Psycle Lane

[wafflycat]

Good one... puts cyclists straight into the door zone of parked cars. Plus a little further on, there is a left filter lane for an upcoming left turn. Guess where the cars are directed... and cyclists going straight on, at that point, have to watch out for cars filtering left... Trumpington Road, Cambridge.

 

[zimzum42]

I used to have to take that left to get home.

It's not all so bad, just as long as you're a confident rider and you get ahead of traffic before the turn. As for doorings, they're pretty easy to avoid by looking into the cars before you pass, either that or ride to the extreme right of the lane...

I agree it could be a bad idea for the cycling muppets out there, but they'll only toughen up by having a few close shaves!

 

[wafflycat]

It's one I hate. I loathe it.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Have one like that in Hulme heading towards Stretford. Slightly uphill and the lane veers into the road just as the main carriageway goes narrower. Car parking spaces on your left, traffic on your right... lane up the middle just where doors open.

I always move right over to the right of the lane (or even just outside it) and keep a close eye on any cars parked up there.

Only ever had one issue with some dumb bint who just overtook me and pulled across into the parking spaces without indicating or checking... well, important phone call to continue...

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

PS - that car in front is illegal, no rear number plate!!! Report them immediately...

 

[zimzum42]

It's one I hate. I loathe it.

Why do you hate it so much? Just imagine it was not there, that road is nothing out of the ordinary...

You ride past parked cars every day, you probably do it in exactly the same position as the cycle lane is in. but you're not loathing these roads which don;t have the lane.

The junction that's ahead is perfectly normal, left turning filter lane where left turning cars have to cut across or behind cyclists who are going straight ahead. Go too slow and they'll try to cut in ahead of you, so speed up a little, and make sure you're out toward the middle of the road and you will never get cut off.

I don't see why this cycle lane is so bad, most cyclists using this stretch would be in that zone even if it wasn't painted there...

IMO, all cycle lanes are a load of rubbish, so I agree with you in many ways. I'm not trying to rubbish your post, I just don't see why this lane is worse than any other. I think the junction where you turn left into Silver street is far worse, and as for lanes, some of the roundabouts in outer cam, like chesterton etc, terrible....

 

[zimzum42]

Oi, just looked....

You're in a car when you took this pic! Are you feeling bad cos you doored some cyclists?

 

[Gerry Attrick]

That car in front is spooky. It is being driven by a strange white orb

 

[snapper_37]

A part of my commute on the A4123 out of Wolves is like that. I never use it due to the door zones. There's also a part where the cycle lane veers to the right, virtually into the middle of the road, for some bizarre reason. Total waste of space.

 

[HLaB]

I was at a interesting talk last night on cycle lanes the Engineer stressed that where there must be a cycle lane like that it should have a safety margin between the park cars and the cycle lane. One bloke from the CTC was of the opinion that the margin should not be there as it encouraged motons to carelessly open their doors and he felt that a lane no matter how narrow would reinforce this.

 

[wafflycat]

Oi, just looked....

You're in a car when you took this pic! Are you feeling bad cos you doored some cyclists?

Err.. no.

But I have seen a couple of near misses long there watching cyclists in front and behind where cars have either cut them up crossing into the filter lane or doors of parked cars being opened near to cyclist.

 

[zimzum42]

I am sure you have seen some near misses. But it would probably be the same even if the lane was not painted there.

It's no the best stretch or road in the country, but I don't see that the cycle lane makes it any worse.

Cambridge has more than its fair share of muppet cyclists anyway, mainly little Spanish girls who are here for a couple of weeks to walk around in a herd. I see some terrifying cycling in cam regularly, and it's nothing to do with the cycle lanes...

 

[MartinC]

I guess these sort of lanes will disappear after a few bouts of litigation. Numpty cyclist gets doored cycling in the lane and sues the local authority that put it there. The sooner the better.

 

[BentMikey]

Yes, it'll really toughen up a cyclist to get doored and killed. It's the biggest cause of KSIs in London. And don't count on looking in cars to be sure a door isn't going to be opened. Just don't ride in the door zone at all.

Bloody stupid cycle lane. Negligent in fact.

 

[hackbike 666]

I haven't got a clue what a KSI is.