Bus lanes nobody uses
Discussion
There is a bus lane on a road I regularly travel along, here. The bus lane is only in operation 07:30 - 09:30 and 16:00 - 18:30.
The Google Maps image illustrates the situation nicely - virtually nobody apart from busses use it, no matter the time of day. It is legal and correct to use it off-peak, however when I've used it myself or (rarely) seen somebody else use it there is frequently an awkward merge back to one lane approaching the following junction - which is quite enough of a junction as it is (limit drops from 40-30, 5-way junction with two bus stops and a pedestrian crossing, immediately followed by a blind bend). Rarely does the use of both lanes at off-peak times improve traffic flow - the road doesn't need the capacity of the extra lane and everybody tends to make sensibly good progress along that stretch anyway.
With little for me or other road users to gain and to avoid a potentially awkward merge at the junction or on encountering a bus, left-turner or parked car (not to mention the numpties who turn left across the bus lane without indicating) I have taken to going with the flow and avoiding the bus lane myself. I figure that while it is strictly speaking incorrect lane discipline, going with the flow makes me more consistent and predictable which means I and other road users are safer.
It it right to go with the flow in the name of being predictable, or should you do it by the book, buck the trend and stay left?
p.s. In case you wondered - yes, I do maintain correct lane discipline on other roads.
The Google Maps image illustrates the situation nicely - virtually nobody apart from busses use it, no matter the time of day. It is legal and correct to use it off-peak, however when I've used it myself or (rarely) seen somebody else use it there is frequently an awkward merge back to one lane approaching the following junction - which is quite enough of a junction as it is (limit drops from 40-30, 5-way junction with two bus stops and a pedestrian crossing, immediately followed by a blind bend). Rarely does the use of both lanes at off-peak times improve traffic flow - the road doesn't need the capacity of the extra lane and everybody tends to make sensibly good progress along that stretch anyway.
With little for me or other road users to gain and to avoid a potentially awkward merge at the junction or on encountering a bus, left-turner or parked car (not to mention the numpties who turn left across the bus lane without indicating) I have taken to going with the flow and avoiding the bus lane myself. I figure that while it is strictly speaking incorrect lane discipline, going with the flow makes me more consistent and predictable which means I and other road users are safer.
It it right to go with the flow in the name of being predictable, or should you do it by the book, buck the trend and stay left?
p.s. In case you wondered - yes, I do maintain correct lane discipline on other roads.
There's a two-lane road (Tyburn Road) going into Birmingham that used to have a bus-lane, but it was abolished three or four years ago, presumably because of the traffic congestion it caused.
However, a high percentage of people STILL hog the right-hand lane exclusively. This is fine with me, as the left-hand lane is often empty, allowing me to (carefully) trundle along unhindered by the queues.
There's another road (Black Country spine road) where the left lane is a "two or more occupants" lane, but only at certain times of the day. At all other times, both lanes can be used, but most people don't bother to read the signs and they crawl along in the outside lane, leaving the nearside empty.
Just shows that the majority of "ordinary" drivers are simply on auto-pilot....
However, a high percentage of people STILL hog the right-hand lane exclusively. This is fine with me, as the left-hand lane is often empty, allowing me to (carefully) trundle along unhindered by the queues.
There's another road (Black Country spine road) where the left lane is a "two or more occupants" lane, but only at certain times of the day. At all other times, both lanes can be used, but most people don't bother to read the signs and they crawl along in the outside lane, leaving the nearside empty.
Just shows that the majority of "ordinary" drivers are simply on auto-pilot....
mollymoo said:
..... going with the flow makes me more consistent and predictable which means I and other road users are safer.
It it right to go with the flow in the name of being predictable, or should you do it by the book, buck the trend and stay left?
You answered your own question by using the word SAFERIt it right to go with the flow in the name of being predictable, or should you do it by the book, buck the trend and stay left?
This is the situation all over the place, and I'm rather like the OP, prefer to use the lanes properly but realise that the potential risks are different.
For example, one has people in "what is now lane 2", just hanging on a sharp left with the minimum of or no signal, pedestrians who don't expect the lane to be used, due to "no buses it's late innit." Result is that I'm in two minds, and the hazards either stay the same or increase in addition to being different, so it's no safer.
Even if the traffic in "what is now lane 2" is travelling slowly an overtake on the left always seems too dodgy to me to be worth it. So why do it?
Well when you get a set of traffic lights or TLC pedestrian crossing then a slow sidle up to the front of the stationary queue sitting in "what is now lane 2" makes it worthwhile. Am invariably quicker away, so why not; provided of course one recognises the different hazard situations as indeed the OP seems to have done.
Once I've also been followed down the local bus lane by a traffic car half expecting a pull; but no, when I eventually signalled and moved to the right on approach to a junction where wanted to turn right, they just gave a friendly thumb up as they dribbled past in the non operational bus lane, so with all that I reckon can't be doing much wrong really.
Still feels a bit uneasy situation though.
For example, one has people in "what is now lane 2", just hanging on a sharp left with the minimum of or no signal, pedestrians who don't expect the lane to be used, due to "no buses it's late innit." Result is that I'm in two minds, and the hazards either stay the same or increase in addition to being different, so it's no safer.
Even if the traffic in "what is now lane 2" is travelling slowly an overtake on the left always seems too dodgy to me to be worth it. So why do it?
Well when you get a set of traffic lights or TLC pedestrian crossing then a slow sidle up to the front of the stationary queue sitting in "what is now lane 2" makes it worthwhile. Am invariably quicker away, so why not; provided of course one recognises the different hazard situations as indeed the OP seems to have done.
Once I've also been followed down the local bus lane by a traffic car half expecting a pull; but no, when I eventually signalled and moved to the right on approach to a junction where wanted to turn right, they just gave a friendly thumb up as they dribbled past in the non operational bus lane, so with all that I reckon can't be doing much wrong really.
Still feels a bit uneasy situation though.
I don't personally believe that "lane disciple" applies in this situation OP - if the road is not flowing smoothly then using the bus lane is common sense. If it is then lane discipline frankly doesn't matter. So for the reasons you've given, don't worry about avoiding the thing. Looking at the google map link it's very short so it's especially pointless.
Also, while it ain't happened to me, I've known a few people who have been pulled over for driving in bus lanes when local practice was to ignore them even outside of technical hours.
Also, while it ain't happened to me, I've known a few people who have been pulled over for driving in bus lanes when local practice was to ignore them even outside of technical hours.
That section is fairly short but there are other similar sections further down the road and dotted around Sheffield. People used to use them in off-peak hours, but ever since the green tarmac appeared several years ago nobody seems to want to go near them. When there are queues and it's permissible I'll use them to cruise carefully past, but other than that I think I'll continue to go with the flow.
I like to think of timed bus lanes as a tax on unobservant drivers. I must've saved hours of my life passing queues of traffic at between 6:30pm and 7:30am, and 9:30am and 4:00pm, as a few the Edinburgh bus lanes are!
Take all the points though about the added dangers: I'll not sit in anyone's blind spot, watch for any movements at junctions and be ready for evasives.
Take all the points though about the added dangers: I'll not sit in anyone's blind spot, watch for any movements at junctions and be ready for evasives.
Somewhatfoolish said:
I've known a few people who have been pulled over for driving in bus lanes when local practice was to ignore them even outside of technical hours.
By Police officers? Probably the same ones who pull people over for 65 on an NSL dual carriageway or book people for no MOT on the way to an MOT test.There's a bus lane near my OH's house - a recent addition, reducing what was a 2 lane road into 1 lane. Wouldn't be a problem, except that it's the main road out of town to the motorway junction, and is only used by 1 bus an hour.
This means at rush hour there's a queue of traffic a mile long trying to get onto the motorway, and an empty lane beside it for 59 minutes of each hour. A lot of the time people use it regardless, but once a month or so, the police turn up and issue FPNs to anyone caught using it.
PITA.
This means at rush hour there's a queue of traffic a mile long trying to get onto the motorway, and an empty lane beside it for 59 minutes of each hour. A lot of the time people use it regardless, but once a month or so, the police turn up and issue FPNs to anyone caught using it.
PITA.
Engineer1 said:
The problem is the signs are:
Bus Lane 7-10 15-18
so not the easiest size to read the time restriction on.
If it's enforced by camera or you are close to the times on the restrictions then you may want to err on the side of caution
The other issue in Central London is that on the same stretch of road you can have a bus lane running mon-fri and a couple of hundred metres further down it's mon-sat. Can easily catch you out.Bus Lane 7-10 15-18
so not the easiest size to read the time restriction on.
If it's enforced by camera or you are close to the times on the restrictions then you may want to err on the side of caution
simoid said:
I like to think of timed bus lanes as a tax on unobservant drivers. I must've saved hours of my life passing queues of traffic at between 6:30pm and 7:30am, and 9:30am and 4:00pm, as a few the Edinburgh bus lanes are!
In Glasgow, I use the bus lanes out-of-hours and no one seems to mind. A few people will even cotton on and follow you in - hell plenty of people use them when they shouldn't anyways 
. Must have saved me hours queuing over the years.In Edinburgh, I've tried to merge (politely) as we neared a lane closure at the end of a very long bus lane (out-of-hours, and perfectly entitled to be there), and purposefully been boxed in by two Lothian double deckers, been called a w
ker by the driver of one and told 'that'll teach you, stick in your own lane' by the other. Frankly if the charmers driving them can't even get it right, what hope is there for the rest of the eternally congested.
Big Rod said:
Engineer1 said:
The problem is the signs are:
Bus Lane 7-10 15-18
so not the easiest size to read the time restriction on.
If it's enforced by camera or you are close to the times on the restrictions then you may want to err on the side of caution
THIS!Bus Lane 7-10 15-18
so not the easiest size to read the time restriction on.
If it's enforced by camera or you are close to the times on the restrictions then you may want to err on the side of caution
When I took my bike test, the local area had a lot of bus lanes. Failing to ride in the bus lane during permitted hours would have been a 'fault', apparently.
-This meant desperately trying to read the days and times on the signs without slowing down too much and then moving into the lane, hoping that I'd read the sign correctly, whilst the bloke on the Honda Pan (hopefully) followed me into the lane.
BonzoG said:
In Glasgow, I use the bus lanes out-of-hours and no one seems to mind. A few people will even cotton on and follow you in - hell plenty of people use them when they shouldn't anyways . Must have saved me hours queuing over the years.
In Edinburgh, I've tried to merge (politely) as we neared a lane closure at the end of a very long bus lane (out-of-hours, and perfectly entitled to be there), and purposefully been boxed in by two Lothian double deckers, been called a wker by the driver of one and told 'that'll teach you, stick in your own lane' by the other.
Frankly if the charmers driving them can't even get it right, what hope is there for the rest of the eternally congested.
In fairness to the Lothian drivers, 99.9% of the time, in my experience, they're thoughtful, courteous and predictable in their driving.. Must have saved me hours queuing over the years.In Edinburgh, I've tried to merge (politely) as we neared a lane closure at the end of a very long bus lane (out-of-hours, and perfectly entitled to be there), and purposefully been boxed in by two Lothian double deckers, been called a w
ker by the driver of one and told 'that'll teach you, stick in your own lane' by the other. Frankly if the charmers driving them can't even get it right, what hope is there for the rest of the eternally congested.
My particular favourite bus lane story was here:
http://g.co/maps/hczgq
There was a queue on the roundabout, in the left hand lane. WTF I thought, I'll use the other lane until the problem point. Then as I came off the roundabout, heading westbound, I saw the queue continuing all the way to the next roundabout (best part of a mile away).
The cars were queuing, in the bus lane, during operational hours, because at the next roundabout one of the lanes was closed just after the bus lane ended! So I was actually the only person driving legally on the road at the time, cautiously proceeding in lane 2 to the point where lane 2 was closed off (literally a couple of car lengths before the roundabout).
A mile of traffic queuing in an operational bus lane with NOBODY using the correct lane... how does that happen?
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