Traffic lights on cycle paths - confused

[Brian73]

I was out on my tourer having a pootle around Doncaster's sights and found myself on York Road heading into the town. I decided try the cycle path that runs adjacent to the main road.

As well as the pedestrian crossings with the illuminated cycle symbol + green man, there were also full Red Amber Green lights. I don't often use cycle paths, but have not seen these before.

As a pedestrian I would usually cross a junction by looking left and right and proceeding if safe to do so.

Is obeying these signals mandatory? It's quicker to dismount and walk across rather than wait for the lights to change to green.

[Wildduck]

Where's the stop line?

[gaz]

Going by your description and image the lights are not an advisory toucan but a mandatory cycle-only crossing. As Wildduck says there should be a stop line.

Rule 81

Cycle-only crossings. Cycle tracks on opposite sides of the road may be linked by signalled crossings. You may ride across but you MUST NOT cross until the green cycle symbol is showing.
Law TSRGD regs 33(2) & 36(1)

There is a set of lights like that near me where the arrangement isn't so much a crossing from one foot/cycleway to another but the end of the shared section where cycles rejoin the carriageway.

[Bicycler]

We have a couple near us. What seems odd in that photo and looking on streetview (http://goo.gl/maps/feAG6) is that they seem to be button controlled like Toucans

[Mistik-ka]

What seems odd in that photo and looking on streetview (http://goo.gl/maps/feAG6) is that they seem to be button controlled like Toucans

We encountered a number of these in Doncaster (where we found many features in the area to be sensibly designed for bicycles — even for tandems! A nearby riverside cycle-and-foot path had kissing gate barriers so big we could navigate them without even taking the panniers off our touring tandem. Thank you, Doncaster! ) The pushbutton crossing lights worked beautifully: I watched the traffic, Mrs. M. pushed the button — giving the stoker a bit of control (without having to issue instructions to the captain — the way it's usually done. )

[Ayesha]

If there is no stop line, can you ride straight in front of a truck?

I can really imagine, ( tongue in cheek ) that if there is no traffic approaching, cyclists are going to hang around waiting for a green light.

[thirdcrank]

If anybody wants to check the detail of the law, it's in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) quoted at the foot of the HC link in gaz's post.

Without looking it all up for the umpteenth time I'll summarise what I believe to be the relevant bits for qqueries raised above.

If you meet a signal with a conventional looking red aspect ie citrcular then you must treat it like standard traffic lights. A red bike symbol is advisory (but ignoring it might still amount to dangerous / careless cycling.)
If there's no STOP line at a mandatory signal, then you must not pass the signal itself when it's at a STOP aspect.

[mjr]

There's one of these in King's Lynn on National Route 1 when exiting Market Street into Waterloo Street. It's got the usual cyclists- come- last bottom priority and seems like one of the less cycled routes in town, with more cyclists using routes that only have advisory red cycle lights. The unattractiveness of turning right from a cycle lane cum car park across the bus station entrance/exit probably contributes to that.

[Brian73]

Thanks for the info.

Like I said, I'm not a big user of cycle paths, having to stop at every intersection means I tend use the road. I'll nip onto a cycle path if the traffic is very heavy or there's an obstruction.

[Rob Archer]

There's one of these in King's Lynn on National Route 1 when exiting Market Street into Waterloo Street. It's got the usual cyclists- come- last bottom priority and seems like one of the less cycled routes in town, with more cyclists using routes that only have advisory red cycle lights. The unattractiveness of turning right from a cycle lane cum car park across the bus station entrance/exit probably contributes to that.

That's an interesting one. I've heard tell it's just a leftover from the days when that was a straight crossroads (at least 15 years ago) and it was planned to remove it but it turned out useful for cyclists!