Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Government Petition - signatures required

Will not do - the difference in speed between cyclists and busses is bad enough but motorcycles can make it even worse.

done

James

A worthwhile initiative. Signed 👍

Ok, if you're a keen cyclist this isn't an invitation for an argument or pious monologue but a genuine query ... How does mixing cyclists and buses in bus lanes work? .... with the current wording of the Highway Code the bus would be unable to overtake and, as the main utility of bus lanes is at times of high traffic density, the bus would find it difficult to push out into the packed outer lane to get by.

Is the top speed of an urban bus now whatever speed a cyclist chooses to ride at?


Having recently sat dutifully behind Mr Lycra for the best part of 3 miles of country lane because the trailer I was pulling couldn't give him the required 1.5m clearance, I have no faith in cyclists displaying the required self-awareness to dismount and let anyone past. So how does it work?

Asking as a country dweller who rarely ventures into the big-city (and views buses as having the same mythical rarity as unicorns 🙂)

K

My only experience of cycling in a bus lane has been in London, when I used to use a pushbike for the trip from Paddington down into Victoria/Westminster. From that I can say that an overweight middle-aged chap on a folding Brompton has absolutely no problem at all riding faster than a London Bus as they have to stop so often. On a Pedelec, it's the buses that get in the way of the cyclists rather than the other way round.

I used to rather like cycling around London. In the rush hour you are part of a massive phalanx of bikes going down the main bits so you felt very safe indeed with hundreds of other riders around you, and it's extraordinarily easy to duck off down little-used lanes and side roads to avoid the really dangerous bits. And the bliss of whizzing across Hyde Park or wherever on a summer's morning with the churds burping and the squirrels scuttling about is a splendid way to set oneself up for a day in the office.

Sounds lovely .... but guessing most of February is less idyllic 🙂 .... central London sounds like a bike-friendly semi-gridlock ... the outer reaches may be less so

I suppose I was basing my query more on less intense towns (too busy qawking at the architecture when I make the odd visit back to my home town to register the traffic flow) .... coming into Aberdeen for instance there's miles of bus lane with stops quarter/half mile apart and the buses fairly tramp on between them .... I should pay more attention and see how the bus/bike ecology plays out in the wild 🙂

K

You'd be surprised how infrequently it was actually raining for that half-hour or so - but yes, when it all got a bit rubbish weather-wise, the bus was used instead. Took a bit longer, but much more pleasant than the Tube.

As for suburban routes, I can imagine it being more problematic. In circumstances like that I would support the idea of mixed pedestrian/cycle routes rather than cycle/vehicle lanes. Cyclists have got a lot more in common with pedestrians than they have with cars, buses, and lorries. These days my cycling is used for shopping and pub trips. Cycling back from town with shopping I use the canal towpath. Coming back from the pub I ride along the road. It's not busy and no chance of falling in the canal