Special road that allows bicycles?

veronese68

Take a look at this, Worple Road in Wimbledon. What do the bicycles painted in the middle of the lane mean? Does it mean that you can cycle on that bit of road? So, the next logical step is does that mean you can't cycle on other bits of road? Other bits of that road have half hearted cycle lanes at the side, but they disappear at some points. I've not noticed them before but I'd say they have been there for some time, probably in lots of other places too. I just object to the impression they may give to some idiots.

SteppenHerring

I'd assumed that it was police chalk around the bodies.

rhext

It's not a 'quiet road' section of a National Cycle Route is it? Maybe they're just there to make the route easier to follow?

Headhuunter

rhext wrote:

It's not a 'quiet road' section of a National Cycle Route is it? Maybe they're just there to make the route easier to follow?

Exactly, I think this is what it is... Just so you know you're following the cycle route....

veronese68

Certainly doesn't fit my definition of quiet road. Could be a National Cycle Route.

zx6man

Think its just a beware of cyclists thing, there are smaller versions at jnctions joining main roads with cycle lanes.

Especially as its approching a bus stop which is a swine when you try pull out to pass a bus and cars ignore you.

Gizmo_

zx6man wrote:

Think its just a beware of cyclists thing, there are smaller versions at jnctions joining main roads with cycle lanes.

Especially as its approching a bus stop which is a swine when you try pull out to pass a bus and cars ignore you.

This. Although they're completely pointless - when was the last time you looked at the road surface before pulling out of a junction?

Dellsinho

I think it's to warn vehicle users that it's still a primary cycle route even though there may not be a designated cycle lane.

Kind of like a "be aware of cyclists".

I think.

Edit: Beaten to it by zx6

zx6man

You must be checking its a give way line though or the likes, maybe its a subconscious look :-), again, poinltess as no one seems to bother

veronese68

zx6man wrote:

Think its just a beware of cyclists thing, there are smaller versions at jnctions joining main roads with cycle lanes.

Especially as its approching a bus stop which is a swine when you try pull out to pass a bus and cars ignore you.

I think that is almost certainly the case. However I fear that they could then be used to beat us about the head as it could give the wrong impression. We have every right to be on the road so there shouldn't be a need to differentiate like that.

Blandiblub

Loads of them painted on Lambeth Road just past the Imperial War Museum. Painters went mad with them there!

Yeah, I take them to mean 'beware as cyclists use this route a lot'.

confused@BR

Total waste of paint. The next village to mine has these signs along the main street, utterly useless. They don't even cause confusion as they are entirely ignored.

pdw

I think it's actually to encourage cyclists to get out of the gutter, and to discourage drivers from getting impatient when they do. They've become quite fashionable in Oxford, particularly in places where they've removed cycle lanes.

thegibdog

I assume it's where the roads are too narrow to put a couple of feet or green tarmac at the side and paint a bike on so the council have just whacked a bigger impression of a bike in the middle of the lane to show how pro-bicycle they are.

Headhuunter

confused@BR wrote:

Total waste of paint. The next village to mine has these signs along the main street, utterly useless. They don't even cause confusion as they are entirely ignored.

Much like 20 mph speed limits being implemented across London....99.9% of motorists ignore them and the police don't enforce

Rat1960

I would love to know what it means in the UK.
Where I live there is a blue rectangle white bike sign (yawn)
There is a bike painted on the "service road".
I am having a right email waste of time with my local council about cars who rather than wait at a traffic light use the service road and bike advisory route as a rat run.
The council say cars can do that.
Watched a policecar today and he certainly did *not* pull a sharp left onto the service road with bike signs to avoid the lights.
In America it means bike right of way.

tgotb

I wonder whether it designates the road as a bona fide cycle facility, allowing the local council to add it to their published total mileage of cycle paths...

leeefm

From the highway code...