Early Green Light?

[D-Rider]

And as gavin says welcome to the forum and Edinburgh commuting.

Thanks guys, it's good to be here.

Interesting comments folks. I'll be holding on for the green light! Cheers!

 

[summerdays]

Much better is to be behind the first or second car in the queue, in the middle of the lane. Then you can move off in a relaxed fashion with no conflict or fuss, and drop to secondary once you're past the crossing and it's safe to do so.

I must admit I do prefer to be in the ASL if I can because I'm then in primary, and I can accelerate faster than the car upto a certain speed, and get out of its way if necessary after the crossing. If I'm a couple of cars back then cars accelerate slowly at first, so I can only go at their speed and then I'm holding up the car behind as I can't keep up with the cars as they have accelerated to a speed above mine. I'm not saying I won't do that just that I feel I hold up the car more by being in the queue rather than at the front. And obviously the further back in the queue I am the more I may hold up the cars.

As Arch says its about getting to know the light sequence, knowing which order, how long each phase is, whether there is enough time to get to the front of the line, and being ready for setting off the second the light changes.

 

[silverbow]

If I approach a cross roads (which I know) and the lights have just turned red and peds start to cross I jump off the bike, push it across the ped crossing to the otherside of the cross and get back on. Then rather smuggly cycle off. Its great!Cyclist one minute, Ped the next!

 

[BentMikey]

I must admit I do prefer to be in the ASL if I can because I'm then in primary, and I can accelerate faster than the car upto a certain speed, and get out of its way if necessary after the crossing. If I'm a couple of cars back then cars accelerate slowly at first, so I can only go at their speed and then I'm holding up the car behind as I can't keep up with the cars as they have accelerated to a speed above mine. I'm not saying I won't do that just that I feel I hold up the car more by being in the queue rather than at the front. And obviously the further back in the queue I am the more I may hold up the cars.

In reality it works the other way around. Primary is easy to get in the queue, because there's a car in front of you. That car(s) in front of you also slows down the driver behind you who is then nearly always happy to drive off in a leisurely fashion when the lights change. By the time you can't keep up with the car in front you're pretty much always across the junction and where it's safe to go back into secondary. Everything works much smoother and with far less conflict and stress on anyone's part.

Do it your way, and most of the time the driver in the car behind you sees the empty road ahead of you and tries to push past long before it's safe to do so.

An exception is heavy traffic such as is common in London, then I'll nearly always go to the front because I don't fancy keeping on waiting for all the cars queueing on the other side of the junction

 

[Origamist]

I'd much rather see traffic light phasing adjusted to average bike speeds on busy urban routes that have high densities of cyclists (as they do in Copenhagen, Amsterdam etc) as opposed to the 25mph calibration that I believe is the norm.

 

[goo_mason]

Thanks guys, it's good to be here.

Interesting comments folks. I'll be holding on for the green light! Cheers!

Another welcome here from another Edinburgh rider !

 

[HJ]

Another welcome here from another Edinburgh rider !

At this rate we should get an Edinburgh Commuters section...

 

[hackbike 666]

If I approach a cross roads (which I know) and the lights have just turned red and peds start to cross I jump off the bike, push it across the ped crossing to the otherside of the cross and get back on. Then rather smuggly cycle off. Its great!Cyclist one minute, Ped the next!

What is the point of that?

Much better is to be behind the first or second car in the queue, in the middle of the lane. Then you can move off in a relaxed fashion with no conflict or fuss, and drop to secondary once you're past the crossing and it's safe to do so.

Each to their own.I use more than one tactic depending on the situation.

 

[Origamist]

Hackers, looks like BM will not be replying - an assisted forumcide:

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=575759&postcount=74

 

[silverbow]

What is the point of that?

Just because I like to keep on the move - I don't like hanging around or wasting time when I don't have too. It's just a personal thing, some are happy to wait, I'm not. I wouldn't break the law though.

 

[beanzontoast]

Just because I like to keep on the move - I don't like hanging around or wasting time when I don't have too. It's just a personal thing, some are happy to wait, I'm not. I wouldn't break the law though.

There is one set of traffic lights on my way home where, if it's just turned to red, I can have a wait of several minutes. They don't seem too good at detecting the approach of bikes. Occasionally in poor weather, I have got off and pushed the bike across the junction, remounting the other side and saved a few minutes by doing so, but otherwise, I'm happy to wait.

 

[botchjob]

I don’t RLJ although there is one set of lights on the way home that I will, ahem, ‘anticipate’ if I can. A right turn (where most traffic is going straight on) at a very busy crossroads where if I don’t set off a little early as red is about to turn to amber, I end up stranded in the middle of the road as buses, lorries, and cars whizz past me in both directions. On balance I think it’s safer for all concerned if I set off a second or two early.

 

[hackbike 666]

There is one set of traffic lights on my way home where, if it's just turned to red, I can have a wait of several minutes. They don't seem too good at detecting the approach of bikes. Occasionally in poor weather, I have got off and pushed the bike across the junction, remounting the other side and saved a few minutes by doing so, but otherwise, I'm happy to wait.

Got a set like that,sometimes I flash a fenix at the sensor or sometimes I divert up Chobham Road but generally they change eventually.

Hackers, looks like BM will not be replying - an assisted forumcide:

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=575759&postcount=74

Wow that's a shame.

I can guess why he threw his toys out of the pram but I have *never* used the ignore button but I should use it on myself.

 

[Origamist]

I'd much rather see traffic light phasing adjusted to average bike speeds on busy urban routes that have high densities of cyclists (as they do in Copenhagen, Amsterdam etc) as opposed to the 25mph calibration that I believe is the norm.

This wasn't what I had in mind:

Drivers catch green lights 'wave'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7998182.stm

 

[skrx]

:-(

The lights on my commute are already timed so the cars have time to go through the second set, but they turn red just as I arrive.