Evening Standard Poll

[dkahn400]

Is Boris Johnson right to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes?

<http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/>
Abount halfway down the page.

Currently standing at Yes=34% No=66%

VEVO

--
Dave...

 

[Richard Corfield]

On 2008-05-27, dkahn400 <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Is Boris Johnson right to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes?
>> Currently standing at Yes=34%  No=66%
> Now slipped to 47% & 53%.

It's a hard question to answer looking at the whole picture. From a
pedal-cyclist point of view bus lanes are better than nothing, and bus
lanes without motorbikes are better than those with, but they still get
big buses in them and cycle and bus can tend to leapfrog slowing both
down.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at gmail dot com
_/ _/ _/ _/
_/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street,
_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ except in the Twilight Zone

 

[TerryJ]

> It's a hard question to answer looking at the whole picture. From a
> pedal-cyclist point of view bus lanes are better than nothing, and bus
> lanes without motorbikes are better than those with, but they still get
> big buses in them and cycle and bus can tend to leapfrog slowing both
> down.

yes, I recall in the 1970's cycling into town along the old kent road
bus lane was quite terrifying because the busses would often
deliberately drive right up to your bike wheel . In that position you
felt you could not really take any action safely to get out of the
way. I had to give the slowing down signal and very carefully glide to
a halt in primary position on several occasions, but in those days
only other cyclists would have any sympathy.There was absolutely no
point in trying to report the bus driver. At least now there is some
backup if you get intimidatory behaviour.And to be fair it must be
frustrating for the drivers to be stuck behind a shopper at 10mph. I
would try to get out of the way if possible, for example by diving to
the right into the queue of cars occasionally.
TerryJ

 

[Richard Corfield]

On 2008-05-27, TerryJ <[email protected]> wrote:
> yes, I recall in the 1970's cycling into town along the old kent road
> bus lane was quite terrifying because the busses would often
> deliberately drive right up to your bike wheel . In that position you
> felt you could not really take any action safely to get out of the
> way. I had to give the slowing down signal and very carefully glide to
> a halt in primary position on several occasions, but in those days
> only other cyclists would have any sympathy.There was absolutely no
> point in trying to report the bus driver. At least now there is some
> backup if you get intimidatory behaviour.And to be fair it must be
> frustrating for the drivers to be stuck behind a shopper at 10mph. I
> would try to get out of the way if possible, for example by diving to
> the right into the queue of cars occasionally.

More space in Leeds, but still a pain as the bus can't overtake you and
you often have to wait behind it when it stops to change passengers.

I was driving into Leeds tonight and the cyclist in front of me after a
reasonable distance with myself and a police car queueing behind pulled
up onto the pavement. This let me past but the police car pulled in. I
really hope that he got no more than a warning as what he did was in
best intention and there was no contention for the pavement space. In
other words, if he was punished he was being punished for a technicality
in a situation where he was acting for others' good and doing no harm to
anyone.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at gmail dot com
_/ _/ _/ _/
_/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street,
_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ except in the Twilight Zone