Driving in cycle lanes

Del2005

seamus wrote: »

I probably should, clearly everyone else is, to hell with the law...

Laws only work when they are enforced. The Gardaì only enforce 2 laws. All the rest are free for all. There are plenty of laws that cyclists break, plenty that bikers break, plenty that car drivers break.

If you want bikers out of cycle lanes I think that ninja salmon breaking red lights should be done also. You can't just get the law being broken that enjoys you enforced, it's all or nothing.

seamus

Del2005 wrote: »

If you want bikers out of cycle lanes I think that ninja salmon breaking red lights should be done also. You can't just get the law being broken that enjoys you enforced, it's all or nothing.

Agreed. Equally you can't complain that someone breaks the law and then do the same yourself. It's all or nothing.

That's why I obey the rules. I just find it hilarious that some people seem to think that "I will drive in the cycle lanes because cyclists break red lights" is somehow taking the moral high ground. It's not, it's the exact opposite, voluntarily becoming as awful a road user as they are.

rat_race

jameshayes wrote: »

I actually laughed out loud at this response.

Unrealistic? How is it unrealistic not to drive in a cycle lane - its pretty easy to avoid. Glasses can help with this, laser eye surgery works also.

Grey area? Not so much by what the RSA say, they discuss it in their this is your bike publication. By the letter of the law, yes - there is not much in the law that mentions filtering.

Filtering = overtaking = cycle lane? no, OVERtaking, not UNDERtaking. And going by one of the points in the RSA publication, and a note a poster made on this thread "contingency plan" squashed between a 150mm curb and a car, there is no contingency.

I drive a car, bike and I cycle - Bike to work, approx 200 days per year, car drives me around after work & weekends and I occasionally cycle to work.

Undertaking is not illegal either, in several circumstances. I'm not talking about bombing down motorways here, we're talking about congested areas with bike lanes and 1-2 lane traffic.

And filtering is a grey area...I am talking about the law. Not some publication from the RSA. Find me somewhere that definitely states what, by law, or even recommendation, a road user can and cannot do.

By the way, I totally disagree with any bikers in the bike lane just cause it's there. I'm talking about slow filtering around cars when there are no cyclists affected by it...

two wheels good wrote: »

A driver is permitted to cross the broken line of a cycle track. He/she is not permitted to "drive along the cycle track".
Filtering is a legal grey area. It is not specifically legal - but it is "driving".
So .. no, it is not legal to drive in a cycle lane.

Well a driver "crosses" that line by driving. It's the same thing. I get your point though; I'm not condoning continuous driving on the cycle path just because there is room for a bike.

And I've read the RSA bike PDF, it mentions filtering but it's very very vague.

Muahahaha

BlackWizard wrote: »

I've a lot of respect for cyclists and look out for them when I'm driving with them. I'll use my horn to warn off traffic moving in on top of them and never rush them when I'm driving behind them. I keep my distance and politely move aside when ever stuck in traffic to let them past.

Equally when in the bus lane I give way to any busses and will let them pull out when ever I can.

I've never had any issue in Dublin city center with cyclists. I've recorded 100's of hours of GoPro footage in the past and never once thought that maybe I should keep a few clips of cyclists being stupid. Yes they make can mistakes and some don't obey the rules of the road. But a lot of them seem to have a head on their shoulders and respect the other two wheelers out there.

When a guy fell off his bike on a round-about I was the only one to stop and help him up. I arrived 2min after he fell off. Bit of blood and bruising. Not one car driver stopped to help him. One car almost drove over his bike wheel while I was helping him onto the path.

Once all two wheelers respect each other and recognise each others unique abilities and requirements then really there's no problem with us all filtering through cycle lanes,bus lanes and lane splitting together.

There doesn't need to be a war about this.

I agree with this, there is no need for any hassle between cyclists and bikers, we are both vulnerable road users and we both have the same interests in educating car drivers to our presence.
On a sunny day when I'm beside a cyclist at the lights just before I pull away I often say to them 'lovely day for two wheels' which gets a laugh. We should talk more often, we're all on the same side at the end of the day.

Del2005

seamus wrote: »

Agreed. Equally you can't complain that someone breaks the law and then do the same yourself. It's all or nothing.

That's why I obey the rules. I just find it hilarious that some people seem to think that "I will drive in the cycle lanes because cyclists break red lights" is somehow taking the moral high ground. It's not, it's the exact opposite, voluntarily becoming as awful a road user as they are.

When I choose to break a law I don't do it because someone else broke a different one, I do it if I think I'll get away with it and I won't put other road users at risk. A lot of road user's who obey the law are some of the worst road users.

mustlove everyone

What exactly is the point of this thread? To start a cyclist v biker v car driver row? It's all been done a thousand times before and it's really quite boring.

Maybe just live and let live? Don't let these things bother you so much.

Also, it's best for all bikers to ride defensively, unless you ride a bike you have no idea how many **** your pants moments can happen down to the stupidity of other road users.

Max Headroom

Why shouldnt bikers use the cycle lanes, or car drivers come to that....the cyclists in Bray certainly dont use them.............:rolleyes:

goodlad

Who gives a ****e really lads... The main thing is not to cause issue for other road users due to a bad call on your part. This is the same no matter what lane you are using. The law can fcuk right off tbh, im not going to entertain a law stopping me nipping up a cycle lane if its clear and i can get past some stopped traffic by using it. I however would make sure im not going to cut a cyclist off by doing so.

Really the bottom line is just dont be a dick on the road.

Hotblack Desiato

two wheels good wrote: »

A driver is permitted to cross the broken line of a cycle track. He/she is not permitted to "drive along the cycle track".

Wrong.

Rules of the Road wrote:

Rules on cycle tracks for other road users
Driving
No vehicle (other than a motorised wheelchair) may cross into or over a mandatory cycle track unless the driver is entering or leaving a place or a side road.

A mandatory cycle track is bordered by a continuous white line on the right-hand side.

fenris

And there is the nub of the issue, actual proper mandatory cycle lanes are not that common and mostly are unusable by cyclists anyway as they involve losing right of way at junctions and bobbing up and down over peoples driveways, a stripe of paint lashed down the side of the road doesn't make a cycle lane.

If it isn't a proper cycle lane then it is just shared space on the road where a bit of cop on and the general principle of not being a dick should be applied.

Soundman

ninja900 wrote: »

Wrong.

You seem to have missed what "two wheels good" said in that it was a broken line which signifies that it isn't an official bicycle only lane, and that all traffic are allowed to use the space if necessary.

Hotblack Desiato

Soundman wrote: »

You seem to have missed what "two wheels good" said in that it was a broken line which signifies that it isn't an official bicycle only lane, and that all traffic are allowed to use the space if necessary.

Nope. You misread.

arybvtcw0eolkf

ninja900 wrote: »

Nope. You misread.

Nope, you did.

two wheels good

"Amusing" coincidence yesterday morning...

I was close enough to be involved in just this situation on my bicycle. If I'd been 2 car lengths closer approaching the stop line I might well have been taken out by a dozy git on a big scooter.
He made a sudden and last-second decision to filter in the cycle lane. No checking of mirrors and no shoulder-check. But the really stupid aspect was there was no oncoming traffic and no reason not to filter on the offside instead.

At the next set of lights I watched him filter in the cycle lane again - even though there was an empty vehicle lane on the right at the junction!
I bet if I'd asked him he'd claim to be riding safely and entitled to filter anyway he wants but really he is a menace. ( And he was approx middle-aged with the look of an experienced rider, not a novice.)

Soundman

ninja900 wrote: »

Nope. You misread.

So... "Broken line of a cycle track" = continuous white line?

Re-read his quote.

Hotblack Desiato

Soundman wrote: »

So... "Broken line of a cycle track" = continuous white line?

Re-read his quote.

It's not hard to understand, really.

'He/she is not permitted to "drive along the cycle track".' is what twowheelsgood posted, in relation to cycle tracks with a broken white line. This is incorrect. It is only correct for cycle tracks with a continuous white line. I posted from the ROTR to back this up.

two wheels good

Soundman wrote: »

So... "Broken line of a cycle track" = continuous white line?

Re-read his quote.

Leave it Sandman! 'Ee's not wurf it! And the bouncer's watchin' .

blu3r0ri0n

two wheels good wrote: »

And the bouncer's watchin' .

A civil thread so far, entertaining too :P