Wrong way down one way streets

bilbo.baggins

Is this story for real?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... reets.html

I'm not really sure it's a good idea. Won't it lead to more hostility between car drivers and cyclists and more accidents as drivers don't always look in both directions when entering a one-way street.

Red Rock

I don't think I'd want to cycle against the flow of traffic without a lane marked out for cyclists.

Red Rock

Bronzie

Red Rock wrote:

I don't think I'd want to cycle against the flow of traffic without a lane marked out for cyclists.

They have "wrong way" bike lanes in Belgium - they scare the bejaysus out of me whenever I use them but maybe it's just a case of getting used to the idea of cycling against the flow of traffic

kingkickapood

yeah, it sounds just slightly terrifying.
however, i've recently seen it being used in swiss towns without too much misshap.

cee

i might be wrong, but i thought that the advice for walking along single lane roads in the countryside, was to walk on the right hand side of the road (into the oncoming traffic).

Something about being able to see whats coming directly towards you, rather than it coming from behind (nownow, i can hear those rude thoughts already! ).

That makes a certain amount of sense to me, but i agree that in a city centre, i wouldn't fancy it, what with cars not expecting you to be there and pedestrians only looking in the direction cars are coming from.

beatsystem

i heard this on the news yesterday, then in the evening they spoke to a bloke from the CTC.He said that he thought it was alright for cyclist to break the law by going over red lights,wrong way up one way streets, etc. The newscaster said "did nt he think this would ailinate cyclist to motorists even more" to which he replied " that he'd never heard of a motorist being killed by a cyclist". A woman interviewed said she had taught her children to obey the law and stop at lights etc surely the CTC should not be encouraging breaking the highway code no wonder some motorist dislike cyclist so much! If we ride within the law the we can fight our corner, difficult to defend cyclist who dont, ie David Cameron and Boris et al

pneumatic

There have been several of these in St Andrews for some years now (with marked lanes)

The main risks are not oncoming motorists, who can see you, it is with pedestrians who don't expect you to be there, and then with junctions where everyone seems to be confused about rights of way.

A colleague of mine was completely wiped out at one such junction by a car. Not clear why it happened because he was knocked out cold and cannot remember anything leading up to it but it was probably to do with which way the driver thought he needed to look to ensure that the road was clear.

Stewie Griffin

pneumatic wrote:

There have been several of these in St Andrews for some years now (with marked lanes)

The main risks are not oncoming motorists, who can see you, it is with pedestrians who don't expect you to be there, and then with junctions where everyone seems to be confused about rights of way.

A colleague of mine was completely wiped out at one such junction by a car. Not clear why it happened because he was knocked out cold and cannot remember anything leading up to it but it was probably to do with which way the driver thought he needed to look to ensure that the road was clear.

Am in NW London and I have one near me, I drive down it to get home and I hate it. One of the things I notice pretty much every day is that when I get to my turn off any drivers wanting to get on it DO NOT look in the other direction, only at me. There isnt even a marked cycle lane, it just has bikes painted on the road. I think most drivers dont even know its there.

CHRISNOIR

There's a good piece about this in the Guardian

chuckcork

I can't see that allowing bikes to go the reverse of an otherwise one way street will be a success, and will only lead to fatalities.

Cycling in London few few years I found often enough that motorists and pedestrians had enough of a perception problem with me when I was doing the absolutely expected thing, let alone moving along as a counterflow. How many times has the average London commuting cyclist had someone just step off the footpath in front of them, without the idiot bothering to look in their direction, or had a driver swerve in front of them and cut them up with little of the consideration they'd be giving to a motorist travelling at the same speed?

Mind, the CTC is right about the law. Cyclists may as well break it, everyone else seems to and get away with it, and at least when cyclist do it they are likely to suffer the consequences, unlike all the red light running, wrong way down the one way street motorists I ever saw. Like many others I've been forced more than once to to take evasive action to avoid being wiped out by some criminally dangerous driver, without a cop in sight and without any other motorist reacting in the manner you'd come to expect if you did it yourself on a bike.

Funny though how average "I love my dog almost as much as I hate cyclists" Daily Mail reader never bears that in mind when it comes to the favourite anti-cyclist arguments isn't it...

Barney 2

How about allowing cyclists to go round roundabouts the wrong way, and to use motorways! :roll:

beatsystem

my point is its difficult to get respect from motorists when there are so many cyclist breaking the law and then be backed by the CTC. Cyclist do what they have to do sometimes to survive but when they get backing breaking the law from CTC perhaps its time to change the law.

don_don

i heard this on the news yesterday, then in the evening they spoke to a bloke from the CTC.He said that he thought it was alright for cyclist to break the law by going over red lights,wrong way up one way streets, etc. The newscaster said "did nt he think this would ailinate cyclist to motorists even more" to which he replied " that he'd never heard of a motorist being killed by a cyclist".

Does anyone know who this was or what exactly was said? I simply don't believe the CTC would state anything as bluntly as this. Sorry beatsystem, but I think you have missed out some important context.

For the CTC to advocate breaking the law without any justification would go against everything they represent. I for one would cancel my membership if this was the case.

nwallace

cee wrote:

i might be wrong, but i thought that the advice for walking along single lane roads in the countryside, was to walk on the right hand side of the road (into the oncoming traffic).

Where there is no pavement the Highway code says to walk against vehicular traffic (on the right), except where crossing to walk with traffic makes you more visible to other road users, and gives you a better view of them e.g. a sharp right hand bend.

Of course on a single track road it doesnt' really matter as they aren't wide enough. But given the traffic on such roads is generally low in most areas, walking down them iddle is usually safeish.

Against flow bus lanes have existed for years, Viccy Road in Dundee used to be one, it's now confusing as hell going what seems to be the wrong way down it.

Think I have used the one in St Andrews once, by the time i have got to the bottom of it I might as well go past the abbey as i go that way to avoid climbing city road.

knedlicky

"Wrong way" bicycle traffic is allowed on many one-way city roads in Germany sometimes with, other times without, special bikelanes (e.g. in Freiburg). I've never heard of any problems involving 'contraflow' cyclists.

Instead of being sceptical from the start about any new-to-the -UK idea like this, like some contributors here evidently are, all cyclists should initially welcome any idea which might help them, otherwise they might find initiatives to help cyclists eventually dry up.

Stewie Griffin

knedlicky wrote:

"Wrong way" bicycle traffic is allowed on many one-way city roads in Germany sometimes with, other times without, special bikelanes (e.g. in Freiburg). I've never heard of any problems involving 'contraflow' cyclists.

Instead of being sceptical from the start about any new-to-the -UK idea like this, like some contributors here evidently are, all cyclists should initially welcome any idea which might help them, otherwise they might find initiatives to help cyclists eventually dry up.

Yes but its more than a safety issue. There are quite a few threads on this forum alone on this subject. Its in national newspapers and they arent only concentrating on the (safety aspect, its more that Cyclists arent the most popular things on our roads amongst its other users. I dont want any more of a them and us attitude on our roads. As before, I live on a one way road and have never ridden the wrong way. Read the reader comments on the link below. I promise I didnt go looking for the Torygraph because I knew it would be like this Didnt a journalist recently advocate stringing piano wire across country lanes to decapitate us not too long ago :shock: ?

(edit) If they want to change a law to help me than I would ask to be allowed to RLJ if there are no cars or peds for me to impede. Its hard to clip in going uphill because you have had to stop because a timed light says so.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2073117 ... reets.html

OffTheBackAdam

RLJ when there's no traffic about should apply to all road users, and if you're going to knock "The Torygraph", get your paper right, said idiot journo was writing in "The Times".

beatsystem

i can assure that what i said is true and I myself thought this was not what i wanted to hear from a body representing cyclists. I think the news person was suprised as well!

beatsystem

This is a statement i found from Jon Snow CTC although its not what i was refering to it does show that as far as the CTC is concerned breaking the law is an "inescapable reality".

For: Jon Snow

The very essence of cycling is that it means taking the route that is the shortest distance between A and Z. The Dutch and Germans don’t make cyclists ride in great loops in their cities and nor should we.

If a camera followed me on my bike, it would be bound to find me breaking the law somewhere, including riding the wrong way down one-way streets. It’s the inescapable reality of riding a bicycle.

The traffic has been so dense near Holborn Tube station recently that you can’t even squeeze a bike between the lines of vehicles.

I have been going through a no-entry sign on a short one-way street. I’m also campaigning for two-way access on Gray’s Inn Road near King’s Cross, where I would have to make a four or five-minute diversion every morning if I were to comply with the one-way rules. I try to cycle for only 15 minutes at a time, as that is the limit within which Body Shop can restrain the stench.

My only concern about Kensington & Chelsea’s policy is that motorists and pedestrians could be caught unawares. They should paint some lines and white bicycle symbols in the road so people know to expect that a cyclist could be coming the other way, legally.

I can understand the need to keep costs to a minimum but a few tins of white paint would make the new rules much clearer to all.

Jon Snow is president of the Cyclists’ Touring Club

NWLondoner

If the roads are clearly marked with bike lanes/lines then i would be i favour, but if they will only be placing a sign at both end's of the road i would be against.

Squaggles

Quite a few roads around here are 2 way for bikes , 1 way for motor vehicles . It doesn't work too badly except for the odd motorist who doesn't notice the ( rather large ) signs at either end of the street ie. the ones who shouldn't be driving on the road.

juggler

as long as it is marked on the road that cyclists can go the other way then a good idea, other wise not.

I almost got run over this week by a cyclist coming the wrong way down a one way street. I was waiting on the pavment for a gap in the traffic coming up hill on a one way street, when i decided to step out to cross the road, there was a cyclist coming downhill (so not slowly) who just missed me. He seemed to think it was my fault from his comments... so had to remind him in no uncertain terms that he had no right cycling the wrong way. It's not just about cyclists being hit by cars... pedestrians taking the full impact from a bike and rider travelling at speed is not going to be good.

nwallace

It initially thought that it was marked lanes.

On a 1 way street vehicle road position is dependant on where it is going thus on a 1 way street with right turns when travelling in the correct direction i can use the right hand lane with the intention of turning right. Where then should the cyclist travelling in the other direction position themselves on the road?

It;s easy to figure out on a relative free flowing road, usual position on the left side of the carriage way. But the lanes need to be wide enough to accept bi-direcitonal traffic.

I can understand how it would work on a 1.5 or more width 1 way road with no marked lanes, but Hangar Lane Gyratory for example?

Further thought on it

1 way systems apply to all vehicles
there are no provisions for 1 way systems for certain vehicles only without signange and lanes (i.e. the aforementioned contraflow bus/taxi/cycle lanes.
so by setting up exists as "no motor vehicles " on entry and entrances as "no motor vehicles" on exit. what stops any vehicle within the limits of those signs from travelling any direction in that area? If its a big one way system, it totally defeats the purpose of the 1 way system (if it is to reduce usage of the streets)