Bus Lanes - Legal to drive in ?

craichoe

In Cork, Bus lanes are in Operation from 7.30 to 6.30. After this time they can be used by any Vehicle. So this leaves an inside lane free.

Does the keep left rule apply here ? As in, should you drive normally in the Bus lane outside these hours or avoid it and if you should avoid it, then whats the point of having the bus lanes have these hours ?

Big Balls

Once it's outside the time that it's a bus lane as per the sign, you can use it. But thankfully, lots of Irish people can't read road signs so a lot of people don't use them after 7pm etc

craichoe

But once it becomes a Lane for normal Vehicles outside those hours does the keep left rule apply ?

ninty9er

Use your normal lane unless the bus lane is a left filter lane. Depends opn the situation...We're only getting bus lanes in Limerick and they're not complete yet so nobody has a clue

Big Balls

No, everybody does not have to then suddenly drive on the left in the bus lane once the time for it being a bus lane has passed.

craichoe

But from my understanding outside the posted hours, its no longer in effect a bus lane and hence becomes a normal lane for traffic. afaik you should keep left ?

Is there anything in the rules of the road on what should be done in this scenario ?

Oh yeh .. .and whats with all the people parking in it after hours !! Is this legal ? Since theres no double yellow lines and the bus lane restriction is no longer in effect ? I've never seen anyone get towed of clamped for it!

_Kaiser_

As I'd understand it, once a buslane is not in operation, it reverts to being a normal driving lane with all the rules/rights associated with that.

Thus you can drive in it (and should given the "keep left" rule) and you can also park in it (witness all the cars parked outside houses in the buslanes in Fairview after hours).

But as someone already said, the great thing is a lot of people don't look at the signs so you generally get it all to yourself.

Seth Brundle

My understanding is that once it reverts from being a bus lane then, yes, the keep left rule applies.
However, this is rarely followed by drivers.

It is great having a vacant lane to drive down but you must also remember that it is illegal to undertake (unless traffic on your right is slow moving- which is not defined).

As for parking in them - if it is out of bus lane hours and does not contain any parking prohibitions (double yellow lines, signs, etc.) then I believe that its legal.

craichoe

kbannon wrote:

My understanding is that once it reverts from being a bus lane then, yes, the keep left rule applies.
However, this is rarely followed by drivers.

It is great having a vacant lane to drive down but you must also remember that it is illegal to undertake (unless traffic on your right is slow moving- which is not defined).

As for parking in them - if it is out of bus lane hours and does not contain any parking prohibitions (double yellow lines, signs, etc.) then I believe that its legal.

It seems kind of silly that you can park in it and drive in it ? Wouldn't the cars parked in it be obstructing traffic?

Wossack

dont buslanes normally have a solid white line between them and the normal lanes? isnt this an issue if you're to treat it as a normal lane?

Victor

craichoe wrote:

It seems kind of silly that you can park in it and drive in it ? Wouldn't the cars parked in it be obstructing traffic?

This is the point cyclists are trying to get across about cycle lanes.

Seth Brundle

craichoe wrote:

It seems kind of silly that you can park in it and drive in it ? Wouldn't the cars parked in it be obstructing traffic?

It may be silly but its not illegal!

BostonB

craichoe wrote:

But from my understanding outside the posted hours, its no longer in effect a bus lane and hence becomes a normal lane for traffic. afaik you should keep left ?

Is there anything in the rules of the road on what should be done in this scenario ?

Oh yeh .. .and whats with all the people parking in it after hours !! Is this legal ? Since theres no double yellow lines and the bus lane restriction is no longer in effect ? I've never seen anyone get towed of clamped for it!

AFAIK its prefectly legal. I don't see why the bus lanes aren't 24hrs. You don't need it for other traffic outside of peak anyway. Its just confusing. In Dublin bus lanes have a mad mix of times, you so you can never be sure unless you read the tiny signs with the times.

seamus

craichoe wrote:

It seems kind of silly that you can park in it and drive in it ? Wouldn't the cars parked in it be obstructing traffic?

Well no. Provided that it's within the law, it's perfectly fine to park on the side of the road. It's just odd to see it because most people choose to park off the main road, or the main roads tend to have double-yellow lines and bus lanes in operation.

If you go into any small country town (Wicklow springs to mind), you see a main thoroughfare, but with cars parked along its entire length, despite there being no lines marking parking spaces.

Bus lanes just tend to throw people off because it's in people's heads that you don't use them. People don't look at the signs. Provided that the traffic in the right-hand lane is stopped, or moving in a queue, then it's perfectly legal to use an out of operation bus lane to undertake. It's not legal to use it to undertake a lone car or a small convoy of well-spaced/fast-moving vehicles.

I did my bike test in Finglas, at around 10am when the bus lanes were out of operation. The instructor who accompanies me to the centre, specifically told me to use the lanes or I'd be failed. He was right. I used them, it felt weird, but I passed. It also meant that when I was in the bus lane, there was no other pesky traffic to deal with.

_Kaiser_

craichoe wrote:

It seems kind of silly that you can park in it and drive in it ? Wouldn't the cars parked in it be obstructing traffic?

Not any more silly than driving along in a built up area and having cars parked along the kerb when you think about it. Technically those could be considered to be obstructing traffic as well.

EDIT: DAmn it. Seamus beat me to it!