In recent times I’ve noted an increasing preponderence of motorbikers sneaking into ASLs, which are meant for cyclists only.

I’m undecided.

Should we fist-shake at these petrol-head cheating scum (yes it’s not only drivers who are petrolheads!) or wave them on as fellow 2-wheeled brethren?

What are ASL’s? Sorry fer bein dumb!

I always use them (on my motorbike), cars can use them too according to my old driving instructor, its a courtesy thing not a solid rule… or so i’m lead to believe.

I don’t really care anymore, it’s the other cyclists that tend to annoy me more by creeping in front and then setting of real slow. At least motorbikes are going to get away nice ‘n fast.

More often than not I seem to find myself admiring all the shiny bits on them 😀

I think I’m going to get one myself soon 🙂

i think that unlike people on pedalled bikes motorbikes have an absolute right and indeed full public approval for weaving in and out of traffic, ignoring speed limits and being extremely busy getting nowhere important and ignoring most reasonable rules on this one would side with the motorbike using the ASL so can be clearly seen rather than sitting in a potential blind spot

stratobiker gets his “knowledge”

I’ve googled it and I’m no wiser. Generally I assume laws don’t apply to motorbikes so I guess a sneaky ASL is all fair game. Probably.

cars can use them too according to my old driving instructor, its a courtesy thing not a solid rule

i guess most of the highway code is a courtesy thing but the word MUST has a legal meaning

178
Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic. Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area. Allow cyclists time and space to move off when the green signal shows.

[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10, 36(1) & 43(2)]

Advanced Stop Line

or

😛

Ah yeah. They’re fair game.

I probably shouldn’t say this but you know the old detective films with the chalk line round the body ???

I use them all the time on my m/c, always have – and if cars are in there (which is often the norm), go in front of the car 😉

On two wheels its all about getting yourself ‘seen’, bikes or m/c’s.

But I’ve never had a cyclist complain.

And if we are complaining, why is it that I can ride in Bus Lanes in Greenford, but not Ealing – and they are next to each other.

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news–general-news/ealing-scraps-motorcycles-in-bus-lanes/16711.html

Ealing council state there were significantly more motorcylist casualties, mainly caused by cars turning across bus lanes into side junctions…

I don’t like it. Motorbikes, especially powerful ones, are just too big to fit in them with bikes as well. Often I find theres no space whatsoever in them without getting dangerously close to a motorbikes exhaust. It only takes 2 or 3 motorbikes for this to happen, whereas otherwise you’d fit a lot of bicycles in.

Makes them kind of pointless as a safety feature for bicycles. Maybe they need to be bigger?

e.g
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnQnT6mFPRo[/video]

This might be a London thing due to the congestion charge not applying to motorbikes.

whereas otherwise you’d fit a lot of bicycles in

But this is what I find dangerous 🙂

Now the lights go green, some set of slow, some are wobbling, one poor guy is struggling to clip in. It’s horrible! 🙂

Says bicycle on my cbr’s tax disc. 😀

HoratioHufnagel

Why didn’t you just go around the m/c’s and stop in front (and to the left) of them?

That’s what I do if there is a car in there.

I think the whole ASL thing is dumb and dangerous. A bit like cycle lanes.

I don’t use ASL’s when I’m on my motorbike (or car) although I sometimes do when cycling (if I think getting to the front of the queue is safe). Where I ride they’re pretty pointless really – don’t have enough experience of cycling in busier cities to comment though.

From what I’ve seen of London the cyclists mostly ignore them anyway, given they rarely seem to bother stopping for red lights.

I use ’em sometimes on the M/C. If they weren’t there I’d still go to the front of the queue and sit just over the white line anyway. If the ASL was full of bikes, I’d go in front of them.

To be honest, and I’ve said this before more than once, to me all bikes are the same, I see no difference weather it has an engine or not…

If you can’t beat us, join us. You might like it. 🙂

Motorbikes in ASLs – fine so long as they leave room for cycles. Motorbikes to the right, cycles to the left. I have had polite words with motorcyclists who don’t leave room.

Why didn’t you just go around the m/c’s and stop in front (and to the left) of them?

They get very angry in my experience! Was verbally threatened by a guy on a sports bike after stopping ahead of him (with lots of other cyclists). he gave his 0-60 time a thorough test when the lights changed and blasted through the middle of everyone. You get idiots on all forms of transport, but when its got upwards of 100bhp it just makes everything mroe dangerous.

I use them but accept that I probably shouldn’t be – likewise when they’re not there my front wheel is usually well over the line so I’m in front of traffic and visible.

As TJ says, motorcyclists are usually filtering on the right and arrive at that side of the box, cyclists normally pass on (and fill from) the left so no problem really. I tend to stay back in the box and leave a gap so any right-filtering cyclists can get past.

So if a car stops in the ASL and leaves room for cyclists is that OK? 😛

Motorbike head on: Dont tend to use them myself, but not averse if its safe to do so!

Cyclist head on: so long as there’s room, im not too fussed.

They get very angry in my experience! Was verbally threatened by a guy on a sports bike after stopping ahead of him (with lots of other cyclists). he gave his 0-60 time a thorough test when the lights changed and blasted through the middle of everyone. You get idiots on all forms of transport, but when its got upwards of 100bhp it just makes everything mroe dangerous.

Yeah, I was told by one idiot after the fourth or fifth time that I shouldn’t use the ASL because it was “dangerous” for me (he kept rev-ing ahead of me and cutting me up).

He didn’t seem to particularly appreciate being informed that it was his riding style and ignorance of legal road usage that was putting me in danger.

I always use them (on my motorbike), cars can use them too according to my old driving instructor, its a courtesy thing not a solid rule… or so i’m lead to believe.

It’s a rule. I know people who have failed driving tests for this.

When I’m riding ym bike, every stop line has an ASL in front of it, even if it’s not actually painted on the road.

MT why? Are you somehow more visibile to the car in front for not having a car in front of you?

Or does it increase your average speed from 8.64mph to 8.73mph?

I always use them on my pushbike and I always find the traffic light GP important and have no problems getting out everyones way (sorry for the shameless todger waving).

Mostly on a motorbike I don’t go in them, but the one nearest to my house where I turn left off the ringroad I always nip into if the traffic is backed up, but I always give way to cyclists coming up the inside and am prepared to hold the traffic up to do so.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L397TWLwrUU[/video]

The problem i mentioned might be a bit londoncentric. Motorbikes are exempt from the congestion charge so theres a large number of high powered bikes riding round in central london compared to other cities.

Are you somehow more visibile to the car in front for not having a car in front of you?

You don’t ride a motorbike do you?

as usual a lot depends on where you live but round our way ASLs are just different coloured patches of tarmac. Cycle lanes appear and disappear because they aren’t cycle lanes they are there to make the roads seem narrower and dissuade people from chancing an overtake.

Cycle commuters use the footpaths at junctions, go over the the pedestrian crossing and rejoin on the other side and I can’t say I blame them. As a motorcyclist, stopping at any junction is an epic fail so ASLs are moot; it’s all about filtering, keeping an eye on the adjacent lights as you approach and modulating your speed so you get to the front of the queue just as the lights go green.

I don’t mind provided I can get into the ASL myself.

What annoys me more is motorbikers filtering like Aunty Doris, holding me up, even those with mirrors. I let motorbikers through when I can tell I’m filtering more slowly than them.

But hey, at least we’re moving.

PeterPoddy – Member
Are you somehow more visibile to the car in front for not having a car in front of you?
You don’t ride a motorbike do you?

No, does MT?

What annoys me more is motorbikers filtering like Aunty Doris

+1 this is insanely annoying esp when you are stuck behind them on a motorbike

What annoys me more is motorbikers filtering like Aunty Doris
+1 this is insanely annoying esp when you are stuck behind them on a motorbike

What annoys me is motorcyclists sitting in ques of traffic and not filtering at all!!

Why buy a motorbike and do that? It’s like buying an umbrella and not putting it up when it rains!

on the motorbike I dont use ASL’s

I understood the filtering ‘rules’ (hazy I know) to be that you do not filter past the front vehicle waiting at the stop line. This was explained rather pedanticly to me by the plod just after he observed me do it.
Obviously if you’re already at the front theres no need to pass the first line.

What annoys me is motorcyclists sitting in ques of traffic and not filtering at all!!

not so much annoying as one of life’s great mysteries 🙂

esp when I’m in the car stuck on the mway and there’s a bike in front who starts/stops along with the rest of the traffic.

MT why? Are you somehow more visibile to the car in front for not having a car in front of you?

Because I need somewhere safe to go once I’ve filtered past the queue of traffic. No idea what it does to my average speed, but filtering saves me one cycle of the lights. Multiply that by a couple of sets of lights and there’s a worthwhile saving with no detrimental effect on anyone else.

Because I need somewhere safe to go once I’ve filtered past the queue of traffic.

Yep. That’s the bones of it. Plonk yerself in front of everyone, they can all see you, and you’ll be off and out of their way and not trying to pass cars at a junction where there’s traffic islands etc to contend with.

It’s the safest, and most considerate place to be. End of argumnet! 🙂

I understood the filtering ‘rules’ (hazy I know) to be that you do not filter past the front vehicle waiting at the stop line

IIRC from my IAM training, that’s only at ped. crossings with zig-zag lines……