two installed in
July?

Answer from the Mayor
The first two Barclays Cycle Superhighways were launched on 19 July this year,
and usage monitoring began at this time, to enable initial comparisons with
similar data collected last year. Initial snapshot results show an increase of
25 per cent in cycle journeys, with some sections of the Merton to City route
showing increases of 90 per cent or more. These early results demonstrate the
potential for Cycle Superhighways to generate future cycling growth across the
capital. Interestingly, benchmarking of similar projects globally has seen an
increase in cycling numbers with a fall in the cycling accident rate - pointing
to a "safety in numbers" effect, which I hope to replicate in London.

The pilot routes infrastructure is subject to rigorous safety audits, and any
issues arising from these audits have been responded to or addressed. TfL and
the Metropolitan Police will continue to monitor the routes, with any collisions
carefully investigated using established procedures.

 

[clarion]

Curious about the data being quoted there. Sure there were more riders on the CS after it opened, but it's been a warm summer, and bike traffic has been growing significantly for years.

If the amount of traffic is significantly higher than would be extrapolated by the plot of summer traffic would predict (measured in the same manner), I might agree. Somehow, I doubt that minimum dataset is met.

I take the second part of the answer to mean 'we have no data on safety at all.'

 

[gaz]

I've expressed my concerns in great detail to several people in key positions, nothing as of yet has happened about any of it.

 

[Origamist]

"Our street is too narrow for a cycle superhighway"


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...eet-is-too-narrow-for-a-cycle-superhighway.do