DRAFT FOR NOMINATED STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ONLY motorists the need to anticipate cyclists travelling in the contra-flow direction. On-coming with-flow traffic should never meet a cyclist coming towards them in the same traffic lane. Cyclists in the contra-flow lane should be visible at all times. In a one-way street, other road users may not anticipate on-road cyclists coming against them, even where there is good visibility. Therefore, it is essential that drivers and pedestrians should be alerted to the presence of the contra-flow cycling facility before they enter the street. This is particularly important for vehicles joining the street from side roads or exiting from on-street properties, where they must cross a contra-flow cycle lane. On-street car-parking can present further problems, if located on the same side of the street as the contra-flow facility, as it is usually marked out between the contra-flow lane and the kerb. Drivers are likely to have barriers to their field of vision when accessing a parking space and, even more so, when exiting, as they will be crossing directly into the path of oncoming cyclists, who may also be at risk from opening car-doors, and similar driver activities. Ideally, on-street car parking should only be considered for streets with contra-flow facilities where the actual road speeds are 10 km/h or less. (Issues concerning car parking and cyclists are considered in greater detail in Chapter C4.)
Photo C2.3.1: Car-parking between the contra-flow lane and kerb
Set down, loading and unloading operations present issues for all users, which need to be addressed. In a with-flow cycle lane, the cyclists can move into the general traffic lane to avoid vehicles engaged in set down, loading or unloading activities. This is not feasible in a contra-flow lane for safety reasons, as the cyclist would be crossing into the path of oncoming traffic in doing so. Cyclists using the contra-flow lane can themselves have problems when accessing and exiting from the facility. Where the contra-flow lane provides the cyclist with a link between the junctions at either end of a street, the C2.3 Chapter C2-Contraflow cycling (Draft National Cycle Manual – July 2009)