Toucan crossing question

[Wowbagger]

Every so often I use a particular toucan crossing. This crosses a dual carriageway very close to a major roundabout and during the working day has pretty well permanent slow moving / stopped traffic waiting to get onto the roundabout.

Is there any reason why I should not take up a position in the outside lane and execute a right turn onto the cycle lane, which at that point crosses a very wide (25 yards or so) central reservation? I couldn't find anything dealing with this in the HC.

[woollypigs]

Nope I can see anything against the move. Just make sure that you and the people crossing do see each other. Quite often when people see "stopped" traffic they think that all traffic is stopped and do not see the push/ motor bikes on the outside.

[Wowbagger]

If the traffic were stopped, I'd have to stop at the white line with it and then do my turn as the lights changed. If it were moving I'd have to make sure that there was space to get off the road as at lunch time (when I'm most likely to use it) it can get very crowded with VAT types, being outside the Southend HQ.

[nuttycyclist]

I did have a go at the Council, with no response, some time back re that crossing.  Maybe it's something to try again now they have more interest in cycling.

clicky map

Just north of the A13, on the corner of the car park, the view is blind on the 90 degree tight bend, especially when the vegetation is thick.  A cyclist cannot easily avoid a head on collision, or the common errant pedestrian, thanks to the railings separating the cycle path from the pedestrian path.

If I head South on the path alongside the A127 then, having negotiated that blind bend, I want to turn left onto the A13 to go around the roundabout and off to the office.  I stop and wait at the toucan.  When the lights go green I pull onto the A13 but then have to ride through the pedestrians on the crossing If I wait for the pedestrian lights to go red then my cycle lights are also red so I cannot enter the A13

I believe that to make the route safer the cycle path from the HMRC car park entrance to the A13 should be to the East of the pedestrian path, e.g. on that grassed area.


What do you think?





In answer to the original post... 
 - If I want to turn right from the A13 onto the path to head North then I just stay on the roundabout, take the A127, then turn into the service road and pick up the path there.
 - If I want to turn right from the A13 onto the path to head South then I take London Road at the previous roundabout instead of the A13 dual carriageway.