one car priorty traffic islands - why the gap ??

[ben_wheely]

Around Plymouth and I'm sure lots of other areas, are the man made, concrete, traffic calming islands. Where one way of traffic has priority over the other.

like so :

https://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8953/41581708.jpg

Why is there a small gap on the left hand side then ? Pressumingly this is for bicycles ? If so why not just have a drop kerb either side ?

Question is then; are motorcycles allowed to go through ? If i was coming up to the island above, and there was a trail of 5-6 cars coming the other way that I had to give priorty too. Am I allowed to ride down the 'gap' ??
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[ollieholt]

i would if it was safe dont know the legal stand point but my arguement would be...

it says give way, that suggestest that if you are in a situation where only one can go then you must give way. however it looks to me that when traffic flows against you you could slip down that side without causing a disturbance.

however, the plod may look down on it.
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[tvchimp]

I would assume so. There are a few similar to that near to my city centre, I don't use the roads but I know they are there. I don't understand why they are actually there, as all it does is slow down traffic going each way (waiting to give way etc).
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[qarka]

Take advantage of it! All the ones near me don't have a gap
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[ollieholt]

oh and it isnt a green cycle(phsycho) path so any vehicle can use it, highway code states that much im sure.
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.

[Gazz]

I have never seen one of these before.

[owl10]

The gap may be for drainage - it does appear to be on a slope.

Personally I would use it.

Saying that, i would look around and wouldnt if plod were about.

Also, I would slow down, its not a good idea to carry on through the gap at full speed, mainly because due to lack of traffic and inaccesability the gap is where a lot of road crud will likely accumulate - gravel, twigs, leaves and possibly old screws / nails etc (which ive seen loads of recently for some unknown reason) you dont want to come off, or get a puncture.

Secondly, If the plod did happen to see you, If going through in a 'controlled' manner the plod will likely let you off with a warning, or perhaps not bother you at all, but if hooning through will be a lot more likely to argue its unsafe 'without due care etc" especially as other road users wont expect you doing that.

All just my opinion though.

Cheers!

[Ol]

you could go down it, and i suspect even if pc plod saw you i imagine at worst you'd get a slap on the wrists... BUT - personally i dont, as they dont get cleaned by road sweepers etc there could be all sorts of crap in them just waiting to give you a puncture !
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[t121anf]

always presumed they are for cyclists,

wondered risk my tyres going through on the motorbike

[tatters]

the ones near me normally have a "keep right" arrow at bottom so of course by going to the left you leave your self open to a £30 fixed penalty if caught.
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[ben_wheely]

Yeah i was possibly thinking for surface water drainage, but thought its a little wide for that.

That is also correct, the last time I saw that island ^^ there was a few leaves and shite in the gap.

I run (heavy duty) tubed tyres for my offroading / green laning anyway, so im sure the crap in there wouldn't give me a pucture
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[defblade]

Don't see why you couldn't go through there - it's a give way, not a stop; there's no directional arrows.


BUT... I used to be a fan of this sort of thing for traffic calming.... however after a comment on a forum following the death of 2 bikers who "were in collision with" a car at one of these, I've really seriously changed my mind. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the accident above (and I've no idea at all of the details) it seems to me now that 2 people would still be alive if the road design hadn't forced vehicles travelling in oposite directions to use the same piece of tarmac.

Death traps.

And for that reason alone, I'd be using the side route.
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[G]

Pretty sure it's for push bikes; most of the ones I've seen have them.
But, if there's no traffic; they've put in a free chicane to have a little bit of fun with, nice chance to justify speeding up a little with a nice little right -left flick .

[L-Jam]

Defblade, that's a tragic circumstance but that has got to be one in a million. They do help stop build up of traffic around schools etc by giving one way proirity and for that reason I think they are effective, and 'good'.

People have died from falling down stairs, I don't hate stairs.

Well I do, but you get my drift.
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[Serendipity]

The ones near me are marked up as cycle lanes, so I definitely think that’s the intention of the one in the OP. The markings on my local ones are faint, but can be seen on Streetview.

As to the danger of such a road arrangement... when you combine a slightly unusual road obstacle with impatience and the endemic levels of driver fuckwittery, then accidents will happen. The number of times I’ve had to brake sharply to avoid some dope who thought they could just make it through when I had right of way.

I have used the cycle lanes to nip through on occasions, although in my case I’m sure a booking would have followed due to the obvious keep right sign. It’s worth being careful about leaves and crud building up though. I went though one after a small flood had left a load of wet mud in the gully and the bike got significantly squirrely.
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[pa_broon74]

We've loads of these things, I don't use the cycle-through because generally it adds fuel to car dirvers arguments that motorcycles aren't proper vehicles so can be cut up or forced to share road space, (you know how that happens, a car tries to pass in the same lane as if you are on a push bike?)

I agree with defblade though, its just something on the road to distract drivers from what they should really be concetrating on. I've seen drivers fixated on the oncoming traffic, they see a gap and go for it, meanwhile a pedestrian has also seen it and is going for it too.

If you absolutely must, just put speed humps in, much more effective and bikes can just weave round them.


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Didn't catch anything.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not noticed any which don't have a keep right arrow (although could well be plenty, just double checked a local one), so going to the left would be a bit naughty.

Don't think they are a good idea, and they do certainly seem to cause accidents. Some friends lived near Liss in Hants and some near them were put up on a fairly busy road. From memory 3 accidents were caused in the first day!

All the best

Keith
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[defblade]

[Bloke]

It's for cyclists, but you'd be nucking futs if you think i'd go through there on my bicycle, strewn with broken glass, thorns and other such joyful foreign bodies.
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[ms51ves3]

[Walloper]

As that man said.
It's a detritus trap.
Where the road sweeper never goes.
Full of shit.
Avoid.
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[Skudd]

The gap is for push bikes and electric old biddy mobiles. Motor vehicles must pass on the right when it is safe to do so.
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[Clanger]

I'd risk it.
For the simple reason if I got pulled, I'd point at my tax disk and say 'the motorbike is classified as a bicycle on the road, so I assumed bike lanes are for me...' without smirking of course...
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[ms51ves3]

[hellkat]