Safe Speed Forums

Recently I've noticed a potentially dangerous situation that frequently occurs with bus lanes.

Typically a bus lane will end just before a junction, and there is a short stretch of the left lane, maybe about five car lengths, open to all vehicles for turning left.

Unfortunately, if you are a good boy and don't venture into the left lane until after the end of the bus lane, you run a serious risk of being sideswiped by vehicles using the bus lane to jump the queue.

Obviously getting rid of the bus lane entirely would be the best solution - but failing this perhaps it would make sense to put a "Give Way" at the end of the bus lane which hopefully might reduce the problem.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Putting a Give Way sign at the end of the lane would serve to loosely condone the actions of drivers who are using the bus lane when they shouldn't be, in the eyes of the authorities anyway. Furthermore, it would quite likely create a focal point for drivers who meet at the merge point, one of whom has waited in the queue, the other 'jumping the queue' using the bus lane. We British don't like queue jumpers do we, I'd envisage a few little push-and-shove contests.

The other problem I have with them is that most people seem unable to read the hours of operation of the lane on the blue signs, and avoid using them at all times. So when I quite correctly use a bus lane, which you can for the vast majority of the time on the roads I use, you're then confronted with people trying to drive into you at the point you describe. I'm always aware of the risk that someone on my right hasn't realised they should be driving in the bus lane, so I drive along in between two cars on my right and will always let the car in front of me to move across if they look like they want to go into my lane at the end.

And on a related point, I've been wondering if the solid white line separating the bus lane from the road lane is one that you mustn't cross? If so, this gives rise to additional problems, e.g. a week or two ago, I was in the road lane, with a bus lane on my left that I wasn't in because there was the occasional parked car in there, and a police car comes rocketing towards me with his flashing lights on, driving in my lane to pass the oncoming traffic. So I'm stuck - he's clearly expecting me to move into the bus lane to allow him past, yet I'm not allowed to do so because I would have to cross a solid white line. He was coming at very high speed and appeared to not be contemplating the possibility that I wouldn't move into the bus lane, so I moved across the solid white lane, but I wasn't very happy about having to do so.

But the buses shouldn't be giving way...

I think bus lanes kill pedestrians, as they step out from in front of stationary traffic into a 30mph bus (I do enjoy it when someone steps out of a bus into an undertaking cycle though). Plus they should let bikes (the ones with engines) in them. They were going to do this in Cambridge, but our blessed "cycling campaign" opposed this for some social-engineering reason.

All that green stuff should get back to Oxford, where it belongs. Although we still have a running gas bus, which is free. So there, mike[f] .

they've put a few 'bus gates' in round here.. basically a set of lights at the end of the bus lane, often only a few tens of yards from the junction.

so it stops the traffic when there's a bus coming and lets it through.
seems to work ok even if it is a bit annoying.

the question i have is: as a cyclist sharing the bus lane.... and not triggering the lights.. what the #@!£ an i supposed to do?
a) go through the red light?
b) dive across the bus lane, across a solid white and into the traffic just so i can go through a green light?

Got some of these bus gates round here too - but they have an always-on green bike light - get on to your council!

Ah! But Peter's talking about Manchester/Stockport where the bus lanes just fizzle out before a left hand junction... are we talking about the one on the Crescent? Also there's that really dangerous one on Oxford Road? Think there's another on the A6 in Stockport too... and another in the vicinity of Stockport Grammar - on that stretch ... sure I came across one iffy one there too on way to Stepping Hill.

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The two I'm talking about in particular are on the southbound A6 in Stockport approaching Belmont Way by the Hope pub, and the westbound A5145 approaching the A34 at Parrswood, Didsbury. There are plenty more, though.

Now I don't like driving in bus lanes during their hours of operation, even if I feel the bus lane in question is stupid and the chances of being caught are minimal. But if you stay in the right hand lane until the end of the bus lane, you need to be very careful you're not sideswiped by cars and vans approaching at some speed actually in the bus lane.

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Out of interest, why not?

The bus lanes in Swindon are open to motor and pedal cycles. Personally I think its a preferable alternative than encouraging filtering. As far as I'm aware there haven't been any serious collisions involving either when using the bus lanes. (However, the bus drivers round here do all seem to be mildly psychotic...)

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

It's an interesting question - the vast majority are badly designed and often awkward manouvers have to be preformed to turn left. Your effectively being asked to turn left from the 2nd lane which is just wrong. So therefore using the bus lane for a short distance before turning left is probably safer. However, I think queue jumping is rather anti-social - you'd be a bit miffed at Alton Towers should someone jump over the fence when you've been queueing an hour for Nemesis.

The best solution I've found is to keep a check in my mirror, then before the bus lane ends I start indicating left for a short period, but don't move over till the bus lane ends. This hopefully should stop people undertaking, but obviously vigilance is needed.

But it's not even remotely the same thing, is it?
You'd also feel a bit miffed if you popped down to your corner shop to get a pint of milk and found yourself behind a queue of people doing what appears to be their monthly shopping.
I think that 'queue' is a rather unfortunate term when applied to traffic, as there are all sorts of connotations to 'queue-jumping' etc - when it's really not the same thing at all.

Cheers
Peter

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Only when ideology, prejudice and dogma are set aside does the truth emerge - Kepler

I think it can be similar, but there are of course differences. If there are two straight on lanes then a merge I definatly do not call that 'queue jumping' and am happy to let people merge. The best solution is one from each lane, but if a second car is trying to push there way in then I will let them rather then having a big willy contest. Still, it's not polite, but heh these things happen, it's no problem in the big scheme of things.

However, if there is two lanes into one and a huge queue and someone drives all the way down the hatch area and then tries to join then I'd call that queue jumping. I'm perfectly happy for people to use the full length of the two lanes, but after that I think it's rather anti-social to push your way in. People do it, and I don't getted worked up about it, but I think it's bad manners that's all. Just like it was bad manners the other day when I held the door open for someone and they just walked through without a nod or a thank-you. I had no intentions of remonstrating with them, but it's rather rude!

What we are talking about here, though, is queue-jumping by carrying out an illegal and potentially dangerous manouevre.

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

So, it could be argued, is climbing over the fence at Alton Towers.
Still doesn't make them the same thing, in effect though.

Cheers
Peter

_________________
Only when ideology, prejudice and dogma are set aside does the truth emerge - Kepler

my only injury accident happened in a bus lane.
I was progressing as fast as I could down a bus lane the cars in the second lane were almost stationary (I was on a push bike)
what I did not notice (could not see) was that there was a lollypop lady stood infront of a luton transit van.
next moment all these kids walked streight in front of me.
the scene resembled skittles
there were a number of cuts and bruises and I recieved a broken elbow

I had been using a clear and empty bus/taxi/cycle lane. In those days I was very fit and may well have been traveling at 25-30 mph.

Too true, especially the bus lane at the end of Princes Street / Fleming Way. Not too long ago, two buses piled into the back of learner drivers (one on test), and wrote them both off.

I agree, m/c using bus lanes is much safer than filtering, especially with the idiots in Swindon who get all upset that you are going 2mph faster than they are!

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I'm always a little wary of the one along Flemming way because I'm worried about busses driving off from the stops without looking (cos they have right of way don't they? ).

Was that the one that was in the paper, a Corsa I think, with its roof cut off?

_________________
Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

PMSL at that . Just like the way they can swerve from lane to lane without indicating...


That was the one - the other was just written off I think. The one on test they had to cut the roof off to get the driver and examiner out as I recall

_________________
"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

Yep, that's the one!

I remember seeing the paper, but I'm too much of a tightass to buy it lol.

You a Swindonite then?

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Indeed. Born and partially bred You too?

_________________
"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."