Contraflow bus lane on Bloomsbury Way bans cyclists [London]

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Dan B

Disengaged member
I'm sure I'm not the only one to have noticed, but I can't find a previous thread on it yet: the new East->West contraflow bus lane on Bloomsbury Way, which eliminates (or would have eliminated) the need to go all the way down Proctor St and back up from Holborn tube station, has now had "no cycling" signs erected at its various entrances

Whose f!@#king idea was that? I thought the London boroughs were supposed to be making life easier for cyclists, what on earth possessed them to think it'd be a good idea to send everyone down to the four lane racetrack at the High Holborn/Southampton Row junction? "Muppets" is really too polite a word: Kermit had style.
 

CharlieB

Junior Walker and the Allstars
You have to be joking. That's a route I use regularly.
 

ttcycle

Cycling Excusiast
corus-- are you a member of LCC or CTC? If so might be worth taking it forward and letting them know? I'll take it forward as my job's around this kind of thing-that's just piss poor- it's an irony that motorcycles are being let into bus lanes and then here cyclists are being kicked out? wtf?!
 

ttcycle

Cycling Excusiast
corusskate - can you get any photos posted up on here? I'll then get the right person to look into it and get it changed hopefully. EDIT: also worth writing a letter - and all of you that are affected by this route and who are pissed off with it. Write to Camden Council -I'm pretty certain that's the borough it falls under and TfL - Camden are planning more cycle storage and one of the hire schemes comes under them- so what's with all the promotion of cycling if you're going to then ban cyclists from bus lanes?
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
At least all the ones we have round here that prohibit cycling they don't actually put up no cycling signs. Geez.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
thomas said:
Just put some bin bags on them :laugh:..then you can ignore them.

Speaking from experience?
 

Bromptonaut

Rohan Man
Location
Bugbrooke UK
Hmmm, not sure about this one. It could have been designed as a bus/cycle route but it wasn't. I've noticed more and more cyclists using it since it came into use in the spring and I'd assess it as quite dangerous, particularly at the crossing with Southampton Row.
 

139NI

Senior Member
just ride down it anyway - no one is going to get hurt, cars will not be slowed. You will be happy, cars will be happy everyone will be happy.

Apart from the person fighting to justify their job at the council, just exactly who else is going to be unhappy if a lone cyclist zooms down it.

dangerous at SOUTHAMPTON RD? only if you ignore a red light and end up pasted by a bus yep.

come on....,
 

Bromptonaut

Rohan Man
Location
Bugbrooke UK
The danger is by Central St Martin's College and is from motor traffic turning east to south; Vernon Place into Southampton Row. Signs have been erected to remind them to give way to buses but there's now also a stream of cyclists. There were also several pedestrain accidents in the first few weeks it was open.

I'm not saying it's impossible to use or even that, with appropriate caution it cannot be crossed safely. But used as it's being at the moment by summer riders on BSO's treating it as a priority right of way there's going to be a KSI type accdent before summer's out.

And then a lawyer's going to ask why it's Bus Only status was not crystal clear.
 

Bromptonaut

Rohan Man
Location
Bugbrooke UK
Passed through the Central St Martin's junction about 10mins ago. Signs have appeared at the bus lane entry point on corner of Vernon PLace (a) cycling prohibited & (:thumbsup: 20mph speed limit for the buses.

Suspect a reaction to accidents in the first few weeks of operation.
 

Bromptonaut

Rohan Man
Location
Bugbrooke UK
If I've got time on the way home I'll see what I can capture onthe phone camera. I think the route was installed specifically as bus infrastrucure by TfL.
 

ttcycle

Cycling Excusiast
Cheers Bromptonaut -I've flagged it up already and hope that the person on the other side will take it up.
 
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