Cycle Lanes - Faster than traffic...

jeepie1999
jeepie1999 Posts: 78
edited November 2010 in Road beginners
I regularly use the cycle lanes on the side of the road, separated from the traffic by a broken white line. My query is whether I am allowed to go faster than the traffic or is that considered to be "undertaking".

The point this becomes an issue is if the traffic is stopped and an oncoming vehicle wants to turn right across my path - should they wait for the whizzy cyclist to pass???

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,356
    what's allowed is not the point, a couple of tons of metal always wins

    my direct experience is...

    always assume drivers will turn left across you

    always assume they will reverse into you

    always assume they will drive straight into you

    always assume they will pull out in front of you

    always assume pedestrians and other cyclists have even less situational awareness than drivers

    be paranoid, they *are* out to get you
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,375
    ... and assume that a passenger will open their door right across a cycle lane as you pass.
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  • wilshawk
    wilshawk Posts: 119
    If its within reason I would usually try to go past before the car turns, I reckon strictly speaking it IS your right of way, and no one likes to lose that sacred pedal energy by hitting the breaks. Although if Mr Car wants to start turning Im not going to play chicken with him
  • Berk Bonebonce
    Berk Bonebonce Posts: 1,245
    If the cycle lane has a solid line then I would guess that you can tear along it faster than vehicles. But different rules apply to cycle lanes with broken lines; note that vehicles are allowed to park in them. But nevertheless, if you whizz along a cycle lane with a broken line and 'undertake' so to speak, I think it unlikely that there has been any infringement of road traffic laws.
  • mattward1979
    mattward1979 Posts: 692
    I had a bad experience on a broken lined cycle path..

    Was riding along quite happily, when from out of nowhere the car that I was passing turned left without indicating.. Luckily for me my reflexes are good and my brakes were in good nick, so managed to take most of the speed out of the collision.

    Bike fine, rider fine, but now I just flat out dont use cycle lanes. A poster on the thread I made about the incident told me that broken line cycle lanes are not actually real cycle lanes at all, but more of a guide that can be essentially ignored by cars.

    And lets face it, if a motorist has the oppurtunity to do something completely retarded, they most likely will, so I would definitely advise against using the cycle lane as an overtaking lane.
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  • nickthetrick
    nickthetrick Posts: 43
    my direct experience is...

    always assume a car will be parked in the cycle lane, so don't bother using it in the first place.

    always assume the cycle lane will end in 100m at most, so don't bother using it in the first place.

    But on a more constructive note:
    1. I believe you're allowed to undertake stationary traffic in any situation
    2. I dashed line cycle lane means nothing
    3. A solid line cycle lane, I believe, should be like any solid line lane (e.g. a bus lane). You should be allowed to undertake moving vehicles and therefore cars crossing should be aware that undertaking is legal and to be expected.

    Note the use of 'I believe'!
  • HamishD
    HamishD Posts: 538
    sungod wrote:
    what's allowed is not the point, a couple of tons of metal always wins

    my direct experience is...

    always assume drivers will turn left across you

    always assume they will reverse into you

    always assume they will drive straight into you

    always assume they will pull out in front of you

    always assume pedestrians and other cyclists have even less situational awareness than drivers

    be paranoid, they *are* out to get you


    All this. AND


    if you use your email address in a public forum that is google linked, you WILL get a ton of spam.
  • singlespeedexplosif
    singlespeedexplosif Posts: 1,564
    my direct experience is...

    always assume a car will be parked in the cycle lane, so don't bother using it in the first place.

    always assume the cycle lane will end in 100m at most, so don't bother using it in the first place

    this x infinity. Plus, always assume that the council road cleaner will not go near the cycle lane thus it will be full of rotting leaf detritus, broken glass etc.

    Useless pieces of crap, most cycle lanes.
  • secretsqizz
    secretsqizz Posts: 424
    and as you didnt post this in commuting... the true and only road answer (question actually) is
    whats a cycle lane?
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  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    I was always under the opinion that "undertaking" is in fact filtering and is permitted by cyclists and motorcyclists. If you're in a cycle lane though, surely you're in a separate lane and it's perfectly permissible to move faster than traffic in another lane. If motor traffic slows on a motorway or dual carriageway it's normal for traffic to the left in another lane to potentially be moving faster. Having said that, as others have pointed out here, always watch out for idiot drivers turning across your path without checking or allowing someone to turn right across your path from traffic coming from the opposite direction.

    I think most cyclists in London filter through slow moving traffic. London's roads are frequently jammed with slow moving traffic and the beauty of cycling is that you can whisk past it all and get anywhere much more quickly than motor traffic.
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  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    Headhuunter wrote:
    I Having said that, as others have pointed out here, always watch out for idiot drivers turning across your path without checking or allowing someone to turn right across your path from traffic coming from the opposite direction.

    That's the main problem and in any collision the motor vehicle will always come out on top.

    I would never undertake slow moving motor vehicles whether or not there was a cycle lane marked with a solid or broken line.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Lillywhite wrote:
    Headhuunter wrote:
    I Having said that, as others have pointed out here, always watch out for idiot drivers turning across your path without checking or allowing someone to turn right across your path from traffic coming from the opposite direction.

    That's the main problem and in any collision the motor vehicle will always come out on top.

    I would never undertake slow moving motor vehicles whether or not there was a cycle lane marked with a solid or broken line.

    If you lived in London there would be no point cycling if you are never going to filter through/past traffic as you would literally triple the time your commute takes. I estimate that I spend at least 50% of my commute filtering past slow moving traffic at peak times, or whizzing past jammed traffic along bus lanes etc. As I said, that's the whole beauty of cycling in a gridlocked city like London, if you don't do it you may as well drive or take the bus and sit in traffic with all the other idiots.
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  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    Headhuunter wrote:
    If you lived in London there would be no point cycling if you are never going to filter through/past traffic as you would literally triple the time your commute takes.

    Your point is accepted although you still will be at greater risk should any motorist decide to turn left without consulting his nearside wing mirror. I take it you exercise caution at every junction?
    I'm glad all my cycling takes place in rural areas and not in cities. :wink:
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Lillywhite wrote:
    Headhuunter wrote:
    If you lived in London there would be no point cycling if you are never going to filter through/past traffic as you would literally triple the time your commute takes.

    Your point is accepted although you still will be at greater risk should any motorist decide to turn left without consulting his nearside wing mirror. I take it you exercise caution at every junction?
    I'm glad all my cycling takes place in rural areas and not in cities. :wink:

    Yep, watching for people turning is one of those things in London. Basically you have to have your eyes peeled for stupidity at all times....
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  • Berk Bonebonce
    Berk Bonebonce Posts: 1,245
    Not wishing to hijack this thread, but can cyclist use the Bus Lanes in London?
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Berk Bonebonce wrote:
    Not wishing to hijack this thread, but can cyclist use the Bus Lanes in London?

    Of course! It would be dangerous not too. Imagine if you were forced to cycle down the middle of a busy road (between the bus lane and the car lane) with buses trying to get past you on one side and cars on the other! How long would it be before one of them took you down?
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