please empty your brain below
Venera obeyed the lights here and was killed by a truck also obeying the green lights: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-cycling-deaths-sister-of-young-entrepreneur-killed-at-bow-roundabout-wants-tragedy-to-be-a-force-for-good-8943132.html
Lana obeyed the lights here and was killed by a truck also obeying the lights: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/we-are-shocked-driver-wont-face-court-says-family-of-dead-cyclist-svitlana-tereschenko-7711231.html
Brian obeyed the lights and was killed here by a truck also obeying the lights: http://road.cc/content/news/96460-brian-dorling-inquest-coroner-record-narrative-verdict-bow-roundabout-fatality
If you had to choose between (a) having a truck painfully crush your torso until you expire and (b) waiting for a clear gap in the traffic and carefully jumping a red light, which would you choose?
But if that's the case, why on earth have they kept the old normal ones?
"Having two sets of lights is confusing people...I know, we need more lights!"
eg http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24539584
I didn't see any cyclists on the flyover either.
CS2 is horrible though - and semi-lethal when you reach Aldgate. My current commute is CS3 which is much better in every regard. Not looking forward to using CS2 every day once we move...
Blame shifted. Job done.
> "somewhere that bad behaviour hadn't already set in"
Good luck finding that place - the cyclists' contempt for the rules of the road, not to mention good manners, is endemic.
The blinkeredness of those that moan about cyclists' behaviour towards the death and serious injury caused by motorists' contempt for the rules of the road, not to mention good manners, is endemic.
If the lights are obeyed, then you should be safe at Bow now.
It's got nothing to do with cyclists not obeying the rules - motorists don't obey the rules - people don't obey the rules.
You aim to engineer out the danger. Look at the work of Dutch and Danish engineers to answer your question. They've been doing it pretty well for decades.
You give all users of the junction, that's including pedestrians, at least equal status and you start from there. A rather different design, layout and filtering system will then be reached - far removed from the attempted shoe-horning in of a cycle facility into a design still ultimately dominated by precious motor traffic flow requirements.
- "If the lights are obeyed, then you should be safe at Bow now."
Hmmm, me thinks you haven't cycled across Bow roundabout with this current lights system in place to experience your perceived cosy feeling of safety...
Cycling across Bow roundabout is no safer than before the cycle superhighway was installed two and a half years ago. Three deaths since then illustrate that.
That'd largely be 'choose to ignore' then.
Seems like trying to get cyclists to observe signals is like trying to herd cats.
There does, however, seem to be a crucial difference.
Cats might have nine lives. Cyclists would be well advised that they don't.
Build proper segregated cycle lanes across London. Cost - hundreds of millions, result - massive reduction in serious injuries and deaths, happier cyclists AND happier drivers because less bicycles slowing them down. Peace governs.
Or
2)
Spend a few thousand on some funky cyclist lights at a handful of news-worthy junctions. Phew, that was cheap. Utilise journalists loyal to the Tory-cause to frame the media debate in terms of cyclist wearing lycra/jumping lights/victim blaming. Stoke anger and tension between road users to divide them, ensuring no serious money gets spent. Result - deaths and serious injuries remain, society dispupted with road-users manipulated into fighting eachother with mis-placed anger. Sit-back and count the Tory coffers to determine how big that tax-cut to the rich will be. This is what Boris has done over his six years, with his 'its all going to get better, just around the corner, i promise' politics.
You decide which option you want by voting at the next election.
Westbound in the morning, dark for six months of the year... the transition from the poky narrow cycle lanes with their stupid sharp raised concrete kerbs to the flyover (my preferred route for many years, thanks very much) is now really, really dangerous. It is only a matter of time before some driver flattens a cyclist. Hopefully not me, but it has already nearly happened several times.
Eastbound, it is late at night, I have had a long busy day, and I am using the flyover - again, my preferred route, along with at least 75% of other cyclists. I come off the flyover and am immediately intimidated by the left side flow of traffic coming straight into my path. How do I get into the segregated cycle lane? Panic panic. The first break in the stupid segregated kerb is almost impossible to manoeuvre into …. the next one? AAAArghh… I only just get in there…so far.
What is this junction designed for?
Having recently seen how ineffective these confusing lights are (the first set turn green, the second set which are still red are forgotten about and cyclists go on, despite oncoming traffic coming around onto the slip roads!!).
It would also help the welfare of pedestrians who additionally have to dice death due to no ped light crossings which need to be installed and can be jointly used by pedestrians and cyclists. It's also the cheapest option until it is financially viable to create segregated cycle and ped lanes over the bow deathabout.
No doubt this has been suggested before, I can't see why it can't be done!
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