Pinch points
- Thread starter benb
- Start date
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HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Definitely, they are bad enough in general but with the current UK culture they can be lethal!
Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
That road looked like it was wide enough for someone to safely overtake a cyclist due to the hatching area in the middle. Who though putting that many pinch points was a good idea? Had they not done research to find out what the traffic levels were?
It's a busy road, so they were probably trying to help pedestrians cross without "impacting traffic flow". Result: crap for pedestrians, crap for cyclists.
Theyve put one on our road a few weeks ago.i pass through it twice a day and have to admit its the most dangerous part of my commute.Cars blast past to get through it before they cut you up.Crazy on a main road,its marked with tyre marks allready,so there must have been some close shaves.
RedRider
Pulling through
- Location
- Location Embrocation
They're like traps for crap drivers. Some must-overtake-the-cyclist was revving behind one night, shot past me and the car I was following and straight into one of those lit-up, yellow plastic beacon-bollards he hadn't noticed. His horn made a constant, bee-ing, crashed-car noise.
Shut Up Legs
Down Under Member
... and for some reason they're referred to as traffic-calming devices! 
(at least, over here they are)
(at least, over here they are)
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
I have several on my commute, I normally take primary through them and stop people overtaking.
This^^^..... always.
I have a long stretch of road on my commute that has 5 of these in a row, so I always take primary and have never had a problem of being squeezed.
If you show drivers your intentions early enough and don't give them the opportunity to try to overtake through them by taking primary then you won't have a problem.
Impatient drivers beeping or revving is another matter.
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
I try to, but there's one near me on a 40mph limit road, just after it changes from a 50mph limit (so traffic can easily be doing 55mph at the pinch point). I worry about being rear-ended if I take primary and tend to sit right in the gutter through it.
Not good, I know, but I think it's the best option in this case.
RedRider
Pulling through
- Location
- Location Embrocation
I do this too but at the end of the day you can't control everything about the car behind. A dick is a dick.
Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
I agree with you that clarity of intentions helps prevent a lot of problems. Nevertheless having to judge your timing and prepare to take up primary position is yet another distraction I could do without. Move into primary too soon and drivers get all upity (more so) but leave it too late and you miss your chance and some git races past you and cuts you up so that they can get to the traffic light queue a bit quicker.
I agree with putting in zebra crossings instead. At least you know where you are with them and I prefer them when I am a pedestrian as well.
SomethingLikeThat
Über Member
- Location
- South London
You'd have to be seriously messed up to consider ramming a cyclist going through a pinch point.. I could see it happening though. Some people seem to get so worked up.
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
ABC Window cleaning driver of MR06ABC. Lots of angry driver/colleague /friends there.
I nearly got squished in the pinch point near where I live. A car started to overtake just as we were coming up to it and I thought "this is going to be close". Then as the car passed me I realised it was towing a caravan!
The car swerved to the left in order not to hit the road furniture which meant the caravan passed me with about 20 cm clearance!
I have complained it the past about the road design as i have to pass it to get home and I get a 'dangerous' pass at least once a month. but so far only have had this response:
Dear Mr Davies
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you on this matter. Thank you for taking the time to contact us about your concerns.
On looking at the situation I understand the issues you raise within the constrained area on this section of road. We will add your request to the Countywide list for infrastructure requests. We will then score and prioritise. If this request is found to have scored highly and a budget can be secured for it, we would then take it through to feasibility. We currently have over 500 requests for new infrastructure and a limited budget.
We will let you know if either of these requests will be taken forward in future financial years.
Kind regards
Sustainable Schemes Team
The car swerved to the left in order not to hit the road furniture which meant the caravan passed me with about 20 cm clearance!
I have complained it the past about the road design as i have to pass it to get home and I get a 'dangerous' pass at least once a month. but so far only have had this response:
Dear Mr Davies
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you on this matter. Thank you for taking the time to contact us about your concerns.
On looking at the situation I understand the issues you raise within the constrained area on this section of road. We will add your request to the Countywide list for infrastructure requests. We will then score and prioritise. If this request is found to have scored highly and a budget can be secured for it, we would then take it through to feasibility. We currently have over 500 requests for new infrastructure and a limited budget.
We will let you know if either of these requests will be taken forward in future financial years.
Kind regards
Sustainable Schemes Team