Light Controlled Cycle Crossing Confusion
Discussion
Driving near Kew Bridge today on the Chiswick High Road I came across a traffic light configuration that seriously confused me. I consider myself an experienced driver but I'd never come across this setup before (I don't drive in London much to be fair).
The config was a dual carriageway with a traffic light-controlled junction then immediately after this a light-controlled cycle crossing and then immediately following that a light-controlled pedestrian crossing. See google streetview here https://goo.gl/maps/FdnFC
So on the central reservation are 3 light pods (see link above); the first for the junction, the second for the cycle crossing and the third for the pedestrian crossing. The thing that threw me was that the cycle lights were red while the junction lights and pedestrian crossing lights were green i.e. the first set of lights on green, the second on red and the third on green. My first instinct was to stop for the cycle red but as all other traffic was going through I went too.
Later in the day I walked back to observe the junction on foot (I had a meeting just down the road) and saw that the cycle lane lights appeared to be for the control of cycles crossing the main carriage way. I saw that when the cycle lane lights went green they displayed a picture of a green cycle. This seems a bit confusing to me as these lights clearly are facing in the direction of the traffic on the main carriageway, not the bikes using the cycle crossing!
So, is this just bad road design or am I a muppet and it is obvious to most people that the middle lights aren't for traffic on the main carriageway?!
Steve
The config was a dual carriageway with a traffic light-controlled junction then immediately after this a light-controlled cycle crossing and then immediately following that a light-controlled pedestrian crossing. See google streetview here https://goo.gl/maps/FdnFC
So on the central reservation are 3 light pods (see link above); the first for the junction, the second for the cycle crossing and the third for the pedestrian crossing. The thing that threw me was that the cycle lights were red while the junction lights and pedestrian crossing lights were green i.e. the first set of lights on green, the second on red and the third on green. My first instinct was to stop for the cycle red but as all other traffic was going through I went too.
Later in the day I walked back to observe the junction on foot (I had a meeting just down the road) and saw that the cycle lane lights appeared to be for the control of cycles crossing the main carriage way. I saw that when the cycle lane lights went green they displayed a picture of a green cycle. This seems a bit confusing to me as these lights clearly are facing in the direction of the traffic on the main carriageway, not the bikes using the cycle crossing!
So, is this just bad road design or am I a muppet and it is obvious to most people that the middle lights aren't for traffic on the main carriageway?!
Steve
Edited by randomcharacter on Monday 20th July 14:25
Edited by randomcharacter on Monday 20th July 14:31
Bad road design, the second lights need to be angled much more away from the approaching traffic. I may have stopped there if approaching for the first time too, at least initially. Bloody interfering councils need to stop coming up with these ridiculous schemes that no one understands.
A few thoughts on this junction, which I know well:
- For much of the day, the traffic is backed up from the large roundabout just ahead (junction of North Circular and A4). Vehicles normally are stopped along this stretch because of the traffic, regardless of whether the lights are red.
- On the rare occasion when one might drive up it without a traffic queue, the junction seems to function intuitively.
- On the immediate left of the junction (just out of range of image, unless you rotate it) is a school. Numerous children will use the pedestrian crossing every day.
- Another feature of this junction is the left fork in the road, which becomes Capital Interchange Way. In the image, just beyond the start of Capital Interchange Way, one can see a car park. The car park has a wide mouth for access from/to Capital Interchange Way.
Driving straight up the main road towards the large roundabout, as I said there is normally a long, slow-moving queue of traffic. However, as shown in the image, the left lane that becomes Capital Interchange Way is not often used. It is always essentially "empty".
In order to jump the queue leading to the big RAB, some lowlifes will zip up the empty left lane onto Capital Interchange Way, do a U-turn at the car park entrance, and then exit Capital Interchange Way and come back into the main road and continue towards the RAB. The net effect of this typically is to jump 10-15 cars in the queue whilst in the process needlessly endangering dozens of school children as they walk to and from school.
Pathetic.
- For much of the day, the traffic is backed up from the large roundabout just ahead (junction of North Circular and A4). Vehicles normally are stopped along this stretch because of the traffic, regardless of whether the lights are red.
- On the rare occasion when one might drive up it without a traffic queue, the junction seems to function intuitively.
- On the immediate left of the junction (just out of range of image, unless you rotate it) is a school. Numerous children will use the pedestrian crossing every day.
- Another feature of this junction is the left fork in the road, which becomes Capital Interchange Way. In the image, just beyond the start of Capital Interchange Way, one can see a car park. The car park has a wide mouth for access from/to Capital Interchange Way.
Driving straight up the main road towards the large roundabout, as I said there is normally a long, slow-moving queue of traffic. However, as shown in the image, the left lane that becomes Capital Interchange Way is not often used. It is always essentially "empty".
In order to jump the queue leading to the big RAB, some lowlifes will zip up the empty left lane onto Capital Interchange Way, do a U-turn at the car park entrance, and then exit Capital Interchange Way and come back into the main road and continue towards the RAB. The net effect of this typically is to jump 10-15 cars in the queue whilst in the process needlessly endangering dozens of school children as they walk to and from school.
Pathetic.
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