Wrong way up a one way street.

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Si
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Si »

I was out with a client on Saturday doing a training session and we had a car swerve towards us because we were following a cyclists' contraflow. So, naturally, I swerved back at the car which shocked her a bit...they don't like it up 'em, they do not like it up 'em.

And likewise, I've also been told I was in a one way street by a cyclist coming the other way; as it was at the end of a long journey and up a sharp hill, words were not minced in explaining his error.

It's strange as I've never seen a cyclist shouted at for riding the wrong way down a non-contraflowed street (which happens a fair bit around here)!
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mjr
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by mjr »

Roll on wider use of "Except Cycles" plates. They can't come soon enough, can they?
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Cunobelin
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Cunobelin »

This is one of those occasions where a headcam is essential.

Point out their stupidity will be broadcast on YouTube, and watch their faces!
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Vitara »

Save time when crossing a one-way street by only looking in the direction of oncoming traffic. - K Thompson, Chichester

When crossing a one-way street always look in BOTH directions in case a large blue furniture removal lorry is reversing the wrong way up the road. - K Thompson, Chichester General Infirmary
Bicycler
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Bicycler »

What about 'false one-way streets' ie. ones where there is a no entry sign at one end meaning there is only through traffic in one direction but the road itself is two way. I've been criticised for riding the 'wrong way' down one of those several times.
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by kwackers »

mjr wrote:Roll on wider use of "Except Cycles" plates. They can't come soon enough, can they?

Wouldn't they be on the 'wrong end' i.e. at the no entry end rather than the entrance to the street? (In which case the driver won't see them at all unless they try to turn into the street the wrong way).
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by [XAP]Bob »

kwackers wrote:
mjr wrote:Roll on wider use of "Except Cycles" plates. They can't come soon enough, can they?

Wouldn't they be on the 'wrong end' i.e. at the no entry end rather than the entrance to the street? (In which case the driver won't see them at all unless they try to turn into the street the wrong way).

But then they won't have seen the no entry sign either....

So they won't know it's an "exit only" far end.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by kwackers »

[XAP]Bob wrote:But then they won't have seen the no entry sign either....

So they won't know it's an "exit only" far end.

That's not really what I meant.
If the 'no entry' end has a 'except cycles' sign on it then it's meaningless to any drivers travelling the right way down the road and so you'd still get hassle off them as you use the contra-flow.

If however he meant on the start of the road under the one way arrow then I'm unsure that's any less clear than the contraflow sign anyway which is fairly large and obvious...

What I wanted to know was which end the poster was thinking of.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by [XAP]Bob »

kwackers wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:But then they won't have seen the no entry sign either....

So they won't know it's an "exit only" far end.

That's not really what I meant.
If the 'no entry' end has a 'except cycles' sign on it then it's meaningless to any drivers travelling the right way down the road and so you'd still get hassle off them as you use the contra-flow.

If however he meant on the start of the road under the one way arrow then I'm unsure that's any less clear than the contraflow sign anyway which is fairly large and obvious...

What I wanted to know was which end the poster was thinking of.

But there is no sign that you've "disobeyed" they've not passed the no entry sign (with or without the except cycles sign) yet...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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Mick F
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Mick F »

Bicycler wrote:What about 'false one-way streets' ie. ones where there is a no entry sign at one end meaning there is only through traffic in one direction but the road itself is two way. I've been criticised for riding the 'wrong way' down one of those several times.

We have a couple of them here. I ride through the No Entry sign very slowly and carefully, or get off and walk past it, then ride away happily.
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by mjr »

kwackers wrote:If however he meant on the start of the road under the one way arrow then I'm unsure that's any less clear than the contraflow sign anyway which is fairly large and obvious...

What I wanted to know was which end the poster was thinking of.

I was thinking of the "one way" arrow but on rereading "Signing the Way", figure 5.6 shows a new contraflow sign to replace the ordinary arrow. I'm not sure that's as good as putting "except :bike:" under the plain arrow.
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Bicycler
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Bicycler »

[XAP]Bob wrote:
kwackers wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:But then they won't have seen the no entry sign either....

So they won't know it's an "exit only" far end.

That's not really what I meant.
If the 'no entry' end has a 'except cycles' sign on it then it's meaningless to any drivers travelling the right way down the road and so you'd still get hassle off them as you use the contra-flow.

But there is no sign that you've "disobeyed" they've not passed the no entry sign (with or without the except cycles sign) yet...

Ah but locals will know that there is such a sign and will take the opportunity to chastise you for going the wrong way. It probably is locals which do this anyway. A stranger might be less sure of his ground and wonder if he'd missed a sign.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Bicycler wrote:Ah but locals will know that there is such a sign and will take the opportunity to chastise you for going the wrong way. It probably is locals which do this anyway. A stranger might be less sure of his ground and wonder if he'd missed a sign.

But a local will also get to see said exception sign fairly regularly as well - and the newspaper comments complaining about said signage
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Bicycler
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Bicycler »

IME the phrase "except cycles" is quite invisible to motorists. Strangely cycle path signage is much more visible. Almost as visible as cyclists with no lights in fact :wink:
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Neilo
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Re: Wrong way up a one way street.

Post by Neilo »

Bicycler wrote:IME the phrase "except cycles" is quite invisible to motorists. Strangely cycle path signage is much more visible. Almost as visible as cyclists with no lights in fact :wink:


or those invisible people on recumbents.

Neil
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