Quick Question

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al3xsh

Über Member
Location
Peak district
in Sheffield they are a shade of red like the intermittent cycle lanes ahough i think I've seen green ones too. The boxes are often totally ignored by all road users.
Which made me wonder if it is an offence to do so.

It is. It's effectively jumping the lights.

http://www.gmp.police.uk/live/Nhoodv3.nsf/section.html?readform&s=C88FA84B7A67E59380257A5B004C3E48

"Crossing the first or second ASL line when the light is red makes you liable for a £100 fine, three penalty points on your licence and endangers vulnerable road users."

Not that it's ever enforced ...

My problem with ASLs is that, unless you know the roads really well, you have no idea if there is one at a junction. You then have no idea if it's worth filtering.

A
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
My problem with ASLs is that, unless you know the roads really well, you have no idea if there is one at a junction. You then have no idea if it's worth filtering.
It is almost always worth filtering. I will not wait between the nose of one car and tail of another to be squished in a concertina. If you get close enough and see there is no box then wait next to a gap between cars. As the queue starts to move, merge back into the flow like we used to have to every time before there were advance stop lines.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Depends on the space available. Isn't it one of our very esteemed mods who got badly hurt while filtering?

"If in doubt, wait it out". The few seconds potentially saved may be completely negated by the time spent in Hospital, so it's a pastime best approached with great care and intelligence.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Depends on the space available. Isn't it one of our very esteemed mods who got badly hurt while filtering?
Yes but by being right crossed which is an ever present risk when motorists aren't looking properly. It could easily have happened when passing the junction in the queue AFAIK.

"If in doubt, wait it out". The few seconds potentially saved may be completely negated by the time spent in Hospital, so it's a pastime best approached with great care and intelligence.
It's not about saving time. It's about minimising the time spent in that hazardous situation surrounded by stop-start slow-moving heavy vehicles whose drivers are probably paying more attention to coloured lights than small road users.

It's not always the right choice but there's far too much discouragement of it IMO, often presenting waiting in line as safer.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
And that's why I suggest an intelligent approach to the problem, rather than simply preaching "don't do it".

Many riders will take great care to stay out of door zones, yet then filter without a second thought, which is an inconsistent approach to the same danger.

And you are correct, in that the traffic environment presents dangers, but being stationary traffic may be safer that filtering, depending on road layout, traffic volumes, weather, time of day etc. There is no universal correct answer.

Leaving ASLs aside for a moment, many people filter to avoid being surrounded by the dangerous vehicles as you describe, then place themselves in an even more dangerous position at the head of the queue. Unless the lead driver has very considerately left a nice dollop of space this position likely compromises safety far more than being 4 or 5 cars back stuck in stationary traffic.

Filtering can be safe, often it can not. More often it can be done safely, but most of those who participate do not do so.

I'm doing an advanced road skills course in Wiltshire in June if you fancy coming across.
 
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