Motorbikes in the ASL, OK or not OK?

[Brandane]

Joking aside perhaps this is a regional thing.

Agreed. Even in the likes of Glasgow you would be hard pushed to ever find more than one or two bicycles occupying the box at an ASL, therefore there is no problem when motorbikes use them. London on the other hand, where every square inch of tarmac is a war-zone, is a different story.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

[QUOTE 4564832, member: 45"]A motorcycle can pull away ahead of traffic, so isn't that an argument for them being at the front?



And again, making better progress than any other road vehicle type is one of the main reasons people choose to use them. And this does not have to include inappropriate behaviour (speeding).

I think that it's neglecting to think ahead which is the lazy aspect of motorcycling but this doesn't stop bikers aiming for the front at lights, as long as they can always see a place of refuge in front of them.

This video surprised me -a number of examples of Police encouraging a biker to nip in at the front....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30plN6YBQiA[/QUOTE]

That video reminds me of why I still hanker after a bike, the noise, the acceleration, the flickability. It also reminds me why I'll probably not get one, the vulnerability, the feeling "I hope he doesn't pull out" etc. Thanks for posting.

 

[EasyPeez]

I've got no issue with motorbikes in the ASL, so long as they find a suitable spot within it and make their intentions clear.

Something I have witnessed which causes me a bit more irritation/concern (seen lots of times, though as yet only when I've been a driver or a pedestrian, never on my bike) here in Hull is moped riders using the cycle lane in order to filter past slow/stationary traffic to reach the ASL. Or indeed just using the cycle lane to get past slow/stationary traffic regardless of whether a junction or an ASL is coming up.

 

[DRM]

[QUOTE 4564706, member: 45"]Perhaps. That will also have to include all cyclists who cross the white line on a red, including those entering an ASL.[/QUOTE]
Why include cyclists, the ASL has a huge bicycle symbol painted in it which is one hell of a clue as to who is the intended user of the facility, a cyclist will have gone through a red light if they go beyond the ASL.

 

[Slick]

[QUOTE 4567703, member: 45"]If a cyclist crosses a solid white line to enter an ASL on a red light he's committing the same offence as crossing the solid line past the ASL.[/QUOTE]
First I've heard of that and never even noticed an access point on them round my way. Amazing what can go on round about you without noticing.

 

[DRM]

Rule 178
Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area. Allow cyclists time and space to move off when the green signal shows.
There it is in black & white from the highway code, just like the 25mph limit, in the song "Nutbush city limit", motorcycle ain't allowed in it.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Keep them out. They don't suffer the performance disadvantage in relation to the rest of the traffic that bicycles do, so no need for them to be there.

I second this. I've been cut up by motorcyclists who appear on, say, my left and then turn right. It's breaking HC 178. I believe the wording 'must stop' in the HC is often in italics or capitals as it's legally obligatory for them to stop at the first white line if safe to do so. I see so many motorcyclists casually waltzing into the ASL, some even using the cycle lane to do so if there is one. I've heard that the justification for this is for the same safety reasons as cyclists but I don't buy that one. It seems to me that if you are astride something capable of doing 0 to 60 in several seconds, you ought not to be taking up space for slower bicycles that don't have that capacity. It helps if you see motorbikes as being like two-wheeled cars. It's done for convenience, not safety. And what if there are several motorbikes taking up the ASL?. That one has happened to me. On one occasion, the biker concerned pulled up so close to me that his front wheel almost ran over my foot on the floor!. No, they should respect the rules and keep back. They also need to stop cutting suddenly into cycle lanes as short cuts!.

 

[DRM]

So just filter down the left, the original question was, are motorcycles allowed in the ASL, the highway code emphatically says no, by using the word must.
you have just gone off on a tangent.

 

[DRM]

OK, no, they have enough speed to get out of the way of traffic, and actually are dangerous to cyclists setting off at a rate of knots from the ASL, as others have pointed out earlier.