Buslane question

karltimber

Could be in motors but prefer the two wheels

so,
can a bus lane be used as a normal lane outside of it's resticted hours ??

Ie QBC for bus' from 4pm-7pm. Outside of these hours -is it a free for all??

Thx

MrPudding

I don't think "free for all" is neccesarily the best term, but yes. Outside the buslane hours you can use them as an additional lane.

MrP

the_syco

karltimber wrote:

Could be in motors but prefer the two wheels

so,
can a bus lane be used as a normal lane outside of it's resticted hours ??

Ie QBC for bus' from 4pm-7pm. Outside of these hours -is it a free for all??

Thx

I think the buslanes operate earlier than that... maybe around the 6am mark, and upto midnight. Not 100% sure on that, tho.

Steffano2002

the_syco wrote:

I think the buslanes operate earlier than that... maybe around the 6am mark, and upto midnight. Not 100% sure on that, tho.

This completely depends on the actual bus lane. Some are 24 hours 7 days a week. Others 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday and I've even seen some that have a "free for all" gap between 10:00 and 12:00 or 10:00 and 14:00...

Outside these hours knock yourselves out!

cowzerp

theres an unwritten law that us bikers can use the bus lanes anyway-i cant find it in print though!

MarkR

cowzerp wrote:

theres an unwritten law that us bikers can use the bus lanes anyway-i cant find it in print though!

Perhaps because it's unwritten?

Hagar

Steffano2002 wrote:

This completely depends on the actual bus lane. Some are 24 hours 7 days a week.

Wahoo, we are getting a 24 hours a day 7 days a week bus service!!!
Aren't we?
No you say?
Well the whydafuk do we need 24/7 bus lanes ???

Steffano2002

Hagar wrote:

Wahoo, we are getting a 24 hours a day 7 days a week bus service!!!
Aren't we?
No you say?
Well the whydafuk do we need 24/7 bus lanes ???

Beats me! But I swear I've seen the sign!

Steffano2002

cowzerp wrote:

theres an unwritten law that us bikers can use the bus lanes anyway-i cant find it in print though!

This is either very good humour or the most illogical thing ever!

Dub13

Hagar wrote:

Well the whydafuk do we need 24/7 bus lanes ???

Some people moan about this but there is a sensible answer,when they put in 24/7 bus lanes they are taken out hard shoulders.So you hear people moan about no need for a 24/7 bus lane and cars should be able to use it,well if they taken the bus lane out it will return to a hard shoulder.

is_that_so

karltimber wrote:

Could be in motors but prefer the two wheels

so,
can a bus lane be used as a normal lane outside of it's resticted hours ??

Ie QBC for bus' from 4pm-7pm. Outside of these hours -is it a free for all??

Thx

Use it all the time on four wheels. Makes sense, particularly when you get caught up in the Sunday shopping rush hours. Outside of hours it ceases to be an exclusive bus lane AFAIK.

Hagar

Dub13 wrote:

Some people moan about this but there is a sensible answer,when they put in 24/7 bus lanes they are taken out head shoulders.So you hear people moan about no need for a 24/7 bus lane and cars should be able to use it,well if they taken the bus lane out it will return to a hard shoulder.

Good explanation, fair enough, but I still maintain it's a bit of a joke without the bus service to back it up.

Dub13

Hagar wrote:

Good explanation, fair enough, but I still maintain it's a bit of a joke without the bus service to back it up.

Maybe so but with 20,000 odd taxi's in Dublin now they are getting used.

Turner

Has anybody actually received fines for driving in the bus lane on a motorbike??

I know most Gardai do not see any problem with allowing bikers use the bus lanes. There will always be some though who would prosecute you, most probably traffic corps.

Even though it is against the law it can be safer than filtering through traffic.

Esel

Steffano2002 wrote:

This completely depends on the actual bus lane. Some are 24 hours 7 days a week. Others 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday and I've even seen some that have a "free for all" gap between 10:00 and 12:00 or 10:00 and 14:00...

Outside these hours knock yourselves out!

Not Mon-Fri, it's Mon-Sat.

nollaig

So nobody knows if you can drive in them or what????

MrPudding

Yes we all know. Have you not read the thread? As for the letter of the law, no. You cant unless you are a bus or a fare carrying taxi.

In practice the gardai appear to turn a blind eye. Can't give a better answer than that I am afraid. The chances are you will be OK but you could be unlucky.

MrP

arybvtcw0eolkf

Hagar wrote:

Well the whydafuk do we need 24/7 bus lanes ???

For Taxi's!.

Hagar

But roads are almost empty during the early morning hours so the taxis drive in normal lanes so as not to be endangering thieir wheels and tyres by driving up tight to the kerb and in shores, grating and our ever-present potholes. Just like the buses do in the daytime if traffic is light enough , who hasn't seen this, they only pull back into the buslane to overtake on the inside. Technically that is what they are doing, if they change lanes expressly to pass another vehicle.

Jimbojimbo

Bus lane on rock road being repainted now after roadworks. The buslane signs are up, but no signs for the hours of operation. Can they be used by cars in this situation, until the M-S 0700-1900 (or 24/7) signs go up?

Hotblack Desiato

It's not a bus lane without the blue sign! e.g. "Bus Lane" has been painted on Long Mile Rd. for nearly a year now but no blue signs so can legally be used by all vehicles. (There are some temporary "Bus Lane Not In Operation" signs but these are small and many have been vandalised.)

Nth Frederick St, Dame St and Dawson St where bikes are allowed into the bit of road with "Bus Lane" painted on it, AREN'T legally speaking bus lanes. (Cars entering them are violating the 'no entry except buses, taxis, cycles and motorcycles' sign so are still committing an offence. There are no blue bus lane signs on those stretches.) If those roads were actually bus lanes, then motorbikes couldn't be let into them.

We have Dublin County Council to thank for that little bit of rationality and cleverness, as usual the Minister for Transport doesn't want to do anything for motorcyclists except ban us by stealth from the roads altogether...

kidmeat

What do people feel about motorbikes and scooters using the (push) bike lane?

I use it abit in the city, esp when i'm late for work!

Anyone have bad experiences with the law?

Pigeon Reaper

Personally I'd avoid it. Same with hard shoulders. Too much can go wrong on the inside of cars etc.

Hotblack Desiato

kidmeat wrote:

What do people feel about motorbikes and scooters using the (push) bike lane?

I use it abit in the city, esp when i'm late for work!

Anyone have bad experiences with the law?

It's only illegal if it's marked by a solid line, cycle lanes with dotted lines are legal for all vehicles to use.
I would avoid it unless the traffic is totally jammed solid and even then I'd try to find an alternative.

Edit: it's taking the mickey a bit tbh, what if there's no cycle lane? Ride on the pavement? You have to draw the line somewhere.

Motorcycles and scooters can, and should legally, share bus lanes with buses, taxis and bicycles safely. It's difficult if not impossible to make that sort of case for using dedicated cycle lanes (solid line.)

mobpd

Wanted to ressurect this topic again as there are many "bus lanes" around the suburbs of dublin - eg Clondalkin, along the new outer ring road - which have signs up saying "bus lane not in operation". So if its not a bus lane are we all expected to use this as an ordinary lane or is it assumed to be a hard shoulder? I did my driving test in the UK and all instructors would tell you that its a minor fault on the driving test there to NOT use a bus lane that was not in operation. Whats the situation here? What are you expected to do here on a driving test if driving along such roads?

Wishbone Ash

mobpd wrote:

"bus lane not in operation". So if its not a bus lane are we all expected to use this as an ordinary lane or is it assumed to be a hard shoulder? I did my driving test in the UK and all instructors would tell you that its a minor fault on the driving test there to NOT use a bus lane that was not in operation. Whats the situation here? What are you expected to do here on a driving test if driving along such roads?

Treat it as if it were an ordinary lane.

faceman

ON the cycle lane Q, i would rarely do it unless i felt it was 100% safe to do it. Only reason i stay clear is cos cyclists are quite unpredictable.

fdevine

Chief--- wrote:

Has anybody actually received fines for driving in the bus lane on a motorbike??

I have, in the past, been ticketed for using the bus lane. On the Cabra Road, within sight of the Garda station by two Garda on foot as it happens.

Conversely, I have been stopped and encouraged by a motorcycle traffic cop to use the bus lane.

"9/10 will turn a blind eye" as I was told by said traffic cop, but its the other one you needs to watch for.