We see many cyclists using these streets as if nothing was happening, which tends to annoy motorists.
The cohabitation between cars and bicycles on the road is often quite anarchic. Especially since cycling, mainly in large cities, has become a means of transport like any other (but less polluting) and cyclists have invaded the streets. While the Highway Code is gradually adapting to the proliferation of two-wheelers 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 a cyclist coming towards them on a one-way street. The first reaction is to think that the person on their bike has broken the rule by not respecting a no entry sign. The round sign on a red background with a white horizontal stripe inside is one of the best known in the Highway Code. How could a well-intentioned cyclist not know it and just swerve into the lane as if nothing had happened? For the driver of a car, it is probably a cyclist who thinks he is above the law and who will have to be taught the rules of good driving.
And yet, in most cases, people on bikes are allowed to drive in one-way streets when they are in city centres. In 30km/h zones, one-way streets for motorised vehicles are usually two-way streets for cyclists, unless otherwise indicated. This means that cyclists can travel in both directions, even if motorised vehicles cannot. However, these streets must be marked with an “except bicycles” sign (the drawing of a bicycle usually replaces the word bicycles) placed just below the one-way sign. As it indicates, the sign excludes cyclists from the ban on driving in that direction.
Cyclists must nevertheless be extra vigilant when taking a one-way street because motorists coming towards them may be surprised by their presence in a road that is often quite narrow. Also, there are exceptions when local authorities decide not to allow cyclists to travel in both directions for safety reasons. In this case, even in a 30 zone, bicycles are not allowed to ride in the wrong 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.