Reston Waste = Pathetic

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Er no, please look at the direction arrow below the traffic light on the nearside of the road, also look the arrows on the road they both point straight on.

How can the driver turn left when the direction arrow below the traffic light is going straight on????? Please explain - or rather don't bother becuase you can't.

Errr, I think the arrows on the road do indeed say "straight on", but refer to the main road (which happens to bend around to the right), rather than all 3 of them suddenly (and magically) leading to the single lane road that the driver turned onto...

 

[thomas]

What?? Sorry to be so blunt but that's one of the dumbest posts I have ever seen. In fact I'm going to use it as a sig.

not really. I wouldn't overtake a car which was indicating to turn right.

However, I'm not sure what I'm saying is even relevant in this case, as like others have said the straight on seems to be for the road bending around to the right, rather than actually turning right.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

You are not overtaking a car though are you? You are overtaking a bike and not only overtaking a bike but overtaking a bike that is in no mans land in relation to where they want to go.

Bearing in mind that the junction is 4 lanes wide what an utterly shite position to be where they both were.

... but 4 lanes which all lead round to the right ("straight ahead" meaning continuing on the main road) so the lorry is, in fact, leaving the main highway onto what is effectively a side road and indicators should be used - and certainly when doing it from the second lane across the first!

 

[BentMikey]

All four lanes go straight on. There are still four lanes on Grosvenor Place - two carry on up to HPC, and two turn right to continue around the gyratory system as is very clear from the second streetview link I posted. It's the Reston driver who turns left, and gaz and the other cyclist who are going straight on along a major road that bends to the right. They are in the correct lane to carry on north up Grosvenor Place and towards HPC.

Now I admit that situation is a little tough on the Reston driver, as the bus lane makes it hard for him. He first has to get across into lane 1, before turning off this major four lane road and left into the minor single lane road as he does on the video. I have no sympathy for any clown driver who does that without negotiation and without a working wing mirror.

DKUATB Lee.

 

[BentMikey]

Ah, so you admit you're wrong and that the driver does cross a lane of traffic and then turn left?

 

[4F]

I have to say I have to agree with Lee here. If you cannot get clearly infront of the truck then the OP should have held back rather than put himself in a dodgy position slightly to the left of the white van. Yes the lorry was at fault for not indicating left but I would imagine that if you used this junction a lot then anticipation of this potential left hook threat would be very high.

The real shocker on that vid is the suicide road position of the numpty cyclist in front.

 

[Origamist]

I have to say I have to agree with Lee here. If you cannot get clearly infront of the truck then the OP should have held back rather than put himself in a dodgy position slightly to the left of the white van. Yes the lorry was at fault for not indicating left but I would imagine that if you used this junction a lot then anticipation of this potential left hook threat would be very high.

The real shocker on that vid is the suicide road position of the numpty cyclist in front.

It's understandable that a lot of cyclist use lane 1 as there is a bus lane leading up to the junction. The advantage of this approach is you only have to worry about vehicles on your right and you have bail out space to your left - the disadvantage is as the vid highlights (vehicles turning left across you without indicating). I know lanes 2 or 3 seem more inviting as a default position when typing at the computer, but I can promise you they are not much better (potential swipes from both the left and right).

It's a v bad junction for cyclists and there is not a foolproof way to negotiate it.

 

[BentMikey]

How can the driver be in the nearside lane at the lights, see my post #56. How am I admitting that I'm wrong?

Ah, but the bus lane ends before the junction. He is in lane two as he enters the junction. There were other vehicles in that lane, proving you wrong again.

Why is it apparently acceptable to you that the driver doesn't indicate when pushing through another lane full of traffic and then turning left? Why is it acceptable that he's driving with a mirror u/s?

I have to say I have to agree with Lee here. If you cannot get clearly infront of the truck then the OP should have held back rather than put himself in a dodgy position slightly to the left of the white van. Yes the lorry was at fault for not indicating left but I would imagine that if you used this junction a lot then anticipation of this potential left hook threat would be very high.

The real shocker on that vid is the suicide road position of the numpty cyclist in front.

Not really - I wouldn't be so assertive so as to get close to a large vehicle in the lane next to me, so I'm not surprised Gaz sat a little left. Don't tell me you'd sit right close to the wheels of a large vehicle and take primary either.

Both cyclists did the right thing by bailing out and waiting for the stupid drivers who pushed through overtook someone when they shouldn't have. Sometimes discretion and a little wait is much better than being dead right.

The first cyclist had a chance to take the lane since he was already in front, but didn't, and his indicating is a little hesitant, but I don't really have much else to criticise there. He also sensibly held left when he saw what the two poor drivers were doing.

 

[hackbike 666]

I have to say I have to agree with Lee here. If you cannot get clearly infront of the truck then the OP should have held back rather than put himself in a dodgy position slightly to the left of the white van. Yes the lorry was at fault for not indicating left but I would imagine that if you used this junction a lot then anticipation of this potential left hook threat would be very high.

The real shocker on that vid is the suicide road position of the numpty cyclist in front.

I would have thought so.I do the same thing for the Bow Flyover I stay left depending on the speed of the traffic and circumstances plus a few don't bother indicating.Not perfect but more defensive.

 

[mr_cellophane]

Has anyone spoken to the Council about the obvious dangers at this junction ?

 

[4F]

Not really - I wouldn't be so assertive so as to get close to a large vehicle in the lane next to me, so I'm not surprised Gaz sat a little left. Don't tell me you'd sit right close to the wheels of a large vehicle and take primary either.

I certainly would not have put myself so far to the left thereby almost inviting what the truck did although I don't disagree that the truck should have indicated.

I would have either put myself infront of the truck and made sure I got away quickly when the lights changed or put myself behind it keeping a strong position and making lots of life saver checks to ensure the vehicle behind didn't try the same trick.

I do of course appreciate that it is not the best of junctions and very easy to give an opinion here on a keyboard.

 

[Origamist]

I have to say I have to agree with Lee here. If you cannot get clearly infront of the truck then the OP should have held back rather than put himself in a dodgy position slightly to the left of the white van.

Sorry, I did not address this in my earlier reply. Yes, Gaz could have pulled in behind the Travis Perkins flat bed in lane 2, but most cyclists seeing 20m of clear space in lane 1 will use it. Those lanes are also very narrow and it can be difficult to filter when larger vehicles occupy the lane. Hindsight is a gift us CCers have in abundance!

 

[Origamist]

Has anyone spoken to the Council about the obvious dangers at this junction ?

It's part of the TLRN so TFL deal with it.

 

[gaz]

As others have said MANY times, ALL 4 LANES go round to the right and 2 continue to HPC and another 2 continue around the circular system. lane 1 in my eyes is to go around to the right and take the left turn which is perceived as straight

The dangers of taking lane 2 having bus's, taxis and other vehicles cutting across you from lane 1 to go around like they should. The problem with being in lane one is highlighted in the video with a driver not giving way and cutting across a lane of traffic. Google maps and the video offer a small view of what the road is like, most people that ride this route during rush hour would not take lane 2 and if you want to go up the side of two large vehicles without knowing when the lights are going to change then be my quest. but i'm not doing it.


At the end of the day, i've spoken to the owner of the company, both himself, his driver and me have said that the road layout here is poor and his driver could have indicated to let us know what he was planning.

 

[hackbike 666]

Im not criticising you or the lorry driver.

After seeing the layout of Blackfriars Bridge I can sympathise with the problems here.