[Richard Attwood]

I’m an everyday cycle user in Sheffield, and my experience of ASL’s is as follows:
– The feeder cycle lane and ASL is particularly and consistently useful to help me avoid being ‘left hooked’ by left turning vehicles at junctions where I am going to go straight ahead.
– I don’t find any problem with ‘undertaking’ in the feeder cycle lane, provided it is of the proper dimensions, clearly marked and clear of queuing vehicles (usually is), and only very occassionaly does the situation arise where the lights change as I am approaching by using the feeder lane, in which case I indicate, move into, and take up a place in the traffic lane.
If this is not possible I then stop and can then wait safely in the ASL at the junction for the next light change.

More generally, I value being able to get past the fumes of queues of idling vehicles to gain the ASL rather than sit in them, and also not ending up in the situation where I feel i am slowing the queue down if I’ve stopped in it and cannot keep up with it as it moves off.

Finally, riding an electrically assisted cycle has made a massive difference in these scenarios – I have the oomph and prescence to more confidently take up a legitimate place as a road user in situations such as those described above, and yes, if its a short queue and I’m going to turn right at the junction I may well now decide not to get into the complication of using the feeder lane and ASL, but join the queue and move off with it using the bike’s power (it gets up to 16mph in step with the queue) in order to then place myself correctly on the junction for a right turn.

So in summary I value ASL’s and would not want to lose them, and it’s worth bearing in mind that e-bikes/the green agenda/costs etc are bringing less experienced/confident cycle users on to the roads now, and they more than experienced users, value protected space.

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