Motoring - Abbeydale Road- Sheldon to Archer

[Squiggs 11]

It is not a mandatory cycle lane, it's advisory

 

In other words the area taken up by the cycle lane shouldn't be used for regular driving along, so in effect the road does have a single lane (as the area outside the lane is clearly not wide enough for 2 vehicles), but it's not an offence to drive in it

 

There's also a difference between use of the road with 2 lanes of moving traffic than with 1 lane of kerbside parked traffic - although the road IS wide enough at the point before the cycle lane for 2 lanes of moving traffic

[stifflersmom 11]

For example Brocco Bank where it enters Hunters Bar roundabout the two lanes often stretch back uphill passed the Church allowing twice as many vehicles to negotiate the roundabout.

 

This is just bad driving though, because the 2 lines of queueing traffic can't really extend up the road that far without people crossing the central white lines into oncoming traffic. There is only enough room for two cars side by side after you have passed Rossington Road. What happens is halfway down the hill people position themselves either on the left or right of the road depending on what lane they want at the roundabout. Those who want the left lane often hug the kerb, preventing motorcycles and cyclists from filtering. This is why you sometimes to see people on bikes weaving in an out of traffic down this road.

[Flanker7 20]

This is just bad driving though, because the 2 lines of queueing traffic can't really extend up the road that far without people crossing the central white lines into oncoming traffic. There is only enough room for two cars side by side after you have passed Rossington Road. What happens is halfway down the hill people position themselves either on the left or right of the road depending on what lane they want at the roundabout. Those who want the left lane often hug the kerb, preventing motorcycles and cyclists from filtering. This is why you sometimes to see people on bikes weaving in an out of traffic down this road.

 

I'm not convinced that two vehicles can't fit inside the white line, it depends on the size of the vehicles. Why would it be bad driving to cross the (broken) white line? Twice as many vehicles can get through this location by making two lanes. Oncoming vehicles are not delayed.

It prevents people on bikes filtering because there are too many cars in that location - its called the rush hour. No road user, at this location, has a law given right to make more progress than another. 4 wheeled vehicles are usually stationary at this point, let them weave if it helps them to make progress.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Flanker7

[damageandy 10]

I disagree - as I understand it, this type of junction works better if you get two streams of traffic moving across and then merging afterwards; you get nearly twice as any vehicles through before the lights go back to red.

Remember, it's not like the traffic approaching the junction is both dense and going at full speed (in which case the merging would cause a tailback onto the junction, just like you say); instead the traffic is mostly setting off from a standing start, and it's that which slows down the overall throughput - much more than the merging after the junction.

 

It gets backed up on the junction already with a mainly single lane of traffic going straight on. All that will happen is you will get twice as many idiots being selfish and blocking the junction, and then take twice aslong for them to merge and clear because the next stretch is slow moving.

 

Its hard enough coming the opposite direction and trying to turn up to Woodseats Road as it is.

[heeleybird 10]

If the inside lane at the Woodseats Road Junction is left turn only why do buses in that lane go straight on Abbeydale Road. If the road can take a bus and a car at the same time in the out of town direction immediately after passing Woodseats Road Whats the problem, other than arsey drivers in the outside thinking they have the right of way, exactly like Heeley Bridge bus lane that never gets used in the daytime, Probably the same arsey drivers who get miffed when I go past them down the bus lane. Point to note is that approaching the bridge the road marking is a bent arrow telling the outside laners to get into the inside lane and get a life if they want to go over the bridge. Nutters!!!

[stifflersmom 11]

If the inside lane at the Woodseats Road Junction is left turn only why do buses in that lane go straight on Abbeydale Road. If the road can take a bus and a car at the same time in the out of town direction immediately after passing Woodseats Road Whats the problem, other than arsey drivers in the outside thinking they have the right of way, exactly like Heeley Bridge bus lane that never gets used in the daytime, Probably the same arsey drivers who get miffed when I go past them down the bus lane. Point to note is that approaching the bridge the road marking is a bent arrow telling the outside laners to get into the inside lane and get a life if they want to go over the bridge. Nutters!!!

The buses use the inside lane to go straight on because there is a bus stop just after the junction.

[heeleybird 10]

The buses use the inside lane to go straight on because there is a bus stop just after the junction.

 

My point exactly. There is a bus stop and even when there's a bus on it cars always manage to get through at the same time. Its only when you approach the Pelican Crossing past the bus stop that problems arise. If drivers were a little bit nicer to one another we would all be able to filter in and all get home in roughly the same time. As for the new cycle lane its a joke. It also has a broken line which when I went to school meant you could cross it with no penalty.

[Flexo 10]

There is no merge point. The parking restrictions during the rush hour (4 till 6?) are there to facilitate two lane use of the road, I can't think of another reason for them to be in place.

 

The left lane is a bus lane during peak hours, so no parking in it, no driving cars in it except for taxis.

 

Just because there is no road marking to indicate two lanes doesn't mean that you are not allowed to make two lanes. For example Brocco Bank where it enters Hunters Bar roundabout the two lanes often stretch back uphill passed the Church allowing twice as many vehicles to negotiate the roundabout.

 

LOL - you are on a wind up, eh?

 

Drivers do very strange things down Brocco Bank, driving to the far left or far right of the single lane. The road is not two lanes wide and so there are never two vehicles alongside each other before it splits to two lanes. Taking that silly staggered formation gains nothing at all but makes it difficult for cyclists to pass on the left and motorcycles on the right. Try cycling down there and see how irritating it is to have to weave around people with bad road sense.