Should you drive in bus lanes outside their hours of operation?

[sim667]

Not neccessarily. There are bus lanes on the A41 (the route from the M1 to the centre of London) which only operate 7-10am. Confusingly that changes to 7 am-7pm as you get nearer the centre, and I think Baker Street has a 24 hour one.......

But your unlikely to have a driving test on the A41 or down baker street..... I hear what your saying tho, but I mean in all practicality its not likely to arise, they'd be better of practising paralell parking rather than discussing bus lane usage

 

[richsaint]

...I mean in all practicality its not likely to arise...

How so? My motorcycle test route had bus lanes that were not in operation during the day and I was specifically warned by my instructor to look out for them as it would have been a definite minor not using them if they where available.

 

[_pH_]

So long as one pays its due attention to the signs at the beginning of each stretch to ensure it's okay to use them at the time, you will find yourself driving in deserted lanes bypassing queues and stationary traffic.

^ this. i *heart* bus lanes for this reason

 

[paolo]

Not that I drive these days, but I always used them out of hours. Only takes a second to glance at the plate to check the times. Why queue? Because you can't read?

 

[geminisnake]

He thinks you can fail your test if you don't do so.

Do test get done outwith bus lane hrs?? Not round here they don't so it shouldn't really matter, or am I missing summat?

I didn't read all the thread before posting.

 

[kaiser]

I do it too. I mean what's the point otherwise? Trouble is, what usually happens is that eventually you come across a parked car and have to try to cut back into the lane to your right but the people in that lane are usually well pissed off that you were smart enough to use the bus lane and won't let you back into the traffic.

That's what always seems to happens in Streatham anyway!!

Now you know what the bus drivers have to put up with when we leave the bus lane

Always use the bus lanes when its out of operational hours. I would say you should use them, when its not operational, when taking your driving test.

 

[Cobbles]

You don't actually mean that though do you?

Of course I mean it, bus lanes are simply there to generate congestion so that Council "planners" have something to do.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Of course I mean it, bus lanes are simply there to generate congestion so that Council "planners" have something to do.

oh right.

I thought it was something to do with busses not getting held up in traffic jams.

 

[Cobbles]

oh right.

I thought it was something to do with busses not getting held up in traffic jams.

All vehicles get held up in traffic jams - what makes buses special in any way?

 

[Mrs Miggins]

All vehicles get held up in traffic jams - what makes buses special in any way?

ooooh....carrying loads more people than cars? You can't encourage people out of cars and onto busses if the busses get stuck in the same traffic as cars and the journey ends up taking hours. People will feel more inclined to use busses that sail through the traffic.

That's pretty obvious really.

 

[Cobbles]

ooooh....carrying loads more people than cars? You can't encourage people out of cars and onto busses if the busses get stuck in the same traffic as cars and the journey ends up taking hours. People will feel more inclined to use busses that sail through the traffic.

That's pretty obvious really.

When buses match the speed, comfort and point-to-point convenience of private vehicles then people may actually have a reason to try using them.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to stuff up a road with a bus lane that at peak times simply allows a few hundred commuters to get to work a couple of minutes faster whilst many road users now have vastly increased journey times, burning more fuel in the process.

 

[Iam]

All vehicles get held up in traffic jams - what makes buses special in any way?

They serve a useful function irritating twats like you.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

When buses match the speed, comfort and point-to-point convenience of private vehicles then people may actually have a reason to try using them.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to stuff up a road with a bus lane that at peak times simply allows a few hundred commuters to get to work a couple of minutes faster whilst many road users now have vastly increased journey times, burning more fuel in the process.

Perhaps they could take the bus rather than their cars, and avoid being stuck in traffic. Surely the whole point of bus lanes is that at rush hour, they can make the journey quicker than cars. And quite right too.

 

[christonabike]

I love it when car drivers get jealous

It's usually of the cyclists getting there quicker, now it's those buses, speeding along

Cars have a lane to drive along on Brixton Hill, and so does the buses, seems about right

 

[Mrs Miggins]

When buses match the speed, comfort and point-to-point convenience of private vehicles then people may actually have a reason to try using them.

The busses are packed where I live - plenty of people use them - and they are very quick given that they travel in bus lanes rather than getting snarled up with the cars.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to stuff up a road with a bus lane that at peak times simply allows a few hundred commuters to get to work a couple of minutes faster whilst many road users now have vastly increased journey times, burning more fuel in the process.

It makes a lot of sense to me for more people to travel by bus or indeed any means of transport rather than individuals in their individual cars.

Clearly you disagree. Nowt I can do about that.

 

[T & P]

When buses match the speed, comfort and point-to-point convenience of private vehicles then people may actually have a reason to try using them.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to stuff up a road with a bus lane that at peak times simply allows a few hundred commuters to get to work a couple of minutes faster whilst many road users now have vastly increased journey times, burning more fuel in the process.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to drive into city centres in a private vehicle.

A few people genuinely need to. Those commutting to work in an office (who make up a sizeable majority of traffic) don't. Why should responsible and sensible commuters suffer in bad traffic because some people are too lazy/selfish to use public transport?

 

[soulman]

Of course you should drive in a road lane outside of the hours it's not assigned as a bus lane. That's why you have signs telling you when it is and isn't a bus lane.