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Near Miss of the Day 444: Recurring issue at junctions on shared use path

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country - today it's Dorset...

Today’s near miss is actually a whole series of near misses, all on the same shared use path on Dunyeats Road in Broadstone, Poole. The junction design makes them sufficiently likely that the cyclist who shot the footage proceeds with extreme caution.

“I've emailed the council and sent them the video of the blue BMW,” said Dave. “They saw nothing wrong with the driving.”

Dave says he’s been on that route again since and had the same issues. “Every single junction on it is dangerous.”

As he points out in the video, setting the give way lines back from the path means motorists emerging from side roads have no real view of anyone who is riding on it.

Dave also sent us a bad driving compilation featuring all manner of incidents on his local roads.

> 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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22 comments

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grOg | 3 years ago
0 likes

The car that emerges at 2:16 looks like it stopped at the give way line, then crept forward to get a sightline to turn into the main road - safe and legal. The driver was very polite to reverse back, as I would not have; a pedestrian or cyclist at that point should wait for the driver to complete the turn and proceed behind the car.

The point of the video is correct however - very stupid, dangerous road planning clearly designed to fail. Given the lack of sightlines for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the path should give way to vehicles using the road, with barriers across the path to ensure cyclists can't just continue straight through at speed across the intersection.

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Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
0 likes

2 stills from what is actually a good (in comparison to many) local cycle path between Melbourn and Frog End in S Cambs. 

The first is a typical car turning left across the path of the cyclist, the second demonstrates the problem of the path crossing private entrances where visibility is poor.

I personally hate this path, I seem to get a puncture every time I use it. I now mostly try and avoid the route entirely.

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mdavidford replied to Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
5 likes

To be fair to the driver of that first car, they have asked their dog to check whether there was anything coming before turning in, and it's just let them down.

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Grumpy17 | 3 years ago
5 likes

Yes a ridiculous piece of infrastructure at those junctions but just as ridiculous is the fact that you are cycling past countless driveways from which any vehicle or pedestrian could emerge without warning. no give way lines there.I would feel totally unsafe cycling along there even at a sedate speed.If someone pulls out of one of those driveways onto the shared path and collides with a cyclist pushing them into the carriageway and into the path of a moving vehicle who is to blame?

i'm certain it wouldn't come down entirely in favour of the cyclist.Can imagine the dialogue in any court proceedings would Inevitably involve references to cyclists passing tall hedges and driveways at very close proximity, no chance for cars emerging to see cyclist therefore car driver entirely blameless.Better off on the road unless you're literally trundling at 5 mph

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ktache replied to Grumpy17 | 3 years ago
3 likes

And these signs make it worse, making the liability for running over the vulnerable cyclist a murky grey area...

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mdavidford replied to ktache | 3 years ago
2 likes

I don't see that that's really any different to the 'Concealed entrance', 'Plant crossing', 'Tractors turning', etc. signs you often see directed at traffic on the main carriageway. It shouldn't carry any implication that those vehicles can pull out without checking that the way is clear. It's just a warning that you may need to slow if something is already in the process of manoeuvring as you approach.

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ktache replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Do they say "DRIVERS BEWARE" though?

They worry me.

Blame is easy to shift, just look at the videos and the response from the council.

You were warned, after all.

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Cycloid | 3 years ago
4 likes

Most Cycling infrastructure is just not fit for purpose, this is a typically bad example.

As an experienced cyclist I would rather ride on the road, and take my chances (and the abuse) from the drivers

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Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
4 likes

I have come to the conclusiom that cycle lanes should be for new cyclists or those who are still too nervous (understandably) to use the road. The object here is to keep cyclist separate from cars, not to enable them to cycle quickly without stopping. In this case the cycle lane partly achieves its goals. But : cycling against the flow of traffic, even on the pavement, to me is quite scary and those should be stop signs for cars. They then should stop and then inch forward into the cycle lane which makes it much safer.

In this situation I would use the road but I have noticed a change in drivers attitudes in recent weeks and it is not a change for the better. Not quite sure why this should be, may be they are just jealous of the freedom and relative safety we have enjoyed during lock down and feel that they are back in charge now and need to assert their authority.

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davidnorwich | 3 years ago
4 likes

Google Netherlands pavements. Try and and a pavement surfaced in black tarmac. I couldn't find one, all were a different colour to the road, grey slabs, red tarmac etc. If the pavement is the same surface as the road the give ways are doomed to fail, a few give way lines and signs aren't enough. Needs to look different. Suppose we have to have black tarmac pavements because its cheaper plus the pavements have to undulate like rolling hills to make driving in to driveways easier rather than steep sloped curb stones up to pavement hight like in the Netherlands.

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Supers79 | 3 years ago
2 likes

I wouldn't mind taking an old mountain bike along that path and putting a dent into the side  of those cars that have no intention of giving way to the cyclist. 

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Projectcyclingf... replied to Supers79 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Exactly my thoughts, a controlled collision into the side of these cars of these careless motorists will leave a nice verticle dent that will remind them to look carefully and give way to those who have right of way.

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grOg replied to Projectcyclingfitness | 3 years ago
0 likes

I'm guessing you wouldn't like the driver to get out and give you a nice 'verticle' dent in your helmet..

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LetsBePartOfThe... | 3 years ago
3 likes

thoughts outside the box:

pinch-point the main road and the footway/cycle lane - at each junction ( as mentioned by earlier correspondent ) to bring the give-way line into the required sightlines

close the side roads to emerging traffic ( at this end )

close the side roads to traffic, and let happy children play there

close a lane of main road and make that the contiguous footway/cycle path - no longer tight up against the properties 

ask people to use their cars less, and their feet and cycles more - so that the new ideas become a new start. I'll check back in six months to see how they all got on with this proposal

 

 

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welshcyclist | 3 years ago
0 likes

Obviously, a very dangerous cycle lane completely ill thought out. Shared cycle lanes are sadly not the way to go, traffic, pedestrians and cyclists have to be completely separated. How that can be achieved is beyond me, but I have given up my 20 mile each way commute for a much shorter version, albeit on a "shared" canal towpath. Why? Because I fear for my life, nowadays, on the roads, drivers are impatient, agressive and downright dangerous. 

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spen | 3 years ago
1 like

Those are Dutch style junctions, therefore they are perfect (they might work if they are designed in from the start but very obviously cannot be retrofitted unless there is a very wide path/ verge) 

 

Bloody cyclists, never pleased! 

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davidnorwich replied to spen | 3 years ago
2 likes

You've not seen many Dutch style junctions have you? Let me introduce you to some examples from google. https://departmentfortransport.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/continuous-pa...
https://aseasyasridingabike.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/dscn0123.jpg
Look at them then look at the ones in the video.

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HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
2 likes

1) I'm not a fan of shared use pavements, but maybe the total width of road + pavements makes it difficult to fit in segregated cycle paths.

2) Given that's what it is, I think Dave is right not to ride faster than 12mph.

3) I'd rather the junctions were like that than priority to vehicles entering/exiting side roads. It seems to work ok. What's the better solution that I'm missing?

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check12 replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
1 like

the give ways could be turned in to stop lines? not sure looks like a bit of dodgy infrastructure 

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mdavidford replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
5 likes

Raising the level of the shared path, and a more distinct surface might help, in that it would emphasise the priority of the shared path and encourage drivers to be more aware of the possibility of crossing traffic. It wouldn't solve the fundamental problem of the corners being mostly obscured by high walls/hedges, though.

You could also introduce pinch points in the main road, allowing the shared path to deviate away from the walls/hedges, and the stop lines to be further out where there's better line of sight. That would have the added benefit of slowing the main traffic, making emerging from the junctions safer. You'd probably get all kinds of objections about 'interrupting flow' if you proposed that though.

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a1white replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
4 likes

Also, playing devlis advocate, with the high walls and bushes, that silver car has no view of the pavement and road until it has edged out beyond the giveway, so I can kind of understand why he is doing it.

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MTB Refugee replied to a1white | 3 years ago
6 likes

a1white wrote:

Also, playing devlis advocate, with the high walls and bushes, that silver car has no view of the pavement and road until it has edged out beyond the giveway, so I can kind of understand why he is doing it.

Agreed, the car at 02:18 proceeds out slowly and can't see you until he's half way across the path. Hard to see what else he could do in that situation.

The design is hopeless and the cars have to come way past the double dashed lines to see the traffic on the road. It's just another example of pointless cycling infrastructure. They should have saved the money and spent it on pizzas.

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