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news
Near Miss of the Day 178: Driver turns left from middle lane
This cyclist was overtaken when approaching a side road. The driver then turned from the middle lane in front of him.
Ant says he normally rides this route every day for work. “It’s very, very busy but it's generally okay. Cars and lorries are well behaved. Even when I have to cross two lanes to get to a right turn, there is no drama. The biggest danger is motorbikes putting in some high speed passes with no regard for safe distance.”
On this occasion he was in London at the weekend, Saturday July 28, on his way to Dunwich Dynamo. The incident occurred on Marylebone Road, just past Madame Tussauds.
“You'll see the Fiesta was quite behind me going past the entrance to the left turn lane. They come alongside me, then they must think I've teleported somewhere and just cut straight across.
“I'm struggling to imagine what they were thinking, aside from not understanding lane discipline – do things that are not directly in front of them no longer exist?”
Ant says he’s also interested to know what people think the carriageway markings should be for bus and taxi traffic at this junction.
“I can't find any online recommendations,” he said. “A lot of drivers who are commenting on this think I should have turned left, and I can't refute that.”
He adds: “Clearly (to me) this is an interruption in a bus lane to allow a left turn for non-bus lane traffic, and the lane continues, because it’s the major route into London – but not everyone is seeing that.”
> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?
Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.
If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.
If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).
Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.
> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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21 comments
BetterNever, it is not dangerous for the driver, if it were they'd be more careful.
Question: On the approach to the junction is there a sign indicating that it is a compulsory left turn except for buses and cycles who may continue straight ahead?
I suspect that there is otherwise buses and coaches would have to constantly change lanes.
If this is the case then no blame can be put on the rider, and he must be applauded for his situational awareness in avoiding a collision.
Edit: As the bus lane does not terminate before the junction (and restart after the junction) but instead proceeds through it, there is no requirement for the above mentioned sign. This is shown by the 'dashed line through the junction. It does however lead to a certain ambiguity with regard to the other road markings.
Something is playing peekaboo in the back of my mind! Wasn't there a courtcase a few years back where a female cyclist was struck by an eight-leg tipper that had turned across a bus lane? If I remember rightly the presiding judge/magistrate ruled that the tipper driver was not at fault therefore implying that it was the fault of the cyclist for being there. I thought the judgement was disgraceful then, and still do.
In 'defence' of the driver. Maybe they were new in town and slightly confused. Maybe they panicked and had an "Oh Shit! That's our turn!". We've all had panicky navigator at some time. They made an error of judgement, their mind blocked out the presence of the cyclists in the panic of missing their turn. Nothing in the video makes me believe that the actions of the driver are malicious in intent. They made a mistake!
Before all the KBW's start leaping up and down and soiling their nappies - Yes I am well aware that the consequences of a car driver getting it wrong are more serious than a cyclist getting it wrong.
Take the lane, why cycle down the side when its a bus lane or any lane for that matter?
I've found much less issues when I ride central on the road, its creates a rolling road block and drivers have to think before they overtake, instead of just sailing by, oblivious of your position
These are signs are common place and the drivers by law now have to abide by them
There are catching signs like, 'Move Wider for the Rider'
This is Australia which wasnt the most cycle friendly country, but they have cycle lanes all over the place now. When a road is upgraded cycle lanes are added
20180801_090648.jpg
I didn't know the red lines meant a cycle lane either, bit narrow isn't it?
It seems odd that they send all the buses to the left at each junction.
Bad NFL driving, the usual MGIF where they really shouldn't be. But Ant, your road positioning invited it. You're on the left hand side of a left turn lane, you even move further to the left as it becomes the left turn lane. That to me would indicate an intention to turn left.
As others have suggested, personally I'd be over onto the right hand side of that lane so as not to impede traffic in the middle lane and make it obvious I wasn't turning left.
To me this one is a 50:50, poor decision making and bad lane discipline by both parties, but with the onus on the driver as they should have given way and are driving the tonne of metal.
While I agree with you that the positioning could have been better, that does not excuse the inconsiderate, illegal, dangerous manouvre by the driver. If there had been a collision, it would have been entirely the driver's fault.
It certainly doesn't excuse it, but it does explain why the driver thought it might not have been as dangerous as it turned out to be. Yes the manouvre was reckless and completely unnecessary, just like every driver who attempts to overtake on a roundabout or at a pinch point. But chances are the driver didn't intend to cut Ant up, chances are they thought he was turning left as a result of his positioning.
As cyclists we don't have indicators and hand signals aren't always that useful. Road positioning often becomes the most important way of signalling our intentions and we shouldn't be suprised if a driver reads a certain position a certain way. And as it's London we shouldn't be suprised if they then make a crap manouvre; a shit place to drive and full of shitty drivers.
It's a left turn, so strictly speakng you should have been in the lane the driver came from. He or she, however, should have entered the lane you were in long before they did, and a good, experienced driver or cyclist would know that bus lane traffic going straight on would remain in the lane. It would be interesting though to see what the huses and taxis actually do - you can bet your life that driver wouldn't have made that move if you'd been a bus.
I have a similar situation on my commute, and like one of the other replies, I move towards the lane marking and keep an eye on what's behind me.
But if you're not familiar with the road, as a driver or cyclist, it's confusing, which means the driver should take extra care.
its a bus lane...cyclist was where he should be....that small section is for left turning vehicles to access the turn only. The car was changing lanes and should have therefore given way
Yes, you're right. I thought the broken lines signalled the end of the bus lane, but I've checked the TFL site and in fact they indicate that other vehicles can turn left across it.
[/quote]
Yes, you're right. I thought the broken lines signalled the end of the bus lane, but I've checked the TFL site and in fact they indicate that other vehicles can turn left across it.
[/quote]
What a dumb system! one minute it is a cycle/bus lane then anybody's and back again.
The bus lanes are interrupted like this precisely to avoid what happened. The turning traffic can get into the left lane before the junction then turn, but users of the bus lane may continue.
Driver just dives for the turning. Maybe the did just realise it was their junction but this is London and the next junction is less than 400m so no need for dangerous manoeuvres, it's not like take this junction now (in a dangerous way) or be stuck on the same road for the next 10 miles.
I dont trust those left turn lanes - I'll be at the far right of the lane to show I'm not turning.
Dumb motorists will assume.
Well done on avoiding the crash.
.
.
I like that you included all the previous traffic lights so nobody could say "It's your own fault for running a red light when you were 13".
And rode along the double red lines so nobody could say "What are you in the middle of the road!?".
But it's still your fault - you should've realised there was a car there, stopped, doffed your cap (sorry, helmet; accidents and close passes are also your fault if you don't have a helmet), apologized to all the motorists in the street, and only continued your journey once they'd gone.
Well done for avoiding a collision.
I don't like that road layout - it's not really fair on "straight on" cyclists like your good self. Fiesta driver in the wrong for not using the turning left lane (I don't see a signal until they're turning either).
I think if I were riding that route I'd be doing a big look over my shoulder before each junction and moving to the right hand side of the lane in good time to make clear I'm going straight on. Probably easier said than done though and could give less manouvering space if someone does do a last second left.
Manoeuvre, Signal, Mirror.
Isn't that what we were all taught?
Are you sure? I thought it was manoeuvre, signal, mirror!
Your normal dumb driver. I bet if you asked them they'd say that they were a better driver than average.
BTW, you can skip the first 1' 30".