Green boxes at traffic lights

Jen J

I saw the oddest looking bike next to me in the green box at a lights today. In fact it looked just like an SUV/Chelsea tractor/4x4/whatever they're called these days.

This seems to be the case more often than not in my limited experience.

Is this typical or do I just live in an ignorant area?

Are the bike boxes usually available for bikes?

:? :shock:

always_tyred

No, its not just you. I think drivers are a bit like dogs - they don't really know that they aren't people and that people aren't dogs. In fairness, its quite easy in heavy traffic for a car to get stranded on one.

There was a quite odd thread a while back about this in which people who presumably cycled only on idyllic sunday mornings were critical of cyclists who took the advance stop as a matter of course. Perculiarly there seemed to be the belief that if you were in a position to make it through on the next cycle of lights, you need not progress further.

This is, of course, nonsense for the many junctions where it is advantageous in safety terms to be in front and in line of sight. Even on sunny sunday mornings there are pinch points at the opposite sides of junctions.

Its arguably MORE dangerous to be in the right position in the box, given room, when a motorist is parked on the asl, since you are more likely to be in a blind spot. The bigger the vehicle and the more ignorant the driver, the more likely this is.

As such, I ensure that (a) I'm seen and (b) I'm in front. Sometimes this entails literally placing myself in the way, other times this isn't necessary. Either way I make no apologies for it. I'm much rather get across the junction first and have the opportunity to set motorists' expectations of where I should be cycling in relation to the gutter and not have to fight my way out of it.

dondare

It's hard to see green paint from a car.
Especially if it's under the car.
I'm not bothered about motorists doing this, but I do hate it when PTWs get in front of me at the lights and start revving as it sends their stinky exhaust-shit right up my nose.

biondino

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

Wrath Rob

biondino wrote:

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

That's my favoured tactic too. Generally I give cars the benefit of the doubt, i.e. they were stranded rather than they chose to block the ASL.

Scooters and motorbikes on the other hand seem to believe that its their right to use that space and are a major PITA if you're trying to get to the safe haven at the ASL only to find its full of them getting in your way.

spen666

biondino wrote:

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

you are a selfish git!



PS I do the same IF I have seen said motorist deliberately roll up into the box after lights have changed rather than being stranded there

PPS Anyone else treat the sounding of a horn as a warning of danger ( as per highway code) I obliviously slow myself down to ensure I can see and avoid the danger the kind motorist is warning me of. If he sounds the horn afgain, its clear I am still in danger and so slow down even more

Bikerbaboon

biondino wrote:

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

I like to look back over my sholder at the car and shake my head also.

girv73

spen666 wrote:

PPS Anyone else treat the sounding of a horn as a warning of danger ( as per highway code) I obliviously slow myself down to ensure I can see and avoid the danger the kind motorist is warning me of. If he sounds the horn afgain, its clear I am still in danger and so slow down even more

Absolutely, it's only proper road behaviour after all, as laid out in the Highway Code.

symo

spen666 wrote:

biondino wrote:

PPS Anyone else treat the sounding of a horn as a warning of danger ( as per highway code) I obliviously slow myself down to ensure I can see and avoid the danger the kind motorist is warning me of. If he sounds the horn afgain, its clear I am still in danger and so slow down even more

You are quite right, be sure to stop if the beeping becomes more rapid, they obviosuly are trying to warn you of something quite serious and life threatening. You'd be a fool to set off.

NGale

You know the worst ones for encroaching on the advanced area at junctions....bleedy taxi drivers, they seem to think it is their personal bit of road. I have had taxi drivers nudge my back wheel before now when I have been in the advanced area. It is possible THE big that that really gets me goat when cycling. I can forgive alot else but for some reason it is the thing that irritates me no end. :evil:

always_tyred

symo wrote:

spen666 wrote:

biondino wrote:

PPS Anyone else treat the sounding of a horn as a warning of danger ( as per highway code) I obliviously slow myself down to ensure I can see and avoid the danger the kind motorist is warning me of. If he sounds the horn afgain, its clear I am still in danger and so slow down even more

You are quite right, be sure to stop if the beeping becomes more rapid, they obviosuly are trying to warn you of something quite serious and life threatening. You'd be a fool to set off.

I find that the mere thought of the danger causes me to become flustered and take several seconds to clip in and to find the right gear.

Jen J

Great advice there. I have been guilty in the past of panicking and going faster when someone beeps, but I realise now how dangerous that was.

In future. I will make sure I slow down. In fact I may even stop and ask them what the problem is...

spen666

Always Tyred wrote:

symo wrote:

spen666 wrote:

biondino wrote:

PPS Anyone else treat the sounding of a horn as a warning of danger ( as per highway code) I obliviously slow myself down to ensure I can see and avoid the danger the kind motorist is warning me of. If he sounds the horn afgain, its clear I am still in danger and so slow down even more

You are quite right, be sure to stop if the beeping becomes more rapid, they obviosuly are trying to warn you of something quite serious and life threatening. You'd be a fool to set off.

I find that the mere thought of the danger causes me to become flustered and take several seconds to clip in and to find the right gear.

Same here

symo

Anothe good way to think of this is; if you were warning a cyclist in front of your car with your horn, but he ignored your warnings, then took off and had an accident. Well you wouldn't bother warning again. It's our duty to make sure we heed those warnings otherwise we all lose a valuable set of second eyes out on the road.

girv73

Yes, symo, and, as we all know, drivers are there to look out for us and help us. So it's only fitting that we "do our bit" and help them help us.

fonty1978

biondino wrote:

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

Same here i make a show of sitting more or less on the lead cars bonnet as in "Oi motorist no!! you will leave our green paint well alone"

But my general aim is to be across the junction before the following cars have even set off that way i can boss how close they pass by [not aggressively done though!!]

cee

Happens everywhere...

Some boxes are also orange/browny.

I read a good retort to one of these folks......

Can't remember who, but it was someone on here....

When you pull up and a woman has stopped in the ASL, tap her window really politley and ask her....Do you see that picture of a bike that you are stopped on.....that's a car.....Are you the Bike?

I laughed anyway

chaley

I like it when there's a car in my cycle box, it gives you something to lean against, on a cold day the hood of a 4x4 is nice a warm and just the right height to get a good push off, if they hoot I always do a big double take as if I have not seen them, seems to work for them! When I'm riding and get hooted it always makes me wobble and almost fall off, take ages to get going again and for some reason I seem to end up right in the center of their hoods a bit to close to go round
Chaley

Bassjunkieuk

I also quite like the tactic of plonking myself right in front of cars that deliberately go into the ASL, the ones that arrive after the lights have changed or insist on creeping foward at .5mph whilst the light it red.....

Did see an argument once between a cyclist and a bunch of scooter/motorbike riders as to why they shouldn't be in there. It's never bothered me much really as I tend to sprint off from the lights and I'd much rather have them ahead of me then behind trying to squeeze past.

There was one exception tho when some tw4t on his scooter pulled up to my right and then turned left across me when the lights changed. He wasn't indicating and only started indicating once he was narrowly ahead. I shouted "you f**king idiot!", must have been fairly loud as he heard me 10 yards up the side road through his helmet :-)

As for car drivers who toot me, they usually get the finger if I can't see anything wrong....might have to try the slow and wobble in future!

girv73

I don't have this problem with ASLs - we don't have any (that I'm aware of) :roll:

FixedNewbie

NGale wrote:

I have had taxi drivers nudge my back wheel before now when I have been in the advanced area.:

Serious?! I think if someone deliberately nudged my back wheel I would be off the bike and having a few select words! That’s shocking!!! :shock:

lost_in_thought

I agree with Biondino and the others who pull in front. I have seen a guy lean over to them and say 'nice bike'. When they look quizzically back, he said 'well you're in the bike box, so it must be a bike. That's a seriously nice one'.

Made me smile.

I have had a car pull round me to sit in front of the ASL once. Madness. :shock:

chuckcork

lost_in_thought wrote:

I agree with Biondino and the others who pull in front. I have seen a guy lean over to them and say 'nice bike'. When they look quizzically back, he said 'well you're in the bike box, so it must be a bike. That's a seriously nice one'.

Made me smile.

I have had a car pull round me to sit in front of the ASL once. Madness. :shock:

I had a car do a U-turn around a traffic island in the middle of the road (at a T-junction), then use the gap that the ASL offered to turn left across me and the rest of the traffic.

Basically the guy was doing a very big U-turn to go back the way he came. Stupid maneouver that could have gone seriously wrong.

Jen J

lost_in_thought wrote:

I agree with Biondino and the others who pull in front. I have seen a guy lean over to them and say 'nice bike'. When they look quizzically back, he said 'well you're in the bike box, so it must be a bike. That's a seriously nice one'.

Made me smile.

I have had a car pull round me to sit in front of the ASL once. Madness. :shock:

That's what I nearly did this morning. Except their window was up. And they were two big blokes. And they looked scary.
:?

Mr_Cellophane

Most common vehicle I see in the ASL in London (except for scooters) are the HOHO tourist buses.

The Chingford Skinhead

I think coloured coloured road markings are a particular problem for 4x4 vehicles. My daughter was right on the catchment area boundary for the "good" local primary school and got in and the head teacher made a snide remark about it on the parents induction evening (circa 1997) Anyway I walked her to school in the morning and was amazed that all the kids who were clearly far more local had to be driven. What really got my goat though was that so many of the mums would park their tanks on the yellow school markings - you know, the ones intended to give a safe sight line for kids who are walking to cross tte road I used to always point it out to them.

I often fantasised about - but thankfully restrained myself - from buying a tin of yellow spray paint and zig-zagging their cars for them. My retort would have been that I didn't think they'd see it.

On ASL's I'd say 1 in 3 on my commute home has either a car or motorcycle in it. I just shake my head - but I do that with the RLJs as well. I sometimes feel like that dog from the churchill adverts as I'm shaking my head all the time. God I'm a self-righteous B@$%£&d

chuckcork

A revenue-raisin thought: why are there no ASL cameras?

There is a fine for stopping over one aparently, though for all the hundreds of vehicles I've seen stopping over or slowly rolling into one, I've never seen any ticketed for doing so.

Perhaps there could be one of those No.10 petitions set up to encourage councils to fine people who abuse them (its is technically running a red light after all, why should cyclists not get their own back with all the accusations of us all being RLJ'ers?)

secretsam

biondino wrote:

Yeah, as a matter of principle I will always head round to the front of the offender and plonk myself basically in the middle of their bumper. And I won't be in any hurry to move away when the lights change, either.

Yup, me too, except the slow moving thing is my natural state.

What really riles me is little put-put tw&ts on their Faggios or whatever riding in the green cycle lanes. I hate cycle lanes with a passion, but if I'm going to get abuse from drivers for not using them, then I expect them to be respected, not have pizza boy in there as well.