Grid lock and bicycle lanes

[imdying]

Always be careful for those who intend to turn left across your path!

I don't find them much trouble, they're easy to spot. The ones noobs should watch for are people turning right across your path (i.e. through the line of traffic). Some nice person lets them run across the front of them, and all they see is a gap and off they go. They are not looking for you coming up the left hand side.

[Bassmatt]

Cheers Skoober. Gonna print that post and frame it.

In Chur Chur the bus lanes are established under local body law I.e. the CCC. They allow buses, taxis, motorcycles and cycles. The cycle lanes only allow cyclists.

I understand the rules are different up North, it depends on what legislation established the lanes.

Ok to use the bus lanes in Mt Maunganui/Tauranga too.
Unless they have changed the rules and I am not aware. If so I guess I'll find out sooner or later.

[Petah]

Thanks for the replys, Ill remember to keep my speed around 20kph and keep and eye (or 3) out for cars crossing my path.

I doubt your insurance would cover you either if you somehow had an accident inside a cycle lane. What's wrong with riding down the right side of cars when it's gridlocked, within the lane, providng there's space? That's legal.

The right side has like 6 crossing medians along it, and I would have to cross back across 2 lanes when I got the the intersection to go left.

[imdying]

Thanks for the replys, Ill remember to keep my speed around 20kph and keep and eye (or 3) out for cars crossing my path.

Think like a giraffe... you can see over the top. But having said that, cars can't change direction (lol, generally) without turning their front wheels, so keep a wandering eye on those too.

[arcane12]

An interesting (handed down) story(involving cages only):

In a similar gridlocked scenario (one lane that splits to two at the intersection) a kind person in the queue left a gap so someone on the other side of the road could turn into a driveway. As they turned in they were hit by a car undertaking the stopped traffic and then told by the officer that attended that they were in the wrong for turning in front of straight through traffic (even though that car was illegally undertaking).

I guess it was a case of who was more wrong, but still I would have thought the undertaker (not the wrestler) was more wrong.

And yes, in Hamilton I have seen many car use the cycle lane to undertake a long line of stopped traffic (eg. Peachgrove road undertaking from the railway line to turn left into Ruakura road). In most cases the roads are actually marked to show you where it is legal (or I guess recommended?) to move across the cycle lane to turn left. And you do see officers turning a blind eye when people do it in heavy traffic (usually safely).

Of course what a police officer does is no reflection of what you should do, otherwise I would stop indicating, speed to get back to the office at the end of the day, and tailgate (Serious Crash Unit car for the irony of that).

The good thing of rusg 'hour' in Hamilton is ytou can usually leave 5-10 minutes early and get clear roads. Not always the case around Te Rapa in the afternoon, but the ring road upgrades might help with that.

[rastuscat]

It's not illegal to go up the left of a stationary line of cars, whether you are in a car, on a motorbike or bicycle.

Thats why a car turning through a line of stationary cars is at fault if they hit the car, cycle or bike coning up the left. Coz they are turning and the other is going straight.

Sorry, but its the law.

[Berries]

Hamilton has got cars now?

Fuck off.

[madandy]

It's not illegal to go up the left of a stationary line of cars, whether you are in a car, on a motorbike or bicycle.

Thats why a car turning through a line of stationary cars is at fault if they hit the car, cycle or bike coning up the left. Coz they are turning and the other is going straight.

Sorry, but its the law.

Therein lies a problem. EG: when filtering through stationary traffic, doing so to the right of a lane has been explained as exceptable but down the left side of a lane, illegal as passing on the left is not permitted.

So is it ok to lane split on both sides of the line or just down the very left of the left lane?

I tell ya what gives me the shits, is
Eople coming down the left hand 'special lane' when I'm turning 20+ metres of truck n trailer left at an intersection...one day some ones gonna drive/ride under my trailer!

[arcane12]

Just to clarify my understanding:

Passing moving traffic on the left is illegal.

Passing stationary traffic on the left is ok.

You can drive in a cycle lane (I am ignoring other special lanes for now) no more than 50m to complete a turn.

So you can pass a line of stopped cars on the left if it does not involve travelling more than 50m in a cycle lane?

Considering how many cycle lanes there are around these days it sounds difficult for a car but maybe not as much for a bike.

I guess the answer don't act like a dick and you should be fine.

[DEATH_INC.]

Ride up the car parks rather than the cycle lane. easy.

[Ender EnZed]

Just use the footpath. No one walks anywhere these days anyway.

[cheshirecat]

Therein lies a problem. EG: when filtering through stationary traffic, doing so to the right of a lane has been explained as exceptable but down the left side of a lane, illegal as passing on the left is not permitted.

So is it ok to lane split on both sides of the line or just down the very left of the left lane?

I tell ya what gives me the shits, is
Eople coming down the left hand 'special lane' when I'm turning 20+ metres of truck n trailer left at an intersection...one day some ones gonna drive/ride under my trailer!

I've seen the remains of a biker, well a leg showing from under the rear wheels of an artic and his Ninja in kit form 100 meters back down the road. He overtook me a couple of mins before at a rate of knots. I was London despatch riding then and learnt a bit, well you had to if you wanted survive the "gone by lunchtime" feature of the job. As pointed out earlier the inside route is the riskiest of all but risk is greatly minimised if speed is kept down, like real down. I used to get caught out occasionally but it was really a kerb clearance thing with the underside of the bike and dirty great wheel breaking potholes which seemed to appear overnight. Never understood why anyone would want to cycle to work.

I still find the road rules here a bit odd and at best badly written, perhaps originally designed for Big Ears and Noddy in Toyland. Out of interest I learnt to pick out right turning vehicles sometimes 100 meters ahead regardless of whether it was giving out signals or not. Never did any analysing what the 'signals' were but I know it took until Tuesday am or Monday pm to get my eye in after the weekends break from the job. Sometimes a flick of a shadow under a vehicle gave the game away for potential trouble. Anyway the best way as always was to keep the speed down, ride with absolute precision and keep an open minded awareness - oh and never ever assume.

I still get a kick riding through dense traffic, its a real skill to get right, but have to reign in the old habits unfortunately - at least I'm still alive which can't be said for some of my ex DR mates.

[sleemanj]

It would have to be tested in court, but such lanes are available to other traffic under certain circumstances.

We get this from the law... http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regul...DLM303043.html

---
Part 2.3, subclause 3
(3)However, a driver may drive wholly or partly in a lane that is unavailable to the driver under subclause (1) or clause 4.6(2) to (4) if—
(a)it is impracticable to proceed otherwise because of—
(i)the size of the driver's vehicle; or
(ii)the size of the load on the driver's vehicle; or
(iii)a road obstruction; and
(b)driving in that lane can be done safely and without impeding other traffic.
---

As you can see, if the traffic jam can be considered a "road obstruction" and it would be safe and not impede traffic to do so, you could potentially use this rule to back up a claim that it is legal for you to use the cycle lane in that situation.

[aimee]

+1

A bicycle lane (and a centre median strip) can only be used for up to 50 metres when turning e.g.. a side road or parking space.

So an interesting point is that in theory a long line of cars in the bicycle lane waiting to turn are all breaking the law. I believe it is ignored in the interest of traffic flow? I guess a lesser of two evils?

I rather think that cars aren't EVER supposed to be in bicycle lanes. They're for bicycles.

[rastuscat]

I rather think that cars aren't EVER supposed to be in bicycle lanes. They're for bicycles.

Dear God, where did you get THAT idea from?