Cycling Facilities in the UK, Getting Ahead of the Traffic
Advanced Stop Lines, and Cycle Reservoirs allow cyclists to take up a position ahead of a queue of traffic. However their use is governed by rules that many don’t know.
The Advanced Stop Line, or ASL for short, has been steadily appearing all over the UK in recent years and has been lauded as one of the main safety facilities offered to cyclists on the road. This is quite often true, but in some cases you do have to be careful how you use them, and there are rules on their use (for both cyclists and motorists) that should be borne in mind.
Layout of Advanced Stop Lines and Cycle Reservoirs
The term ‘Advanced’ stop line is a slight misnomer, as in most cases the stop line has stayed where it was, and the stop line for cars has been moved back in order to create a cycle reservoir at a set of traffic lights. The theory is that bikes can take up a position at the head of a queue of traffic stopped at lights, putting them into a visible position so that they can move away first when the lights turn green.
Often the reservoir will have a ‘feeder’ bike lane, usually on the left, but sometimes in other positions depending on the road layout. The stop lines are solid white lines fencing in the cycle reservoir.
Rules for Cars on Where to Stop
The basic rule is that when a light is red the cars have to stop at the first stop line, i.e. they cannot enter the cycle reservoir. There are, however, caveats to this rule. If the lights turn red, but stopping before the first line would be impossible or dangerous, and stopping before the second stop line would be possible and safe, then the driver MUST stop before the second stop line, and will therefore be required to stop within the cycle reservoir.
This will often happen in a slow moving stream of traffic and it is very easy to get caught this way. Something to think about if you ride a bike into a cycle reservoir and aim a scowl at a driver who is stopped there. Of course the number of drivers who simply drive into the cycle reservoir either deliberately or negligently often outweighs those complying with the rules of the road, but if you can’t be sure the scowl should be kept to yourself.
Entrance by Bikes into the Cycle Reservoir
This may sound strange, but in the main bikes are governed by the same rules as cars when it comes to cycle reservoirs. Cyclists can only technically enter the reservoir if there is a feeder bike lane, with a dotted line, which filters into the reservoir. If there isn’t a feeder lane, and just a solid stop line that the cars are stopped at, as a cyclist you are supposed to stop there to.
Of course, common sense dictates that this is a frankly ridiculous situation, as it negates any purpose assigned to the advanced stop line and cycle reservoir. General usage, and logic, therefore means that it’s unlikely anyone will ever be fined or given a talking to for riding into a cycle reservoir without a feeder lane.
Dangers Posed by Advanced Stop Lines
If you are using an advanced stop line you really need to be careful of a number of things. Firstly while filtering past traffic to reach the cycle reservoir you must keep an eye on the lights. If they change to green while you are still filtering, or just reaching the head of traffic, the general rule of assuming the drivers haven’t seen you should always apply. In this case it’s often easier to merge with traffic than try to make a dash for the reservoir.
If you are turning right then cycle reservoirs may have limited use. In order to use them as they are intended you would have to filter on the left, then once at the reservoir ride over to the right hand side. Obviously you can only do this is the lights are red, and even so you should pay very close attention to the possibility of them turning green, which could be disastrous should you be caught out half way across the front of a car.
If the lights are green and you are approaching on the left you will have to stop (possibly impeding cyclists behind you), wait for the lights to turn red, and then make your move over to the right hand side. It’s probably simpler to either merge with a moving queue of traffic on the right, or filter past on the right hand side (which is often the safer option anyway, which is obviously in contradiction to cycle lanes generally being placed on the left hand side of the road by the kerb).