[PR] Cyclists Welcome Continuing Ban on Motorbikes Use of Bus Lanes

Victor

.

Cyclists Welcome Continuing Ban on Motorbike Riders Use of Bus Lanes

Date: 28 July 2008. For immediate use.

The Dublin Cycling Campaign welcomes the Road Safety Authority's recent announcement that it cannot recommend the opening up of bus/cycle lanes to motorbike use.

The Dublin Cycling Campaign has never agreed with the use by some motor bike riders of bus/cycle lanes. A general and unwarranted assumption has been made by too many motor bike riders that it is permissible to ride in bus/cycle lanes and there seems to be no Garda action to enforce the existing legal ban. [see SI No. 182 of 1997. Section 32. (2).]

The Campaign now calls on the Garda to enforce Section 32 of the road traffic regulations No. 182 of 1997 where only omnibuses and bicycles are permitted legally to be in a bus/cycle lane. Taxis are permitted to use these lanes only while on business – that is with the meter operational and a fare present.

This also should mean that action will be taken against taxi drivers who are driving in a bus/cycle lane without a fare on board and the meter operational. A recent survey conducted by this Campaign determined that 56% of taxis in the bus/cycle lane in Pearse Street had no passenger present.

There are too many vehicles using bus/cycle lanes where the driver is overtaking cyclists too close (failing to leave a separation distance of a least 1.5 m) and too fast. This intimidates cyclists.

If this society is to meet its Kyoto transport greenhouse gas reduction targets more commuters are going to have to abandon their cars and take up cycling to work, college and school. Riders need to feel safe on urban roads and in bus/cycle lanes.

ENDS

cyclopath2001

They're welcome to use this picture to illustrate the point about enforcement:

FrankGrimes

Good to hear but I think they should also be focusing on the design of the cycle lanes. I find most cycle lanes that are in off the road are very dangerous to the cyclist and are biased towards motorists. Why should a cyclist have to yield to every minor road/housing estate coming in from their left and then get back up to speed manually when the cars could just as easily be told to yield before the cycle lane instead of on it?

ChipPanBuddha

Sunday afternoon drive, Blackrock-Booterstown Cycle Lane/Pedestrian Path.:cool:

snollup

I happen to both ride a bicycle & drive a vespa. I disagree and fell that it is much safer for motorbikes to use bus (not cycle) lanes as is the case in most of europe I have been told. you go on about the environment yet dont seem to have an issue with taxis being aloud use them. sorry my friends but with that argument you do not convince. regarding taxis and their allowed use of them, it's pathetic.

lukester

As a daily cyclist and motorbike rider, I'm in favour of motorbikes being allowed to use bus lanes, although it sounds like this press release is mainly concerned with cycle lanes- they refer to 'bus/cycle lanes'. I would distinguish between the two, and I'd certainly be in favour of enforcing the proper use of cycle lanes.

snollup

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Good to hear but I think they should also be focusing on the design of the cycle lanes. I find most cycle lanes that are in off the road are very dangerous to the cyclist and are biased towards motorists. Why should a cyclist have to yield to every minor road/housing estate coming in from their left and then get back up to speed manually when the cars could just as easily be told to yield before the cycle lane instead of on it?

+1

Caroline_ie

ChipPanBuddha wrote: »

Sunday afternoon drive, Blackrock-Booterstown Cycle Lane/Pedestrian Path.:cool:

Did you show the Garda? I know I would.

snollup

ChipPanBuddha wrote: »

Sunday afternoon drive, Blackrock-Booterstown Cycle Lane/Pedestrian Path.:cool:

man in a very fcuked up way you really have to admire this lad.

ChipPanBuddha

snollup wrote: »

I regarding taxis and their allowed use of them, it's pathetic.

Yes, I'm beginning to wonder should taxis be allowed to use bus lanes at all. I'm not sure what the idea behind it is. Is it to encourage people to use taxis, which are classed as "public transport" and be rewarded with getting from A to B that bit faster? Taxis might be deemed to be public transport but a Merc with a taxi plate in a bus lane is just as gas guzzling as the Merc beside it in the normal lane. Maybe the theory is that people will share a taxi and cut down on several cars being on the road but I don't think this happens in reality. Most taxis I see on the road during daytime will have one or two passengers. The only time people really share taxis is late at night, coming home from a pub or club, at a time when the benefits/rewards of getting the use of a bus lane do not really apply.

ChipPanBuddha

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Did you show the Garda? I know I would.

I was going to put this down to plain stupidity on the part of the 2 people involved (middle aged couple). They looked like they had taken a wrong turn and were more or less creeping along. Not exactly boy racers. But I've shown it to several people who've said I should really report it. I was checking out the access to the cycle lane from the actual road and it looks like they drove quite a long way to take this wrong turn! What would people reckon, should I report it to the guards or traffic watch on the off chance that the driver gets a gentle ticking off? It was last Sunday week so would it be too late to report it at this stage? The date and time will be on the camera.

DirkVoodoo

Whats even more amazing is how that Micra got there in the first place???

cyclopath2001

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Whats even more amazing is how that Micra got there in the first place???

I can't see any surface markings indicating a 'cycle track'?

311

ChipPanBuddha wrote: »

Sunday afternoon drive, Blackrock-Booterstown Cycle Lane/Pedestrian Path.:cool:

Thats ridiculous ,they're not even driving on the right side of the road!!!

blorg

To be honest I would not have a problem with motorbikes using bus lanes. Cycle lanes, obviously no. In my experience most motorcyclists are courteous and careful when overtaking, more so than cars, there will always of course be the exceptions.

311

I think the biggest cause of problems is comfort zones, the more comfortable the car the more ignorant the driver. Mercedes drivers are probably the worst.

Victor

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Good to hear but I think they should also be focusing on the design of the cycle lanes. I find most cycle lanes that are in off the road are very dangerous to the cyclist and are biased towards motorists. Why should a cyclist have to yield to every minor road/housing estate coming in from their left and then get back up to speed manually when the cars could just as easily be told to yield before the cycle lane instead of on it?

Different argument.

ChipPanBuddha wrote: »

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/owenellard/P1010303.jpg Sunday afternoon drive, Blackrock-Booterstown Cycle Lane/Pedestrian Path.:cool:

Report to park warden, I think.

snollup wrote: »

I happen to both ride a bicycle & drive a vespa. I disagree and fell that it is much safer for motorbikes to use bus (not cycle) lanes as is the case in most of europe I have been told.

In the UK, most of the people killed in bike lanes are .... motorcyclists. In Ireland a huge number of motorcyclist deaths are in rural, not urban, areas. 24 rural, 7 urban in 2006 (39 to 17 in 2005) - table 24 here: http://www.rsa.ie/publication/publication/upload/RSA_RCF_2006_v7.pdf

The problem with bus lanes is the inappropriate speed at which which motorcyclists pass cyclists in close proximity. During the week, I was doing about 25km/h on my bike in a 50km/h bus lane, with general traffic going slightly faster than me in the traffic lane. A motorcyclist zoomed up between use at 60-70km/h.

you go on about the environment yet dont seem to have an issue with taxis being aloud use them. sorry my friends but with that argument you do not convince. regarding taxis and their allowed use of them, it's pathetic.

Taxis aren't welcome in bus lanes either. While it might have made sense 10 years ago, it doesn't make sense now with there being more than enough taxis to go around.

fish-head

311 wrote: »

I think the biggest cause of problems is comfort zones, the more comfortable the car the more ignorant the driver. Mercedes drivers are probably the worst.

That's a ridiculous statement.

I've no problems with bikers using the bus lanes to be honest. They've got a lot of crap to deal with on the roads and as a cyclist I can identify with that.

snollup

Victor wrote: »

Different argument.

Report to park warden, I think.

In the UK, most of the people killed in bike lanes are .... motorcyclists. In Ireland a huge number of motorcyclist deaths are in rural, not urban, areas. 24 rural, 7 urban in 2006 (39 to 17 in 2005) - table 24 here: http://www.rsa.ie/publication/publication/upload/RSA_RCF_2006_v7.pdf

The problem with bus lanes is the inappropriate speed at which which motorcyclists pass cyclists in close proximity. During the week, I was doing about 25km/h on my bike in a 50km/h bus lane, with general traffic going slightly faster than me in the traffic lane. A motorcyclist zoomed up between use at 60-70km/h.

Taxis aren't welcome in bus lanes either. While it might have made sense 10 years ago, it doesn't make sense now with there being more than enough taxis to go around.

I agree with you. MB's should be driving at a appropriate speed, no matter what lane there in. You stats are interesting but this obviously this is about urban. I believe it to be safer for mb's to use bus lanes (driving responsibility of course) where available.

311

fish-head wrote: »

That's a ridiculous statement.

I don't think so to be honest ,of all the times I've been cut off on the road and just plain ignored ,80% were fat mercedes drivers.

dogmatix

"Gardai to enforce continuing ban"? Kinda pointless as we all know the guards will pay as much attention to enforcing this ban as they do with mobile phone usage in cars.

I don't mind motorbikes in bus lanes - but I really hate it when they get into a narrow cycle lane and then crawl along forcing you to slow down.

seamus

Bloody Dublin Cycling Campaign.

As a cyclist, they embarrass me. Nowhere had anyone ever suggested opening up cycle lanes to motorcycles, bus lanes only. Yet somehow they use it to go on a crusade about cycle lanes.

There's already a bad enough us -v- them attitude between cyclists and other motorists. Are we looking to make enemies with everyone?

blorg

In fairness it is worded that way as bus lanes are (generally) also cycle lanes, as per the sign:



Personally I disagree with this position though, I would have no problem with allowing motorbikes in bus lanes as is the case in parts of the UK:



I would be more concerned with repealing the law that makes cycle lanes mandatory for cyclists TBH.

snollup

blorg wrote: »

I would be more concerned with repealing the law that makes cycle lanes mandatory for cyclists TBH.

Are you saying that if there is a cycle lane we are bound to use them by law?, no matter haw sh1t there are? That's not good!

Ciaran500

snollup wrote: »

Are you saying that if there is a cycle lane we are bound to use them by law?, no matter haw sh1t there are? That's not good!

Yep

Chris Peak

snollup wrote: »

Are you saying that if there is a cycle lane we are bound to use them by law?, no matter haw sh1t there are? That's not good!

That is technically true, but luckily we live here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YIzoLkStDM

Bicyclegadabout

I don't see the big problem with motorbikes in the *bus* lane. Cyclists, motorcyclists and bus passengers don't cause traffic congestion, so I don't any reason why they should have to put up with it.

I've had a couple of roadside screaming matches with motorcyclists, how and ever I have sympathy for them. Motorcyclists deal with the exact same crap on the roads as cyclists, but moreso because they go faster. And owning a motorbike makes a lot of sense in the city.

rp

311 wrote: »

... of all the times I've been cut off on the road and just plain ignored ,80% were fat mercedes drivers.

It's not for nothing that in Germany, Mercedes are said come with "Built-in Priority" (eingebaute Vorfahrtsrecht)

RJGMovie

Sadly the Garda do not seem interested in enforcing the law regarding cycle lanes. Most mornings between 8:50 and 9:20 the cycle lane near Kevin St barracks (junction with Patrick St) is blocked by cars and vans, despite numerous complaints to the station.

cyclopath2001

seamus wrote: »

Nowhere had anyone ever suggested opening up cycle lanes to motorcycles, bus lanes only. Yet somehow they use it to go on a crusade about cycle lanes.

Unfortunately, if you let a motorcycle into a bus lane (legally), you're also giving them access to any broken-white line cycle track within that bus lane. Also to the point, the reality and the law are not the same.

seamus wrote: »

Are we looking to make enemies with everyone?

Agreed, Dublin Cycling Campaign's statement looks a bit cranky.

Civilian_Target

Man, that PR is crappy. I really dislike the little environmental prod thrown in there at the end. I agree with the taxi driver stuff, particularly the separation distance, but I think that they could be a bit more welcoming of the good news.