'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

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thirdcrank
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by thirdcrank »

I've been on a quick tour of some West Yorkshire Bus Stations. (I used streetview - cycling seems to be banned :wink: )

There are five highway authorities in West Yorkshire, but only one passenger transport executive (WY Metro) which is responsible for the bus stations. There seems to be a general use of traffic signs at the entrances to these bus stations of standard designs but not conforming with TSRGD. That suggests to me that these are the "private" signs of Metro, rather than the various highway authorities. As to their legal force, I don't know. I've no idea under what authority the PTE excludes traffic other than buses and authorised vehicles from its bus stations. (It might have bye laws.) At the larger bus stations they have security staff and perhaps they would eject cyclists. :? The meaning seems pretty clear and if it came to some sort of legal proceedings, perhaps for compo, it's hard to imagine they'd be disregarded. Perhaps they've been used because somebody thinks the standard NO CYCLING sign is unclear.

It's illegal to display dodgy traffic signs on or near a highway and a highway authority has a duty + powers to require them to be to removed or to remove them. Perhaps there's a campaign for somebody. :roll:

Leeds

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=leeds+ ... 18,,0,3.73

Bradford

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bradfo ... 66.19,,0,0

Halifax

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=halifa ... 45,,1,0.85

Dewsbury

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=dewsbu ... 44,,1,0.51

The only exception I've found is Wakefield, where the NO CYCLING signs don't have the diagonal. When last I heard, Wakefield manufactured its own traffic signs; perhaps they are a bit hotter on this type of thing.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=wakefi ... 01,,3,3.78

(I just picked bus stations across the five districts: there are plenty of others.)
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Audax67
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Audax67 »

thirdcrank wrote:The only exception I've found is Wakefield, where the NO CYCLING signs don't have the diagonal. When last I heard, Wakefield manufactured its own traffic signs; perhaps they are a bit hotter on this type of thing.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=wakefi ... 01,,3,3.78


Well, there's a great big wide pavement... possibly the UK isn't as tolerant as France.
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Mark1978
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Mark1978 »

thirdcrank wrote:I think it would be unusual - as in extremely unlikely - that a highway authority would put up a sign of the wrong design. This is because the road plan specifies the diagram number as in TRSGD. .


HAHA! For only if that were true! It's no at all unusual for a highway authority to put up a sign which is completely wrong. http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... =1&t=20733 - 273 pages of Botched Roadsigns.
Mark1978
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Mark1978 »

thirdcrank wrote:I
The only exception I've found is Wakefield, where the NO CYCLING signs don't have the diagonal. When last I heard, Wakefield manufactured its own traffic signs; perhaps they are a bit hotter on this type of thing.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=wakefi ... 01,,3,3.78

(I just picked bus stations across the five districts: there are plenty of others.)


Even in that example, that sign can only ever be advisory, simply because the signs are far too small to be compliant, and too low down.

If you want to ban cycling in a specific area where it should normally be permitted you put up one of these:

Image

It's hardly a difficult concept.

I have some support for the idea that the default sign should be the crossed out cycle, as in general the prohibition signs are confusing and inconsistent (no turn roundels do have a crossed out for example) but as it is that's not the right sign and you might as well put up a picture of Peppa Pig for all the meaning it has.

Then there is the issue of should cycling in bus stations be allowed? I would guess no as bus stations are for buses!
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Are bus stations for busses or for people?

The depot is for busses, stations should be for people.

wrt prohibition signs...

A "normal" numbered speed limit sign presumably actually means that you can't drive at that speed - so 29mph is the max permissible speed in a "30 zone"
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Mark1978
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Mark1978 »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Are bus stations for busses or for people?

The depot is for busses, stations should be for people.


The road in the bus station is for buses, which is not the same as the station, I would guess?

wrt prohibition signs...

A "normal" numbered speed limit sign presumably actually means that you can't drive at that speed - so 29mph is the max permissible speed in a "30 zone"


I guess it means you cannot hit 30mph, but you could do 29.99999mph which by nearest approximation is 30mph!
Bicycler
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Bicycler »

Don't know about the other side of the Pennines but long ago I used to wait for a school bus at that important part of our architectural heritage known as Preston Bus Station :wink: . I waited daily underneath a sign giving details of the byelaw prohibiting certain behaviour on the bus station. It included cycling alongside a host of other similarly heinous crimes. No regulatory signs needed for the byelaw, merely a board listing the rules with the name of some minor public official underneath. I have seen similar at the entrances to parks. I noticed when I was last back in my home town that a new byelaw has been made (or the old one revised). The new rules are substantially the same but with a couple of changed provisions. As we are lacking a public transport executive in these parts the byelaw was issued by Preston City (formerly Borough) Council who operate the bus station.
Psamathe
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Psamathe »

[XAP]Bob wrote:wrt prohibition signs...

A "normal" numbered speed limit sign presumably actually means that you can't drive at that speed - so 29mph is the max permissible speed in a "30 zone"


Which logically means that is you got to 31 mph before the "30 zone" sign (e.g. in a "40 zone") and maintained that speed (or faster) through the entire "30 zone" then you would not have broken any laws. But come to a hazard or anything that you need to slow for and allow your speed to drop below 30 mph and "your nicked" as to go from above 30 to below 30 one could suppose you must at some point have done 30.

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thirdcrank
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by thirdcrank »

Mark1978 wrote:If you want to ban cycling in a specific area where it should normally be permitted you put up one of these:

Image

It's hardly a difficult concept.

I have some support for the idea that the default sign should be the crossed out cycle, as in general the prohibition signs are confusing and inconsistent (no turn roundels do have a crossed out for example) but as it is that's not the right sign and you might as well put up a picture of Peppa Pig for all the meaning it has....


I suspect that if you showed the official sign to a random selection of the public, quite a few wouldn't know what it meant. I also suspect that among non-drivers the rate of non-recognition would be even higher, with some assuming it meant that it was some sort of bike route. The other point is that on private land, you can use whatever signs you like, not least because there's no possibility of a prosecution for failing to comply. The only aspect (that I can think of) where the criminal road traffic law overlaps is that the bad driving offences were extended to include public places in the Road Traffic Act 1988. I think it would need a serious injury to attract any police interest but I suspect that non-compliance with private traffic signs (eg supermarket car parks often just show pedestrian crossings with zebra stripes and not of the other trimmings such as beacons) would be admitted as evidence.

There is, of course, a further argument about what amounts to a public place, especially if it's somewhere from which the general public is banned, such as the BUSES ONLY part of a bus station.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Psamathe wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:wrt prohibition signs...

A "normal" numbered speed limit sign presumably actually means that you can't drive at that speed - so 29mph is the max permissible speed in a "30 zone"


Which logically means that is you got to 31 mph before the "30 zone" sign (e.g. in a "40 zone") and maintained that speed (or faster) through the entire "30 zone" then you would not have broken any laws. But come to a hazard or anything that you need to slow for and allow your speed to drop below 30 mph and "your nicked" as to go from above 30 to below 30 one could suppose you must at some point have done 30.

Ian

Nah - you're doing 30 miles in an hour - and a few more ;)
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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mjr
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by mjr »

thirdcrank wrote:There seems to be a general use of traffic signs at the entrances to these bus stations of standard designs but not conforming with TSRGD. That suggests to me that these are the "private" signs of Metro, rather than the various highway authorities. As to their legal force, I don't know. I've no idea under what authority the PTE excludes traffic other than buses and authorised vehicles from its bus stations. (It might have bye laws.)

I suspect (but don't know) that the bus stations are private land of Metro and not highways. If I've understood this subject, that means the notorious Highways Act offence of driving on the footway would not apply and it'd be the same situation as if you ride a bike on any other footpath: not criminal but a civil offence where you're liable for the damage you do to the footpath (minimal for rubber tyre on hard surface). Security guards and crash liability are the biggest drawbacks.
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Bicycler
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Bicycler »

mjr wrote:
thirdcrank wrote:There seems to be a general use of traffic signs at the entrances to these bus stations of standard designs but not conforming with TSRGD. That suggests to me that these are the "private" signs of Metro, rather than the various highway authorities. As to their legal force, I don't know. I've no idea under what authority the PTE excludes traffic other than buses and authorised vehicles from its bus stations. (It might have bye laws.)

I suspect (but don't know) that the bus stations are private land of Metro and not highways. If I've understood this subject, that means the notorious Highways Act offence of driving on the footway would not apply and it'd be the same situation as if you ride a bike on any other footpath: not criminal but a civil offence where you're liable for the damage you do to the footpath (minimal for rubber tyre on hard surface). Security guards and crash liability are the biggest drawbacks.

I think you are right that they are generally private access rather than public highways. Even if they were I don't think an access path to a bus station would be a footpath ("footway") in the sense covered by the Highways Act 1835. They are paths designed to allow pedestrians to access a building not to aid pedestrian passage along a highway.
SA_SA_SA
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by SA_SA_SA »

Mark1978 wrote:If you want to ban cycling in a specific area where it should normally be permitted you put up one of these:
Image
......


I think the Dft was thinking of using text to reinforce the meaning by optionally placing "No Cyclists" as text underneath this current proper sign (cheaper than replacing all the signs with red barred ones).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/4346/signing-the-way.pdf (Point 5.9)
Has anyone seen such additional text on the road?

EDIT they seem to have left it out of the 2015 proposals:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307152/draft-tsrgd-schedules.pdf (the proposals with the parallel cycle/ zebra crossings).
Last edited by SA_SA_SA on 14 Aug 2014, 12:58pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ayesha
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Ayesha »

Not dismounting when there is a blue rectangular ‘Cyclists dismount’ sign AND there is a pedestrian, it can be construed as ‘riding in an inconsiderate manner’ contrary to Rule 68 in the Highway Code.

The pedestrian could complain. If the pedestrian is a policeman, you in for it.
Bicycler
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Re: 'Cyclists Dismount', should we?

Post by Bicycler »

Ayesha wrote:Not dismounting when there is a blue rectangular ‘Cyclists dismount’ sign AND there is a pedestrian, it can be construed as ‘riding in an inconsiderate manner’ contrary to Rule 68 in the Highway Code.

The pedestrian could complain. If the pedestrian is a policeman, you in for it.

The HC is a summary. The actual law regarding inconsiderate cycling says:
If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.

To me that requires more than just ignoring a sign. It means needlessly inconveniencing another road user or riding in a manner which intimidates someone or forces them to take avoiding action. A considerate cyclist could ignore the sign and not be breaking the law. Likewise, an inconsiderate cyclist could ride down a road or cycle path and break the law. As I said upthread, it might be mentioned in evidence that the cyclist had ignored signs advising that he dismount but that itself wouldn't be the act of inconsiderate cycling.
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