I'm NOT an RLJer!

[Svendo]

Cycling to work this morning, approaching Oldham Road/Wood St. Lights from south. On green, left turn goes red and right filter goes out as I approach, but green light remains for straight ahead and right without priority. I continue across at cruising speed. Car waiting facing North, and indicating to turn right across my path.

His light goes green and he sets off promptly but obviously misunderstands the lights then doesn't see me until I was crossing in front of him. From his expression he didn't think I should have been there, that I'd RLJed, I imagine thinking he had exclusive green, and didn't have to give way to oncoming traffic.

I expect if there'd been a car travelling straight on he'd have worked it out. He was a fat bloke in a shed of a car anyway. I feel a bit hard done by as I try to be meticulous about riding correctly and just wanted to get it off my chest.

Streetview here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...=zWkyiqDT_NXPgLZuuBMGWA&cbp=12,310.95,,0,6.21 I was using the green lane just behind the silver car.

Right feel better now and I can get on with work!

 

[downfader]

Dont feel too bad, I sypathise as I've had similar experiences but with pedestrians. In some ways its a shame that the lights dont have a signal behind them to warm idiots, haha!

I would imagine your driver didnt know the road well.

Mine happens here from time to time... As THESE lights go green, triggered by the sensor when a cyclist rides over the first ASL line. So a few times in the last year I've rode across and heard a pedestrian say something about jumping the lights, etc... usually as they blunder right out into the road with out looking.

I also had a similar experience HERE. The lights just went amber as I crossed the second set of lights. I get further up by the East Street junction (shows how slowly I was going at the time) and some old dear is waiting to cross. She too mutters something about "..bl**dy cyclists... red light.."

Well yes, its red now, wasnt when I crossed.

 

[Stephenite]

From his expression he didn't think I should have been there

You shouldn't have been there! No decent person in their right mind should be there! I should know i've lived in Rochdale.

Unless your at Spotland enjoying a cheese n' onion pie and a polystyrene cup of black peas

 

[HLaB]

Our reputation precedes us Ive been berated for RLJ when I haven't too. My incident was when I pulled up behind a car one back from the stop line at this junction (I didn't go to the ASL as I knew the filter light was just going to green, I was turning left and the car was was partially in the ASL and if I moved in front I wouldnt see the light). The filter arrow went green but we never moved; after what seemed like an eternity (in reality was only about 3-4 secs) of me waving for them move, I lost patience overtook and turned left. I thought they take the hint when I started to appear in their wing mirror but they still didn't move; once I completed my manoeuvre I glanced back and he was still there, berating me

The worst I've felt however about being accused of RLJ when I wasn't was at a junction in town; the roads are changing every week (even sometimes everyday). In their wisdom the council decided to open up a closed road as a bus route it had been like this for a few months, normally there is one squeezing through the left filter every 30 secs; unusually I approached the junction and it was clear and I turned left through the filter; when a ped on the other side of the road started to berate me for RLJ. I felt bad about it even though I didn't RLJ looking back, I should have calmly explained and showed him the light but traffic had started to appear and I was en route to my club run.

 

[ohnovino]

His light goes green and he sets off promptly but obviously misunderstands the lights then doesn't see me until I was crossing in front of him.

That's why right-turning vehicles at traffic lights are probably my number one fear. You tend to be going in front of them at a decent speed, and it only takes a little lurch forward and you're over the bonnet.

I'd like to see all traffic lights have a specific right-turn light, that's green when they have priority and flashes amber when traffic can turn only when it's clear

As for the RLJ abuse ... I never jump red lights, but about once a month I'll have a pedestrian make a sarcastic comment when I've stopped. Par for the course I'm afraid.

 

[Mr Cheese]

I know that junction well, as with most of Rochdale's recently "improved" schemes it's a jumble of wait-your-turn lights and on-and-off-for-a-few-seconds filters. No excuse for the driver though. The junction at Oldham Road/Queensway/Kingsway is so badly designed (particularly from a cycling point of view) that I now avoid it completely.

He was a fat bloke in a shed of a car anyway.

That covers most of the traffic around here!

 

[Hicky]

That junction is a nightmare infact the whole road structure from there into Rochdale is bad at the moment, the whole borough issnt work a wnk for maintaining roads!

 

[Svendo]

The junction at Oldham Road/Queensway/Kingsway is so badly designed (particularly from a cycling point of view) that I now avoid it completely.

I live just round the corner from there, but can join Oldham Road on the way to work nearer town. The Queens/Kingsway Oldham Road gyratory is a bugger in a car as it is, especially going towards Tod., almost no one respects the lane markings, and when you do people bib you (that's Northern for 'Beep at you') I'm suprised there haven't been regular sideswipes. It's been designed with Toucans so Cycles are expected to demote themselves to pavement traffic and creep round the outside, allowing the almighty car it's divine preeminence. For cyclists own safety you understand.

See also the filters at the Kingsway/Isaac Newton Way lights, which don't sense cycles, and have toucans. I quite often jump off, wheel across the white line then remount and join the Toucan halfway across.

And the road works round Drake Street, not too bad on a bike as you can manouver through and cut down Baron street/River Street, but being extra cautious of frustrated and therefore careless and pushy drivers. And now they're doing the bridge on Oldham Road with a temporary traffic light which isn't even on the council's website.

Bloody Hell I'm turning into a grump old man. Can you tell I'm 40 this year?

 

[Mr Cheese]

Bloody Hell I'm turning into a grump old man. Can you tell I'm 40 this year?

I passed that milestone last year. I now find myself watching Grumpy Old Men on television and saying "he's right, he's right you know" at regular intervals!