Cycleblog

John Pitcock, a founder member of Birmingham's cycling campaign group "PushBikes" writes:

Cycle lanes:
A local scheme which comes into much ridicule is Bristol Road, Edgbaston.
It's a shared footpath parallel to the road with a white line up the middle.
The cyclist's half is obstructed by many trees, lamp posts, bus stops, phone
boxes, permanent advertising etc. Pedestrians ignore the markings.

When you come to side roads and large entrances etc there is a give-way
marking so you have to look over your shoulder for, and give way to,
overtaking traffic turning left; to the right for approaching traffic
turning right; and to the left for traffic in the side road (which block you
as they wait to get onto the main road). It's better to ride in the road but you get abuse for being
there.

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Advanced stop lines:

I see from the TSRGD Department for Transport | Proposed Revision of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 1994 - Consultation Paper para 18 that
it is illegal for a cyclist to pass the first stop line when the lights are
on red. This makes most A.S.L's useless unless there's a filter lane � many
in Birmingham don't.

I find these advance stop lines, problematic when in conjunction with a left
hand cycle filter lane:
If I am going in any direction other than left I am frightened to go up the
inside if there is a possibility of the light changing to green before I
reach the front. This is because I would be stranded in the wrong lane. I'd
rather have more space between the lines of waiting vehicles so I can filter
towards the front in a more appropriate lane.