Well Done Coventry City Council

Message

D-Rider · #1 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:01 pm

Excellent News!

It seems as though the Coventry City Council is running a 6 month trial of allowing Motorcycle use in some the city's Bus Lanes (5 at present).

Once back on my bike I be encouraging this by making good use of the bus lanes that are included and hoping that it is regarded as a success and the rest of Coventry's bus lanes are opened up to us.

Well done Coventry City Council ! .... (catching up with Bath, Reading, some of London and various other places)

http://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article ... anes_pilot

zoidberg · #2 Post by **zoidberg** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:44 pm

A win for bikes for a change

DavShill · #3 Post by **DavShill** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:10 pm

Good news Andy, but be careful, knowing your luck you'll have the buses rear-ending you now. Keep safe.

D-Rider · #4 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:23 pm

Cheers Dave.

Actually I was discussing bus lane use with my son Daniel last night and we were wondering whether they are always beneficial.

Scenario: Trundle down a (bikes permitted) bus lane until you come to a stopped bus. The bus is being boarded by a long queue of muppets who can't find their change and so it sits there for ages and ages waiting for the passengers to board (while dripping oil onto the road)

It's worse than "Going on a Bear Hunt" Oh No, I can't go over it, Oh No, I can't go under it, and Oh No, I certainly can't go through it.
What's more, presumably I can't even go round it as a Bus lane is bounded by a solid white line so I guess I can't cross that white line to go round the bus!

I guess bus lanes are a bit of a gamble. If there is no bus that stops in one, you win. If there is a bus in front of you that stops, you are committed to staying in the bus lane and you loose.

Is my reading of the situation correct?

#5 Post by **mangocrazy** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:23 pm

I'd say you were entirely free to switch lanes. The new ruling is not forcing motorcyclists to use the bus lane; they can if they wish. A bus will cross the solid white line if and when it needs to, so a motorcycle should be able to. You have the freedom to use the 'normal' lanes, and the bus lane.

I think you're over-thinking this one, old chap...

D-Rider · #6 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:38 pm

Just thought crossing solid white lines was a major no no

D-Rider · #7 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:41 pm

Just looked at the highway code online.
There is no assumption that bikes will use bus lanes but it is specified for bicycles - so logic would suggest the same applies to us where we are permitted to use bus lanes:

65
Bus Lanes. Most bus lanes may be used by cyclists as indicated on signs. Watch out for people getting on or off a bus. Be very careful when overtaking a bus or leaving a bus lane as you will be entering a busier traffic flow. Do not pass between the kerb and a bus when it is at a stop.

So it seems we can duck out of them to overtake a bus.
Although unspecified, I guess the same applies when overtaking a stationary taxi or the local lycra loonies riding 3 abreast.

#8 Post by **mangocrazy** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:32 pm

Yes, that's how I imagined it should work...

randomsquid · #9 Post by **randomsquid** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:26 pm

D-Rider wrote:Just thought crossing solid white lines was a major no no

Ride on the pavement. Simples.

Willopotomas · #10 Post by **Willopotomas** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:06 pm

We need to ride in the bus lanes as they're about the only road they haven't ripped up. Wankers. As if driving around the City wasn't bad enough already, half of it's bloody shut!

Grumble grumble.. Blah!

D-Rider · #11 Post by **D-Rider** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:59 pm

Willopotomas wrote:We need to ride in the bus lanes as they're about the only road they haven't ripped up. Wankers. As if driving around the City wasn't bad enough already, half of it's bloody shut!

Grumble grumble.. Blah!

Not wrong - I live 3 miles from work and they are about to start major work on 5 junctions on my commute - on top of the work that's been ongoing up near work for the past couple of months .....

Plus the Tollbar island extravaganza .....

Plus the disaster in removing the roundabout over the top of the ring road by the station ... what ever possessed them with that act of madness - a junction that worked fine now gone to make way for traffic chaos for ever more

Willopotomas · #12 Post by **Willopotomas** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:50 am

Looks like we'll both be learning a few more cut-through's and congestion avoiding routes.