Idiots stopping in ASL boxes.

[Solocle]

You are Racing Roadkill AICMFP

Hello solocle and welcome to cycle chat would you be kind enough and reply to the message by I like skol as his pint is going warm in my hand as I watch and I have a £5 bet on thank you

Nah, RR's attitude is rather different, I think, and that last video of sod all...
I just rise above the basic bad driving and plonk myself ahead as if they'd "parked" properly!

 

[classic33]

No conflict, I don't proceed to an ASL if it's risky to do so. I generally filter up the right, rather than the left, for that reason, and, if the light changes, I abandon the maneuver and merge back into the flow of traffic (something I'm pretty well practiced at).

But, in recognizing the fact that proceeding to an ASL can be risky, I don't just blindly use the cycle lane to get there, as would be legal. However it would be foolish if there was a 44 tonner there waiting to turn left.

Sitting at the back of the queue has its own risks, one of which is being crushed in a rear end collision. ASLs exist for a very good reason - it's safer for cyclists to be at the front and clear the junction first. Not get caught up in the traffic light grand prix, which is exactly what happens if you're stuck to the side of an idiot sat in an ASL. And it's not like you can easily tell that when you begin filtering, and, although I always have a return gap when filtering, it doesn't necessarily reestablish you as part of the traffic flow (much harder with a stationary gap, rather than the point where the front vehicle is starting to pull away). A good summary

Why risk getting caught to the side of vehicles proceeding through a junction when you can just nip ahead of it all. Safety takes precedence, always. I obey the law where it does not compromise my safety, which is most of the time. But, if there's a conflict, I will always choose safety.

Safety is of course relative. I think the safest course of action is to filter up towards the front at junctions with an ASL. If then confronted with a vehicle sat in the ASL, I think the safest course of action is to go and sit in front of them. It may not be risk free, but that's my assessment of the situation in Oxford.

If s/he is intending turning left, they tend to be a bit further out to the right. To allow for the trailer.

 

[Drago]

I put safety before the law.

Just the opposite. By behaving outside of the law you are making it difficult for other road users to safely predict your actions, and thus endangering yourself.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

You are Racing Roadkill AICMFP

I would like to draw my learned friends attention to the post above theirs

Hello solocle and welcome to cycle chat would you be kind enough and reply to the message by I like skol as his pint is going warm in my hand as I watch and I have a £5 bet on thank you

Is that not my pint what you are holding?

 

[roley poley]

oh yeah sorry about that I have a pint in both hands best give them both back I was absorbed by the spectacle my round after you have drunk them then lads

 

[I like Skol]

would like to draw my learned friends attention to the post above theirs

We will have to agree to disagree
You said he is LIKE RR. I reckon it really IS RR

 

[Solocle]

We will have to agree to disagree
You said he is LIKE RR. I reckon it really IS RR

I think you'll find RR lives in a different part of the country to me...

This is the A27 near Romsey - never been there in my life, a bit of Google sleuthing turned up the area.
GSV

View attachment 523055

I think that’s where the contact was, it must have been his door handle.

I'm a good 50 miles away.

 

[winjim]

We will have to agree to disagree
You said he is LIKE RR. I reckon it really IS RR

If that's the case then this is really off brand...

I'm more than happy to agree to disagree

 

[JPBoothy]

If s/he is intending turning left, they tend to be a bit further out to the right. To allow for the trailer.

Yes, firstly welcome to the forum @Solocle

Be careful with that filtering up the right though as it could turn nasty if the vehicle that you are attempting to pass hasn't seen you and moves off 'if the lights suddenly change' before you reach the front. What's the rush?

As for a vehicle (and possibly trailer) turning left, I would never assume their intentions just from their positioning in the lane ("they tend to be further out") as they could have got their positioning wrong and also have forgotten to indicate. Breaking the law is never a good idea but, I will freely admit to having bunny hopped onto a pavement 'to avoid being crushed' because the vehicle passing me has suddenly swerved in after realising that there was traffic furniture that they hadn't seen. Yes, I could have 'possibly' hit and injured a pedestrian but, the alternative was that I 'probably' would have died otherwise.

 

[Solocle]

Yes, firstly welcome to the forum @Solocle

Be careful with that filtering up the right though as it could turn nasty if the vehicle that you are attempting to pass hasn't seen you and moves off 'if the lights suddenly change' before you reach the front. What's the rush?

As for a vehicle (and possibly trailer) turning left, I would never assume their intentions just from their positioning in the lane ("they tend to be further out") as they could have got their positioning wrong and also have forgotten to indicate. Breaking the law is never a good idea but, I will freely admit to having bunny hopped onto a pavement 'to avoid being crushed' because the vehicle passing me has suddenly swerved in after realising that there was traffic furniture that they hadn't seen. Yes, I could have 'possibly' hit and injured a pedestrian but, the alternative was that I 'probably' would have died otherwise.

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm always keeping an eye on the lights when filtering, or, if it's just a random queue, I look a fair bit ahead.
Once it starts moving, I'm identifying a gap, and timing my arrival so that I enter it just as the car ahead starts moving, so that it's growing, and I don't need to stop (unclipping). While also doing that slowly enough so that I'm visible.

And yep, hopping onto a pavement to avoid imminent death is a rather extreme example of breaking the law for the purpose of safety!

 

[captain nemo1701]

Bike cameras are fun.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZbVLTcfE10&feature=youtu.be


I caught this complete bellend on camera yesterday. Not only stopped in an ASL bike box, but his number plate’s illegal too.
people putting their cars in the ASL box is one of my biggest bug bears.

At the risk of annoying the motorbike community, I don't like bikers squeezing their way in deliberately, especially when they use the cycle lane to do this and they can stop way in advance of the line. I also don't buy the safety angle too. Whilst I recognise that bikers are just as vulnerable as we are, you're riding essentially a powerful engine on wheels capable of doing about 0-60 in a few seconds. Furthermore, they get ridden at 70mph or more on motorways, where you are at far greater risk.

Why then do bikers feel 'vulnerable' when faced with a stationary traffic jam so they ride down the cycle lane to access the box?. It's done for pure convenience. It just encourages other bikers and I have on a few occasions, not been able to get into the ASL due to...motorbikes!. Moped riders are by far the biggest offenders. What applies to a car also applies to mopeds/motorbikes.

BTW, your video appears to have gone.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

At the risk of annoying the motorbike community,

Nope I don't think you will, as 'proper/real' motorcyclist wouldn't do that as there is no need, but as usual the idiots will & it's the usual answer, there's nobody out there to stop them so they do.

 

[Drago]

I dont think I'd risk trying to wrestle the bulk of my Max down such a lane. Aside from being tight for a bike of that physical size, the risk of being doored, squeezed, or left hooked into a side turning or driveway is just as valid for a motorised 2 wheeler as it is for a bicycle.

 

[figbat]

I'll filter to the front of a queue if there is sufficient space and a place to wait that is behind the line and out of the way - when the lights change I'll be gone long before any car will so everyone wins. I won't use a dedicated cycle lane nor will I use an ASL though. Nor will I filter on the left.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

At the risk of annoying the motorbike community, I don't like bikers squeezing their way in deliberately, especially when they use the cycle lane to do this and they can stop way in advance of the line. I also don't buy the safety angle too. Whilst I recognise that bikers are just as vulnerable as we are, you're riding essentially a powerful engine on wheels capable of doing about 0-60 in a few seconds. Furthermore, they get ridden at 70mph or more on motorways, where you are at far greater risk.

Why then do bikers feel 'vulnerable' when faced with a stationary traffic jam so they ride down the cycle lane to access the box?. It's done for pure convenience. It just encourages other bikers and I have on a few occasions, not been able to get into the ASL due to...motorbikes!. Moped riders are by far the biggest offenders. What applies to a car also applies to mopeds/motorbikes.

BTW, your video appears to have gone.

I'm not saying motorcyclists should use the ASLs or that you shouldn't be annoyed at them doing so, but you are wrong about the motivation. They use them for the exact same reasons as cyclists, they are vulnerable in the same way.

I'm not sure what having an engine or riding on the motorway have to do with it. It sounds a bit like the oft heard: "Cyclists squeeze through stationary traffic so why should I give them any space when overtaking?"

Getting rear-ended at stops is a big worry on a motorbike. I've even had someone drive into the side of me after we had both been stopped at lights for a few minutes, pinning my leg to the side of the bike. If he'd gone any further he would have crushed it. At junctions there is a strong desire to get somewhere cars can't easily hurt you but can easily see you.