Green traffic light mayhem !!!

Motorist

Hello all,

Hope you are enjoying a splendid evening.

I was wondering what is the situation for a car driver sitting in a bus lane (legally after 7pm for example) at a junction when he gets a green traffic light with the word "BUS" written as in this image - can the driver legally proceed as he is in the bus lane or can he not proceed as the vehicle is not a bus.

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/27/41661840_4d4fc90c01.jpg

Many thanks.

Cookie_Monster

I used to, on the basis that the light was for the lane rather than the type of vehicle, esp if there's a bus sitting behind you?

Motorist

That's what I was thinking Cookie Monster, from a practical point of view it would make sense at least for the flow of traffic to continue and not be blocking up buses.

I wonder separately if illegally using the bus lane during restricted hours would get done for breaking a red light as well as driving in bus lane.

foggy_lad

Can you drive normally in bus lanes after 7pm?

Cookie_Monster

foggy_lad wrote: »

Can you drive normally in bus lanes after 7pm?

only ones that are not signed otherwise. Most these days are 24h but the like of the N11 is 7-7 from Foxrock in. In fact it then becomes the left most lanes and ALL traffic should be using it.

cruizer101

foggy_lad wrote: »

Can you drive normally in bus lanes after 7pm?

Depends on the bus lane the will have times posted up as to when are bus lane operating times all other times its free to use. However IME this mainly seems to be used in Dublin most other places I've seen bus lanes just have 24 hour ones which is really just laziness o the part of the councils.

Can I ask OP have you ever come across this situation or is it just hypothetical. I would have thought lights like that would mainly be for bus lanes where it is only buses the whole time, or the likes of contra-flow bus lanes.

And finally won't someone think of the taxi-drivers

Mr Simpson

The only bus only green light I've seen is at Parnell square, going onto O'Connell Street (Dublin, just to clarify). And thats buses and taxis only, 24h a day.

Motorist

mmcn90 wrote: »

The only bus only green light I've seen is at Parnell square, going onto O'Connell Street (Dublin, just to clarify). And thats buses and taxis only, 24h a day.

There's one on the Malahide road, it's only restricted from 7 to 7. Im presuming the fact that taxis can use the bus lane and would go with a bus green light, the same applies to cars legally in it outside of restricted times

Cookie_Monster

mmcn90 wrote: »

The only bus only green light I've seen is at Parnell square, going onto O'Connell Street (Dublin, just to clarify). And thats buses and taxis only, 24h a day.

there's one at the Stillorgan hotel outbound also

dazmetron

This has been discussed before on C&T!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=66888589
At the time according to DCC, the Bus filter light is/was only for buses

Cookie_Monster

dazmetron wrote: »

This has been discussed before on C&T!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=66888589
At the time according to DCC, the Bus filter light is/was only for buses

what DCC say doesn't matter a damn, they don't have anything to do with laws governing road use. The RTAs are the only thing that matters.

Mr Simpson

Motorist wrote: »

There's one on the Malahide road, it's only restricted from 7 to 7. Im presuming the fact that taxis can use the bus lane and would go with a bus green light, the same applies to cars legally in it outside of restricted times

Out of interest, whereabouts on the Malahide Rd is it?

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

there's one at the Stillorgan hotel outbound also

Ah, I wouldn't be out that neck of the woods very often

Stonewolf

It's where the road from Artane Castle shopping centre joins in a T-Junction.

The "BUS" light comes on before the regular lane can go.

coylemj

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

there's one at the Stillorgan hotel outbound also

That was required for the 46A to go across the outbound lanes to go up to Stilllorgan village but as all of the outbound buses now avoid the village and continue on the N11 I'm not sure if the green 'Bus' light is still there. It would now make no sense to allow an outbound bus to move off before the other traffic.

As to whether a car can move off.... if I was in the bus lane, there was a bus behind me and a green 'BUS' light came on, I would move off and if stopped by a cop I'd simply say that whatever about the rights and wrongs of me being in the bus lane in the first place, it would make no sense to wait for the main green light and hold up the bus.

HeidiHeidi

There's one also at the junction of Burlington Road and Upper Leeson Street. Turns green a few seconds ahead of the regular traffic lights, presumably to let buses filter into the traffic lanes to turn right up Appian Way or straight on onto the Donnybrook Road.

Cookie_Monster

coylemj wrote: »

That was required for the 46A to go across the outbound lanes to go up to Stilllorgan village but as all of the outbound buses now avoid the village and continue on the N11 I'm not sure if the green 'Bus' light is still there. It would now make no sense to allow an outbound bus to move off before the other traffic.

47?

starviewadams

One on the Templeogue Road inbound just past Bushy Park too.

Motorist

Seems from the previous thread that these lights aren't really outlined in law anywhere.

I wonder if they appear in the Road Traffic Acts anywhere.

coylemj

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

There's one also at the junction of Burlington Road and Upper Leeson Street. Turns green a few seconds ahead of the regular traffic lights, presumably to let buses filter into the traffic lanes to turn right up Appian Way or straight on onto the Donnybrook Road.

That's for the 11 which passes the Burlo and then turns right up Appian Way.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

47?

There's no longer a stop at the Stillorgan Park Hotel, the last stop before the turn for Stillorgan village is just after Mt. Merrion Ave. so any bus like the 47 that's turning off the N11 has plenty of road to cross the lanes and go right at Oatlands College for Stillorgan Village. Any bus still in the bus lane passing the Stillorgan Park Hotel (46A/145) is going straight at the lights along with the rest of the outbound traffc so doesn't need a headstart with a dedicated 'Bus' light.

markpb

Stonewolf wrote: »

It's where the road from Artane Castle shopping centre joins in a T-Junction.
The "BUS" light comes on before the regular lane can go.

Does anyone know what that light does? I could never understand it because it doesn't seen to provide any priority to buses (they're going straight from a bus lane to a bus lane) and it doesn't always seem to activate anyway. Perhaps there's a conflicting green light on another arm which doesn't conflict with the bus lane?

Tickityboo

coylemj wrote: »

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

there's one at the Stillorgan hotel outbound also

That was required for the 46A to go across the outbound lanes to go up to Stilllorgan village but as all of the outbound buses now avoid the village and continue on the N11 I'm not sure if the green 'Bus' light is still there. It would now make no sense to allow an outbound bus to move off before the other traffic.

As to whether a car can move off.... if I was in the bus lane, there was a bus behind me and a green 'BUS' light came on, I would move off and if stopped by a cop I'd simply say that whatever about the rights and wrongs of me being in the bus lane in the first place, it would make no sense to wait for the main green light and hold up the bus.

47's and 84's still use it.

Stonewolf

markpb wrote: »

Does anyone know what that light does? I could never understand it because it doesn't seen to provide any priority to buses (they're going straight from a bus lane to a bus lane) and it doesn't always seem to activate anyway. Perhaps there's a conflicting green light on another arm which doesn't conflict with the bus lane?

I pass there on the way in to work every day and I have to say I haven' a clue what it's for other than confusing people who slip into the bus lane because there's turning traffic blocking the one remaining non-bus lane.

cormie

I've always treated it as giving a green light to the lane and not the vehicles in it. If that was the case then taxi's would be expected not to proceed. I've been in the bus lane myself before and have gone on the green bus light and will continue to do so. The lane is given a green, if I'm permitted to use that lane at certain times, I'll assume that the signals for that lane apply to me. There's nothing in legislation that states otherwise (unless something has been added since the last thread, which I doubt).

It would be like saying every time you see the "Lana Bus" marking on the road you should get back out of the lane because it doesn't say it's closed on the same marking and "not for you" but I think people get a bit more worried as breaking a red is a penalty point offense. And yup, the bus lane should be treated as the left most lane and the regular driving lane as the overtaking lane, but I'm happy enough skipping queues of people who don't follow this (where it's legally fine to pass on the left too ).

Victor

Stillorgan http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=stillorgan&hl=en&ll=53.295821,-6.203778&spn=0.001638,0.004823&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.644571,19.753418&hnear=Stillorgan,+County+Dublin&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=53.296034,-6.203842&panoid=g3RMCZQt2yfampViZVWRlg&cbp=12,115.68,,0,14.92

Bus Stop No. 435
Stillorgan Road, Junction Mount Merrion Avenue

Routes serving this stop:
116 Towards Whitechurch
145 Towards Kilmacanogue
46a Towards Dun Laoghaire
47 Towards Belarmine
7b Towards Shankill
7d Towards Dalkey
84 Towards Newcastle

Milan Cobian

There's no longer a stop at the Stillorgan Park Hotel, the last stop before the turn for Stillorgan village is just after Mt. Merrion Ave. so any bus like the 47 that's turning off the N11 has plenty of road to cross the lanes and go right at Oatlands College for Stillorgan Village.

There never was a stop outside the Stillorgan Park Hotel. On the old routing, the last 46A stop before turning into Stillorgan village was always the one just past Mt Merrion Ave.

coylemj

Milan Cobian wrote: »

There never was a stop outside the Stillorgan Park Hotel. On the old routing, the last 46A stop before turning into Stillorgan village was always the one just past Mt Merrion Ave.

You're right, on mature reflection I recall that before the green 'Bus' light was installed at the lights by the Priory (Eircom) exchange, the 46A used to do a diagonal left to right across the outbound lanes as it passed the Stillorgan Park Hotel to go right at Oatlands College. Nowadays any of the buses that still take this turn stay in the bus lane all the way up to the lights and cross the outbound traffic during the window while the green Bus light is on and the main traffic lights are still red.

Tarabuses

coylemj wrote: »

That's for the 11 which passes the Burlo and then turns right up Appian Way.



There's no longer a stop at the Stillorgan Park Hotel, the last stop before the turn for Stillorgan village is just after Mt. Merrion Ave. so any bus like the 47 that's turning off the N11 has plenty of road to cross the lanes and go right at Oatlands College for Stillorgan Village. Any bus still in the bus lane passing the Stillorgan Park Hotel (46A/145) is going straight at the lights along with the rest of the outbound traffc so doesn't need a headstart with a dedicated 'Bus' light.

But the BUS light is still there.

Victor

There is also some in Rathmines in an attempt to give bus priority from Lower Rathmines Road to Rathgar Road and vice versa. However, I don't think they can detect the buses, so they don't work.

While buses can make good progress in the bus lanes, it can take 10 minute in the morning to get the 400m between the two.

Lower Rathmines Road http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Lower+Rathmines+Road&hl=en&ll=53.323004,-6.265597&spn=0.006549,0.01929&sll=53.401034,-8.307638&sspn=6.697041,19.753418&t=m&hnear=Lower+Rathmines+Rd,+Dublin+6&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.323108,-6.265578&panoid=nkHAtOosTqDcQDW2DHx12g&cbp=12,112.32,,1,3.5

Rathgar Road http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Rathgar+Road&hl=en&ll=53.320236,-6.268344&spn=0.0131,0.038581&sll=53.323107,-6.265576&sspn=0.006601,0.01929&hnear=Rathgar+Rd,+Dublin&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.320345,-6.268268&panoid=l41PAJo5W57vc3eRqesYFQ&cbp=12,343.88,,1,3.55

coylemj

Tarabuses wrote: »

But the BUS light is still there.

Not at the turn for Oatlands College, I checked today and it's gone. That's for outbound traffic turning off the N11, I was turning right myself to go to the SC so had plenty of time while waiting for the lights to study the lights pointing at the outbound traffic, the 'BUS' green light is no more.