cutting into a clear bus lane when turning left if right lane is busy?

vibe666

i was just wondering what people's opinions were on using the last bit of a bus lane when there is a queue of traffic on the main carriageway where the end of the bus lane is clear and you are turning left and all of the queued traffic is waiting to go straight on?

should you sit in the queue until you can pull into the left lane when the bus lane has totally ended or, assuming the end of the bus lane is clear and you won't be obstructing any PSV's by doing so, is it okay (morally, or legally) to use a bit of the bus lane to get to your destination a little quicker?

As an example, a road I use regularly is on the R121 leading from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (McDonald's drive-thru end) to the N3, here: http://goo.gl/maps/avpR6

the left hand lane at the N3 end is left turn only (onto the N3 heading away from Dublin towards Navan), with the right hand lane leading up towards Corduff etc., but also onto the N3 going into Dublin, so it's almost always got a queue of traffic, particularly at the moment with the road works there.

If the left hand lane is clear at the N3 end, would it be okay to cut into the bus lane, indicating left to show that you were going onto the N3 towards Navan and if so, how far could you do it for?

Alanstrainor

Technically it's not okay. The gards catch people doing the exact same thing all the time on a road near me. I guess it all depends on how far back you actually move into the left most lane, I would probably do so 10 car lengths before the junction or before the end of the bus lane. It's not black and white, but just driving the whole way down the bus lane because there is traffic in the other lane wouldn't be correct either.

Supergurrier

Imo it's acceptable for a short distance, seeing taxi drivers using it annoys me though

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

dgt

Only when I'm on my Atari Jaguar.......











In all seriousness, if I'm near enough the junction I might just nip in, depending on my mood. I normally don't bother though

W0bble5

I almost creamed someone this morning doing just this. I was in the bus lane turning left at the next junction (probably about 20 or so cars stopped in traffic) that I was happily sailing past when a small van pulled across me in front of a big van to do a u-turn on the path to my left.

Thank f*** for ABS & a long path that I could swerve onto. The bloke in the big van beeping got my attention & half decent reaction times just about saved a decent smash.

Your man didn't even edge across the bus lane he was going across blind, just swerved onto it. I know I really shouldn't be in the bus lane but just as well it was me & not some poor sod on a bike going down the bus lane like every other morning. They wouldn't have had much of a chance....

vibe666

Supergurrier wrote: »

Imo it's acceptable for a short distance, seeing taxi drivers using it annoys me though

i'm pretty sure taxi drivers are allowed to use it, but (afaik) only when they have a fare onboard?

although i did remember hearing that michael o'leary had paid for a taxi licence just so he could get away with using the bus lanes, although that might be a load of ballhoox.

djimi

Ive been put off doing it by a few times seeing cars pull into the lane at the very end of the bus lane and narrowly miss the car that has just pulled in a few car lengths back. I think people look back, see an empty bus lane and assume it will remain empty until they pull into it; some people dont anticipate the car that pulls into the end of the bus lane.

highdef

I'm sure nothing would be done if you cut in a bit before it ends but as I am a bit of a religious rules of the road man, I treat the big thick solid white bus lane line as a concrete wall and as such, I cannot move over to that lane until the big concrete wall ends.....a bit weird but it makes me keep to the rules

repsol

A lot of bus lanes end too close to the junction meaning if you are to obey the rules 100% you have to perform a dangerous turn across 2 lanes. The junction of Mobhi Rd and Homefarm Rd in Dublin is a prime example

Celly Smunt

Supergurrier wrote: »

Imo it's acceptable for a short distance, seeing taxi drivers using it annoys me though

Taxi drivers using it doesn't annoy me,normal people using it gets me big time.

The only time a taxi driver gets to me is when he can't choose which lane to drive in and ends up driving with two wheels in the bus lanes and two wheels in my lane.:mad:

Stheno

Supergurrier wrote: »

Imo it's acceptable for a short distance, seeing taxi drivers using it annoys me though

Taxi drivers can use bus lanes with a passenger, I sometimes take a taxi home rather than a bus if I am ill for this reason.

The custom house quay on the opposite side is a prime example of this, opposite the AIB building no one takes any notice of the bus lane and in rush hour you'll often have 4-5 cars nipping in to take advantage.

Dawn Rider

vibe666 wrote: »

although i did remember hearing that michael o'leary had paid for a taxi licence just so he could get away with using the bus lanes, although that might be a load of ballhoox.

I remember reading in the papers around 2005ish that he was 'done' for this. If he had sent his driver out plying for trade for an hour or so a day, it would have been very hard to prove he was being naughty.

vibe666

Dawn Rider wrote: »

I remember reading in the papers around 2005ish that he was 'done' for this. If he had sent his driver out plying for trade for an hour or so a day, it would have been very hard to prove he was being naughty.

ah feck him, as long as he's still breathing you can bet he's being naughty in one way or another at someon elses expense!

GreeBo

I'm undecided on this one.
Nipping in early is "ok" for me...but I hate when they pile in and queue up and totally block the lane for the bus.

Turbulent Bill

vibe666 wrote: »

As an example, a road I use regularly is on the R121 leading from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (McDonald's drive-thru end) to the N3, here: http://goo.gl/maps/avpR6

the left hand lane at the N3 end is left turn only (onto the N3 heading away from Dublin towards Navan), with the right hand lane leading up towards Corduff etc., but also onto the N3 going into Dublin, so it's almost always got a queue of traffic, particularly at the moment with the road works there.

Bear in mind that the bus lane may not be in operation here due to the roadworks; it definitely isn't on the other side of the N3 flyover. If this is the case you should technically drive in it as it's the left-most driving lane and is available for use by all drivers.

In reality I wouldn't use it, the same way I won't use an out-of-service bus lane when there's a queue of traffic to the right of it. There's too big a risk of eejits cutting into the lane without looking, or those intent on 'teaching you a lesson'.

vibe666

that's a good reason to get a dashcam (assuming you're driving in it legitimately).

pippip

I'd pull in slightly early, as mentioned earlier about 10 cars before the official join.

But i'd always travel it at a slow speed. Hate when people just go flying up it like its an empty road. Quite often pedestrians would be cutting between the cars.

Not

djimi wrote: »

Ive been put off doing it by a few times seeing cars pull into the lane at the very end of the bus lane and narrowly miss the car that has just pulled in a few car lengths back. I think people look back, see an empty bus lane and assume it will remain empty until they pull into it; some people dont anticipate the car that pulls into the end of the bus lane.

There's usually a yield sign at the end of a buslane for traffic in the buslane. So someone moving into the left lane just after the end of the buslane is perfectly entitled to do so in front of something that's coming down the buslane.

edit : though if its a bus coming the lane at full tilt I would not advise it !

Yakuza

I'd probably do it if it was a matter of 2-3 car lengths before the end of the bus lane (making sure nothing was coming down the lane before moving into it), in my opinion it helps traffic flow as I've removed myself from the main line of traffic.

Every morning on the Clontarf Road there's a large queue of cars in the bus lane (could be 15-20 cars long) waiting to move into the left turning lane to get onto the Alfie Byrne road and blocking the bus lane for good measure. Now that's taking the pi5s. What's worse, I've seen drivers who are trying to get into that lane when the bus lane ends getting blown out of it by the tossers that have been blocking the bus lane. The added irony is that this is done in full view of Clontarf Garda station. A Garda would just have to plonk himself on the front wall of the station and they'd have a quota of tickets in about 5 minutes. They do occasionaly have someone behind a bus shelter a little farther up the road to catch someone taking the total mickey, but they seem to turn a blind eye to the goings on at the Alfie Byrne Road junction.

highdef

Yakuza, to add further irony yo your comments, I have been reprimanded twice (unsuccessfully I might add) by gardai in the exact same location, one by a biker and once by a van. The location is here - http://goo.gl/maps/Nvd8T and I would heading east bound wanting to turn into the left turn lane where the bus lane ends. Road in question is Con Colbert Road in Dublin.

Basically, the 24 hour bus lane would be full of private vehicles. I would drive down lane 1 until where I can legally join the left turn lane. To be as safe as possible, I would indicate left well in advance and brake fairly lightly in case the driver behind me is not expecting my maneuver. For obvious reasons, it's likely that I will be stopped in lane 1 until I can join the left turning lane because it is full. On both occasions, the guard said that I could be done for dangerous driving by stopping in lane 1 because I could cause an accident and in this situation I should join the queue of vehicles. Taken aback by these statements (exact same thing said to me by 2 different guards each time), I said that I would like it in writing that it is ok for me to use a bus lane when it is clearly signposted that I cannot. I also asked why I was being picked on and not the scores of cars illegally using the bus lane. At those points, the guards went off in a huff.

To add further insult, on another occasion, again at the same spot, I got blasted out of it by a Dublin BUS because I wasn't one of the cars blocking his route in the bus lane. You just can't win!