This is extremely worrying!

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Cunobelin
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This is extremely worrying!

Post by Cunobelin »

Portsmouth News Today

In summary Portsmouth Drivers are causing "chaos" because they do not understand the road sign:

Image

It is an International road sign used as far away as Malaysia and throughout Europe!

Does not say a lot for the skills and knowledge of the drivers of Portsmouth!
thirdcrank
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by thirdcrank »

I don't think that is anything new. Whenever a question arises about ignorance of traffic signs, some reporter will stop half a dozen people in the street with an impromptu test and the 'flying motorbike' is widely unrecognised.

When I worked in the centre of Bradford I used to ride along Nelson Street which passes what was then the staff car park of the council offices including the highways dept (may still be.) The section of street on my route immediately past that car park entrance was signed 'No motor vehicles - except buses'. (Flying motorbike with supplementary plate.) One day I was clipping along (it's gently downhill) when I realised that the driver of the car heading at speed for the car park exit had no intention of stopping. I did a real emergency stop, coming close to falling off. The driver, a very smartly dressed middle-aged chap, stopped a couple of feet in front of me and got out in what was obviously by then an ambush. He wagged his finger at the sign and explained in a patronising manner that if I was not careful I'd kill myself. (He had actually come close to causing me serious injury.) I pointed out in an extremely loud voice, that the sign meant 'No motor vehicles' and that in the absence of a motor, my push bike was not a motor vehicle. People at windows by now, and that smart gent, face-to-face with a very sweaty and angry yours truly was looking for a quick exit. He said, "It's very confusing" and I imagine most of central Bradford heard my riposte that if he did not know his traffic signs he was not fit to be on the road and that he was still blocking mine.

I've not cycled in the middle of Bradford recently but they have a lot of narrow sections of road with those signs and 'Buses only' painted on the road. Not easy arguing with a bus driver that the paint on the road is wrong. At least in Leeds they paint 'Buses and pedal cycles only.'
stewartpratt
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by stewartpratt »

freakin' idiot from southsea wrote:No. What IS crazy is the idea that cyclists should not have to obey the rules of the road. The highway code and the rules it covers, are in-place for everybody's safety...


No. What IS crazy is that people don't bloody read the highway code, otherwise they might understand that the rules can quite clearly be obeyed whilst cycling down there.

*sigh*
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hubgearfreak
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by hubgearfreak »

a tale of inept local government employees and stupid motorists.

i'm just glad that they're not too common :lol:
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paulah
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by paulah »

hubgearfreak wrote:a tale of inept local government employees and stupid motorists.


Too true. I used to commute home down a one way street with two car lanes and a cycle lane, when these reached a crossroads and traffic lights the cars had to turn left (not light controlled) or right. Buses, taxis and bicycles could go straight on from the left hand lane (as shown on a large blue sign at the junction). In theory. In reality not a single motorist seemed to understand that I go straight on through the junction, no matter what position I took in the left hand lane - if I took primary they would still hook round me, often whilst blowing the horn or shouting that I should be signalling right if I'm turning off right. If I did signal right they would get abusive because I wasn't moving in the right hand lane. After a couple of weeks I started taking the right hand lane and moving left at the last second, which worked ok when there was no bus or taxi going straight on. Eventually I just gave up on the route.

The moral of the story is that most motorists can't understand the concept of another vehicle being allowed to go where they can't go even when it is clearly signed right in front of them.
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fossil
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by fossil »

i agree that most people don't read or understand the highway code ( i think it should be compulsery reading/understanding)
but signs like this which don't crop up that often , it's little wonder that a lot of drivers don't know it's meaning , and i'm sure they don't have a copy of the AA handbook in the glove box ( like my dad did ) to refer to when a new sign was happend uppon :roll:
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paulah
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by paulah »

fossil wrote: but signs like this which don't crop up that often ,


Not so sure about that - it's not like the section on tram signs or warnings of a ford or bison crossing the road. Drivers really ought to be aware of the sign that prohibits motorised traffic and other basic signs for that matter.
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fossil
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by fossil »

paulah wrote:
fossil wrote: but signs like this which don't crop up that often ,


Not so sure about that - it's not like the section on tram signs or warnings of a ford or bison crossing the road. Drivers really ought to be aware of the sign that prohibits motorised traffic and other basic signs for that matter.


i have only seen one of these signs near toy's 'r' us in Portsmouth
stewartpratt
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by stewartpratt »

But everyone should understand that a red circle means a restriction, a 'do not'. You don't need to see one every day to understand it, you just need to understand a red circle and recognise a picture of the thing you happen to be sitting in at the time, regardless of whether you can or can't currently see Evel Knievel through the sunroof.

It's not something you need to send off to Bletchley Park - they're designed to be consistent. Even the aforementioned bison warning, rare as it may be, would be bloody obvious. Red triangle means warning, stick a picture of a bison in it. Making a universally understood sign that says "Warning: Trousers" would be just as straightforward.
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Phil_Lee
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by Phil_Lee »

We are having exactly the same problem in Cambridge, on the turnings into the few one way streets that have been opened for 2 way cycling.

It seems that this is a common problem, owing to DfT intransigence over use of a "No Entry" sign with "Except cycles" on a plate underneath. They already allow use of "Except Buses" and I've heard the person most opposed to allowing "Except Cycles" at the DfT has just retired, and there is now some hope that the rules will be changed. Meanwhile, some councils have gone ahead and used it anyway, even without DfT approval.

I think the main problem with the "Low flying motorbikes" sign is that it is frequently used in combination with "except for Access" or for time limited prohibitions, which has undermined it's effectiveness (since I don't think I've ever heard of "Except for Access" actually being enforced).

I remember when I did my cycling proficiency in the early 70s we were tested on the highway code, and were expected to have read ALL of it, not just the cycling and pedestrian specific bits (although I don't think they tested us on the motorway stuff).
Interpretation of signs was part of the basic part - we were expected to be able to work out what an unfamiliar sign should mean (as Stewartpratt describes), and in a manner that would give the correct interpretation to "Low flying Motorcycles".
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zenzinnia
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by zenzinnia »

Whist the red circle signs should be self explanatory there is a confusion caused by some having a line through them and some not. The most familiar red circle probably being the no smoking sign but even on roads some have a line through them - no left/ right turn, no u-turn. In other contries it seems that even more have a line through them. I read/ heard somewhere that there was going to be a review of road signs soon and I wonder if this problem will be picked up?
kwackers
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by kwackers »

Didn't someone once post on here about having a run in with a driver because the driver thought a triangle with a bicycle in it meant 'cycling prohibited'?

I think of that and smile everytime I see one...
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by Big T »

kwackers wrote:Didn't someone once post on here about having a run in with a driver because the driver thought a triangle with a bicycle in it meant 'cycling prohibited'?

I think of that and smile everytime I see one...


Yes, that was me. On the Nottingham Ring Road near where I work, there are red warning triangles with bikes in them. Several drivers have remarked to me that this means No Cycling and that I should be on the cycle path and not the road.
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2Tubs
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by 2Tubs »

Cunobelin wrote:Portsmouth News Today

In summary Portsmouth Drivers are causing "chaos" because they do not understand the road sign:

Image

It is an International road sign used as far away as Malaysia and throughout Europe!

Does not say a lot for the skills and knowledge of the drivers of Portsmouth!


OH my god!

They haven't had motorcyclists thinking it's OK to try stunt riding on that street?

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2Tubs
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Re: This is extremely worrying!

Post by 2Tubs »

fossil wrote:i agree that most people don't read or understand the highway code ( i think it should be compulsery reading/understanding )


It is.

But then, not speding and showing respect to other road users is compulsory too.

And they don't bother with those, why should they read the highway code eh?

Gazza
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