Can cars use the bus lane on a Sunday?

topcat77

Been just reading an article in the Irish times regarding bus lanes in Dublin.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/no-green-light-to-use-bus-lanes-on-bank-holidays-1.1600378#.Uo3hvT9LHiE.facebook

Apparently the bus lanes are open to cars on a Sunday, what's the situation in Galway. I also came across a rule that says a Taxi can only use the bus lane if they are carrying a paying passenger.

snubbleste

No.

munchkin_utd

if you can it will say it on the bus lane sign.
Otherwise it'd be 24hour for busses.

ballooba

Use the bus lanes whenever you like. Who is going to stop you?

Ardennes1944

I regularly get people beeping and making hand gestures at me for using the bus lane at the end of the airport hill and it clearly says its only a bus lane from 07:30-09:30 and 16:30-18:30, idiots

whomitconcerns

Interesting we had a post on this a few months ago. But I always used the bus lanes on bank holidays. This article implies that's not allowed. Interesting....

corktina

I pulled out on to the quay near the old Revenue building in Cork the other day at 4pm, two solid lanes of traffic and a gloriously empty bus lane for me. But don't tell anyone otherwise they'll all be doing it.

CianRyan

I always make full use of bus lanes when they are open to regular traffic.
It's great, you'd swear it was a secret that we can all use them, most people just think you're a divil for doing it!

dgt

Great, our secret's out

Chris_Heilong

dgt wrote: »

Great, our secret's out

Its ok, nobody reads the Irish Times.

SnakePlissken

snubbleste wrote: »

No.

Of course they can if they're not in operation as a bus lane, which most are not on a Sunday.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

SnakePlissken wrote: »

Of course they can if they're not in operation as a bus lane, which most are not on a Sunday.

Shh, I like the clear lane and glaring looks that an out of hours bus lane brings!

Holsten

Well that's that settled, I always used them on Bank Holidays, stupid I can no longer.

Majority of drivers in Dublin do not know you can use them outside of the hours, leading to even more traffic jams.

Guy:Incognito

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Interesting we had a post on this a few months ago. But I always used the bus lanes on bank holidays. This article implies that's not allowed. Interesting....

Some bus lanes are 24hr mon - sun.

Colonel Sanders

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

I regularly get people beeping and making hand gestures at me for using the bus lane at the end of the airport hill and it clearly says its only a bus lane from 07:30-09:30 and 16:30-18:30, idiots

Happens to me all the time (note I only use them when I'm actually allowed to)

A lot of people are morons

dorkacle

Bus lane was mostly empty all the way home from town tonight, it was 19:10pm when I left, got home for about half (normally takes about 45mins) Barely anybody else must of copped you can use them after 7pm :pac:

antodeco

I emailed Dublin Bus, DCC and the Gardai the last time this came up. You can use the bus lanes on any times outside of operating times. Bank holidays are to be treated as Sundays, as confirmed by the Traffic Division in AGS

Journeyman_1

it's not just that you can use them outside of the alloted 'bus times', you should drive in the left most lane, which becomes the bus lanes. So it's actually wrong to drive in the 'normal' lane if the bus lane is open.

Spook_ie

On a follow up note, if you do use a bus lane out of hours.

Are you allowed to ignore the all traffic turn left except buses signs often found at traffic light junctions at the end of bus lanes? I reckon not but I am open to correction

knucklehead6

Journeyman_1 wrote: »

it's not just that you can use them outside of the alloted 'bus times', you should drive in the left most lane, which becomes the bus lanes. So it's actually wrong to drive in the 'normal' lane if the bus lane is open.

i was pulled by a member of AGS about 15 years back driving in a 7-10 am bus lane at 6.30 am. When i pointed out the signs he smiled and apologised for pulling me over... I suggested pulling over everyone in the 'normal' driving lase as they weren't obeying the rules of the road and his reply (with a grin) was "don't be a cheeky little bollix, now get on with you!!"

Irishgoatman

The biggest problem I've had is merging back in with the traffic because other drivers think you're doing wrong.

Andrew_Doran

Also, if there are no little signs saying "bus lane" with the times, then it's not a bus lane. It doesn't matter what's written on the road.

Up north, I am not so sure, I think the road markings have statutory meaning there.

Slutmonkey57b

Spook_ie wrote: »

On a follow up note, if you do use a bus lane out of hours.

Are you allowed to ignore the all traffic turn left except buses signs often found at traffic light junctions at the end of bus lanes? I reckon not but I am open to correction

Are you driving a bus?

Zascar

I always use them on a sunday and in the hours permitted. What annoys me is most of the 24 hour bus lanes I know, I rarely see a bus on it!

CianRyan

Irishgoatman wrote: »

The biggest problem I've had is merging back in with the traffic because other drivers think you're doing wrong.

You don't give them a chance not to let you.
You indicate, you move, they accept.

Guy:Incognito

Irishgoatman wrote: »

The biggest problem I've had is merging back in with the traffic because other drivers think you're doing wrong.

A fsir few bus lanes have yield signs st the end of them that busses and taxis seem to ignore most of the time.

djimi

Journeyman_1 wrote: »

it's not just that you can use them outside of the alloted 'bus times', you should drive in the left most lane, which becomes the bus lanes. So it's actually wrong to drive in the 'normal' lane if the bus lane is open.

Did anyone ever confirm this beyond "you must always drive on the left"? I remember the discussion about it on here before, and I dont remember there ever being a conclusive answer. Its a seperate carraigeway to the normal lane, so I was not convinced that it must be used as the normal driving lane when not operational as a bus lane.

fletch

Andrew_Doran wrote: »

Also, if there are no little signs saying "bus lane" with the times, then it's not a bus lane. It doesn't matter what's written on the road.

Was this confirmed too?

Chimaera

Bus lanes are usually demarcated by a solid white line which makes it a separate carriageway and can only be entered where the line breaks. So it's not the left most lane of the roadway on which it's situated and that rule does not apply.

ballooba

Chimaera wrote: »

Bus lanes are usually demarcated by a solid white line which makes it a separate carriageway and can only be entered where the line breaks. So it's not the left most lane of the roadway on which it's situated and that rule does not apply.

So what you are saying is that buses cannot overtake? Seeing as they would have to exit the carriageway and re-enter it.

Spook_ie

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

Are you driving a bus?

sometimes

corktina

Chimaera wrote: »

Bus lanes are usually demarcated by a solid white line which makes it a separate carriageway and can only be entered where the line breaks. So it's not the left most lane of the roadway on which it's situated and that rule does not apply.

he solid white line marking a bus lane is not the same as a solid white line marking the middle of the road and can be crossed. It marks the bus lane when it is operating but at other times the lane is merely the left hand lane and should be used as such.

djimi

corktina wrote: »

he solid white line marking a bus lane is not the same as a solid white line marking the middle of the road and can be crossed. It marks the bus lane when it is operating but at other times the lane is merely the left hand lane and should be used as such.

Is there anything written anywhere to confirm this?

Chimaera

Andrew_Doran wrote: »

Also, if there are no little signs saying "bus lane" with the times, then it's not a bus lane. It doesn't matter what's written on the road.

Up north, I am not so sure, I think the road markings have statutory meaning there.

From page 66 of http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Learner%20Drivers/Rules_of_the_road.pdf

Road markings are a traffic sign in the form of a marking on the surface of the road. They have the same standing as upright signs. Road users must obey these road markings.

(The emphasis is from the RotR)

Pages 77-78 cover bus lanes. The rules don't explicitly state how the white line should be treated (it's mentioned as part of the description of a bus lane). Page 78 mentions that contra-flow bus lanes are for bus use only except where signs explicitly authorise use by cyclists.

Page 67 describes the rules pertaining to a single or double continuous white line in the middle of the road: you don't cross it except in an emergency or for access (in the context of the RotR access usually implies access to property off the road).

If a bus lane is not operational as such and thus in use by regular traffic, the most sensible interpretation of the rules is that the white line is in the centre of the roadway and should be obeyed on the basis of the rule above. Any other interpretation invites confusion over the meaning of a continuous white line between lanes.

As to the argument of a bus overtaking: there are very few legal situations when a bus should overtake while in a bus lane. The only legitimate ones I can think of are another bus stopped at a stop, or a taxi pulled up (and personally I think the rules on where taxis can stop need to be tightened up as too many of them stop in the dumbest of places with no regard for other road users).

ballooba

Chimaera wrote: »

As to the argument of a bus overtaking: there are very few legal situations when a bus should overtake while in a bus lane. The only legitimate ones I can think of are another bus stopped at a stop, or a taxi pulled up (and personally I think the rules on where taxis can stop need to be tightened up as too many of them stop in the dumbest of places with no regard for other road users).

That is plenty frequent. Of course they are allowed overtake, and of course it's legal to cross the white line. It would be absurd otherwise.

Celly Smunt

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

I regularly get people beeping and making hand gestures at me for using the bus lane at the end of the airport hill and it clearly says its only a bus lane from 07:30-09:30 and 16:30-18:30, idiots

This is the best bus lane ever

The only time bus lanes annoy me is when the cars at the front try to have a drag race to not let you in.They can eat my smoke though.

Chimaera

ballooba wrote: »

That is plenty frequent. Of course they are allowed overtake, and of course it's legal to cross the white line. It would be absurd otherwise.

Can you cite from the rules of the road how it's legal to cross the white line? I outlined the specific circumstances where this is allowed, and a bus overtaking outside of a bus lane qualifies as neither access nor an emergency.

corktina

it isb't a white line like the centre road one, for one thing it is much thicker.

Andrew_Doran

Chimaera wrote: »

From page 66 of http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Learner%20Drivers/Rules_of_the_road.pdf

(The emphasis is from the RotR)

Re: signs vs. road markings for bus lanes I believe that the Road Traffic Act says different.