Temporary traffic light dilema

[Accy cyclist]

I was out riding today when i stopped at some temporary roadworks traffic light. I waited patiently for the lights to turn to green then i set off, trying as hard as i could,in a stiff headwind,to get past the roadworks and let the cars behind pass me. The stretch of roadworks was about 100 yards and the road was too narrow to let anyone attempt to overtake me so i rode in primary till i passed them. Maybe if i'd have set off on red,when i saw the traffic stop at the other lights i would not have held the traffic up and felt that "grrr!! get a move on" feeling,but if i had set off on red maybe i would have felt that "you've jumped a red light" feeling as the cars behind caught me up?
What would you do .Wait till green shows or jump the lights to get out the way of the traffic behind?

 

[vernon]

There's no dilemma about it. Wait until the green light shows.

 

[Piemaster]

You mean the roadwork planners haven't done the usual 'Cyclists dismount' sign cop-out? What is the world coming to.

 

[MikeW-71]

Wait until green and ride through. Sometimes, if there's only one or two cars behind me, I'll wave them past before I go.

 

[400bhp]

I will sometimes ride through on red or on the pavement.

Depends on the circumstamces though.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I forgot to add that i could've avoided the whole issue if i'd have simply rode on the pavement passing the roadworks,then rejoining the road at the other end,but then it'd be "look at that '#@t cycling on the bloody pavement" feeling!

 

[summerdays]

I prefer to be at the front when the light goes green. I may hold up some cars but at least the traffic waiting at the other end can see the cars coming and that their way is blocked. If you are at the end and go after the cars then you sometimes get the situation where the opposite light turns green and they start coming through from the other end and bleeps as they assume you jumped the light anyway (when it's a long section).

I've thought about going through on red (but I don't) but only in the situations when there is enough space in the coned in area, sometimes on duel carriageways I have used the coned off area but then you have the problem getting back in the traffic at the other end.

Sometimes I get off and walk (if short distance with massive queue), apart from anything it gives me great pleasure to be seen to be queue jumping legally

If the lights are there for any length of time you soon work out the best way to deal with that particular set. The hardest thing is triggering in my opinion. At one point one of my cycling routes was about 1.5 miles long and involved 3 sets of temporary traffic lights (thanks to Bristol Water).

In the summer holidays I was in the Peak District and watched a cyclist wait for the green light, and I wouldn't have objected if he had go open through on red inside the coned area, as I could see that he was going to hold up the queue quite a bit when it turned green as it was an uphill section. He didn't but it led to discussion in our car about whether cyclists should in that situation.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Wait for the green, wave through if a couple of cars but just go for it if a huge queue. Agree on the going late makes it look like you jumped the red viewpoint. If it was a steep uphill that I'd be crawling up, and there was space, I'd walk it. It's not that big a chunk out of your day after all.

I've never had a problem triggering them but then there's a lot of me. If you are at the front you can wave at the sensors.

 

[Brandane]

I forgot to add that i could've avoided the whole issue if i'd have simply rode on the pavement passing the roadworks,then rejoining the road at the other end,but then it'd be "look at that '#@t cycling on the bloody pavement" feeling!

This is what I would have done, assuming it is in an area where you aren't going to come into conflict with pedestrians.
It is one of those situations where you are going to annoy someone no matter what you do, so feck them. Do what you want. It's called the freedom of cycling.

 

[John the Monkey]

I don't filter to the front.

I wait for green and ride through as quick as I can. On the other side, mostly, there are just more red lights, so the motorists aren't losing any time, and generally (aside from today, when the nutter that close passes me without fail was around - if you're in South Manchester, watch out for a green W reg Land Rover defender, the driver gives every appearance of being a sociopath) there don't seem to be any afters from it.

 

[nickyboy]

Like a lot of folk here, only go on green. If there are a couple of cars, wave them through ahead of me, there's a lot then I just go for it. The difficult one is a steep uphill set of roadworks with a big queue. I give it full gas and practically fall off the bike at the top.

Sometimes the closed lane on the roadworks is perfectly ok for riding on (maybe they dug a channel out kerbside). I'll ride up the closed lane to let traffic pass but then carefully filter back into the open lane at the end

 

[Svendo]

I like to filter to the front, or nearest suitable gap between cars, wait for green, and make a show of sprinting from the line in primary (unless wide enough for overtakes), the 'sprint' may or may not be genuine! I look at them as an opportunity for an impromptu interval. Personally I try to not go through red even when harmless so as to not contribute to drivers' prejudice, and their likelihood of not giving cyclists consideration in the future, YMMV. Occasionally I will dismount, cross then remount. At the first set of the double set here, which has no ASL so as to get to the ASL at the second set. When I've ridden through the coned area, I've not really felt it helped, just confused the drivers behind me and there is the risk of unseen hazards.

The many Bacup road temp. lights when they were installing the cables for the wind farm (twice it seemed) that multiplied and moved and went and came again led to a few calls to Calderdale council when the uphill phase was far too short for me to get through. No idea if it made a difference as the lights were often moved by the time I next passed.

 

[John the Monkey]

Sometimes the closed lane on the roadworks is perfectly ok for riding on (maybe they dug a channel out kerbside). I'll ride up the closed lane to let traffic pass but then carefully filter back into the open lane at the end

I've done that a couple of times, but only if I can see that it's clear. (Locally, the crews tend to block them with their machinery).

 

[potsy]

I just treat them like every other set of lights, wait for green then go, if there isn't room for cars to pass then they have to wait.
Had a set near here for months while the Metrolink work was being done, right pita, luckily my park shortcut was just before them so I could escape the queues

 

[benb]

There's a set on my commute at the moment, and it really is wide enough for me to carry on with traffic coming the other way.
I was tempted, but nevertheless I waited. I might walk through tomorrow.