BUS LANE cameras? FFS!

[spanglechick]

johnny - just so you don't think it's all a bunch of eco-greenies wh are having a go...

I drive. In the city. almost every day. and i like it.

but - you're wrong, hon. bus lanes are for buses. we have bus lane cameras on london too (and yellow box cameras). I've never been caught because I never drive in bus lanes. You have to be more relaxed about traffic if you're going to drive in the city.

bus lanes are important. Buses have more rights than i do. that's a good thing.

 

[mauvais]

Having lived in Manc for over three years I've no doubt it's hugely cheaper, just as easy and possibly quicker to use public transport to do your journey - albeit if you got rid of your car - but it's even easier than that to trot out poor excuses not to. I don't have a car for the same reasons you don't go everywhere by helicopter gunship, and amazingly, I seem to have survived.

 

[Orang Utan]

exactly tom


to get to where im going every day i need to get 2 buses which are run by 2 different companies (first and stagecoach) are are NEVER on time. its actually cheaper for me to run my car than it is to get bus tickets. absolutely ridiculous.

the journey (from north manchester to salford) takes about half an hour in the car and sometimes an hour and a half on the various different buses.

if we had a decent public transport system in this city i would use it. as it happens its an absolute farce and getting the bus/train/tram just isnt a practical option for me.

the were going to extend the metrolink up to oldham, built this huge expensive transport interchange on oldham road then realised they ran out of money to actually build the tram line. that is stupidity on a truly massive scale.

Get a bike then

 

[Sunspots]

Get a bike then

Yep. It's the fastest way 'round town!

 

[Tom A]

I don't do bikes.

 

[Orang Utan]

I don't do bikes.

Why not? No excuse unless you have a disability or a debilitating fear of them

 

[Guineveretoo]

Why not? No excuse unless you have a disability or a debilitating fear of them

My fear is not of the bikes, but of the traffic in London. I haven't ridden a bike since moving here. In fact, I have a very beautiful but rather rusty and cobwebby Pashley in my garage!

Mind you, I now also have a disability which means I have a valid excuse not to cycle in London

So, I am okay on that one.

 

[mtbskalover]

great thread,

lol @ johnny

 

[Tom A]

Why not? No excuse unless you have a disability or a debilitating fear of them

Just cannot balance on two wheels. Simple as. Also in a collision with an articulated lorry it is no contest which is going to come out the worse for wear.

 

[Orang Utan]

My fear is not of the bikes, but of the traffic in London.

You quickly become accustomed to the traffic and soon enough you get fearless and bold (but not reckless)

 

[Orang Utan]

Just cannot balance on two wheels. Simple as. Also in a collision with an articulated lorry it is no contest which is going to come out the worse for wear.

You've never learnt to ride a bike? Aw bless! It's weird cos once you've learnt to ride, it's difficult to imagine what it must be like to not be able to balance, cos it's just second nature. Is driving like that too?

 

[Guineveretoo]

You quickly become accustomed to the traffic and soon enough you get fearless and bold (but not reckless)

My daughter cycles everywhere in London, but it's too late for me now.

 

[Guineveretoo]

Just cannot balance on two wheels. Simple as. Also in a collision with an articulated lorry it is no contest which is going to come out the worse for wear.

I bet you can get stabilisers for grown up bikes

Also, the problem is not with articulated lorries, because you don't get many of those in bus lanes and the like, but with ordinary cars, who would also win against push bikes.

 

[Megaton]

Having lived in Manchester for 6 years before moving to Brum in December, there is no way that I would even consider thinking owning a car was any point. You don't need one - get a public transport map from your network provider (GMPTA), or get on your bike!

You were caught driving in a bus lane, a lane designed for buses.

Boo-hoo, my heart bleeds for you.

 

[Tom A]

You've never learnt to ride a bike? Aw bless! It's weird cos once you've learnt to ride, it's difficult to imagine what it must be like to not be able to balance, cos it's just second nature. Is driving like that too?

Don't drive, so won't know.

 

[detective-boy]

If fucking cagers can't stay out of them then its 3 points time and good riddance to em

Sadly, it isn't. As far as I know, bus lane is still a non-endorsable offence, so no points.

Anybody know what sort of camera they are, and what their purpose is?

They are probably simply sensors to monitor traffic approaching / waiting at the lights so that they can change in accordance with demand - many urban lights have fixed cycles during busy periods (and coordinated ones at that, so that the traffic "pulses" down the main routes in 400-500yd chunks) but then switch to an "as activated" system outside busy hours (i.e. the phasing may change dependant on whether there is anything in the next phases lanes or not), many suburban / rural lights are on "as activated" all the time.

"ANPR" on it's own would be meaningless (it would simply read a number plate automatically and ... do what with the number ...) - what database or system do you fear it may be linked into?

 

[Orang Utan]

I bet you can get stabilisers for grown up bikes

Alternatively:

 

[Guineveretoo]

Alternatively:

That looks so cool. I remember my brother having a smaller version of one of those when we were kids, and my sister and I were both dead jealous.

I could do all my shopping in one of those. Are they any good for arthritic knees? Of course, they don't fold, so I couldn't take one on a train, so not able to turn up to work using one, which is a shame - I would love to turn up there on a tricyle, with my briefcase and files in the basket. I would get laughed at, but I wouldn't care.

 

[Sunspots]

"ANPR" on it's own would be meaningless (it would simply read a number plate automatically and ... do what with the number ...) - what database or system do you fear it may be linked into?

Reading my post, I don't think I actually expressed any fear about it, did I?

Besides (-as I mentioned in my previous post) I'm a cyclist, so I can't say numberplate recognition particularly bothers me at present.

They are probably simply sensors to monitor traffic approaching / waiting at the lights so that they can change in accordance with demand - many urban lights have fixed cycles during busy periods (and coordinated ones at that, so that the traffic "pulses" down the main routes in 400-500yd chunks) but then switch to an "as activated" system outside busy hours (i.e. the phasing may change dependant on whether there is anything in the next phases lanes or not), many suburban / rural lights are on "as activated" all the time.

Thanks for that. That's the kind of system I was expecting it might be.

 

[johnnymarrsbars]

And if the buses weren't so overpriced, unreliable, and slow, and divvyed up by compaines like First and Stagecoach who exist to make the maximum amount of profit whilst providing the minimum amount of service, then more people would use them. Since I can't drive I have no choice but to use the buses, although this is partly my choice cause I personally see driving a car as an expensive, unnecessary, polluting luxury for the situation I am in (and yes I do know that in some cases people need their own transport). I am at uni, the buses to and from town are highly frequent at best, and still usable at worse.

E2A: Also in Manc the old, shitty buses tend to be "Magic Buses", Stagecoach's no-frills service which is cheaper than the regular Stagecoach. What annoys me is that in many cases about three or four companies (Finglands, UK North, Stagecoach/Magic Bus) will be running on the same route (the 192 Piccadilly-Stockport is notorious for this), with the same numbers, with non-interchangable fares. A frequent service is one thing, but in the cases of Manchester's busiest routes it has become overkill, all those buses burning all that fuel, and off-peak many of them are nowhere near capacity (although the 42 and 192 do get very busy no matter what).

i've seen many a completely empty 42 follow each other down wilmslow road.

how econonical and 'green' is that!

we've got the shittest public transport in the country without a shadow of a doubt.

 

[Tom A]

i've seen many a completely empty 42 follow each other down wilmslow road.

how econonical and 'green' is that!

we've got the shittest public transport in the country without a shadow of a doubt.

Simply solution: Extend the Metrolink down Wimlslow Road (and Stockport Road whilst you're at it). Whilst doing that, re-regulate the buses, allowing for a regular (every 10 mins will do) service which doesn't charge the earth, in place of this current madness.

 

[magneze]

... too many cars in bus lanes probably ...

 

[mauvais]

No, no you don't.

 

[Guineveretoo]

i've seen many a completely empty 42 follow each other down wilmslow road.

how econonical and 'green' is that!

we've got the shittest public transport in the country without a shadow of a doubt.

When you watched the bus sail past you, with all those empty seats, were you not tempted to try leaving your car at home another time?

 

[marty21]

You've never learnt to ride a bike? Aw bless! It's weird cos once you've learnt to ride, it's difficult to imagine what it must be like to not be able to balance, cos it's just second nature. Is driving like that too?

driving is like that, once you have passed your test, and had some experience driving on your own, all the stuff that goes with driving, gear changes, indicating, mirrors, etc just comes naturally, imo

mind you, i haven't ridden a bicycle in over 25 years, but i'd have thought that would come back to me soon enough

 

[magneze]

When you watched the bus sail past you, with all those empty seats, were you not tempted to try leaving your car at home another time?

 

[Guineveretoo]

driving is like that, once you have passed your test, and had some experience driving on your own, all the stuff that goes with driving, gear changes, indicating, mirrors, etc just comes naturally, imo

mind you, i haven't ridden a bicycle in over 25 years, but i'd have thought that would come back to me soon enough

They say it's like riding a bike, don't they?

 

[johnnymarrsbars]

Simply solution: Extend the Metrolink down Wimlslow Road (and Stockport Road whilst you're at it). Whilst doing that, re-regulate the buses, allowing for a regular (every 10 mins will do) service which doesn't charge the earth, in place of this current madness.

sounds like the perfect solution. the metrolink is fast, green and (apart from smelling of piss) relatively comfortable.

it'll never happen though. they'll put it to places like eccles and altringham where everyone commutes in their land rovers anyway but not to places like didsbury or oldham where its actually needed. as i said, they bult a huge tram station on oldham road thats now never going to get used because they ran out of money to build the actual tram line.

fucking joke. i love manchester but the transport here is shocking. every londoner moans about london transport but whenever i'm in london it amazes me just how cheap, clean and efficient it is.

 

[pogofish]

Anybody know what sort of camera they are, and what their purpose is?

As well as possibly being sensors, they may also be PIR devices for updating one or other of those in-car traffic-info systems - eg Traffic Master, although IIRC, their PIRs are usually blue.

 

[Orang Utan]

sounds like the perfect solution. the metrolink is fast, green and (apart from smelling of piss) relatively comfortable.

it'll never happen though. they'll put it to places like eccles and altringham where everyone commutes in their land rovers anyway but not to places like didsbury or oldham where its actually needed. as i said, they bult a huge tram station on oldham road thats now never going to get used because they ran out of money to build the actual tram line.

fucking joke. i love manchester but the transport here is shocking. every londoner moans about london transport but whenever i'm in london it amazes me just how cheap, clean and efficient it is.

Get a bike then