Pond life idiot bus lane story

[Milzy]

So on today’s training ride I looped home another way through a city centre. I took a bus lane as it was traffic free thus safer. Sign is mon-fri 0700-1600. Then some smack head is telling me to get out of the bus lane and into the traffic. Some people are so thick, they see a bus lane and think it’s for buses 24/7 everyday of the year. Too many plebs in the city.

 

[Drago]

I'd have challenged him to a duel.

 

[Brandane]

Like you say, people see "Bus Lane" and don't bother to read the small print. It used to work to my advantage when I was driving lorries to Aberdeen airport, when going along Great Northern Road in the city. The sheep driving cars would queue up in lane 2 of the road approaching the Haudagain roundabout, leaving me a nice clear route along the bus lane. This was always at lunch time, and the bus lane was only operational during morning and evening rush hours.

 

[growingvegetables]

... a bus lane ...

Or a bus and cycle lane?

Dunno - maybe I'm spoiled here in Leeds, but virtually all bus lanes are for both? There's a very few and very short, stretches that are bus exclusive.

Problem here is the taxis that sport labels on their arse-ends, claiming their "entitlement to use bus-lanes". B@st@rd$ - they have been "given permission" (see what I did?) to use "bus-and-cycle-lanes" (see what they did?) .

 

[Globalti]

Be careful with bus lane camera traps. There are two in Bury that change from "7-10 and 4-7" to "at any time" and you don't spot the sign advising the change. Bury Council bought a little white car with a camera that sits and photographs all the poor sods like me who don't notice the change and stay in the lane. I wrote to them under FOI and they admitted their scam netted them £135,000 in 2014.

 

[growingvegetables]

... their scam ...

... only a scam, if they have some sort of percentage deal for referrals to Specsavers .

 

[mustang1]

A long time ago a taxi driver was right up, wait, I better word this one carefully.... A taxi driver was driving his taxi close behind me while I was in the bus lane. He couldn't overtake me due to traffic in the right lane, and I couldn't move over enough to let him pass.

Later at the traffic lights he told me I need to move over so I told him taxi drivers aren't allowed to be in the bus lane. He told me "yes we are!" So I told him "so are cyclists". What a duck head.

 

[BurningLegs]

So are taxis permitted in a bus lane, or not? I always thought they were just based on the sheer numbers of them I see using them...

 

[growingvegetables]

So are taxis permitted in a bus lane, ...

Depends on the local councils. Some allow, some don't. Leeds recently let taxi drivers use bus-lanes.

And immediately the private hire operators wanted in on the act too. [So far - refused.]

 

[MontyVeda]

I was riding up through the pedestrianised part of town a while back whilst someone was driving their car down. We were both going slowly, and as we passed, the driver wound his window down and said "You shouldn't be cycling here!" I told him that if he can drive on it, i can ride on it. I didn't bother waiting for his response.

 

[Clanghead]

After seeing so many private hire operators using the bus/cycle/taxi lanes in Southampton, I checked with the City Council, who confirmed that they permit this.

 

[growingvegetables]

After seeing so many private hire operators using the bus/cycle/taxi lanes in Southampton, I checked with the City Council, who confirmed that they permit this.

Yup - some councils do

 

[NorthernDave]

Depends on the local councils. Some allow, some don't. Leeds recently let taxi drivers use bus-lanes.

And immediately the private hire operators wanted in on the act too. [So far - refused.]

It's bad enough with taxi drivers allowed to use the bus lanes - and I've never understood why that is. Taxis' aren't mass transit so it just seems that if you have the money to pay for a taxi you are allowed to avoid the queues which can't be right. I also fail to see why a taxi with just the driver in is any different to any other car?

And thank goodness private hire drivers aren't allowed to use the bus lanes - congestion is bad enough on York Road due to muppet taxi drivers repeatedly tripping the bus lane priority traffic lights, without having more private hire drivers* joining in.

(Not very) interesting fact - the bus lane up York Road allows taxi's in it for nearly the full length, except the short section past Romart (where the CSH makes cyclists battle with the locals trying to get from the shop to the bus stop), which is clearly signposted 'Buses Only' and has enforcement cameras. Oh I do laugh watching taxi drivers flying up the inside of the queuing traffic and wondering why no-one will let them re-join the main carriageway at the sign...

* - some private hire drivers already do use the bus lane (including the priority traffic lights), but strangely never the section where the enforcement cameras are...

 

[Tommy2]

I was driving through crossgreen in Leeds last Sunday and most of that main road had a bus lane Mon-fri 7-4 or something, very few cars on the road but none of them but me would use the bus lane, they were all more than happy to break the speed limit though.

 

[NorthernDave]

I was driving through crossgreen in Leeds last Sunday and most of that main road had a bus lane Mon-fri 7-4 or something, very few cars on the road but none of them but me would use the bus lane, they were all more than happy to break the speed limit though.

I know what you mean - but at least the council had a rare outbreak of common sense and raised the limit from the original 30mph...