Bus lane lights (specifically the one in in artane)

whomitconcerns

So i mentioned this before about the applicability of these lights on a Sunday to motorists using the bus lane legally..

Anyway this morning was running late for work and in the traffic through Artane, loads of cars using bus lane and driving lane is at an almost standstill.

I get to nearer to the lights and see why. So we are queueing at red light in driving lane, back to back. The guys (illegally) in the bus lane have a green (bus) light to go straight, so of course they use this opportunity to merge to the "legal" lane and then when the lights change there is no room for the cars waiting at the lights to proceed (yellow box junction)

Hence all the cars not using the bus-lane waiting a LOT of light changes to move at all...

So seriously...what is the situation with these type of lights?

TheDriver

they are for a bus/taxi to progress onto the next bus lane/corridor. A cop would be less than impressed if s/he saw this happening I would suspect.

whomitconcerns

well I can tell you this morning any amount of cars did it. Normally at 7am im in work in 15mins. I left at 7.50 this morn and got in at 9.10..most of the time on that part of the journey artane/donnycarney.

Annyway was just curious..as to if a non bus uses it and it doesnt apply to non buses it is it akin to breaking a red light, if the main driving lane has one?

kaimera

wait, are taxis allowed to go on "bus" light? I wouldn't have thought so.

Along with Artane, at Donnybrook bus station there is a bus only right filter light, taxis can't use that so why can they use a straight ahead "bus" signal?

@OP - know the junction. That whole road is a cluster **** in the morning down to Fairview imo. Very **** at Artane cos of the traffic maybe turning right and not getting a filter light.

dar83

I always use the bus lane at that junction (once it's out of hours of course), as just like the junction down further at Donnycarney church, the people turning right are always waiting due to the oncoming traffic and they block the driving lane.

If it's between 7am-7pm Mon-Sat though, I would stick in the driving lane as this is the legal thing to do. Unfortunately not everyone does this and the queue jump mentality that seems to be inherent with Irish drivers comes to the fore in such situations.

whomitconcerns

thats the annoying thing..there was a truck maybe 3 vehicles in front of me at one stage and next thing there was 10...this was on a no intersection part of the road..just people bus lane..small gap in...check for cops...back out...repeat

cichlid child

I disagree with you op.I know the junction -are you saying that at rush hour morning all traffic should be held up while wating on one car to get an opening to turn right.

whomitconcerns

nope....i am only talking about straight on traffic in all cases...(as an aside there is no right turn there during working hours) But thats not what I am talking about anyway. I only mean when traffic is going straight

cichlid child

I apolgise so.:)And I agree I hate lane jumbers

whomitconcerns

no probs. I should have clarified...of course if theres a right turner..we all want to go around

msg11

So what is the story with this bus light.

Think we need some clarity on if it's for the bus or the traffic in the bus lane. So when drivers are legally in the bus lane allowed go when the bus light comes on.

IMO, that junction in the direction of Fairview needs to be repainted to allow traffic to filter past cars turning right and removal of the bus light and replace it with a straight arrow to compliment the new filter lane.

They also need to add a filter light for right turns onto Collins Ave towards the M1.

Would also go as far as suggesting a foot bridge over the lanes coming to the roundabout.

The whole road is a nightmare, it's a free for all some days.

Also the amount of drivers that break the red light turning right towards Artane is a joke. Once seen 6 cars break it, last one coming extremely close to a Stobart Truck.

Only a matter of time before there is a very serious accident at one of the above junctions.

goz83

If the bus lane is in operational hours, the private motorists who use the bus lane to go straight are NOT breaking a red light, but they ARE illegally using a bus lane. The light just says "BUS", but it applies to any vehicle using the bus lane. It would be pointless for a Queue of buses to get stuck behind a Taxi driver, because he is legally using the Bus Lane, but unable to proceed on the "BUS" light.

I also know the junction very well and what makes the problem worse are those who decide to turn right, but block the driving lane until they are able to turn. This is why many motorists use the bus lane in the first place. It doesn't excuse the action, but in some cases, explains it.

veetwin

Basically it's a clusterfcuk of a junction. Ideally the green bus light should be replaced with a regular green light so taxi drivers aren't sitting there holding up buses.

Personally if I'm approaching that junction going towards town and there is a car indicating to turn right I'll (illegally?) move into the bus lane. If I'm stopped at the lights and the green bus light comes on I'll drive off and move into the driving lane immediately. I haven't put anybody at risk and I haven't inconvenienced anybody - I have imho used common sense.

If thats worthy of a ticket or summons well then I'll have to decide whether to take my punishment or argue the toss in court.

goz83

veetwin wrote: »

Ideally the green bus light should be replaced with a regular green light so taxi drivers aren't sitting there holding up buses.

The problem with just putting a green light, is that people will think it's ok to go straight on and would cause lots of confusion and accidents. Taxis are legally allowed to use the lane at all times, so you won't find a taxi stopped in the bus lane with a green "BUS" light signal on.

veetwin

[QUOTE=goz83;82832989 Taxis are legally allowed to use the lane at all times, so you won't find a taxi stopped in the bus lane with a green "BUS" light signal on.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately that's not my experience and regularly see taxis stubbornly refusing to budge until they get the regular green light. Though they are "professional" drivers loads of them are clueless.

veetwin

goz83 wrote: »

The problem with just putting a green light, is that people will think it's ok to go straight on and would cause lots of confusion and accidents.

Thats kinda the purpose of a green light isn't it. i.e. it goes green and traffic moves - no confusion - unlike the present situation?

goz83

veetwin wrote: »

Unfortunately that's not my experience and regularly see taxis stubbornly refusing to budge until they get the regular green light. Though they are "professional" drivers loads of them are clueless.

There will always be one or two retards out there.

veetwin wrote: »

Thats kinda the purpose of a green light isn't it. i.e. it goes green and traffic moves - no confusion - unlike the present situation?

I was making reference to the situation where the suggestion to replace the "BUS" light with a regular green light. Retarded drivers in the drive lane would think "oh, i have a green, but those turning right can't" SMACK/CRASH/BOOM, as the minor road turns for the green light.

stealthyspeeder

veetwin wrote: »

Unfortunately that's not my experience and regularly see taxis stubbornly refusing to budge until they get the regular green light. Though they are "professional" drivers loads of them are clueless.

I have used this junction every weekday for a year or so, fortunately I am against the rush hour (outbound in the morning Inbound in the evening), however I have NEVER seen a taxi stopped with a green light showing for the buslane. I have seen non taxi cars attempting to avoid the right turner ahead of them, stopped and not going on the green "BUS" light, but never a taxi.

I use the buslane on this junction, also the one before Colins avenue, and at Colins Avenue as all of these get held up by right turners on a regular basis. I think that not nipping into the buslane to avoid an obvious delay caused by inadequate planning of the lane, demonstrates how people stick to the letter of the law rather than looking at the bigger picture of why the law is there and what it is trying to achieve. I couldn't really be bothered with that sort of inconvenience and frustration for a cause which is inherently illogical.

whomitconcerns

Just to be clear I didn't mean people using bus lane to avoid right turners. I meant people using it specifically to use bus lane, bus light, to skip the queue, thus preventing driving lane proceeding.

msg11

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear I didn't mean people using bus lane to avoid right turners. I meant people using it specifically to use bus lane, bus light, to skip the queue, thus preventing driving lane proceeding.

Well someone said that either legal or illegal the traffic is in the bus lane and the bus light is telling traffic in the bus lane to proceed. So bus, truck, car, taxi or cyclist the traffic should move forward on this bus light if in the bus lane.

Is this correct ?

Why if the above is correct could they not just add 'lane' to the light it would clear up so much confusion the light is pointless if a bus is stuck because a car is plonked right at the start.

cichlid child

veetwin wrote: »

Basically it's a clusterfcuk of a junction. Ideally the green bus light should be replaced with a regular green light so taxi drivers aren't sitting there holding up buses.

Personally if I'm approaching that junction going towards town and there is a car indicating to turn right I'll (illegally?) move into the bus lane. If I'm stopped at the lights and the green bus light comes on I'll drive off and move into the driving lane immediately. I haven't put anybody at risk and I haven't inconvenienced anybody - I have imho used common sense.

If thats worthy of a ticket or summons well then I'll have to decide whether to take my punishment or argue the toss in court.

This is excatly what I do

goz83

Why if the above is correct could they not just add 'lane' to the light it would clear up so much confusion the light is pointless if a bus is stuck because a car is plonked right at the start.

Because that would be too logical. It won't improve with the likes of Varadkar at the healm either. That guy doesn't know what he's said even when it's played back to him.

Cookie_Monster

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear I didn't mean people using bus lane to avoid right turners. I meant people using it specifically to use bus lane, bus light, to skip the queue, thus preventing driving lane proceeding.

the bus lane is the default left most lane when out of hours and everyone should be in it. there's no excuse to sit in the "normal" lane in such a situation.

whomitconcerns

Yes of course, but I am talking about regular working hours...its does seem very ambiguous due to the setup. Anyway lessson learned ...rat run through killester from now on..

stealthyspeeder

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear I didn't mean people using bus lane to avoid right turners. I meant people using it specifically to use bus lane, bus light, to skip the queue, thus preventing driving lane proceeding.

Sorry, what?

Why would the driving lane be prevented from proceeding, when we are not talking about the bus lane being used to avoid right turners???

Either

1. People are using the bus lane, and the driving lane is at red, so you are sat there watching these people drive past.

2. You are held up by a right turner, watching in annoyance as people who had the foresight to read the road, are already in the bus lane driving past you preventing you from going around the right turner.

whomitconcerns

im talking about 1. In heavy traffic the driving lane couldnt move for ages due to people using bus lane and then merging to driving lane after junction, as they availed of teh green bus light when driving lane had red light.

corktina

it's because ,as usual in this Country, someone didn't think it through properly. Decent signage would have made the situation crystal clear..

goz83

The problem with this particular junction is that the people in the driving lane get stuck there because:

a) There is some muppet turning right when he/she shouldn't be. The person wanting to go stariaght cannot, because traffic in the bus lane is speeding by, with little or no possibility of merging, which leads to...

b) The driving lane beyond the lights is backed right up to the lights. The muppet turning right does so and the person behind is still stuck and also has to contend with the fact that more vehicles have pulled out from the minor road and completely clogged the way.

TimmyTank

The reason we see this green "bus" light is because the pedestrian lights at the turn are green, therefore the whole green light (allowing traffic to go in all legal directions) stays red.

The problem with this is, during working hours, as someone has already pointed out, a right turn is illegal so a pedestrian should be able to cross without fear of traffic coming from that direction, but we're in Ireland very few people pay attention to those signs. I've seen the Garda take this turn when they're not supposed to... If they're not going to follow the rules of the road, no one else will.