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news
Turning the Corner (British Cycling).jpgBritish Cycling say Highway Code rule change could cut traffic queues by almost half
British Cycling’s Turning the Corner campaign is calling for a universal rule to give way when turning to reduce the risk of cyclists and pedestrians falling victim to left hooks. The organisation has recently commissioned research which revealed that such a move could also reduce motor traffic queue lengths by 43 per cent.
The UK is one of just three countries in the world which does not have a priority rule at traffic light junctions. As part of its campaign, British Cycling asked transport planners Phil Jones Associates to model the impact of the change at the Lea Bridge Road/Orient Way junction in Waltham Forest, Greater London.
Their research found that the change would reduce the amount of time all road users spent navigating a typical set of traffic lights. Queue reductions were largely attributed to a move from a three-stage traffic light sequence – where one phase is for pedestrians and cyclists – to a two stage sequence, where pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles can all go at the same time.
A simple amendment to the Highway Code could reduce motor traffic queue lengths by .
https://t.co/zqSYiIed7A #TurningTheCorner pic.twitter.com/hcSvnkwMoJ
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) June 27, 2017
British Cycling’s policy adviser, Chris Boardman, said: “Simple changes to the Highway Code and regulations would not only make junctions safer spaces for all road users, it would also make them much more efficient, saving lots of time. The time saved at this single junction amounts to around six hours every year for regular car commuters – that’s a whole season of Line of Duty – and would reduce exhaust emissions by 17 per cent.
“Beginning the process of changing these rules to bring us in the line with the rest of the world would not be an onerous task – it is simply a case of updating the Highway Code and is something that the Transport Secretary could action tomorrow.”
Policy advocate Dame Sarah Storey added: “If you are new to driving or cycling in the UK, our junctions can be really confusing and dangerous spaces to navigate. We’re about 50 years behind most other countries in the world in solving this and it staggers me that our government is still dragging its feet. Bringing in this rule change is a no-brainer and I hope this research goes some way to educating decision makers on the way forward.”
Director of Highways and Traffic Management at Waltham Forest Council, Vala Valavan said: “We want to make it easier for everyone to travel no matter if you are driving, walking, cycling or taking the bus but the current rules at junctions make it difficult to maintain vehicle capacity. The results of this model show that it is possible to improve the efficiency of junctions and at the same time provide traffic protected routes for people walking and cycling.
“We hope that further research can be undertaken to show how it could work and meet the needs of all road users.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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41 comments
Funny how it works just fine in most of the rest of Europe then isn't it?
Given just how bad British drivers are though I doubt this would work without the police to back up enforcing it. It's an attitude change as much as anything else, and the attitude of the average car first, me-centric British driver just won't care.
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I reckon I've ridden in about 1/3 of the countries in Europe - nowhere comes close to the UK for cycle unfriendliness and agressive inconsiderate attitudes to riders.
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And yet despite that per billion miles cycle casualties are better than countries like France and Germany
You MUST appreciate that doing anyting like this when there is buggerall enforcement is uttely futile.
removals from highway code should be.
Suggestions of 'should' for wearing helmets/hi vis and filtering to single file on narrow bends/busy roads
inclusions;
explaining secondary/priority and the right of people on bikes to use as much of the carriageway as they see fit to use, it's not up to you (as the motorist) to judge otherwise and less so to give a 'punishment pass'
'You MUST' drive at a speed that you can stop well within the distance you can see to be clear.
you MUST give priority to the vehicle in front including bicycles, emphasis on it being your responsibility as the road user behind not to cause the road user with priority to swerve/brake or crash.
You MUST not cross into a lane that is not clear to do so or would cause another road user to brake, swerve or crash, emphasis on application for left hooking across cycle lanes of any kind, mandatory or not. they are lanes and left hooks/moving into them should be classed the same as any other lane.
You MUST give a safe space when overtaking, emphasis on responsibility of motorists to wait for a safe space and to use the whole of the other side of the carriageway, especially when speed limits are above 30mph.
Think that would do for starters.
Sounds good to me. I thought that these obsevations were obligatory anyway. To me the problem is that as a bicycle is a slow moving vehicle it cannot really use the correct lane at a junction that a car would take. The junction of the A3102 with the M4 is controlled by lights in such a way that all vehicles must travel slowly in which case a bicycle could be in the appropriate lane without causing problems for motorized vehicles. In most road junctions cyclists are forced into being in the left hand lane, even though they may intend to turn right.
How on earth can a person behind cause the person in front to swerve / brake or crash?????
I tell anyone I'm helping with learning to drive "Forget about the guy behind you. What he's doing is not your problem."
By driving into the back of them, like happened to me at 6pm outside Reading Uni today. Waiting in a queue to turn right, traffic coming the other way, idiot behind rams into me, very nearly put me under the wheels of the car going past on the left!
Exactly one week since I got the bike back with everything upgraded, £400 rear wheel buckled after less than 100 miles, cosmic!
But they didn't cause you to swerver, brake or crash. They simply crashed into you.
One example, a vehicle behind encroaches into your safe space, you then have to move away (swerve or veer), possibly brake or they may well crash into you, as happens so frequently on our roads. What bit of a simple concept don't you understand? You really don't have a clue do you!
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I tell anyone I'm helping with learning to drive "Forget about the guy behind you. What he's doing is not your problem."
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Hmmm, see where you're coming from, but a bit blunt as expressed there. Examples include: getting out of the way of emergency vehicles approaching from behind; awareness of people overtaking you; being aware of when someone is too close behind and adjusting accordingly.
I imagine they mean more like when you are not driving/riding fast enough for the person driving behind you, then you can just forget about them - "I am responsible for my own vehicle and journey - I am not responsible for anyone else's vehicle or journey, nor what time they chose to leave the house, so if I'm moving slower than they'd like then they can just overtake me."
All i can say is leave it as it is, it'll save everyone massive headaches, arguments, and fights, as it's not like everyone even pays attention to the current highway code, so any changes like this will just make things worse.
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