Time & Date Bus Lanes - Am I missing something?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

So there is a bus lane on my drive home, that quite clearly states "Mon-Fri 4:00-6:00pm"


Every day I drive down it at between 18:10 and 18:40, passign around 150 stationary cars as I go.

I'm not going mad am I, the times on the sign do mean it isn't a bus lane at weekends and after 1800 right?

I just don't believe that 5 days a week there are over 150 people who would happliy sit for 30 minutes in a queue than drive down an empty lane and havn't noticed the signs??

[the_lone_wolf]

You are correct, the times shown are the time of operation of the bus lane, see Diagram 961 of the TSRGD

Just don't tell everyone or they'll all start using it...

[Dogwatch]

Similar when I visit my son in London on a Sunday. Everyone is so conditioned to avoiding bus lanes that when they are available they are hardly used - except by us hicks from the sticks. Used to be called aversion therapy or, once bitten (by TfL) twice shy.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Just wanted to check before I get £3000 worht of fines through the post!

Ah well, I'll carry on then

[PurpleMoonlight]

People don't read anymore, they just look at the pictures ....

[the_lone_wolf]

Recently in Bristol I was honked and had someone almost swerve into me at the end of a bus lane that was inactive, I drove slowly past a 200m+ line of stationary traffic that couldn't read the signs correctly, then slowed to a crawl and indicated at the end where the lines merged again, people really are stupid...

[Manicminer]

There are quite a few near me too, people queue for ages when they could just nip up the bus lane. Suits me fine, if they can't read then tough luck.

[John145]

It's a brilliant way of getting around London on the weekend!

Also, IMO, all bus lanes should be deactivated when the buses aren't running. A 24 hour a day bus lane is complete bs.

[Chapppers]

Yep, too complicated for most drivers to work out. I find it everywhere I go. Weirdly this is something drilled into me from my original driving test, so everyone should know.

[kazste]

Some on the way out of Nottingham, really useful as no on uses them but you do have to watch out for the idiots who not only pay no attention and therefore don't use them but take offence that you are and try to run you on the pavement.

[AlexiusG55]

John145 said:

It's a brilliant way of getting around London on the weekend!

Also, IMO, all bus lanes should be deactivated when the buses aren't running. A 24 hour a day bus lane is complete bs.

Well, we have (some) 24-hour buses in London...

Also, in my experience in the middle of the night there are so few cars on the road that it doesn't really matter whether you can use the bus lane or not.

[carreauchompeur]

I use them quite a lot, the only problem is when you have to merge back in (Or "push in" as most of the sheep think!)

[iva cosworth]

The best ones are those that allow Goods vehicles over 3.5 GVW to use them.

So no vans allowed but us HGVers can make progress.

Examples include A3 up hill to Roehampton,new Coulsdon bypass A23 and the road

into Guilford town centre from A3 side

[simoid]

They are a tax on the stupid

[g3org3y]

In London you have to be a bit caution as I've seen multiple bus lanes on the same stretch of road with different operation days/times. Mon-Fri vs Mon-Sat, typically.

carreauchompeur said:

I use them quite a lot, the only problem is when you have to merge back in (Or "push in" as most of the sheep think!)

Again, in plenty of parts of central London you will find cars stopped/parked in the bus lane which requires to you to temporarily merge back into the 'normal' lane. Not usually a problem unless you encounter a road captain who thinks by using the bus lane you are jumping the queue.

[duckwhistle]

Very common round here too even on Sundays the bus lane is empty, you really have to watch out for the lane end cutters ,now a new hazard. The bus lane causes such a hold up on weekdays that the buses are stuck in the jam caused before the lane starts.

[croyde]

Yeah! you have to read the signs especially on a motorbike as some we can use and then just as suddenly there are parts you cannot use. TFL trick to get more money.

[FlauM]

You can fail a driving test for not using a bus lane when safe & legal to do so. But yeah don't tell everyone it allows us to get to places before the numbnuts.

[FourWheelDrift]

Petrolhead_Rich said:

So there is a bus lane on my drive home, that quite clearly states "Mon-Fri 4:00-6:00pm"

Is that 4pm-6pm just a short temp limit to allow for children leaving nearby schools?

[HTP99]

There are bus lanes near me with times clearly showing and the amount of evils that I get when wizzing past people, when it's not a bus lane, is hilarious.