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feature
Cycle lanes - 10.jpgWhy don't cyclists use cycle lanes?
You hear it all the time, especially on internet forums: cyclists should ride in the cycle lane. You might have had motorists yelling the same thing at you out on the road, or honking their horn (breaking Rule 112 of The Highway Code) and pointing at the cycle lane. What's the truth?
Let's see what The Highway Code has to say (remember that not all of the rules in The Highway Code are legal requirements).
Here's Rule 61 of the revised Highway Code that came into force in January this year: "Cycle Routes and Other Facilities. Cycle lanes are marked by a white line (which may be broken) along the carriageway. Use facilities such as cycle lanes and tracks, advanced stop lines and toucan crossings where they make your journey safer and easier. This will depend on your experience and skills and the situation at the time. While such facilities are provided for reasons of safety, cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them."
That's simple enough, then. Despite what people might claim – and how hard they type USING BLOCK CAPS – The Highway Code makes it clear that cyclists aren't obliged to use cycle lanes.
Surely, though, it's better all round for cyclists to make use of cycle lanes when they are provided? It helps us cyclists by giving us our own space and it allows motor vehicles to flow more freely, right?
Well, it's not always the best option.
What if the cycle lane is full of debris that could to cause a puncture? Cycle lanes are usually positioned on the far left of the road and the camber means that everything that lands on the main carriageway eventually ends up there... grit, stones, bits that have fallen out of skips, the lot.
We're not saying it's common but we've even seen glass from a road traffic incident being swept from the middle of the carriageway on to the cycle lane and left there, as if that means it has been cleared.
Some cycle lanes are dotted with slippery drain covers because of their positioning and they can be full of obstructions like bins left out to be emptied, temporary road signs and parked cars.
Rule 140 of The Highway Code has been heavily revised in the latest version that took effect in January with the aim of affording greater protection to cyclists.
It says: "Cycle lanes and cycle tracks. Cycle lanes are shown by road markings and signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line during its times of operation. Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable. You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane whilst waiting restrictions apply.
"You should give way to any cyclists in a cycle lane, including when they are approaching from behind you – do not cut across them when you are turning or when you are changing lane (see Rule H3). Be prepared to stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists before crossing the cycle lane.
"Cycle tracks are routes for cyclists that are physically protected or located away from motor traffic, other than where they cross side roads. Cycle tracks may be shared with pedestrians.
"You should give way to cyclists approaching or using the cycle track when you are turning into or out of a junction (see Rule H3). Be prepared to stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists before crossing the cycle track, which may be used by cyclists travelling in both directions.
"Bear in mind that cyclists are not obliged to use cycle lanes or cycle tracks."
There's a distinction in The Highway Code between 'Must/Must not' instructions which are legal requirements, and 'should/should not' and 'do/do not' rules which are advisory. That means that motorists are only advised not to park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line (which is most of them).
Even if there's just the occasional parked car, you'll need to leave the cycle lane and perhaps move back into traffic that's travelling at a faster speed. You might feel safer staying out of the cycle lane completely.
Another reason for not using a cycle lane on the left of the road is that it isn't always convenient if you're soon going to turn right or need to be in the right lane. Staying in the cycle lane might leave you needing to cross multiple lanes of traffic.
You might also sometimes find traffic turning left across your path without noticing you. The risk of getting sideswiped is one of the most common objections to using some cycle lanes.
A recent study published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention found that, far from protecting cyclists, painted cycle lanes are likely to result in closer passes from motorists. If you've had similar experiences, you're perfectly entitled to skip the cycle lane.
There's also the fact that some cycle lanes are simply – what's the word? – crap. They're filled with obstacles – street signs, bollards, trees and the like – they're so narrow that it's impossible to overtake, and they end abruptly.
Some cycle routes impede progress by requiring cyclists to give way to side roads frequently and even to dismount at certain junctions. It's far easier and quicker to steer clear of many.
If you use a cycle lane you'll have to rejoin the rest of the traffic at some point. This is usually straightforward enough but sometimes the junction at the far end has been poorly designed so you might want to avoid it by not taking the cycle lane in the first place.
You'll often hear complaints that cyclist don't use "perfectly good cycle paths". The issue is that a cycle path existing and a cycle path being perfectly good are two different things. They're sometimes footways that have been converted by having little blue shared-use signs added, they're full of pedestrians, they're narrow and poorly surfaced, they yield at every junction and they sometimes disappear entirely.
We've only pointed out the negative aspects of cycle lanes here, naturally, because we're explaining why cyclists don't always use them (and, of course, it's always easy to criticise). The truth is that many fulfil a purpose.
If you feel safer in a cycle lane, you think it's better for your purposes, or you reckon that, as a matter of courtesy, using one will help the flow of motor vehicles on the road, then go for it. Riding in a cycle lane is often the most sensible option but, despite what others might insist, it's completely up to you.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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94 comments
But cycle lanes are useful if you need to pop in to the sandwich shop:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1562795245531971592
A good summary that should be shared widely, especially with those who 'design' and install these cycleways. The standards of installation and upkeep are appalling.
There was one on Teesside that had house & minor road priority across the cycleway, hence no one used it
The article above does nothing to endear cyclists to other road users or pedestrians. If cyclists moan about the awful state of the cycling lanes and that they cant use them because of this, then perhaps they should also contribute a little more towards the cost of repair, obviously councils are finding it hard to fund repair of cycle lanes and are continuing to do what they did before cycle lanes were invented ie as little repair to the carrigeway as they can get away with.
This is a great overview of everything regular cyclists will already be acutely aware of. However from a motorist's perspective, I can't see how any of this answers their argument to 'use the cycle path when provided'.
Explaining why a cyclist might not want to use a path is essentially admitting that the path should really be used. it is admitting we are wrong... we are not in the wrong.
My answer whenever challenged is now;
"I don't have to use the path, and I won't use one unless it is more convenient for me to do so.
The key purpose of a cyclepath is to provide a dedicated space where less confident / able riders are able to ride their bikes away from traffic. They are an enabler, to encourage more people to use bicycles as an effective mode of traffic.
What cyclepaths are not, is a segregator to remove cyclists from the road for the convenience of motorists. Please stop seeing them as such"
It is the motorists perception that is wrong here, we don't need to justify our actions.
one thing I saw at the weekend on my travels, but had never thought about before really, are you allowed to put a skip in a cycle lane ?
They are basically a free parking area for very lazy drives!
A quite brilliant solution, cyclists have already paid for their cycle lanes through their income tax, council tax, VAT etc, but if they want them kept in rideable condition they should pay for that? Presumably pedestrians who moan about the state of the pavement should pay for their repair, also drivers who moan about the state of the roads? Perhaps people who are worried about high crime should pay more for extra police, people who complain about the state of the NHS should pay for their own operations etc?
I was about to say "obviously" but thinking about this maybe not because cars could crash into it. Especially if it sticks out into the main lane.
yeah I dont know the answer, I know you need to obtain a licence to put a skip on a public road, which suggests someone reviews where you want to put it, but you cant put a skip on a pavement for instance, so why is it allowed to block a cycle lane ? especially one you shouldnt be able to leave a parked car in.
Unfortunately some - even "madatory cycle lanes" - are indeed "parkable". Dunno if that makes a difference for putting skips / contractor's equipment in them? You're probably aware of the dodge / loophole / legal mess which means that for some cycle lanes parking is legally allowed and it's entirely not transparent if this is the case or not. (As well as just "well I put it here, what are you going to do?" practice).
Skips are transported on a small truck they are not allowed by law to be on any pavement at all since the 1980s, so the skip has to stay on the road.
That 1980 law stated no trucks (lorries) over a certain weight can't drive or park on pavements but they do put skips onto a small private driveway when never possible, mainly so it is near to the job, not on safety grounds. Our UK roads were only built for sedan chairs, horse & carriages, horse & cart transport, pedestrians then bicycles, not very large cars (Volvo 4X4s etc) and trucks from 15cwt to 42 tons etc. So I would say most motor traffic should be removed.
Fuel duty and VED are not ringfenced, so all taxpayers contribute toward the upkeep of the roads. Do motorists offer specific voluntary contributions toward the costs of repair and upkeep of the roads, given that it is motor vehicles which damage most road surfaces the most?
Why not leave them in the carriageway, they don't because the builders want the skip as close to the job as pose!
Well, the story on VED is a little more nuanced:
As part of his 2015 change Osborne announced that the money raised through VED would also exclusively go directly back into improving the roads.
https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/vehicle-excise-duty/
IIRC wasn't that going back to maintaining the primary road network (motorways and major A roads). Everything else is still free range (or whatever the opposite of 'ringfenced' would be).
Didn't really go as planned anyway
https://www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk/A38-scheme-wins-43m-National-Roads-Fu...
"The National Roads Fund combines the cash pots for the Major Road Network and Large Local Major schemes. It has suffered severe cutbacks to local funding since first being announced.
Last year its local funding provision was cut from an expected £3.5bn to £2.6bn over five years."
Still leaves the roads used by cyclists being maintained from local council tax and any schemes funded by general tax and local tax.
If that prat Cameron had not given the OK for the HS2 rail track then our roads might well be a lot better with a good cycle network for safety and NHS would be better funded to!
Why? Why do cyclists complaining about poor infra cast them in a worse light than drivers complaining about poor road surface, or pedestrians complaining about overgrown/impassable walking routes?
Uh, what? Road building and maintenance are funded by general taxation, not “Road Tax” (which hasn’t existed since 1937), so we already pay as much as drivers do. Also, if you consider:
A) the fact that roads are designed primarily with cars in mind, with very little thought given to usage by/safety of cyclists and are also maintained with cars in mind (a pot-hole “fix” that’s good enough for a car can still be lethal to a cyclist).
B) by far the most expensive type of roads to build and maintain (motorways), cyclists aren’t even allowed to use.
It’s hard not to come to the conclusion that cyclists (especially ones who don’t drive – like myself) pay quite a disproportionately massive share towards the UK’s roads, and don’t really get anything back.
Even though our taxes still contribute toward their maintenance...
Is the M6a still a toll road?
There should be an extra amount of council tax for cyclists ? Or perhaps increasingly heavier cars should have their owners pay a bit more council tax?
Or should there be an extra bit of income tax for cyclists?
A large problem with cycle lanes is the poor design from the start with street furnture in them and dumping the rider back out to the road.
Even now highways people do not meet the standards of LTN 1/20 with new schemes.
https://ipayroadtax.com/no-such-thing-as-road-tax/who-pays-road-tax/
Cyclists "perhaps... should also contribute a little more towards the cost of repair" What we already pay through our taxes for cycle lanes, or are you suggesting we pay another tax, maybe an imaginary tax like road tax?
You're right.
As a cyclist I don't pay any income tax, council tax or VAT.
Obvious really; you must not be able afford a car if you're cycling. Or you're some kind of (whatever they call hippy / crusty / eco-warrior types these days).
A cycle uses little space compared to your small car let alone a 4X4 or bus etc and a lot less wear to a road. One car one driver, four bike riders and we all pay the tax that covers the roads and your NHS stay,
I can assure you it's not a uniquely british thing. Here in Norway we get the same arguments. (Including about not paying some "Road Tax" (Veiavgift) that doesn't exist)
"Why build lanes when they don't use them", yet those lanes of a decent quality are well used.
The same people who complain about cyclists on the road in the local paper commetns, are also complaining about the construction of a properly segregated route between the 2 local town, linking to the main employment area in the middle. 14km of dedicated quality cycle infrastructure, which features filter lanes for turning off, over and underpasses at roads, few turn offs (to discourage people walking dogs etc), a tunnel through a hill-top. So by providing a route to keep those on 2 wheels away from the drivers it's STILL wrong.
Next segment with the tunnel and 2 motorway junction flyovers should open in the spring. THIS is a cycle lane. https://youtu.be/mLabUYSsEJQ
Did you manage to pass the bloke in front ?
What a wonderful peice of cycle infrastructure, I like the junctions.
And the rumblestrips warning you of the upcoming corner.
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