200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

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wjhall
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200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by wjhall »

Yesterday I noticed new markings on one arm of the Saville Road-Stoke Hill traffic light junction in Bristol. Presumably done within about the last week as I pass there fairly frequently. Previously there were a cycle box, cycle line and stop line, certainly present in 2018 on the Google Earth satellite view, although the 2019 street view shows them all absent. I do not lament the absence of the cycle box, but the cycle lane was useful, if used carefully, and the absence of the stop line is puzzling. Presumably the rule about assuming a stop line between the light posts in the absence of other markings applies.

There may be more sensor lines cut across the road than before.

Does anyone recognise these markings and their purpose? Are they the latest innovative idea or has the council just sent out a crew with speed camera timing marking drawings in mistake for stop line markings?

The work appeared to be finished. The paint is dry and did not change between morning and evening.

200810-70 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings.jpg
200810-71 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction cycle lane truncation.jpg
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Stoke Hill-Saville Road junction - S branch Google Earth 2018.jpg
Bmblbzzz
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I noticed these a week or two ago. There is a camera there so I presume they are simply that: speed measurement markings (also functioning as a "brake sharply now" indicator). I presume the stop line is meant to be painted in as well, some time soon...
thirdcrank
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by thirdcrank »

My guess would be a traffic-light enforcement camera.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

That's been there for years. These markings seem to be new. Perhaps the camera's had speed capabilities activated recently.
thirdcrank
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by thirdcrank »

Perhaps it's to record RLJing and the speed at which it is done?
Bmblbzzz
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Well, yes. That much is pretty clear.
thirdcrank
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by thirdcrank »

Bmblbzzz wrote:Well, yes. That much is pretty clear.


It's not clear to me. Another possibility is that the traffic lights are for the chop.
wjhall
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by wjhall »

I must confess to either never having noticed the camera, or having forgotten about it. I do not think I have seen speed camera markings lying across a stop line before. The general effect is of some sort of extension of that branch into the junction.

There may be some sort of rule about not superimposing two different road markings, for example, the way cycle lanes always stop where a bus stop is marked. The light controlled pedestrian crossing markings also appear to be suppressed. In fact the stop line has now moved legally forward to the line between the physical lights, whereas before if was further back, to allow for the pedestrian crossing, and the cycle box. In principle the crossing can now be legally blocked by unobservant drivers.
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mjr
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by mjr »

wjhall wrote:In principle the crossing can now be legally blocked by unobservant drivers.

When was a driver last penalised (by the police or courts - not by a blind person beating hell out of their obstructive vehicle with their cane) for blocking a crossing when the lights changed?
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thirdcrank
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by thirdcrank »

I hope that somebody perhaps local knows or can find out and will post in due course.

Another Utopian possibility is that the ASL will eventually be re-instated and the camera will verify at what point a vehicle crossed the first stop line and ended up in the cyclists' waiting area.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

thirdcrank wrote:
Bmblbzzz wrote:Well, yes. That much is pretty clear.


It's not clear to me. Another possibility is that the traffic lights are for the chop.

Possibly, but then there would probably be roadworks activity on all four arms of the junction. And the camera would presumably be removed.
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Was up there today and remembered to have a look. Still no stop line painted! There are several camera-trigger loops visible just before the timing lines start and people seem to be treating these as a stop line. Or maybe that's just coincidence, I'm not sure how visible they are through a windscreen.
wjhall
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by wjhall »

Still the same. I raised a Fix my street query in August (1), which produced the sequence of replies below (2), ending with an automatic closure so explaining why they did it appears to be in the too difficult class as far as the council are concerned. Automatic closures seem to be becoming more common for anything other than simple pothole filling.

(1) https://fixmystreet.bristol.gov.uk/report/2241601

(2)
Updates

A new enquiry has been raised for this issue.

Posted by Bristol City Council at 10:39, Wednesday 12 August 2020

This enquiry has been referred to another team for action. They will provide further updates on the issue in due course.

Posted by Bristol City Council at 13:13, Wednesday 12 August 2020

This Fix My Street enquiry has been automatically closed.

State changed to: Closed

Posted by Bristol City Council at 00:05, Wednesday 2 September 2020
Bmblbzzz
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Well done for raising a query.
wjhall
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Re: 200810 Saville Road-Stoke Hill junction markings

Post by wjhall »

Last week in connection with a different report in which I added a remark that the erased markings at the Station Road, Henbury mini-roundabout had been reported several months ago by someone else and automatically closed I received what is probably, despite the computer style 'Dear W J Hall', a personal reply explaining automatic closure of Fix-My-Street reports:

Dear W J Hall

Thank you for informing us of the faded road markings on Station Rd.

I can assure you that closure of the enquiry does not mean it has been left and ignored, all enquiries close after a set period. We record all enquires that come in. The timing of the completion of the work related to the enquiry depends on a number of factors including weather and resource available to complete the work.

The job to refresh the markings at this location is currently with the contractor and will be completed as part of their rolling programme of maintenance work.

Regards
Highway Maintenance


Even if they have recorded them just informing the reporter of an automatic closure is not a satisfactory response. The same applies to many responses, they often say something like 'closed' or 'no further work required', without saying whether anything has been done.

The Saville Road junction timing markings were recently erased on the Stoke Hill side by surface dressing as far as the lights. It will be interested to see what is repainted there.
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