Cycle Lanes: Right of Way

[slinxy]

Right... living in Manchester, it's very much of a cyclist city, where I work (and very much most of the way from home to work) they place cycle lanes on both sides of the road.

It's a mesh of different sorts, some are marked on the road, some have there own special lower pavement and some are part of the pavement but been marked out. So who has right of way in all three scenarios? does it matter what sort of cycle lane it is?

Where I work, it's split across two buildings, you can say it's three buildings and staff are always crossing the road going from one to the other, and I'm sick and tired of the cyclist thinking that they are Chris Hoye, going as fast as they can and hooting at people (not cars) trying to cross the road.

Yes we have to cross over the cycle lane to get across the road, it's a bit of a game of frogger, but there's really no need to hoot at us as soon as we step foot in the lane; esp when your meters away and the road is clear for us to cross in one go.

I don't hoot at the cyclist everytime one comes near me when I'm in a car on the road. I don't park in the cycle lanes... and I do slow down when I see you on your bike. I saw a cyclist hooting and shouting at 5 year old girl with are mother as the girl was walking on the rise step of the cycle lane, in the middle of town on a busy sunday, refusing to slow down.

At the end of the day, if I was waiting to cross the road while standing in the cycle lane and a bike hit me, who's fault is that?

 

[Tefal]

pedestrians always come first as they are the most vulnerable.

you should never be going so fast you cannot stop in a sensible distance.


goes for every form of transport.

At the end of the day, if I was waiting to cross the road while standing in the cycle lane and a bike hit me, who's fault is that?

vehicle hits stationary pedestrian...vehicles fault.

should have reported him.

 

[kthula666]

+1 Transport system is this way. go UK

 

[Greebo]

pedestrians always come first as they are the most vulnerable.

you should never be going so fast you cannot stop in a sensible distance.


goes for every form of transport.



vehicle hits stationary pedestrian...vehicles fault.

should have reported him.

Really? So if a pedestrian steps out in front of a car legally doing 30 mph then its the drivers fault? Since when?

On that basis everybody needs to drive at 5mph in town to avoid the situation you are describing.

If you have chance to stop but you hit them instead, then it would be your fault, and rightly so. On the other hand, if you are proceeding along a clear stretch of road/cycle lane, and a pedestrian jumps out in front of you at the last moment, then it would be their fault.

A cycle lane is defined as a carriageway and as such is the same as the road. So in the OPs example he is basically standing in the middile of the road. So if hit by a cycle then yes, would be the cyclist fault. However, im not sure of the legality of a pedestrian standing and blocking a "public highway" and as such you might be done for obstruction????

Also isnt it law that cyclists have to ring a bell or horn to let pedestrians know they are there?

 

[Nasher]

By law your supposed to have a bell and lights. A few years ago there was a big crackdown in Cambridge on cyclists by the police and people were getting fined for not having them (as well as riding on footpaths).

 

[scorza]

pedestrians always come first as they are the most vulnerable.

you should never be going so fast you cannot stop in a sensible distance.


goes for every form of transport.



vehicle hits stationary pedestrian...vehicles fault.

should have reported him.

What about if cyclists are having a race?

 

[neil_g]

in before cyclists should pay road tax.

 

[Mujja]

.. I'm sick and tired of the cyclist thinking that they are Chris Hoye, going as fast as they can and hooting at people...

Have the same problem here in Portsmouth. It's difficult enough getting your kids in/out the car with a busy road on one side. Then you get the cyclists coming out of nowhere. Unlike the road it's not easy to see a cycle coming towards you from a distance as there are people crossing the cycle path. There really should be a reduced speed limit.

 

[Cosimo]

What about if cyclists are having a race?

They'll be gong like the clappers but the road will be closed for them as it's an official race.

 

[mjt]

Have the same problem here in Portsmouth. It's difficult enough getting your kids in/out the car with a busy road on one side. Then you get the cyclists coming out of nowhere. Unlike the road it's not easy to see a cycle coming towards you from a distance as there are people crossing the cycle path. There really should be a reduced speed limit.

Is someone on the wrong side of the road in this picture??

 

[RDM]

Really? So if a pedestrian steps out in front of a car legally doing 30 mph then its the drivers fault? Since when?

He did mention "stationary pedestrian" so I am going to assume they weren't jumping out in front of anything?

 

[FTM]

cyclists round here seem to think cycle lanes allow you to ride in the opposite direction of the traffic

 

[Mujja]

Is someone on the wrong side of the road in this picture??

The car on the right is parked. A few years ago the cycle lane was moved off the pavement and the two lanes plus parking lane were squeezed to make room.

Closer to the pier and on busy weekends it's a tricky road to drive down as the lanes are so narrow.

 

[Tefal]

Really? So if a pedestrian steps out in front of a car legally doing 30 mph then its the drivers fault? Since when?

very differnt to a person stood in the road waiting and somoen just ploughing into them.

notice i said "you should never be going so fast you cannot stop in a sensible distance."

So yes if they step right out there's little you can do.

but if a person is reasonably far ahead you should be slowing down not carrying on but holding your horn.

 

[Tefal]

By law your supposed to have a bell and lights. A few years ago there was a big crackdown in Cambridge on cyclists by the police and people were getting fined for not having them (as well as riding on footpaths).

iirc the law is new bicycles must be sold with them.

you dont need to keep them on though

 

[PermaBanned]

On a related note, what would you do here? I've often been in the cycle lane going straight on, but had cars cut in front of me at the last second to turn left. Seems like it could be very dangerous, aren't they supposed to give way?

 

[scorza]

They'll be gong like the clappers but the road will be closed for them as it's an official race.

Round here they have official races - time trials and the like - where they don't close the roads, they just put up signs warning traffic of cyclists ahead (on NSL dual carriageway).

 

[Mujja]

On a related note, what would you do here? I've often been in the cycle lane going straight on, but had cars cut in front of me at the last second to turn left. Seems like it could be very dangerous, aren't they supposed to give way?

They should give way, it's the same as if you wanted to make a right turn and move across the lanes. You would have to check they were clear.

 

[Greebo]

What about if cyclists are having a race?

Bizarrely enough cyclists are not subject to the roads speed limit. There is nothing to stop a cyclist doing 50mph in a 20mph zone apart from ability

 

[Greebo]

iirc the law is new bicycles must be sold with them.

you dont need to keep them on though

Except for the law that says that cyclists must make themselves known to pedestrians and car users by using their bell/horn. Hard to do if you have taken it off