As described in the London Cycling Design Standards, “two-stage turns” are interventions that enable cyclists to make an opposed turn in two stages, i.e. without having to cross conflicting streams of traffic. This generally means a right turn from the nearside or a left turn across general traffic lanes from a two-way track on one side of the carriageway.
The first two-stage turn appeared in 2015 at the junction of Whitechapel Road and Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green, London.
Since then, more two-stage turn junctions have appeared in Edinburgh and Southampton.
However, despite being advertised as “straightforward,” the measures have confused cyclists and motorists alike with safety groups raising concerns.
A cyclist approaching a “no right turn, except in two stages” sign will be met with an “advance cycle light” at the junction.
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The light will turn green for the cyclist, while motorists going in the same direction will be held up by a red light.
The cyclist, positioned on the left side of the road, is then expected to move forward to a “marked holding area” in the middle of a junction on the left.
After that, they are supposed to turn their bikes by 90 degrees pointing toward their chosen direction of travel.
Cyclists will then once again get a head start at the next set of traffic lights, meaning they can travel in a straight line without crossing heavy traffic.
You can see a video explaining the “no right turn, except in two stages” junctions in detail here.
According to the Transport for London (TfL), trials of the two-stage turns techniques showed that there appeared only to be an incentive to perform a right turn in two stages where the conventional right turn was banned.
Although it could also have been because the two-stage turns were not well-established among people cycling in London.
The results also suggested that for a large multi-lane junction, more than 60 percent of cyclists use the conventional right-turn facility and gap seek before making the turn.
There was also some concern among cycling safety groups when the scheme was launched back in 2015.
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Rosie Downes from the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) said at the time: “Although we are pleased to see that TfL has taken this bold step of taking out the risk of cyclists being hit when travelling along the Superhighway we are quite concerned about the delays that cyclists will experience.
“There’s going to be a gap in the segregation outside Whitechapel Market, which is a real concern – to have protection for much of the route and then expect cyclists to mix with traffic.”
To this day, the LCC believes that two-stage right turns are not the best option when it comes to ensuring cycling safety.
The organisation is campaigning for alternatives, such as the Circulating Cycle Stage junctions introduced in Manchester.
However, the TfL previously stated that the two-stage right turns would “significantly cut the cyclist casualty rate”.
In a statement the TfL added: “Around 85 percent of cyclist accidents happen at junctions, mostly involving turning traffic.”
Speaking about the introduction of the measures in 2015 the then-mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “I made a firm commitment that we would upgrade Cycle Superhighway 2 to ensure that cyclists get the time and the space they need to cycle safely.
“That’s exactly what’s happening here in east London. The innovations we’re using at Cambridge Heath are a fantastic taster of the raft of improvements that are coming down the track, ensuring that people can cycle safely and more confidently in our city.”
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