"Not every person on a cycle can dismount": Questions asked of 'cyclists dismount' signs on national cycle route during works

hawkinspeter wrote:

GMBasix wrote:

Yes. Although, if the "Cyclists Dismount" sign is legally placed, I presume it carries legally enforceable status if the road has been lawfully closed to vehicles. Not because the sign itself has effect, but because the road closure does.

Well, that raises the question of whether cyclists can legally travel down a "closed road" if it isn't closed to pedestrians. I would presume you could claim that the signage was insufficient if it's not a round sign as usually used for mandatory instructions.

I know you are vaguely around the same area as me, Peter, so you'll know that Beggar Bush Lane is closed while they rejig the traffic lights and lane widths (to put in a dedicated bus lane for the one bus which goes past every half hour from Bristol to Portishead).

While the end of Beggar Bush Lane is closed, there is fencing up around their work site (with weird security monitor scanners which speak in a strong Northern Irish accent if you set them off, for some reason) and they have yellow "Cyclists dismount" signs at each end of the so-called diversion (a path slightly wider than my handlebars along one side, then rubberised plastic boards across the grass at the other side).

Where was I?  Oh yes - anyhoo, I understand the dismount signs to be "Use your common sense"...  If you see a pedestrian or another cyclist, you wait at the end (because a cyclist and anyone else cannot pass each other on that narrow bit).

Am I right?  Are yellow signs purely advisory?

brooksby wrote:

I know you are vaguely around the same area as me, Peter, so you'll know that Beggar Bush Lane is closed while they rejig the traffic lights and lane widths (to put in a dedicated bus lane for the one bus which goes past every half hour from Bristol to Portishead).

While the end of Beggar Bush Lane is closed, there is fencing up around their work site (with weird security monitor scanners which speak in a strong Northern Irish accent if you set them off, for some reason) and they have yellow "Cyclists dismount" signs at each end of the so-called diversion (a path slightly wider than my handlebars along one side, then rubberised plastic boards across the grass at the other side).

Where was I?  Oh yes - anyhoo, I understand the dismount signs to be "Use your common sense"...  If you see a pedestrian or another cyclist, you wait at the end (because a cyclist and anyone else cannot pass each other on that narrow bit).

Am I right?  Are yellow signs purely advisory?

I don't think we're that close - I'm over in St George, whilst you're somewhere near Pill IIRC.

Yes, I interpret dismount signs as "be careful, you don't have priority" and will cycle at walking speed if it's too narrow for safe passes. After a quick check of Wikipedia, the colour of the sign usually just indicates the nature of the road e.g. motorways use blue and temporary diversions/closures are yellow.

The shape of the sign is significant - most of the mandatory signs are round. There's the octagonal STOP sign and the upside down triangle for GIVE WAY - those two are designed to be recognisable even if covered with snow or something. There are some specific rectangular signs that are mandatory such as this:

There's also rectangular signs with a round symbol(s) on it

Fallen down a squirrel hole of UK road signage and happened across this official publication: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519129/know-your-traffic-signs.pdf

There's a couple of examples of "Cyclist Dismount" signs in it, but as they're not prohibitive (round) signs, I doubt they could be enforced without a TRO. (I noticed that the loose chippings, max speed 20 sign is advisory too - I previously thought that was enforceable).

I think my "only obey round signs" is a bit simplistic, but it's mostly correct.

Rendel Harris wrote:

In this instance in Bath as far as I can see the "Cyclist dismount" signs are there to tell cyclists that they ride on the pavement to get round the roadworks, so they are simply confirming the law against pavement cycling.

There is a statutorily approved sign for exactly that. I understood from another thread that they are supposed to restrict themselves to using such signs, rather than just making it up.

Quite possibly - but they 'give permission' for members of the public to have a go anyway, and so are not desirable.

There may be circs where a legal version of such a sign is appropriate, as illustrated on Wandsworth Bridge when the deck had been removed.