Motorists avoiding the bus lane

Amouar

Hi,

There was a lot of traffic today in Dublin due to the marathon, but I noticed that majority of motorists avoid driving in the bus lane even though they were not operating today (They were all restricted from Monday to Saturday).

Is there a reason why some prefer to get stuck in traffic while the bus lane was empty? Do they just assume that these bus lanes were always restricted?

Thanks

Alanstrainor

I always find that lots just assume they are always active and can never be driven in. I take advantage of this all the time!

Charles Babbage

It isn't that easy to read the extra time on bus lane signs while moving.

Amouar

It felt weird driving in an empty bus lane today while there was a huge queue of cars on the normal lane

punisher5112

To be honest I've asked the council to place on the road the ones which are 24hr no other vehicles. Didn't go anywhere.....

It's great when sail past them all.

The Bishop Basher

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It isn't that easy to read the extra time on bus lane signs while moving.

Agreed. Can be difficult to see the times on them.

bee06

This is a common thing in Cork as well. One particular bus lane, no one will drive in because it merges further down and no one will let you merge because they think you’re a bollix for using the bus lane.

coylemj

The conditioning even has people staying out of a lane which they assume is a bus lane but is not.

Edit: details of my secret personal bus lane removed.

Dravokivich

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It isn't that easy to read the extra time on bus lane signs while moving.

There's also bus lanes that become 24hr bus lanes further on with no warning. Road signage is abysmal in general. They expect you to plan ahead, but only give you direction at a do or die moment.

Skylinehead

Ssh don't tell them

antodeco

Shut up!!!!! It'd our private lane!!

RacoonQueen

I'm glad people don't use them, makes my trip towards and through city centre on weekends much quicker! :pac:
Only problem is that people park in them so you can often then get jammed behind a park anywhere lights car and people won't let you in...or they merge...or turn into a left turn lane.

OldMrBrennan83

You always have to merge back out and people make it too difficult because they think you should t be using it so I don't ever bother. I'm never in enough of a hurry to need to use them really anyway.

DaveyDave

They're handy when they don't end or merge back into traffic.

I use them all the time going up Patrick St then down the quays towards Heuston. Problem is going up the likes of Patrick St people like to veer into the lane as you're passing or flat out cut you off as the bus lane ends to a normal lane.

ofcork

People don't read/see the signs and blow at you typical one in cork from wilton to dennehys cross.

Dartz

I liker to drive past massive queus of traffic at Blanchardstown beeping my horn at the morons not aware that the bus-lane opened ten minutes beforehand.

Oh, and backfiring at them and otherwise rilling them up.

CPTM

Is it true the penalty for driving in a bus lane is a 60€ fine and no points? Someone at work said they drive in it every morning because it's worth that to them on the off chance they get caught.

Samuel T. Cogley

1 point now IIRC.

TBi

bee06 wrote: »

This is a common thing in Cork as well. One particular bus lane, no one will drive in because it merges further down and no one will let you merge because they think you’re a bollix for using the bus lane.

I think I know the one. Big yield sign at the end so if you do use the bus lane you must yield to all cars in the driving lane. I get annoyed when people don’t yield.

newmember2

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

1 point now IIRC.

Since when?

ofcork

TBi wrote: »

I think I know the one. Big yield sign at the end so if you do use the bus lane you must yield to all cars in the driving lane. I get annoyed when people don’t yield.

Have the times been changed on that lane recently?

Spook_ie

Here's a question for people, if the bus lane ends at an All Traffic except buses must turn left do you even if the bus lane is no longer in use?

For example if you were on this part time bus lane

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.377599,-6.2481515,3a,75y,222.97h,96.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1se250IBGTnecpVSSF_t8e1g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

which suddenly drops this on you

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3764142,-6.2496256,3a,75y,217.75h,70.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAdm4EGDqUdHOYE6wP1gDWw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

helimachoptor

Dravokivich wrote: »

There's also bus lanes that become 24hr bus lanes further on with no warning. Road signage is abysmal in general. They expect you to plan ahead, but only give you direction at a do or die moment.

The N11 is like this. Is 7-7 til foxrock avenue and then 24 hour after (southbound)
Should be the other way round tbh

9935452

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It isn't that easy to read the extra time on bus lane signs while moving.

A friend was driving in a bus lane at 18.30.
Its marked hours were 0800 to 1800 afaik.
Stopped by an unmarked car and got a bolliking from the guard for driving in a bus lane.
He pointed out to the guard that it was out of hours. The guard was slow to believe him. They had to walk back to the nearest bus lane sign.
No apology . Just a gruff 'go on about your business '

BlackandGreen

This is the same thing in Waterford on the Quays. Closes at 7pm most days and not active at weekends or sundays I think (have to check to sign) but I always take advantage of this. People sometimes get thick when they see you use it because they don't know it's not active. 
Although most of the time you have people just parked in it to run into the shops and block up the whole lane so it's not worth hopping into it half the time anyway.

BlackandGreen

This is the same thing in Waterford on the Quays. Closes at 7pm most days and not active at weekends or sundays I think (have to check to sign) but I always take advantage of this. People sometimes get thick when they see you use it because they don't know it's not active. 
Although most of the time you have people just parked in it to run into the shops and block up the whole lane so it's not worth hopping into it half the time anyway.

corks finest

bee06 wrote: »

This is a common thing in Cork as well. One particular bus lane, no one will drive in because it merges further down and no one will let you merge because they think you’re a bollix for using the bus lane.

Before courthouse, coming from mardyke?

TheChizler

corks finest wrote: »

Before courthouse, coming from mardyke?

Dennehys Cross presumably. The opposite is true too, people in the bus lane during the active hours will plough through the yield at the end nearly crashing into people staying in their own lane.

ofcork

The 24hr bus lane on Washington st is a pain if you want to turn left onto Patrick st stuck in the right turn lane for ages at times.

68 lost souls

One question I’ve always had is about bank holiday Monday’s. Are they treated as a Sunday for bus lanes? I believe Dublin City car larking is treated as such and so you don’t have to pay for street parking but with buses operating a Sunday timetable on a bank holiday are the bus lanes then open to cars?

Spook_ie

Spook_ie wrote: »

Here's a question for people, if the bus lane ends at an All Traffic except buses must turn left do you even if the bus lane is no longer in use?

For example if you were on this part time bus lane

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.377599,-6.2481515,3a,75y,222.97h,96.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1se250IBGTnecpVSSF_t8e1g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

which suddenly drops this on you

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3764142,-6.2496256,3a,75y,217.75h,70.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAdm4EGDqUdHOYE6wP1gDWw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It is clear. The bus lane ends well before the junction

spurious

Bus lane local to me (7-7) has a strange two hour gap (10-12) where it is not a bus lane. No idea why.

Spook_ie

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It is clear. The bus lane ends well before the junction

Yeah but do all these motorists who gloat over the guys not in the bus lane turn left?

antodeco

68 lost souls wrote: »

One question I’ve always had is about bank holiday Monday’s. Are they treated as a Sunday for bus lanes? I believe Dublin City car larking is treated as such and so you don’t have to pay for street parking but with buses operating a Sunday timetable on a bank holiday are the bus lanes then open to cars?

Treated the same as a Sunday. I queried this by email 5 years ago.

The legislation applies that Bank Holidays are considered as a Sunday.

Therefore depending on particular Bus Lanes you can drive in them on a Bank Holiday, if the sign indicates Monday to Saturday.

Yours sincerely,

XXXX

XXXX, Sergeant
Divisional Clerk,
DMR Traffic.

Isambard

ofcork wrote: »

People don't read/see the signs and blow at you typical one in cork from wilton to dennehys cross.

check the times, they were changed on that one relatively recently.

Brian Scan

Dartz wrote: »

I liker to drive past massive queus of traffic at Blanchardstown beeping my horn at the morons not aware that the bus-lane opened ten minutes beforehand.

Oh, and backfiring at them and otherwise rilling them up.

You probably need to get out more.

GM228

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

1 point now IIRC.

No points for driving in a bus lane.

GM228

antodeco wrote: »

Treated the same as a Sunday. I queried this by email 5 years ago.

Except the law does not say this:-

The legislation applies that Bank Holidays are considered as a Sunday.

Only local parking bye-laws allow this in relation to paid parking. The laws in relation to bus lanes does not consider a bank holiday as a Sunday. There is no authority for what the Guard told you.

Spook_ie

68 lost souls wrote: »

One question I’ve always had is about bank holiday Monday’s. Are they treated as a Sunday for bus lanes? I believe Dublin City car larking is treated as such and so you don’t have to pay for street parking but with buses operating a Sunday timetable on a bank holiday are the bus lanes then open to cars?

They weren't allowed in 2013, can't find anything more recent on google phone search

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

Spook_ie

GM228 wrote: »

No points for driving in a bus lane.

Surely depends on the charge, you could in theory be charged with

Failure to comply with prohibitory traffic signs 1 point
Failure to comply with traffic lane markings 1 point

Isambard

Brian Scan wrote: »

You probably need to get out more.

or less

Spook_ie

Deleted User wrote: »

It is clear. The bus lane ends well before the junction

Go with this one then

EdgeCase

The main reason is the time / day signs are too small to read.
I don't know how the hell anyone's expected to be able to read those unless stopped. They're just way too small to be useful.

It's fine on a parking sign, as you're actually stopped / looking at it quite closely, but trying to read those signs often at 30-50km/h from a lane away isn't easy.

punisher5112

spurious wrote: »

Bus lane local to me (7-7) has a strange two hour gap (10-12) where it is not a bus lane. No idea why.

There are quite a few around the city.

It works very well for deliveries and people doing quick shops or using certain services at the 2 hour gap.

It is a quieter time so works ok in most cases but of course as the city is getting busier all the time it can be an issue.

punisher5112

EdgeCase wrote: »

The main reason is the time / day signs are too small to read.
I don't know how the hell anyone's expected to be able to read those unless stopped. They're just way too small to be useful.

It's fine on a parking sign, as you're actually stopped / looking at it quite closely, but trying to read those signs often at 30-50km/h from a lane away isn't easy.

I believe the times should be painted on the road too.

GM228

Spook_ie wrote: »

Surely depends on the charge, you could in theory be charged with

Failure to comply with prohibitory traffic signs 1 point
Failure to comply with traffic lane markings 1 point

No, they are totally different offences and can't be used for a bus lane offence.

whomitconcerns

68 lost souls wrote: »

One question I’ve always had is about bank holiday Monday’s. Are they treated as a Sunday for bus lanes? I believe Dublin City car larking is treated as such and so you don’t have to pay for street parking but with buses operating a Sunday timetable on a bank holiday are the bus lanes then open to cars?

They are treated as regular Mondays....I did look into this year's ago unfortunately. Same in UK!

whomitconcerns

68 lost souls wrote: »

One question I’ve always had is about bank holiday Monday’s. Are they treated as a Sunday for bus lanes? I believe Dublin City car larking is treated as such and so you don’t have to pay for street parking but with buses operating a Sunday timetable on a bank holiday are the bus lanes then open to cars?

They are treated as regular Mondays....I did look into this year's ago unfortunately. Same in UK!

highdef

Dravokivich wrote: »

There's also bus lanes that become 24hr bus lanes further on with no warning. Road signage is abysmal in general. They expect you to plan ahead, but only give you direction at a do or die moment.

How do you know that it's a 24 hour lane of there is no warning? I'm assuming that means there are no signs in place to that effect?

highdef

Dravokivich wrote: »

There's also bus lanes that become 24hr bus lanes further on with no warning. Road signage is abysmal in general. They expect you to plan ahead, but only give you direction at a do or die moment.

How do you know that it's a 24 hour lane of there is no warning? I'm assuming that means there are no signs in place to that effect?