Campaigners divided on effectiveness of low level lights for cyclists at Bow Roundabout

I've watched the video but I'm still not sure I get it. Is it like a light-enforced ASL?

If so, you still have the problem of drivers trying to push past on the actual junction with the potential for left-hooks as a result. Isn't this the problem that needs to be solved?

Sorry if I've missed a trick; I'm not a Londoner and don't know the junction well.

There are plenty of occasions when you can justify going through a red light - one example - lights triggered by the presence of a car. I will ride over the line so that a car coming up behind can trigger the lights. In law I've gone through a red light but if I stopped before the line we would be waiting a very long time for the lights to change.

Then there's weather, abusive motorists and simply when there's no other traffic around to have priority.

Such a pity we don't have our lights set to flashing on off-peak so that everyone can treat them as a give way sign.

to me it looks like the Bike Red/Orange comes on when the Main light is green, so if a cyclist stops, a car trying to beat the amber is going to go right over the top of the bike, or am I mission something here

Why all the love for "innovation" when there is established best practice? Surely not the cost of doing a truly safer layout?

Low level lights normal hight lights varying priorities for who goes next cycle pedestrian or motorist these are all fab ideas but no good if all or some of those using them don't abide by the rule. And that is where we are at now.

are there any actual photographs of these lights in use at that junction. So far, all I'm getting on SKC is someone quoting an old article claiming they're not an improvement and are effectively designed to always stop cyclists then go green to allow them into the ASL. As I understand it, these lights should be positioned at the cyclists stop line for those cyclists ALREADY in the ASL to get a head start on the vehicles behind them.

In downtown San Francisco, due to heavy vehicle traffic combined heavy pedestrian traffic, they've instituted a change in the stop lights where the first 15-20 seconds is red for cars in all directions and green for pedestrians allowing them to cross in any manner including diagonally and then the rest of the light cycle it's green for cars and red for pedestrians. It allows for more cars to be able to make turns without having to wait out the interminable lines of pedestrians crossing and it makes it safer for pedestrians because they're not crossing when the cars have a green light. I wonder if a similar sequential light delay would work here for cyclists although besides the initial learning period which was scary with the San Francisco lights there is also the fact that at an intersection you can see who's allowed to go while your champing at the bit waiting (making people less tempted to turn on red) and that doesn't necessarily happen at a roundabout.

"The presence of low-level traffic lights or otherwise doesn't remedy the major flaw of this junction: that many cyclists can't progress safely across the junction without motor traffic catching up with them, and potentially putting them in grave danger by turning across their path."

I'd like to see the junction design in mainland Europe were they work - here in Melbourne, Aus my experience at 2 junctions I regularly use that have advanced cycle specific green lights is that left turning cars consider they have the right to cross your straight ahead path when "it is there turn" so if you arrive at the junction during the main green phase they make the junction very much more dangerous not less

@Mikeduff You answer your own question. The flyover is very intimidating for people who aren't used to cycling on motorway-style roads. Don't forget, not everyone riding through Bow is a 30-something male roadie who does 100 miles a week. There are inexperienced people on bikes who go this way too. Even getting on the flyover is tricky, and getting off is too.

The sensible solution to making this junction safe clearly involves stopping the cars while people on bikes go safely through the roundabout. It'll get done in a few years, probably when 4 or 5 more people are dead, and the next mayor decides it's a national embarrassment.

I wonder why Gerry Matthews didn't suggest riding over the flyover, which a) is legal, and b) avoids the dodginess of the Bow Roundabout she is pointing out.

It really boggles my mind that the powers that be don't adopt the solution that is hiding in plain sight. You only have to stand there for a few minutes to see a huge proportion of cyclists riding over the flyover. The new kerbed cycle lane on the southern side of the A11 approaching the roundabout from the East now makes it harder to cross traffic to get up onto the flyover. I have also now been yelled at by motorists, suggesting to me that I am "supposed to be in" the cycle lane, not on the flyover.

There is no need to send cyclists through the roundabout - they cannot turn north or southbound, since the A12 is too big a road, and the cycle path under the roundabout takes care of these turning movements. The flyover handles the remaining East and West (A11) movements.

The only issue I can see is successfully getting cyclists across the lane of traffic at the take-off point of the flyover bridge, and the issue of accessibility to all cyclists - as the flyover may not be an easy climb for all cyclists. It is a 4-5% gradient, and probably some 200 meters long.