Going the wrong side of an island...

[gbb]

A few flooded roads this morning.

To get past standing traffic I went the wrong side of one of those island things (ped halfway stopping points) in the middle of the road. The car I overtook beeped as though I'd done something wrong. I think maybe he was frustrated at being stuck in traffic.

You can go the wrong side of these things, right?[/QUOTE]

Normally i'd say no, but it depends on a host of circumstances (as usual)
Cars...why would they ever need to, so no.

Does the island have a 'keep left' bollard ? Even if it does, IIRC its a blue circle with an arrow....which (IIRC) is a positive instruction, not an order giving sign...which MUST be obeyed.

If you pass to the right..into oncoming traffic, i'd say absolutely not ok (stating the obvious really).

 

[gambatte]

They're there specifically as refuges for pedestrians. As such I'd treat them the same as any other pedestrian crossing.

Generally its an offence to overtake on one

 

[magnatom]

They're there specifically as refuges for pedestrians. As such I'd treat them the same as any other pedestrian crossing.

Generally its an offence to overtake on one

Mostly you are right, but I personally know of a few that are there to narrow the road for road calming purposes.

As for going around the wrong side of an island, I would like to hope common sense would prevail (for cars as well). The vast majority of the time I would say no. However, in stand still traffic where you can safely make progress I would say yes, with great caution.

 

[Maz]

I think if we saw a car doing it, as some of us have, we'd be down on them like a tonne of bricks, and I don't think a bike should be any different. If you really couldn't get through, you ought to have dismounted and walked round.

Going by the book you're probably right, but dismounting, walking and remounting is a real faff when you can just scoot around if it's all clear. I really didn't see it as a big deal given the road conditions.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Hmm, a toughie. As a technicality I would say you are not allowed past if there is an arrow, and are on sketchy ground if you do it to one without a blue arrow.

Personally I would take a judgement call at the time. In your case I think a naughty little scoot round the wrong side was probably fine, zooming round the wrong side at full speed is definitly not the way to go though.

If in doubt, just chill in the traffic until you can get through it normally.

 

[Arch]

What about if there was an obstruction, would it be okay to go around then or just wait? I suggest that if things were really as rigid as you make out no one would ever get anywhere. I personally would not come down on someone in a car who did that, unless they did it dangerously.

If I was driving and there was a broken down car or something, then yes, I might drive round. On a bike, I can easily walk round, which a car driver can't - unless an obstruction was causing all the traffic to go round, in which case I'd do what the traffic was doing.

So you wouldn't be bothered if a driver decided to overtake you as you went through a narrow gap like that, instead of waiting behind? You wouldn't see that as being a bit impatient?

 

[Archie]

Standing traffic blocking a pinch point? No peds or oncoming traffic? I wouldn't sweat it then.

If the bloke who beeped had thought to leave a gap there would be no problem, would there?

 

[domtyler]

Standing traffic blocking a pinch point? No peds or oncoming traffic? I wouldn't sweat it then.

If the bloke who beeped had thought to leave a gap there would be no problem, would there?

Finally, someone who talks sense!

 

[Terminator]

If there's a keep left arrow, then it's illegal. I'm not sure what the case is if there's just an island and no arrow, but it would still not be very good. I do go the wrong side myself very occasionally, but I'd be the first to admit it's wrong. Nearly all the time I'll wait until a gap opens up and I can do it legally.

I do it rarely and I don't do it for fun.I did it the other day coming off Southwark Bridge to put myself in a safe position with traffic (at the lights).Must make me a bad cyclist.

 

[bonj2]

I sometimes do it but only at a few specific places, one of which a village i never drive through anymore, but one I do do is when I have got a certain right turn off a main road onto a minor, from a central filter lane, and there's an island in the middle of the t-junction, and I go the 'wrong' side of it because it's a better line, but only when i have a perfect view of the road i'm turning into and couldn't possibly go wrong.

 

[gavintc]

Flexibility and judgement. I see no problems if you are overtaking standing traffic and there is nothing coming. I did it tonight as the road works in Edinburgh have made a nice little road rage hot house for all the lovely precious car commuters. I do love overtaking a long line of stationary traffic. I feel so smug and superior.

Car commuters; you would think that after doing it every day sitting in a jam that they would have worked it out by now. I really despair at the stupidity and futility.

 

[Piemaster]

Theres one of these islands just before (10meters or so) I turn left into street up to house. Was cycling back from school with daughter, her in secondary, me in primary just behind her. Car came up behind us and discovered he wasn't quite going to manage to get around us and back over to left....que some heavy braking to avoid hitting the bollard (amusing me greatly) then went around island on wrong side.
Second car that week that couldn't wait a few extra seconds till we turned off, and both of 'em probably doing the school run as well, kids from the primary school everywhere.