Richard Mann wrote:Advisory cycle lanes across side roads reduce accidents by reminding drivers of the potential presence of cyclists.
Advisory cycle lanes between side roads give a sense of security (largely unfounded) to nervous cyclists,
which encourages them to cycle more. It probably leads to motorists passing marginally closer, but there doesn't appear to be much safety impact of that.
The most common complaint of nervous cyclists is that motor traffic passes too close.
Any feature (such as a pinch point or cycle lane) that causes traffic to pass closer than otherwise will discourage those nervous cyclists.
Now it is true that many people believe that cyclists will be encouraged by cycle lanes, but that is because they mistakenly believe that cycle lanes cause motor vehicles to give cyclists a greater clearance when tho opposite is in fact the case (apart from those rare cases of cycle lanes meeting the 2m standard).
Advisory cycle lanes can be used to mark cycle lanes alongside parking.
One of the first things a cycle trainer will teach novice cyclists is DO NOT RIDE IN THE DOOR ZONE.
This is a concept that most 10 year olds seem to be able to understand but seemingly beyond the grasp of adult traffic engineers.
Put a cycle lane near to parked cars and ...
Novice cyclists will put themselves at risk by riding in the lane.
Competent cyclists who understand the need to position themselves outside the lane will suffer agression from motorists.
There should be a (min) 0.5m buffer zone between the parking bay and the cycle lane.
Car doors swing open well over 1m - any buffer zone needs to be at least 1.5m if a cycle lane is going to allow cyclists to adopt a safe road position.
Of course they should be accompanied by appropriate parking control.
of course they very rarely are in practice.
The main virtue of advisory lanes is that the signs regs are much less prescriptive. If you actually follow the signs regs, you need a veritable forest of signs for mandatory lanes.
That is not a virtue of advisory lanes but yet another fault of mandatory lanes.
Yes advisory cycle lanes are much less bad than mandatory lanes, but that does not mean they are a good idea.
- and actually the main advantage of advisory over mandatory lanes is that since traffic is permitted to encroach an advisory lane there is no need to maintain a full width general traffic lane. This means there is never an excuse to install advisory lanes that are narrower than the 2m road space that cyclists need.