Filtering in Cycle Lanes?

Big no no? I see it done quite often and am unsure about the legality of it.

[the_lone_wolf]

Cycle lane bounded by broken line = advisory - use it if you want but if you have an accident I doubt you'll get much sympathy

Cycle lane bounded by solid line = compulsory - it's illegal to enter it

I thought that was the case, broken line allows you to cross if required to do so and a solid really is a no go.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by mcgrimes

I thought that was the case, broken line allows you to cross if required....

I think the exact phrase is "...if it is necessary and safe to do so"

Presumably if you cause an accident in doing so it wasn't safe, and you'd be hard pressed to convince a judge that it was "necessary" to filter to the front of the queue

Also bear in mind that even if the cycle lane is advisory, entering the Advanced Stop Line box for cyclists is an endorsable offence...

Most are between the kerb and the traffic - I wouldn't filter in those if I could help it. Despite what TLW saying being true, many drivers seem unaware of the rules. Too much chance of a left hook IMO, but YMMV.

YMMV?

Way i see it, is i'd rather filter down a cycle lane which seems a bit of a grey area, than down the other side of the line marking the centre of the road which as far as im aware is illegal?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by mcgrimes

YMMV?

Way i see it, is i'd rather filter down a cycle lane which seems a bit of a grey area, than down the other side of the line marking the centre of the road which as far as im aware is illegal?

Only illegal to ride down the offside of traffic if any part of you vehicle crosses a solid white centre line or you take the mick with oncoming traffic...

Ah right good stuff. Benefit of riding down a cycle lane would be that people should expect some traffic there atleast, or so i would hope.

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

Also bear in mind that even if the cycle lane is advisory, entering the Advanced Stop Line box for cyclists is an endorsable offence...

Yes and no. The highway code actually says that if you cannot stop by the first line but you can by the second then you should. So only endorsable if you are witnessed stopping, otherwise you can claim the lights changed when you were too close. (nobody round here seems to pay the slightest bit of attention to stop lines whether they have an ASL or not)

Originally Posted by mcgrimes

Way i see it, is i'd rather filter down a cycle lane which seems a bit of a grey area, than down the other side of the line marking the centre of the road which as far as im aware is illegal?

I would suspect you would be more likely to be busted for deliberately using the cycle lane than filtering on the outside. And, IMO, it is more dangerous to filter on the inside.

Well i have a helmet camera, so filtering to the front of a cycle box is pretty illegal for me.

Think im gonna pick up one of those high vis vests aswell.