Safety warnings added to traffic lights

[richmoko]

I'm a second year engineering student. I cycle everywhere and have come across this problem all too often. Please take a moment to read this and give your opinion, I need to provide evidence that this is a real life problem for budding cyclist like us.
Local councils are always asking people to go green ‘CYCLE’ they say. Well I can honestly say from my own experience of cycling around my city on a daily basis, it can be a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
I must admit, I do not often wait around for traffic to flow, as this is one of the great advantages of cycle lane’s. Nor do I stop for unnecessary reason. The way I see it is. If a cyclist has to halt from a 13mph it takes quite a lot of effort and energy to reach that speed again.
My business proposal has come to light after all too frequent ‘near misses’ with vehicles jumping lights at junctions operating filter lights.
When a car jumps the filter light, they do not even look for a cyclist, often emerging from between stationary traffic setting off from a standstill. What often happens, is the driver jumping the light is thinking “the bus at the front will set off slowly”. Meanwhile from alongside the bus, the cyclist pops out and ‘hey presto’ the cyclist is forced to stop dead to avoid being struck.
The Basis of my proposition is to develop a system capable of warning drivers that a cyclist may emerge alongside the stationary traffic. Ideally attached to an existing traffic light cluster.
If you would like to send any of your opinions or suggestions please E-mail me at richmoko2000@yahoo.co.uk or post on this forum.
Thanks for your time guys and gals.

 

[Spinney]

Is this just a problem when drivers illegally jump lights? If so, it could be said that the answer is to stop drivers doing that.

However, if I understand what you are getting at, could your idea be extended to warn any driver that there is a cyclist on the left of the traffic which, for example, might help to prevent 'left-hooks' by lorry drivers that kill cyclists (often because the cyclist has riden up alongside a stationary HGV into a blind-spot and/or the driver has not bothered to use his/her mirrors properly before turning left).

 

[palinurus]

I'd remove your email address from that post. Forummers can PM you if required.

 

[thomas]

Can't say I've ever faced that problem.

Maybe the cyclist should position themself in a way that they will be seen...rather than just appearing out of no where.

As for warning drivers there might be a cyclist, I don't think that is something which should be attached to traffic lights. Drivers should just be aware that there are other people on the roads...so improved training/etc.

 

[jonesy]

Hmmm. A spate of surveys as first posts from new members... has someone circulated the CC web address in a tutorial somewhere?

 

[wafflycat]

Hmmm. A spate of surveys as first posts from new members... has someone circulated the CC web address in a tutorial somewhere?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[wafflycat]

The Basis of my proposition is to develop a system capable of warning drivers that a cyclist may emerge alongside the stationary traffic. Ideally attached to an existing traffic light cluster.
If you would like to send any of your opinions or suggestions please E-mail me at richmoko2000@yahoo.co.uk or post on this forum.
Thanks for your time guys and gals.

They are called eyes and too many drivers fail to engage them. Having a notice up is yet one more thing for the eyes to notice.

 

[Archie_tect]

I agree with WC there are too many signs and visual clutter on roads already.

 

[richmoko]

Although lorries turning can be a hazard for cyclists, I'm not focusing on this problem, as I know that there are mirrors and blind spot camera's on the market for large vehicles. What i'm getting at is that when a cyclist is coming towards a set of lights and they change when the cyclist is approx 10m away from the line of the lights the cyclist is most likely to be across the line long before most drivers set off. Attached is a quick sketch to show how these two paths of travel cross when a driver tries to make the lights unaware of the presence of a cyclist.

 

[Lurker]

I'm a second year engineering student. I cycle everywhere and have come across this problem all too often. Please take a moment to read this and give your opinion, I need to provide evidence that this is a real life problem for budding cyclist like us.
....My business proposal has come to light after all too frequent ‘near misses’ with vehicles jumping lights at junctions operating filter lights.
When a car jumps the filter light, they do not even look for a cyclist, often emerging from between stationary traffic setting off from a standstill. What often happens, is the driver jumping the light is thinking “the bus at the front will set off slowly”. Meanwhile from alongside the bus, the cyclist pops out and ‘hey presto’ the cyclist is forced to stop dead to avoid being struck.
The Basis of my proposition is to develop a system capable of warning drivers that a cyclist may emerge alongside the stationary traffic. Ideally attached to an existing traffic light cluster.
If you would like to send any of your opinions or suggestions please E-mail me at richmoko2000@yahoo.co.uk or post on this forum.
Thanks for your time guys and gals.

This reads like one of those situations where social engineering rather than highway engineering is a better solution. Mine would consist of the police reminding drivers of the Highway Code's instructions on the meaning of traffic signals. This should be combined with widespread promotion of National Standards cycle training, to encourage cyclists (and especially 'budding cyclists') to share the road confidently with motor vehicles - and discourage creeping along in the gutter.

The Highway Code makes it very clear that the only circumstances in which it is permissable to proceed, with caution, is when traffic lights are green.

RED means ‘Stop’. Wait behind the stop line on the carriageway

RED AND AMBER also means ‘Stop’. Do not pass through or start until GREEN shows

GREEN means you may go on if the way is clear. Take special care if you intend to turn left or right and give way to pedestrians who are crossing

AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident

A GREEN ARROW may be provided in addition to the full green signal if movement in a certain direction is allowed before or after the full green phase. If the way is clear you may go but only in the direction shown by the arrow. You may do this whatever other lights may be showing. White light signals may be provided for trams

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu.../@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_070561.pdf

More about this including relevant traffic law is at 'Junctions controlled by traffic lights', HC Rules 175-178, see
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332

 

[richmoko]

Its a warning to oncoming drivers trying to jump through the filter light that a Cyclist is approaching the lights just before they change so will appear already moving from through the traffic which is just setting off from standstill. see the diagram above and tell me if this is a problem if you ever cycle around a busy city.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Its a warning to oncoming drivers trying to jump through the filter light that a Cyclist is approaching the lights just before they change so will appear already moving from through the traffic which is just setting off from standstill. see the diagram above and tell me if this is a problem if you ever cycle around a busy city.

It's another way to make sure motorists stop looking out for cyclists unless there's a sign there telling them to.

 

[Cab]

Its a warning to oncoming drivers trying to jump through the filter light that a Cyclist is approaching the lights just before they change so will appear already moving from through the traffic which is just setting off from standstill. see the diagram above and tell me if this is a problem if you ever cycle around a busy city.

Better to just put a camera on the lights and prosecute motorists who are too stupid to know what the different coloured lights are.

The risk here is not posed by lights, it is posed by motorists who mistakenly believe they are above the law. A lot of people out on the roads think that, and it really matters when they're in charge of big metal boxes moving at lethal speeds.

So you propose putting an extra bit of kit in that tells motorists that much of the time they can safely jump the lights? You've got that all backwards. A good aunt sally of an idea, to be sure, but it would be a frightening reality.

 

[Twenty Inch]

What Rythm Thief and Cab said.

I understand the problem and have suffered from it in the past, especially when moving at speed. But it's all too tempting to use technology to solve a management problem.

A few swinging fines for RLJ cars would be a good start.

 

[andyfromotley]

Not a problem i have encountered much tbh. Please dont stop trying to think of solutions to make motorists more mindful of cuclists though.