slight problem with ASLs

[Pete Owens]

Utter b****cks. The photo shows that almost all of the ASL is in the blindspot.

Ah ... I think I can see where you are getting confused.

The lower picture does not show an ASL (even though it is more or less the same sort of "L" shape). The yellow line shows where the driver can see the road surface. Roughly 2 - 2.5m in front of the truck. An Advanced Stop Line should be 4 - 5m in front of the motor stop line so that any cyclist stoped at that line is entirely clear of the blind area and completely (right down to the foot of the back tyre) in the direct vision of a truck driver stopped at the motor vehicle line.

 

[mjr]

How can you be sure how long the lights will stay on red?

That's not what you wrote earlier, but if you want to pretend motorists don't jump red lights and that variable light timing schemes like SCOOT don't exist, enjoy the queue while I ride past you.

 

[DaveReading]

if you want to pretend motorists don't jump red lights

If I spent my life worrying about potential RLJ-ing motorists, I'd never progress past a single traffic light.

 

[Brandane]

Sorry but there's a load of bollox being spouted on this thread. I drive HGV's of all types, and I find the photos on page 1 to be scaremongering on a large scale; "blind spots" to the front of an HGV don't really exist unless you manage to get within about 2' of its front bumper, and are less than 4' tall. I once had a scary moment with a pedestrian who did exactly that; walked in front of my lorry in stop/start traffic. She was lucky that I saw the very top of her head just as I started to move forward.
In the real world, as long as the driver makes proper observations, by which I mean moving his head and body around to see the bits obscured by the mirrors themselves, and pillars, then those illustrated "blind spots" are just BS (and I don't mean Blind Spots!). If you sit in a cab, as the OP allegedly did, and sit rigidly still - then you may think there are blind spots. MOVE AROUND, FFS, and you can see properly!
The only real blind spot which is difficult to cover is close in to the drivers nearside, and slightly forward of the nearside mirror. The area is so small that you would be hard pushed to fit a bicycle in it. It does become more of a problem in moving traffic, because the driver then has to pay most attention to what is going on ahead of him, and quite simply cannot be checking 6 mirrors all the time - but he can when stationary, and before moving off.

 

[Brandane]

These are the illustrations I was talking about. WTF?? I take it they are making out that the black areas are blind spots? So if you are standing in those areas and can look the driver in the eye (or see his eyes in one of the mirrors), what makes them think the driver cannot see them? Like I said, BS and scaremongering.

 

[gaijintendo]

I have a bit of a reputation for resurrecting old threads, but let me add to this, if nobody minds.

The other slight problem, which applies access lane or not: if you don't have knowledge of a junction light timings, you end up in the midst of moving traffic, rather than part of it. This scenario accounts for possibly the majority of my cycling stress when in unfamiliar routes.

Also, I notice a lot of cyclists treat every light as if it has ASL, regardless. I presume that to be perfectly legal, but these choices always seem mighty risky to me.

 

[mjr]

I have a bit of a reputation for resurrectimrold threads, but let me add to this, if nobody minds.

The other slight problem, which applies access oane or not: if you don't have knowledge of a junction light timings, you end up in the midst of moving traffic, rather than part of it. This scenario accounts for possibly the majority of my cycling stress when in unfamiliar routes.

Cyclecraft tells us how to handle the lights changing before you finish filtering: as the motorists start to move off, the gaps between them open up and you merge left into one. It's more difficult if you were using a dodgy left side filter/approach lane that puts you at risk of a left hook because you have to move right and motorists expect that less.

Also, I notice a lot of cyclists treat every light as if it has ASL, regardless. I presume that to be perfectly legal, but these choices always seem mighty risky to me.

Not sure what you mean by that. Filtering up the side is legal. Crossing a single stop line rarely is.

 

[Drago]

Legal is most circumstances, but not necessarily clever, especially when Chris Grayling is in town.

 

[mjr]

Legal is most circumstances, but not necessarily clever, especially when Chris Grayling is in town.

Keep out of the door zones, which is why few left side filter lanes in this country are usable.