More and more bikes are doing it on the road, this new habit annoys motorists

We see many cyclists using these streets as if nothing had happened, which has a way of annoying motorists.

Cohabitation between cars and bicycles on the road is often quite anarchic. Especially since long-distance travel has become increasingly difficult. Bicycles, mainly in large cities, have become a means of transport like any other (but less polluting) and cyclists have invaded the streets. If the Highway Code adapts little to nothing, small à the proliferation of two wheels in public spaces, the fact remains that road users do not always know the rules, which can lead to certain tensions between the different protagonists.

This happens when a motorist sees someone approaching in front of him. him a cyclist in a street à One Way. The first reaction is to say that the person on their bike has broken the rule by not respecting a prohibited sign. The round sign on a red background with a white horizontal band à the interior is however one of the best known in the Highway Code. How does a well-meaning cyclist ride? could he not know it and rush into the lane as if nothing had happened? For the driver of a car, it is undoubtedly a cyclist who believes himself to be above the law and beyond the control of the law. who will have to learn the rules of good conduct.

© SIPA

And yet, in most cases, people à bicycles have the right to take prohibited directions when they are in city centers. In areas restricted to 30km/h, the streets à One-way streets for motorized vehicles are generally at the same time. two-way for cyclists, unless otherwise indicated. This means that cyclists can travel in both directions, even if motorized vehicles cannot. However, these streets must be marked with a sign “except bicycles”. (the drawing of a bicycle most often replaces the word bicycles) placedé just below the no entry sign. As it indicates, the sign excludes cyclists from the ban on taking the street in this direction of traffic.

Cyclists must nevertheless be extra vigilant when they take a street in the wrong direction because motorists who arrive facing the wrong direction cannot follow the road. they may be surprised by their presence in a path that is often quite narrow. Also, there are exceptions when local authorities decide not to allow two-way cyclists for safety reasons. In this case, even in a 30 zone, bicycles are not allowed to ride in the prohibited direction. The round red sign with the white horizontal stripe is then all alone, without the “except bicycles” sign. And if the cyclist has not been careful enough, he risks being fined and having to pay a fine of 135 euros.