Giving way to buses

Vorophobe

I have a gripe

In Ireland, often I see bus drivers that are very hesitant to rejoin traffic because cars and other vehicles do not slow down to let them in - there is no culture of giving way to buses here. It saddens me because the public transportation system should come first on the roads.

In Australia, you must give way to buses when they are pulling out from the kerb. This is non-negotiable and enshrined in law. On the back of most buses is a big sign that says GIVE WAY, which means when they start to indicate they will pull out in front of you, so you better be ready to give way to them.

My point is, I wish this was the way in Ireland - I'm a motorist myself but I feel bad for these guys Buses should have right of way on the road.

Phew. That feels better

corktina

I always let buses out...and trucks....they are doing a tough job and I like to make it a little less tough

Iwannahurl

There's no culture of giving buses right of way because there is no law specifically requiring it. Bus drivers often depend on the kindness of strangers in cars, as do pedestrians and cyclists.

There's no law requiring it because there is no culture of prioritising the public over the private in this context.

If there was a law requiring it there would be routine non-compliance because there is no culture of rigorously and consistently enforcing such laws.

We've a long way to go in this country.

I recall a German woman telling me years ago how she found it odd that so many motorists would not let buses pull out. IIRC she said it was the law in Germany.

Photo shows motorists illegally blocking the yellow box on the Seamus Quirke Road in Galway, preventing a bus from turning out of the bus lane.

The bus lane ahead was closed off just before the junction, after some sort of hazard was identified by a road safety audit of the scheme.

corktina

so unnecessary...there isn't even a queue!

Ben D Bus

As a bus passenger I find motorists are usually reasonably courteous in this regard during the peak hours. Less so at weekends. Different drivers or just different speeds? I don't know.

And I would have sworn there was a bye law somewhere requiring motorists to let buses pull out.

MagicMarker

Because it's a right pain in the nads stuck behind a bus stopped at a bus stop with clear road and a green light in front of it.

Iwannahurl

MagicMarker wrote: »

Because it's a right pain in the nads stuck behind a bus stopped at a bus stop with clear road and a green light in front of it.

There might be two nads in the car, whereas there could be eighty or more on the bus.

MagicMarker

Iwannahurl wrote: »

There might be two nads in the car, whereas there could be eighty or more on the bus.

Stop, you're gonna make me cry.

Iwannahurl

Were your eyes not already watering?

_Kaiser_

MagicMarker wrote: »

Because it's a right pain in the nads stuck behind a bus stopped at a bus stop with clear road and a green light in front of it.

Iwannahurl wrote: »

There might be two nads in the car, whereas there could be eighty or more on the bus.

MagicMarker wrote: »

Stop, you're gonna make me cry.

+1 .. as a general rule if the traffic is slow or if there's a red light ahead I'll let a bus out, but otherwise I'll overtake it. Buses are slow to move off/accelerate, and there's far too many bus stops along most routes and too close together (god forbid someone might have to walk another 200/300m!) that if you were to stop/let them out every time you'd never get to where you're going!

And before the "well if more people took the bus this wouldn't be as big an issue" argument starts, the buses in this country/Dublin are generally so slow and unreliable that if you have an alternative you take it! - unless of course you live in south Dublin where you have the LUAS, 46A, DART all to choose from ... contrast that to say Coolock or Finglas which is ironically where there'd be more demand for public transport (but then, those people don't run businesses and have money or vote in large numbers, so they don't count to our city planners)

But I digress... In any case, if the unions go ahead with this strike tomorrow I don't think issues like in that picture will be a problem (at least not in the capital)

corktina

MagicMarker wrote: »

Because it's a right pain in the nads stuck behind a bus stopped at a bus stop with clear road and a green light in front of it.

that bus would be back into the bus lane after the junction and not in your way at all

_Kaiser_

corktina wrote: »

that bus would be back into the bus lane after the junction and not in your way at all

Ah yes I forgot that point.. poor lane/junction design is another big issue..

Take that stretch of quays northbound by Heuston where the lanes are reduced for about 50m for no apparent reason?! (and which most ignore anyway by driving over the hatch markings). Ditto the pic above.. why not just have a continuous bus lane if it continues just beyond the lights

astrofool

I'll always try and let buses out when safe to do so, some drivers have a habit of indicating right at the very last second, or even after they start moving which doesn't leave much of a chance to let them out. Driving around Shankill, I always make a point to let the ambulances out at the depot, even if no lights flashing.

However, if it's one of the old smokers (common on Cornelscourt hill), I'll always try and get ahead of it.

corktina

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Ah yes I forgot that point.. poor lane/junction design is another big issue..

Take that stretch of quays northbound by Heuston where the lanes are reduced for about 50m for no apparent reason?! (and which most ignore anyway by driving over the hatch markings). Ditto the pic above.. why not just have a continuous bus lane if it continues just beyond the lights

"The bus lane ahead was closed off just before the junction, after some sort of hazard was identified by a road safety audit of the scheme."

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

In most cases I let them out, but it depends on the situation and the area.

The amount of ignorant asshats who use the yellow box is just unbelievable. It's really annoying.

MagicMarker

corktina wrote: »

that bus would be back into the bus lane after the junction and not in your way at all

I'm speaking in general, most roads don't have bus lanes.

bmaxi

Generally I would let buses pull out but I don't see what difference it would make having a law because nobody would enforce it. We have laws forbidding traffic in bus lanes, entering box junctions, stopping in clearways, stopping on motorways, parking in disabled bays, loading bays, etc. etc. etc. Does it make a difference? nary a bit, people do it because there's nobody to prevent them. I bet if you asked your local pretend policeman, that is if you could find one and it's not raining, what were the times of clearways or bus lanes on his/her beat, they wouldn't be able to tell you.

Ben D Bus

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

+1 .. as a general rule if the traffic is slow or if there's a red light ahead I'll let a bus out, but otherwise I'll overtake it. Buses are slow to move off/accelerate, and there's far too many bus stops along most routes and too close together (god forbid someone might have to walk another 200/300m!) that if you were to stop/let them out every time you'd never get to where you're going!

But this thread isn't about overtaking. By all means overtake a bus that's stopped at a bus stop.

But if it's trying to pull out then let it. You can overtake it at the next stop which as you point out is only 200/300m away No loss to you and a great help to the passengers on the bus.

Iwannahurl

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

...buses in this country/Dublin are generally so slow and unreliable that if you have an alternative you take it!

The bus service shown in post #3 is fairly reliable, afaiaa. In this instance it's being held up by selfish ignorant muppets looking out for their personal interests first.

By way of another example of the effects on public transport of such behaviour, the 2007 Galway Strategic Bus Study found that illegal parking is one of the main sources of delay for buses in the city.

I endeavour to leave buses and trucks out, whenever possible. In saying that, I see buses, quite often, muscling their way back into traffic. I'm pretty courteous to everyone on the road, bar taxis.

Vorophobe

Just for clarity - this is the sign on the back of most buses in Perth, Western Australia:



That means when they pull out, you must stop/slow down - the bus drivers there are very assertive and you run the risk of being sideswiped :P

OldmanMondeo

I find buses around here make there own right of way. Feck them I say. I am paying enough to enjoy my own space (in the car and not the road, I don't own the road, yet).

dowlingm

Vorophobe wrote: »

Just for clarity - this is the sign on the back of most buses in Perth, Western Australia

Here's the same idea in Toronto

_Kaiser_

They used to have that on Dublin Buses too in the days before all-over rear advertising:

SeanW

Iwannahurl wrote: »

There might be two nads in the car, whereas there could be eighty or more on the bus.

Are you suggesting that motorists should (be forced to) wait behind a bus while it is stopped, unloading and loading, at a bus stop?

SeanW

markpb wrote: »

I'm not sure I'd agree with either of you from a legal point of view. Pretend for a minute it's two vehicular lanes, would you argue that cars in the left lane should give way to cars in the right lane turning left? Of course not but some motorists seem to think that cyclists should.

In your example, vehicles in the left lane would be committing a crime, undertaking vehicles in the right hand lane. Vehicles in the right hand lane would also be in the wrong because they would be in the wrong lane for the turn they wish to make.

It is different for cyclists in that the presence of cycle lanes, cyclists (similar to buses) are basically exempt from the laws on undertaking that are theoretically very severe for motorists (to the point that if you have some idiot doing 60kph on the most right hand lane of the motorway, legally they cannot be undertaken, or "overtaken on the left"). Buses and cyclists using their specific lane types are totally exempt from such laws, and in the latter case it would not make any difference because laws applied to cyclists are entirely theoretical.

While it may indeed be proper than cyclists and buses have what are basically undertaking lanes, you are describing two different scenarios.

Hilly Bill

I'll let the bus filter out in turn. If im approaching the bus which has its indicators on ready to pull out then i'll let it out. If im already at the side of the bus then i'd expect the bus to wait for me to pass before it pulls out unless im in traffic and stopped and the bus can pull out safely in front of me without blocking anything. Its the same with cyclists, if im passing one and im intending to turn left then i'll slow down and wait for the cyclist to pass before i turn. Its just a bit of road etiquette .

markpb

SeanW wrote: »

Are you suggesting that motorists should (be forced to) wait behind a bus while it is stopped, unloading and loading, at a bus stop?

Even a quick glance will tell you that everyone is discussing the right-of-way of a bus *once it has started indicating out*. Don't let your problem with IWH stop you from actually reading the thread before replying.

SeanW

I read it very carefully; MagicMarker said:

Because it's a right pain in the nads stuck behind a bus stopped at a bus stop with clear road and a green light in front of it.

It was in response to this that Iwannahurl made his ... less than sympathetic remark. That's not news of course from certain quarters, and given that in the United Kingdom many regions prefer to have bus stops "built out" into the carriageway mainline*, discouraging things like bus bay lay-bys (which allow traffic to pass a bus while it is stopped) altogether, the question was reasonable.

* Transport For London explicity advocates having buses block the carriageway while loading and unloading
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/accessibile_bus_stop_design_guidance.pdf

* Translink explicity recommends against having a bus lay-by on any street with a speed limit of 30mph or less.
http://www.planningni.gov.uk/index/policy/supplementary_guidance/guides/busstop-designguide.pdf

* Edinborough City Council also clearly opposes having buses stop anywhere but in the way of other traffic in the carriageway, including suggestion that an obstructionist bus stop could itself be used a form of "traffic calming."
Quote from Page 30 (32 on the PDF)

11 In urban areas (like most of Edinburgh) traffic speeds
are, or should be, 30mph or less; rather than retaining a lay-by consideration should be given to speed controlling measures. Bus stops can themselves be used as a traffic calming measure in some circumstances.
12 Lay-bys may be retained only where services terminate

Emphasis mine.

dowlingm

SeanW wrote: »

Are you suggesting that motorists should (be forced to) wait behind a bus while it is stopped, unloading and loading, at a bus stop?

In Toronto the streetcars run in mixed traffic for the most part and in the centre of the road. They therefore unload their passengers onto the "inside" lane where there is no safety island. Cars (and bikes, though many of the fcukers don't) are meant to stop behind the open doors. Came close to getting slapped with a $300 fine not long after I arrived because I didn't have a proper appreciation of that rule under the nose of a cop!

School buses unloading kids have a fold-in/out stop sign with flashing lights when dropping off kids - all cars IN BOTH DIRECTIONS (on undivided roads) must heed that stop sign.

Iwannahurl

dowlingm wrote: »

In Toronto the streetcars run in mixed traffic for the most part and in the centre of the road. They therefore unload their passengers onto the "inside" lane where there is no safety island. Cars (and bikes, though many of the fcukers don't) are meant to stop behind the open doors. Came close to getting slapped with a $300 fine not long after I arrived because I didn't have a proper appreciation of that rule under the nose of a cop!

School buses unloading kids have a fold-in/out stop sign with flashing lights when dropping off kids - all cars IN BOTH DIRECTIONS (on undivided roads) must heed that stop sign.

Different jurisdictions will have different arrangements and laws. Not all will be perfect, and I guess there is scope for mutual learning. Perhaps there is no perfect solution -- they needed one-way streets to cope with the traffic in Herculaneum and Pompeii over 2000 years ago.

In Melbourne many of the tram stops outside the CBD dump passengers onto a narrow at-grade strip with just a metal rail separating you and your kids from two adjacent traffic lanes. Not fun. Newer stops are wider and higher, and were created by reallocating road space iirc.

In central Copenhagen bus passengers alight on the cycle path, and cyclists have to yield. The vast majority do, in my experience, but I believe cyclist/bus-passenger collisions increased hugely when this arrangement was first introduced.

The policy objective should be to prioritise the most space and energy efficient transport modes, imo, in terms of both legislaton and infrastructure.

cython

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

I find buses around here make there own right of way. Feck them I say. I am paying enough to enjoy my own space (in the car and not the road, I don't own the road, yet).

I can sympathise with this to an extent, as I have seen several instances (on the south quays especially) whereby bus drivers will have a car alongside them (about halfway up the side of the bus), and because their bus lane is ending they will decide to indicate out and indeed start moving out on top of the car. It is one thing to give to the bus if you are still behind it, but a bus driver can go f*ck themselves if they think that they should have the right to effectively force someone backwards in their progress - wait until they have passed and then move out safely like any good driver!

corktina

if the car is half way up the side of the bus, then the bus is in front and should have priority in a merging situation.

cython

corktina wrote: »

if the car is half way up the side of the bus, then the bus is in front and should have priority in a merging situation.

Not if there's a yield triangle at the end of the bus lane, as there is on many bus lanes, though perhaps not on the quays - pretty simply concept.

Not to mention that half was a crude estimate, and in at least one of these cases when I was driving the indicator on the side of the bus (not the rear) only started flashing when I was pretty much in line with it - that is giving no proper notice of the intent to manoeuvre, so again, they can piss off.

SeanW

markpb wrote: »

Even a quick glance will tell you that everyone is discussing the right-of-way of a bus *once it has started indicating out*. Don't let your problem with IWH stop you from actually reading the thread before replying.

It's becoming more and more clear that you may have jumped to conclusions. Not only did IWHs initial response clearly indicate a lack of sympathy for a driver stuck behind a bus that was stopped to pick up and discharge passengers, raising the question, but ...

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Different jurisdictions will have different arrangements and laws. Not all will be perfect, and I guess there is scope for mutual learning.

Which in IWH speak means that Ireland should import every motorist hostile idea from anywhere else, while proposing some new ones at home (like our punitive road tax and VRT smash and grab systems). Does that include UK style bus stop "bus boarders"/"build outs?"

The policy objective should be to prioritise the most space and energy efficient transport modes, imo, in terms of both legislaton and infrastructure.

Like they're doing in the United Kingdom?

If I am wrong about this - and I genuinely hope I am - let IWH clearly and unambiguously explain this, preferably explaining why in detail.

bmaxi

The whole idea of bus lanes is to shorten bus journey times, so logically buses coming out of bus lanes should always have priority or any advantage
is lost. As usual in Ireland, these things are introduced in a ham fisted way, more for visual than practical effect, politicians showing how advanced in thinking they are without considering the full picture. It's easy to paint lines on roads when they mean fcuk all, for instance, I can never understand why bicycles are allowed to share bus lanes, they should have a dedicated lane to themselves although, having said that, they probably wouldn't use them. Just the other day I came across three buses stuck behind a bicycle in the bus lane on Stillorgan Road, even though there is a perfectly good cycle lane on the footpath. Proper penalties and a modicum of enforcement would solve a lot of our traffic congestion problems but apparently there are only two road traffic offences on the statute books, ironically the two which are most easily detected with the minimum of effort.

dowlingm

the better that buses work the more passengers who have a choice to drive will take it the better it is for motorists who have no option.

Public transport priority is not of itself hostility to motorists.

MagicMarker

dowlingm wrote: »

the better that buses work the more passengers who have a choice to drive will take it the better it is for motorists who have no option.

Public transport priority is not of itself hostility to motorists.

I've read this a few times now and still have no idea what it says.

galwaycyclist

MagicMarker wrote: »

I've read this a few times now and still have no idea what it says.

It says that motorists who object to other transport modes getting prioriy are ultimately shooting themselves in the foot.

corktina

yep, speed up the buses, take cars off the road as their drivers switch to buses and it frees up road space for those who don't have a choice of mode of transport (wasn't very clear though)

SeanW

SeanW wrote: »

If I am wrong about this - and I genuinely hope I am - let IWH clearly and unambiguously explain this, preferably explaining why in detail.

The silence from certain quarters is deafening :rolleyes:

corktina

UK style bus boarders are surely there to allow low floor, wheelchair accessible buses to pull up correctly on their raised areas.

keith16

Sometimes a bus indicates to pull out but then just sits there because some dickhead passenger is trying to find 5c or is asking the driver for a fùcking guided tour to their stop.

That's very annoying.

paddyland

cython wrote: »

I can sympathise with this to an extent, as I have seen several instances (on the south quays especially) whereby bus drivers will have a car alongside them (about halfway up the side of the bus), and because their bus lane is ending they will decide to indicate out and indeed start moving out on top of the car. It is one thing to give to the bus if you are still behind it, but a bus driver can go f*ck themselves if they think that they should have the right to effectively force someone backwards in their progress - wait until they have passed and then move out safely like any good driver!

If you cannot judge far enough in advance that the bus lane beside you is ending shortly, and manage to plonk yourself right alongside the bus just at the point where he is going to need to pull into your lane, then you have pretty poor forward observation, and pretty poor courtesy towards other road users.

Unless of course you do know the bus will be needing to pull out, and deliberately place yourself so he has to bring ten tonnes of metal to a needless stop. In which case you are an ass.

Iwannahurl

Correct.

Ten tonnes of metal also carrying a much larger number of people, most likely (perhaps up to 100 times as many passengers as are in a typical private car).

Even if there isn't a law requiring us to cede priority to public transport, ordinary road manners and a bit of cop-on ought to tell us what to do. If there is room up ahead to pass by the bus, and if you're not breaking the law or discommoding other road users to do so, then by all means pass out the bus. But if you can't clear the bus then for the luvva god don't pull up alongside it and block its exit. What's wrong with hanging back a bit to give the bus a bit of room and make life a bit easier for both driver and passengers? Unless one is indeed an ass in which case no fecks at all are given about such things.

_Kaiser_

paddyland wrote: »

If you cannot judge far enough in advance that the bus lane beside you is ending shortly, and manage to plonk yourself right alongside the bus just at the point where he is going to need to pull into your lane, then you have pretty poor forward observation, and pretty poor courtesy towards other road users.

Unless of course you do know the bus will be needing to pull out, and deliberately place yourself so he has to bring ten tonnes of metal to a needless stop. In which case you are an ass.

So you're driving alongside a bus (let's say a double-decker as that's what most of them are), but not level with the cab, in traffic and you can somehow see through it to see where its lane ends?

Besides, if a bus has to merge into your lane, it should be the one to give way to traffic already there.. not vice versa. Sure, if there's opportunity to let the bus in ahead of you then you should do so but not if it means dropping anchor because the driver decides to force his way in anyway as you are alongside.

There's pretty poor observation and being an ass alright but it's not the car driver in the above scenario!

beauf

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Ah yes I forgot that point.. poor lane/junction design is another big issue..

Take that stretch of quays northbound by Heuston where the lanes are reduced for about 50m for no apparent reason?! (and which most ignore anyway by driving over the hatch markings)....

Makes no sense to me either. Causes constant tail backs anytime it gets busy.

_Kaiser_

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Correct.

Ten tonnes of metal also carrying a much larger number of people, most likely (perhaps up to 100 times as many passengers as are in a typical private car).

Even if there isn't a law requiring us to cede priority to public transport, ordinary road manners and a bit of cop-on ought to tell us what to do. If there is room up ahead to pass by the bus, and if you're not breaking the law or discommoding other road users to do so, then by all means pass out the bus. But if you can't clear the bus then for the luvva god don't pull up alongside it and block its exit. What's wrong with hanging back a bit to give the bus a bit of room and make life a bit easier for both driver and passengers? Unless one is indeed an ass in which case no fecks at all are given about such things.

So your argument essentially is - "mine's bigger so I have more right to be on the road"

Assuming there's 2 lanes here.. a dedicated bus lane, and a lane for other traffic, you're saying that traffic in that other lane should never pass a bus on the off-chance it might decide to pull out in front of/on top of you? What if it pulls in to let people on/off? Should everyone else stop too until it's ready to move off again.

A bus lane is an exclusive strip of road for buses to proceed without being affected by traffic in other lanes (in theory anyway ). However, if the bus needs to join traffic in those other lanes, IT is the one that should give way until a safe opportunity arises for it to merge - or the opportunity is offered by other drivers (which to be fair, is still most people)

What if a car decides to cut down along the bus lane and then decides to force it's way back in at the top of the queue of traffic? Should they be accommodated too?

Iwannahurl

beauf wrote: »

Makes no sense to me either. Causes constant tail backs anytime it gets busy.

What causes tailbacks is too much traffic. Public transport doesn't cause congestion, it alleviates it.

Take 100 passengers off a double-decker bus and put them in their own cars and you've instantly created a 500 metre bumper-to-bumper tailback. The bus might be only 10-12 metres in length.

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

So your argument essentially is - "mine's bigger so I have more right to be on the road"

[...]

A bus lane is an exclusive strip of road for buses to proceed without being affected by traffic in other lanes (in theory anyway ). However, if the bus needs to join traffic in those other lanes, IT is the one that should give way until a safe opportunity arises for it to merge - or the opportunity is offered by other drivers (which to be fair, is still most people)

What if a car decides to cut down along the bus lane and then decides to force it's way back in at the top of the queue of traffic? Should they be accommodated too?

No, my argument is that public transport should be prioritised because it is vastly more space and energy efficient. Buses should not have to depend on the kindness of strangers in cars to be let out. There ought to be a law compelling motorists to do that, and it should be enforced. Bus lane abusers should be fined and given penalty points.

Is your argument essentially that "the majority rules"?

_Kaiser_

Iwannahurl wrote: »

No, my argument is that public transport should be prioritised because it is vastly more space and energy efficient. Buses should not have to depend on the kindness of strangers in cars to be let out. There ought to be a law compelling motorists to do that, and it should be enforced. Bus lane abusers should be fined and given penalty points.

Is your argument essentially that "the majority rules"?

Actually, in the bit you highlighted I was referring to the fact that most drivers will still let others (including buses!) in/out where the opportunity allows.

But you have a point too. The bus service in Dublin (and it's worse again outside the city) doesn't work for many/most? people for several reasons - scheduling (particularly at weekends or off-peak/late night.. not everyone works Mon-Fri, 9-5), rambling routes through every housing estate it passes, the insistence of running everything through "An Lar" (why for example would I take a bus to get from Sandyford to Blanch via the centre of town and 90 mins+ when I could just take the M50 and be there in 20 mins. This is just one of many examples), anti-social behavior with little will to do anything about it on the part of management/Gardai, and of course the cost.. buses aren't cheap these days!

I lived in Holland for a few years in the 80s and the public transport system there WAS a real alternative.. REAL integrated ticketing (at a time we were - and still are! - fumbling with cash) AND integrated services/modes of transport, buses that ran to the minute with timetables for every individual stop (something we belatedly got around to in the last few years), and co-operation between all the relevant parties to ensure the system worked.

Until DB and the city planners can offer something that the Dutch were doing 30 years ago, you can't really blame people for using the alternatives. Most people can't afford the hours of wasted time sitting or waiting on buses when a car will still - despite the traffic - generally get you there in a fraction of the time.

Scortho

I generally will let buses out in slow moving traffic. If I can overtake it in fast moving traffic I will.
I don't think the biggest problem in Ireland is drivers. I think it's the bus lanes and location of the bus stops.
On the bus lanes, you'd regurly see a bus not driving in the bus lane on the n4. It's driving in what should be the drivers lane. Not only that its driving 20 km/h slower than the cars on the road. So all the cars have to overtake it.
Also the location of bus stops in the city centre.
It doesn't take a genius to realise that if you put a bus stop on a stretch of road where cars can enter, it's going to hold up traffic as well as the bus.
I see this in a number of places every day especially around O Connell bridge. why the hell there's a bus stop here is beyond me as it takes up a lane on one of the busiest bridges in the country.
It'd make much more sense to have it located on dolier st or college st with all the other buses.
Another place is bachelors walk. The 67 stops there every day and pulls in in heavy traffic.
It then has to try and get from the lane closest to o Connell st to the lane furthest away from O Connell st in feck all distance.
If the lights green it holds up traffic at one of the busiest junctions in the country as it tries to get across. And it's not just the 67 there's loads of buses that stop there. Surely having the last stop before o Connell bridge at capel st would be better. At least theres a good long stretch of bus lane left so its not holding up traffic, and gives it a better chance of getting across as its got a longer distance. As a bus user this stop, along with the one where it pulls in at Aran quay adds at least 10 minutes to my journey because some idiot thought they'd be the best place to locate stops.

The best solution j can think of is a bus lane all the way (well in the city centre anyway) like they have in Paris. If a bus is turning left in Paris it stays in the bus lane until it reaches the traffic light. It then rejoins its bus lane at the other side of the lights. There is also a separate light for the bus, where it goes green a couple of seconds before the cars.
In Ireland if a bus want to turn right at I Connell bridge, it has to go into the furthest lane away from the bus lane and then try and rejoin the bus lane when it gets onto the bridge. Surely a wide fluid turn would make sense from one bus lane to the other.