Near Miss of the Day 409: Motorist incensed by cyclist filtering at traffic lights intimidates him with his car and calls him an ‘imbecile’ (and more besides)

Sriracha wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Or just make it legal for cyclists to cross the white stop line whether there's an ASL or not. That would cost literally nothing to implement.

But that's the point - nobody, not even cyclists, is allowed to cross stop line, whether there is an ASL or not. It's there for a reason, like pedestrians crossing at the lights. The ASL holds cars further back from the stop line, it does not allow cyclists to cross in front of it.

Yeah, I appreciate that, but what I'm proposing is to change the law so where there isn't an ASL at the lights, allow cyclists to cross the white stop line, thus treating it like an ASL.

(I tend to do this if a driver blocks the ASL box, though I do it more out of pettiness than anything else).

ClubSmed wrote:

The problem is that there are not ASLs at every set of lights but you won't know until you get to the front, by which time it's too late and you're forced to wait across the white line. This needs to change, either every traffic lights should have an ASL or none should

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Turn around sheepishly and go to the back of the queue?

brooksby wrote:

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Stop?

Sriracha wrote:

brooksby wrote:

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Stop?

That's a rather disingenuous response. If there's no ASL, and you can't cross the white line, then where exactly are you supposed to stop? Without an ASL, and without crossing the white line, there won't be anywhere to just stop and wait...

brooksby wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

brooksby wrote:

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Stop?

That's a rather disingenuous response. If there's no ASL, and you can't cross the white line, then where exactly are you supposed to stop? Without an ASL, and without crossing the white line, there won't be anywhere to just stop and wait...

I'm genuinely struggling to understand what it is you are trying to say. You just stop where you got to. You're already there - so I don't understand how you can say there is no such place - you just cease moving, in situ. This all happens before you cross the line.

Sriracha wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

brooksby wrote:

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Stop?

That's a rather disingenuous response. If there's no ASL, and you can't cross the white line, then where exactly are you supposed to stop? Without an ASL, and without crossing the white line, there won't be anywhere to just stop and wait...

I'm genuinely struggling to understand what it is you are trying to say. You just stop where you got to. You're already there - so I don't understand how you can say there is no such place - you just cease moving, in situ. This all happens before you cross the line.

Sorry if I wasnt clear.

I'd meant that stopping 'in situ' will leave the cyclist (who has filtered up to lights to find no ASL but just a white line)  either stranded between two lanes of about to be fast moving traffic, or to the outside or inside of a single lane of about to be fast moving motor traffic. Neither option is desirable or safe. 

I wonder if a sign saying 'there is or isn't an ASL at these traffic lights' would be an option...?

brooksby wrote:

I wonder what the town planners expect cyclists to do when they get to the front and find there's no ASL?

Turn around sheepishly and go to the back of the queue?

Your mistake is in assuming that town planners expect cyclists.

I must admit I tend not to bother filtering in these situations for this reason. in less I can see traffic is back up for miles. In some ways that line of cars in front of you are less people who are able to try and kill you. 

Also an old Merc like that are on the danger list, they're normally driven by Neanderthals who'll see a cyclist moving in front of them tantamount to being told they have a small penis and they can't help but react like this, they can't help themselves.