BRONZ Buslane action plan

[Zapf]

what I can't work out is what happens at the part where the bus lanes run out before the off ramp. How to merge back with the slow lane. Ideas anyone?

[James Deuce]

Fragmentation Grenades.

[Hitcher]

what I can't work out is what happens at the part where the bus lanes run out before the off ramp. How to merge back with the slow lane. Ideas anyone?

Use Speed as a training video...

[Skyryder]

I must give full marks to both BD and Ix for doing something that they, and most other bikers believe should be legal. I've made my opinion known on this issue so will not reiterate it.

Someone mentioned that to travel on a bus lane the speed limit should be restricted to 80k's so as to reduce passing busses. That to me seems to be a sensible compromise. I'm just sort of wondering if other bikers see it as that or not.

Skyryder

[John Banks]

Possibly a caveat of motorcycles not being allowed to hold up buses, and if necessary a motorcycle must remerge into traffic to avoid holding up a bus.

[Big Dave]

Use Speed as a training video...

I don't do ANY white powders.

[Mrs Busa Pete]

My gut feeling is that the bus lanes should be in effect based on how heavy the main flow of traffic is, and the simplest way to do that is to put in place a speed limit on the bus lane.

For example, say it gets limited to 50kph, same as suburban streets. Buses, bikes, who ever is allowed to use it will only do so when the traffic on the motorway is doing less than 50kph. This could be any time of the day or night, for example, during that big mess when Sylvia Park opened, or if one of the mway lanes are blocked by an accident/breakdown. If you put a time limit on when the bus lanes are available then this wont be catered to.

i havent seen one bus going under 90 km down the northern mway bus lane yet so if you are doing 50 km your history

[twinkle]

Don't forget there is a difference between the new north shore busway which is a dedicated road for busses, and the bus lanes which are just emergency stopping lanes.

Do the busses have a speed restriction at the moment on the bus lanes?

I don't think any speed above 70ks would be safe during rush hour, even 70 would be pushing it. They are emergency lanes and like transit says... what happens if someone pulls off the motorway suddenly? (disregarding the speed some busses travel which is obviously too fast)

Bikes to use buslanes during the same hours as busses.

Merging is the only real problem. Motorists aren't inclined to even let busses in sometimes. Driver/rider education would solve this, but educating some people is a bit like pushing shit uphill.

[John Banks]

Driver/rider education would solve this, but educating some people is a bit like pushing shit uphill.

There we go. Traffic courtesy enforcable by hours of pushing shit uphill.

[Zapf]

even 70 would be pushing it. They are emergency lanes and like transit says... what happens if someone pulls off the motorway suddenly? (disregarding the speed some busses travel which is obviously too fast)

How about 60k's. anything at 60k's if the traffic is standstill is pretty good.

[trev]

Is there any overseas precedence for motorcyclists using bus lanes you can refer too?

[ManDownUnder]

Of course I forgot to say if anyone can see good reason why motorcycles should NOT use the bus lanes - please speak up.

Bus lanes are typically on the left where traffic merges and crosses on/off the thoroughfare in question. People do not see motorcycles - a la my experiences zipping up the bus lane in Pt Chav. Cars are staionary - I'm having a laugh at their expense until I have to throw out the anchor and STOP because some idiot didn't see me in the bus lane... they were looking for buses over the top of the cars... not helmets

One of the guys at the meeting is a Bus driver and we asked him if any adverse impact - no.

Cool - but my suggestion is the vehicle allowed in the bus lane must be capable of maintaining the speed the bus lane is designated at. Don't allow a 50cc scoter in a 100kph bus lane...

Any of you coppers care to comment on the above - please?

Copper - PM the response to that. Don;t do anything that could be construed as an endorsement of breaking the letter of thew law?

Just my 5c

Points for bikes riding in bus lanes
1) Ease congestion and reduce temptation of motorcyclists to engage in dangerous manoevres. Same rationale as is applied for widening lanes etc in other parts of the country. Driver's SHOULDN'T do it - but they do... so to remove the teptation - give them what they want... better ability to get ahead

2) Carbon Tax. Encourage use of more eco friendly transport. 1 person on a 250 is less polluting than one person in a 1.8 litre car... and MUCH less so than one in a 5 litre... etc

3) Better use of exisitng infrastructure. In a car a person takes 3 -5 square meters. That would be reduced to about 1 (assuming a bike is sitting in traffic) and reduced to zero if that motorcycle is in the transit lane

4) There is an argument to combine bikes and cars with 2+ occupants should use them. I'd suggest if there is more than one person oper litre of engine capacity - they can use the bus lanes. Is't the intention to get Auckland/Wellington/wherever moving? That'll do it.

5) Resolve the anomalous (and dangerous) situation of being allowed to ride in the bus lane in Auckland City, but have to stop and NOT proceed through a green "B" light because that intersection is controlled by Transit -and their rules say no.

10 ton of Mercedes imposes a considerable threat to a motorcyclist and it's nonsensical for one person (on the bike at the front of the que) to hold up on, 2 or 3 busloads of people (as I did one day on Chinaman's hill).

The Minister of Transport Safety's response clarified it however - when he said it's not a problem as drivers are not allowed to run motorcyclists over. I pointed out to the Minister people are not allow to steal either, but some seem to ignore that rule.

6) Indirectly contribute to solving congestion problems downtown Auckland. Smaller parking foot print is required for a bike, and if bikes were allowed to use bus lanes, the uptake would be higher, and less infrastructure would be required. See any one of a number of Asian cities as working proof.

[ManDownUnder]

I don't think any speed above 70ks would be safe during rush hour, even 70 would be pushing it. They are emergency lanes and like transit says... what happens if someone pulls off the motorway suddenly? (disregarding the speed some busses travel which is obviously too fast)
.

That's no different to the current situation though - if a car pulls over from the middle or RH lane - they'll go flying across multiple lanes of traffic...

[ManDownUnder]

what I can't work out is what happens at the part where the bus lanes run out before the off ramp. How to merge back with the slow lane. Ideas anyone?

Merge like a zip. The merge lane (the bit of road and the foot of the on ramp) would need extending to give more merge time, but then cars etc marge across into lane one, and bikes/buses and others in the bus lane let them in, then proceed after they're merged out of the bus lane.

It's the same scenario as the existing lanes merging... a lane comes in and straight through traffic

[ManDownUnder]

as well as an inference that some of the reason is that it will 'piss car drivers off'.

Isn't that something we actually want to do (seriously)...

A single person being transported in a car would have to be one of the least efficient modes of transport there is from a resource point of view. More space, fuel and parking is required than if that same person took, bike, bus, train, walked, in facts damned near anything!

So I'd include the fact it will frustrate car drivers, and on the back of that I'd put ads on the buses telling people they're being passed by more efficient forms of transport.

Help TRANSIT achieve their goals...