Those green lights for cycles at crossings?
jonny_trousers
Posts: 3,588
What exactly do they mean? The ones you sometimes see at pedestrian crossings. Do they actually mean we can ride across?
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Not wishing to thread hijack, but I assume bikes can use bus-priority signals too? There's one near Charlton station (SE London) which allows buses to pop over the main road into Bugsby's Way. Can bikes just follow buses through?
I assume it's 'unless signs say otherwise'? There's a similar one in Woolwich/Plumstead where cars have to go round the one-way system but buses hop across (think bikes can do that too - I have in the past!).Specialized Allez Elite 2011 *NEW*
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I have raised this here before. It is sooooo misleading and confusing. I set of lights I go through have a cycle lane going through. I stop when signal is red. However, there is a green cycle light that comes on at the same time as the pedestrian green light, both face the pavement. However it is not a mixed use pavement, and the cycle lane is at the side of the road. what the hell is meant to happen when the cycle man goes green? I cant really see it for 1, and would knock down peds if i went through the red that is facing me, cutting accross the crossing point."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0
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Unless there's contradictory signage or road markings, I take "Bus lane" as short hand for "Busses, taxis and cycles". I may be wrong, of course...
Back to the OP, I knew that toucan crossings authorised cycling across the road, but I'd love to know where the law stands on toucan crossings joining bits of cycle path. For example, London route 23, which bypasses Elephant and Castle, requires cyclists to ride on a side street (Meadow Row), then (presumably) walk along the pavement 20 yards to the crossing, cycle across the road (New Kent Road), walk 10 yards to the shared pavement cycle lane, then hop back on the bike and continue.
I've just found the nice helpful LCN sign on Google StreetView
Of course, one can save a few seconds if one deigns to cycle 20 yards to the crossing on the pavement....0 -
Blandiblub wrote:Not wishing to thread hijack, but I assume bikes can use bus-priority signals too? There's one near Charlton station (SE London) which allows buses to pop over the main road into Bugsby's Way. Can bikes just follow buses through?
I assume it's 'unless signs say otherwise'? There's a similar one in Woolwich/Plumstead where cars have to go round the one-way system but buses hop across (think bikes can do that too - I have in the past!).
If it says buses only, well your not a bus so no. For example at the end of Shaftbury Avenue heading towards Piccadilly at the Trocadero lights, straight on is "buses only", cycles should turn left at these lights.
If these lights in Woolwich are at the end of a bus lane, and you are allowed in that bus lane (check the signs as your not allowed in all of them), and there is no "buses only" sign on the lights then yes.
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Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
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Ahah. So the bicycle image overrides the writing Buses Only, if it's present. Good to know.0
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Sketchley wrote:
So where the green cycle man is on, if the pavement is not mixed use, a cyclist would be dismounted and walking on the pavement, but when crossing the road, he can mount and cycle across, but get off bike on pavement on other side. Still madness. Any cyclists on the cycle lane will still be faced with red light and have to wait for traffic signal to go green."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
Wallace1492, that's my point. By installing a toucan crossing that doesn't have mixed use pavement or cycle lane right up to the crossing point, the relevant authorities could be seen to be encouraging illegal cycling on the pavement, for however short a length. Not that I'd ever condone it, obviously.0
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Except where in addition to "Buses only" there's a white bicycle in a blue box on a sign. No?0
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pianoleo wrote:Except where in addition to "Buses only" there's a white bicycle in a blue box on a sign. No?
That would be conflicting information. Report it to the council."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
Wallace1492 wrote:Sketchley wrote:
So where the green cycle man is on, if the pavement is not mixed use, a cyclist would be dismounted and walking on the pavement, but when crossing the road, he can mount and cycle across, but get off bike on pavement on other side. Still madness. Any cyclists on the cycle lane will still be faced with red light and have to wait for traffic signal to go green.
In the picture it would appear the cycle lane ends, then there is a gap before the crossing. There are no markings saying end of cycle lane I think you could assume it doesn't and continues accross the crossing.
As a side note. On Kennington Park Rd (CS7) heading towards Oval, there is toucan crossing on the junction of Kennington Park Pl. Just before the lights there is a cycle path that goes up onto the pavement, you can then cross Kennington Park Pl on the toucan crossing (if toucan is green) then on to the pavement on the otherside where there is cycle path back onto Kennington Park Rd, thereby "jumping" quiet legally the Red light.
I've had "Red Light Idiot" shouted at me once doing this, but it perfectly legal.--
Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
Sketchley wrote:Wallace1492 wrote:Sketchley wrote:
So where the green cycle man is on, if the pavement is not mixed use, a cyclist would be dismounted and walking on the pavement, but when crossing the road, he can mount and cycle across, but get off bike on pavement on other side. Still madness. Any cyclists on the cycle lane will still be faced with red light and have to wait for traffic signal to go green.
In the picture it would appear the cycle lane ends, then there is a gap before the crossing. There are no markings saying end of cycle lane I think you could assume it doesn't and continues accross the crossing.
As a side note. On Kennington Park Rd (CS7) heading towards Oval, there is toucan crossing on the junction of Kennington Park Pl. Just before the lights there is a cycle path that goes up onto the pavement, you can then cross Kennington Park Pl on the toucan crossing (if toucan is green) then on to the pavement on the otherside where there is cycle path back onto Kennington Park Rd, thereby "jumping" quiet legally the Red light.
I've had "Red Light Idiot" shouted at me once doing this, but it perfectly legal.
I was not talking about the picture, but in a more general sense. As i said, there is one of these on my route home, but a bike lane on the road, the pavement is not mixed use, but has a green cycle man facing it. As much use as a chocolate teapot."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
Wallace1492 wrote:pianoleo wrote:Except where in addition to "Buses only" there's a white bicycle in a blue box on a sign. No?
That would be conflicting information. Report it to the council.
Agreed. But to be sure what you are saying first. Is the "Buses only" sign on the lights and the "White Cycle in a blue box" sign on the bus lane. This would mean your allowed in the bus lane, where the "buses only" sign is controlling the lights. Technically meaning you can ride in the bus lane but not go through the lights. If the two signs are both on the traffic lights then report it to council, until they change it your safe to go through as law is on your side as information conflicts. I believe also a car could go through as it could be argued "Buses Only" is invalid sign so doesn't apply. I remember a case in Kingston last year where a motrist got a fine removed in simular circumstances.--
Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
From the Devon page previously linked:
"Cyclists in bus lanes. Cyclists are allowed to use these lanes as long as the cycle symbol appears in the bus lane sign. Some bus lanes are signed "Bus Only". The cyclist must remember that large vehicles will be using the lane and that traffic turning left will cross the lane"
Hmm!0 -
Sketchley wrote:As a side note. On Kennington Park Rd (CS7) heading towards Oval, there is toucan crossing on the junction of Kennington Park Pl. Just before the lights there is a cycle path that goes up onto the pavement, you can then cross Kennington Park Pl on the toucan crossing (if toucan is green) then on to the pavement on the otherside where there is cycle path back onto Kennington Park Rd, thereby "jumping" quiet legally the Red light.
I've had "Red Light Idiot" shouted at me once doing this, but it perfectly legal.
Well it is actually the crossings in this area that inspired this post. Not the one you refer to, but the junction from Brixton Rd moving north into Kennington Pk Rd and another at the junction where Kennington Rd meets with Kennington Ln. I can't see any reason at either junction why a cyclist should be encouraged to ride among pedestrians from one pavement to the other.
And while we're in this area, what the hell is the point in the new set of traffic lights where the bus/cycle lane moves from Kennington Pk Rd into Brixton Rd? There's no junction. There's no pedestrian crossing!!!0 -
Sketchley wrote:pianoleo wrote:Ahah. So the bicycle image overrides the writing Buses Only, if it's present. Good to know.
No. Buses only means buses only. Your not a bus.
it's you're or you are
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Maybe one of the London-based riders can help me with a related green bike question. It needs a bit of pre-amble and I've a feeling I'm not going to explain very well but anyone who uses the route will probably get the gist...
Sometimes I go down Wellington St past the Royal Opera House to get to Waterloo Bridge.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lancaster+place+map&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=12.136041,39.506836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lancaster+Pl,+London+WC2E,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.511556,-0.119457&spn=0.012473,0.038581&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.511638,-0.119546&panoid=8cum72TBN5CWXpgsaeNHLg&cbp=12,134.81,,0,10.69
The bottom of Wellington St is a dead end for most traffic (look out for black cabs turning round!) but there's a short cycle path that crosses the pavement.
There's a bike traffic light here (which you can see in the image I've linked). When the little green bike flashes up you can cross the Strand and you're faced with another set of lights at the entrance to Lancaster Place/Waterloo Bridge. (You can't see this in the image cos there's a tree in the way).
Now this second set of lights is always on red at this point to allow pedestrians to cross. I always stop cos I'm pretty polite on my bike and I don't wanna mow any of 'em down on my way through. But do I have to?
I ask this cos although the light is on red there is also a green for go bike signal right next to it. Cos of the way it's angled the only place you or anyone else can see this is from your original position at the bottom of Wellington St. What do you reckon?
(I'm just hoping this explanation isn't as confusing for you as the signal is for me.)0
