Cyclists in London could be allowed to ignore one way streets

Will be interesting to see how this goes:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23745271-details/Plan+to+boost+cycling+will+allow+riders+to+ignore+one-way+street+restrictions/article.do

Could they have picked a worse picture? Talk about the most dawky looking cyclists in london.

I thought most already did.

legally

i thought the chelsea test was started last year, too

anyhow, i'm waiting for the tests that will allow cyclists to ignore red lights.

I am taking part in the test that will allow cyclist to ride drunk. Outlook, good!

ooops I've been cycling the wrong way up one ways forever :S

Europe drives on the right hand side of the road right? And we is in Europe. Job done.

Europe drives on the right hand side of the road right? And we is in Europe. Job done.

You are an antipodian we all drive on the left.

Nah.. I've riding on the right since I got here. I'm sure it's right hand side..

Nah.. I've riding on the right since I got here. I'm sure it's right hand side..

makes note to accelerate quicky when seeing a cyclist on wrong side of road

Wow, there are some incredibly narrow minded people commenting on that article!

I've seen this done where there is a clear cycle path added to the road on the right hand side (as the driver looks at the road) with an arrow to indicate direction, and these seem to work, but I've not seen it where they just allow access to cycles to go the "wrong" way. I think as long as the roads are wide enough to accommodate a car and a bike, then there shouldn't be an issue.

Lets hope the scheme is a success!

this seems like a really stupid idea.. Can't see how it won't increase deaths on the road. Imagine how many people will die turning into roads, only to be hit by an oncoming car that sees them too late.

cyclists are part of the traffic, not against it.

that's all I'm saying.

Just to clarify what this is about. This is the reaction by the DfT to a long-standing campaign by the CTC, LCC and other organisations to formally authorise the use of the 'Except cycles' plate with the 'No entry' sign.

Authorised signs are given in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD), and that particular combination is currently not permitted. This has been because the DfT have said that they don't want the high recognition rate of the 'No entry' sign watered down.

There are various reasons why this combination of 'Except cycles' with the 'No entry' sign is wanted. Previously, a lot of one-way streets have been made one-way because it was considered too difficult to create the separator island that was needed to make an exemption for cycles, as 'No entry' governs the whole width of the road. Also, engineers are often reluctant to erect 'No motor vehicles', which does exempt cyclists, as they claim that it is not recognised well enough and that motorists ignore it (not always true).

Finally, don't expect this to result in lots of one-way exemptions for cyclists appearing overnight. Where such a plate is added, you still have to change the traffic order if it is a one-way order to get an exemption for cyclists in there--a lengthy process. I haven't seen the details of this trial yet, but I suspect that they're doing it on the same six streets that had a one-way exemption added before. (I think it was about a year ago but I can't remember.)

^ Er, just in case that clarified anything. There is some more detail possible but I've left that out. :)

i wouldn't know, i never read your posts if they're more than 3 or 4 lines.

This is really going to upset Crazy James.

i wouldn't know, i never read your posts if they're more than 3 or 4 lines.

I.e., almost never. ;)

Do TROs override the specifications laid down in TSRGD? Specifically with regards the acceptable format or roadsigns? I was under the impression that TROs could only make use of signs as defined by TSRGD.

In this case, would it not be the case that if a car were to go down the one way street that had a one-way sign, modified to allow bicycles, then the modification invalidates the sign, and therefore the TRO, and no contravention could be considered to have occurred.

The signage needs to be in accordance with the TRO. I don't know which overrides which (if so), but in order for it to be enforceable (among other things) obviously everything has to be in good order.

This will no doubt give drivers a reason to be pissed off with cyclists.

This will no doubt give drivers a reason to be pissed off with cyclists.

Well, yes and no. The reporting is actually slightly inaccurate--' Cyclists in London could be allowed to ignore one way streets' is actually not what's proposed, so there's no sense in which cyclists would be 'allowed' (as in: 'allowed to get away with') to do something that's actually prohibited to them. They wouldn't 'ignore' one-way streets but the streets would not be one-way for them any more.

What is happening, rather, is that a process is being put underway that will lawfully restore two-way working for cyclists where they have previously been forced along diversions, and this will be part of a number of measures that would attract more people who currently mainly drive to try cycling. You may well be right, of course, that this may make people jealous of that freedom, but here is hope that they would see it as a positive step that would make them feel that they could cycle, too.

I always cycle "one-way" and that's my way

This will no doubt give drivers a reason to be pissed off with cyclists.

How is that different from now?

If a one way is a safer option then it should be legal.

This system seems to work in other countries so why not here?

This is really going to upset Crazy James.

I was going to contribute to this thread, but you pretty much hit the nail on the head.....well here goes anyway:
For the record, I think its a stupid idea, its bad enough that I have to deal with the fuckwits on their "vintage-shopper-dutch-wank-shit-mobiles" coming the wrong way down Brick Lane every single morning, if they start rolling this out across London its not going to be a good thing, people should just learn how to navigate properly on their bikes, this would stop such idotic things like riding the wrong way down a very long one way street.