Dangerous driving by HGV - is there any recourse?

[Arjimlad]

Funny the things that can happen when you don't have your headcamera rocket-propelled grenade !

 

[Mike8782]

I did write to the council on the issue of HGVs sharing bus lanes. I'll see what comes back

 

[nilling]

That's a shared path, not a cycle lane. Looking at the sign, HGVs can use the lane if they have a permit? I too hope this is not the future! #killzone

 

[siadwell]

Looking at the sign, HGVs can use the lane if they have a permit?

I read that sign to mean the lane can be used by four groups: buses, HGVs over 7.5 tonnes, permit holders and cycles. Further on there's a sign that says "End of priority lane". Quite potty.

 

[dellzeqq]

Agreed.
But for your own safety, would it not have been better to use the SUP in this instance to avoid any confrontation with ignorant HGV drivers? Even more so in heavy traffic?

no. Why get off the road at the very point where use is restricted?

 

[HLaB]

Agreed.
But for your own safety, would it not have been better to use the SUP in this instance to avoid any confrontation with ignorant HGV drivers? Even more so in heavy traffic?

No, joining a path may result in more conflicts pedestrians (children, pets etc)/ driveways/ side roads/ street furniture /uneven surfaces/ failure to interact (both driver & cyclist) when the path does end, etc the list could go on.

 

[BentMikey]

Agreed.
But for your own safety, would it not have been better to use the SUP in this instance to avoid any confrontation with ignorant HGV drivers? Even more so in heavy traffic?

No, best to stay in the bus lane. Even more, I would want to take the whole bus lane by riding at the 2/3rds out position. Don't ride left in the gutter, because you REALLY don't want big vehicles passing you closely when they're hemmed in by queueing traffic in the normal lane to the right.

 

[akb]

Fair enough; the design of the lane does seem pretty crap though; i dont consider myself to be a experienced cyclist in the slightest but that sign has clearly (by the course of this thread) baffled a few people.
Mike, will be interested to know the response from the council.

 

[briantrumpet]

No, best to stay in the bus lane. Even more, I would want to take the whole bus lane by riding at the 2/3rds out position. Don't ride left in the gutter, because you REALLY don't want big vehicles passing you closely when they're hemmed in by queueing traffic in the normal lane to the right.

Absolutely. This road is my regular commute. The shared path is rubbish (concealed entrances, and at the end, where it narrows to about 4ft, there's a bus stop where dozens of kids gather to get on the bus after school), and the people living along the path would rather cyclists use the road. Which I do. Have had a couple of close passes over the years, but I always ride centrally in the lane - as it's a gentle downhill, you can normally get up a decent speed anyway, so no-one's going to be held up for more than a few seconds. The lane is only just wide enough for a bus anyway (and sometimes they can't even squeeze past stopped traffic in the car lane), so overtaking when there are cars there would be lethal.

If the driver could be identified, I think his company ought to remind him that bikes are allowed in bus/HGV lanes as specified. Actually, I've been thinking about writing to Stuart Hughes on Devon County Council as to whether DCC might extend their 'Share This Space' campaign (currently aimed at shared paths) might be extended to include roads, aimed at the ignorant drivers who want to bully bikes off the road. Fortunately there aren't may of these ignorant bullies around, but their ignorance should be challenged. Stuart Hughes is certainly the man to speak to: he has done much to improve Devon's cycle network, and is strongly supportive of cycling.

EDIT - I've just written to Councillor Hughes about this very point, directing him to this thread. I'll let you know his response.

 

[Typo]

Further on, "bus & HGV lane" is written on the road and there's bike & pedestrian signs on t'other bit. No excuse at all for trying to bully someone off the road, of course, but I understand why the driver thought as he did. Bad signage IMHO.