What can be done to free up cycle lanes that have parked cars on them?

[Shut Up Legs]

At least one of my local councils allows motor vehicles to park in one of its cycle lanes. I reported to them a truck that was regularly parked in a parking bay just to the left of a cycle lane, and which blocked most of the cycle lane, and the council's response was that it was legal and they planned to take no action . What can we do faced with that, except to use the clause in the road rules allowing us to leave the cycle lane if it's "impracticable" to use (one of the more useful phrases in our road rules, I think ).

 

[cloggsy]

I have often thought about printing a batch of sticky labels with an "Inconsiderately Parked" message on them, to slap onto the windows of such cars. Easy enough to do while riding a bicycle.

Only if the stickers are the 'security type' stickers that are an absolute twat to remove!

 

[Monkreadusuk]

Portsmouth has every excuse under the sun for doing absolutely nothing!

The Council denies any responsibility because it is the Police
The Police deny responsibility because it is parking and therefore the Council
The Council now can't do anything as there are no yellow lines, it is obstruction - back to the Police
The Police reaffirm that parking is the responsibility of the Council, even if a cycle route is obstructed
The Council can't enforce cycle lanes, and refuse to enforce the obstruction of dropped kerbs..... the only people who can act are the Police.
The Police reaffirm that they an do nothing

Bsically no-one has any interest in the safety of cyclepaths.

In the picture shown, both cars can be issued with a pcn for parked adjacent to a dropped footway. This is enforceable by a civil enforcement officer employed by the council. Keep reporting it and someone should go along and sort it.
As for cycle lanes, the police have to deem parking in them a safety risk before the council can get a traffic regulation order put in place to enforce it. This has to be done for each road not once for all roads in the county.

I'm surprised Portsmouth council aren't enforcing things like that more often as from what I've been told, they're quite robust in enforcing parking regs.

 

[fozy tornip]

Road Traffic Act 1988 c. 52
Part I Stopping on verges, etc., or in dangerous positions, etc.Section 21
21 Prohibition of driving or parking on cycle tracks.(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, any person who, without lawful authority, drives or parks a [F1mechanically propelled] vehicle wholly or partly on a cycle track is guilty of an offence.

(3)In this section—
(a)“cycle track” and other expressions used in this section and in the M1Highways Act 1980 have the same meaning as in that Act,

Highways Act 1980 c. 66
Part V Dual carriageways, roundabouts and cycle tracks Section 65
65 Cycle tracks.(1)Without prejudice to section 24 above, a highway authority may, in or by the side of a highway maintainable at the public expense by them which consists of or comprises a made-up carriageway, construct a cycle track as part of the highway; and they may light any cycle track constructed by them under this section.

 

[machew]

How about these you park like a c*nt parking tickets (Link NSFW)

 

[beanzontoast]

Road Traffic Act 1988 c. 52
Part I Stopping on verges, etc., or in dangerous positions, etc.Section 21
21 Prohibition of driving or parking on cycle tracks.(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, any person who, without lawful authority, drives or parks a [F1mechanically propelled] vehicle wholly or partly on a cycle track is guilty of an offence.

(3)In this section—
(a)“cycle track” and other expressions used in this section and in the M1Highways Act 1980 have the same meaning as in that Act,

Highways Act 1980 c. 66
Part V Dual carriageways, roundabouts and cycle tracks Section 65
65 Cycle tracks.(1)Without prejudice to section 24 above, a highway authority may, in or by the side of a highway maintainable at the public expense by them which consists of or comprises a made-up carriageway, construct a cycle track as part of the highway; and they may light any cycle track constructed by them under this section.

I see vehicles stationary, unoccupied and without their engines running parked in a cycle lane on one of the roads I use virtually every day. Does this apply to workmen's vans, delivery vehicles, taxis? Does it make any difference if the vehicle is loading/unloading? How about if it has its hazard lights on? Does the lane have to have a solid line dividing it from the rest of the road or does it also apply to cycle lanes with dashed lines?

 

[fozy tornip]

I dunno, didn't make the law.

 

[BenM]

... How about if it has its hazard lights on?

those are "park anywhere" lights, not hazard lights. If you have them on you can park wherever you like.... apparently.

B.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

There's a cycle lane near me that's decent, http://goo.gl/maps/y0Zqq - the road is wide enough so that even if you're at the very edge of the cycle lane, cars can still give you a good width when passing. However, there's one fatal flaw with it...


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-IQ3gTENNQ