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
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