Have you used the Northern Busway on your motorcycle yet?

[nudedaytona]

Now that the Northern Busway has been operational for a few months, I thought I'd ask the question: Have you ridden your bike along the Northern Busway during the morning or evening peak traffic times?

I'm not sure whether its legal to do so or not, that might be a grey area, but surely some people have tested it and ridden along it?

[Morcs]

Probably not legal.

I used the Bus lane on the NW for the first time ever last week, 2 minutes later and I had cop car screaming after me.

Go figure.

[Swoop]

Probably not legal.

I used the Bus lane on the NW for the first time ever last week, 2 minutes later and I had cop car screaming after me.

Go figure.

It is easy for te camera to spot a bike in the mottlyway bus lanes. Also quite easy to radio the nearest ecilop.

[jrandom]

It's not legal. We've been over this. Do a forum search for the relevant details. Transit control that road, and it's for buses only. If you're seen by a cop on it, you'll be ticketed.

Anyway, what are you doing wanting to use the buslane? Filter through the traffic properly, you candy-arse faggot.

[nudedaytona]

It's not legal. We've been over this. Do a forum search for the relevant details. Transit control that road, and it's for buses only. If you're seen by a cop on it, you'll be ticketed.

Anyway, what are you doing wanting to use the buslane? Filter through the traffic properly, you candy-arse faggot.

I can filter fine thanks. But why should I have to deal with traffic if its safer and faster to use busway? I'm sure you would be more comfortable doing 80km/hr on open road than filtering through motorway traffic at that speeds. Saying a shouldn't be able to is a fag cager attitude

I have done a forum search, there was quite a bit of debate about its legality. And if its not legal, what are the chances of getting caught? If more bikers use it, the authorities will see that its not a problem and this will create pressure on them to legalise it.

[jrandom]

I have done a forum search, there was quite a bit of debate about its legality.

It's not legal or illegal in the criminal law sense; the point is, Transit own the road, and if they say that only certain vehicles can use it, that's what goes.

... if its not legal, what are the chances of getting caught?

There was a chap in the news recently who got nicked sneaking around orange roadworks cones in the general Harbour Bridge area after hours.

A traffic camera operator spotted him and alerted HP.

You can almost guarantee you'd get similar treatment if you tried to use the northern busway on a motorcycle during rush hour.

If more bikers use it, the authorities will see that its not a problem...

Dunno about that.

I see the point of the bus operators not wanting bikes whizzing around their buses as they trundle along, stop at the stations, etc.

And you just know that most of the bikes would speed along there, and Highway Patrol cars can't just cross over into it to pull them over, etc, etc. It'd be a huge pain in the arse to manage.

Ain't gonna happen.

Suck it up and filter.

[merv]

Weren't Transit the ones that said motorcycles were welcome in bus lanes while the Councils were the ones that did not.

I thought Transit said a bus priority lane is a lane reserved by a marking or sign installed at the start of the lane and at each point at which the lane resumes after an intersection for the use of buses and cycles, mopeds and motorcycles (unless either or all of the last three modes are

specifically excluded by the sign). Note the "unless".

Then they say a busway is a segregated section of carriageway from general traffic for bus use only. No mention of signage but I presume your northern Busway has signs telling cars, motorcycles etc to F'off.

So I'm guessing if there are no signs then you're OK.

[nudedaytona]

It's not legal or illegal in the criminal law sense; the point is, Transit own the road, and if they say that only certain vehicles can use it, that's what goes.

Transit is a government department. I, and all motorcyclists pay general and fuel taxes, so we should have a say in what happens in our own country and neighborhood. Its a bit like the cheesecutter campaign - we don't like the wire rope barriers, so many motorcyclists have been protesting against these.

There was a chap in the news recently who got nicked sneaking around orange roadworks cones in the general Harbour Bridge area after hours.
A traffic camera operator spotted him and alerted HP.

This is illegal, yes, but has nothing to do with the busway.

I see the point of the bus operators not wanting bikes whizzing around their buses as they trundle along, stop at the stations, etc.

And you just know that most of the bikes would speed along there, and Highway Patrol cars can't just cross over into it to pull them over, etc, etc. It'd be a huge pain in the arse to manage.

Ain't gonna happen.

The bus drivers can handle it. Bikers will be responsible around buses because in a bike versus bus accident the bus will always win.

Enforcing speeding restrictions on the busway is no different from enforcing it on the motorway. Currently, its not easy for cops to chase someone going in the other direction on the motorway because of the barrier in the middle. So its no different on the busway. And of course, they can use the cameras you mentioned to help the cops chase any busway speedsters.

With your sort of fatalistic, bend over and take it attitude, its no wonder Transit and other govt agencies think they can ignore motorcyclists.

[jrandom]

Weren't Transit the ones that said motorcycles were welcome in bus lanes while the Councils were the ones that did not.

Other way round.

(unless either or all of the last three modes are specifically excluded by the sign).

Yeah.

Unfortunately, the northern busway has big signs up everywhere saying 'BUSES ONLY'.

[jrandom]

This is illegal, yes, but has nothing to do with the busway.

Has everything to do with whether you're likely to get nicked and ticketed every time you try to use it.

Bikers will be responsible...

*wipes tears from eyes*

I'm sorry, where were we?

With your sort of fatalistic, bend over and take it attitude...

I pick my fights.

I guess I just don't mind filtering that much.

[Mikkel]

The bus drivers can handle it. Bikers will be responsible around buses because in a bike versus bus accident the bus will always win.

So this is specific for buses in your opinion?

Hit just about anything on a motorcycle = you loose!

If more bikers use it, the authorities will see that its not a problem and this will create pressure on them to legalise it.

From that perspective weed would have been legalised long ago and we wouldn't have the speed limits we have today.


I suspect like most other traffic offenses - you'd get away with it most of the time. Cameras or no cameras - stopping a motorcycle in heavy traffic is not that easy I would think.

[nudedaytona]

The proportion of bikers in NZ is so small that we are having a hard time getting any movement from the government on a nationwide issue like the wire rope barriers.

So with a local issue like the Northern Busway, perhaps the number of north shore bikers is so small and there just is not enough noise from them to get transit to change its rules about the busway.

It will be interesting to see if any bikers try to use the busway once summer returns and the weather improves for an extended period.

[jrandom]

The proportion of bikers in NZ is so small that we are having a hard time getting any movement from the government on a nationwide issue like the wire rope barriers.

Maybe it's just the proportion of bikers who are against wire rope barriers that's small?

So with a local issue like the Northern Busway, perhaps the number of north shore bikers is so small and there just is not enough noise from them to get transit to change its rules about the busway.

Well, you're not going to change the status quo by posting about it on KB.

Try writing to your MP.

[nudedaytona]

Well, you're not going to change the status quo by posting about it on KB.

Try writing to your MP.

Yes, true, but it would be good to know that I had some support. That's partly why I posted this poll, so I could see what sort of support there was for using the busway.

If I got the rules changed so that bikers could use the busway, I bet you'd be the first one to ride along it, and probably the first one to speed along it too. You'd be freeriding on my efforts to change the status quo.

Or would you persist in filtering?

[jrandom]

If I got the rules changed so that bikers could use the busway, I bet you'd be the first one to ride along it, and probably the first one to speed along it too.

Probably. And that'd be lovely. Feel free to put that effort in so that I may benefit from it.

I can't personally be arsed with it, though. Attempting to create genuine political pressure is difficult and very time-consuming.

If getting Transit to agree to let motorcyclists use the busway instead of filtering is more important to you than all the other things you could be doing with your spare time, then I wish you the best of luck.