... we have nipped up to London for Herself's book group and are staying at the sister-in-law's gaff on the Islington ridge, she being away in the US.
There was a lot of traffic on the road, mimse mimse but one is used to it. Why so much? It's a mystery to me. On the way in, noticed a bus lane, being studiously avoided by cars, clearly labelled as being OK on Sundays, so made a bit of progress there. However later, in the Marylebone road, I assumed without looking that the bus lane was similarly clear on Sundays, and drove along it a bit before noticing that it wasn't. OO-er...
Dropped herself, came up here, did a bit of food shopping, faffed over the entry codes but got in in the end, lugged all the bags upstairs, parked the car and put Islington parking bumf in it for tomorrow morning, bought some milk and came inside. What a lot of hassle it all was.
I think one last drink will soothe me a bit. Worth trying anyway. Tomorrow is another day (today in reverse probably). Guh.
|
>> On the way in, noticed a bus lane, being studiously avoided by cars, clearly labelled as being OK on Sundays, so made a bit of progress there. However later, in the Marylebone road, I assumed without looking that the bus lane was similarly clear on Sundays, and drove along it a bit before noticing that it wasn't. OO-er... >>
I think that's the reason a lot of people avoid them all the time. It's just safer.
We make regular trips from Surrey up to Tooting. The times on the bus lanes on our route seem to vary without rhyme or reason.
|
I came out of a side junction in Plymouth where you have to merge onto a dual carriageway.
The main carriageway is three lanes, two for cars and a bus lane.
At the point you wish to merge in, the bus lane lasts another 20 - 30 yards before the whole road goes down to 2 lanes only, no bus lane.
So you have a choice:
- do the bus lane briefly whilst you accelerate sharply up to the speeds on the dual carriageway, or
- do a strange drive straight out into lane 2 maneuver from a standing start, but it doesn't 'feel right'.
What a dreadful junction.
I wonder how many people get caught by that one. Didn't see a scamera, but I presume the buses have them.
Edit:
Don't know how to put a streetview on here, it's where Morshead Road, meets Tavistock Road (A386), south bound, Crownhill, Plymouth.
I did the bus lane, wasn't going to try to get my little diesel van on an urgent 0 - 60 test.
Last edited by: Westpig on Mon 16 Mar 15 at 07:25
|
>> Don't know how to put a streetview on here
Overhead: goo.gl/maps/nWyv3 (if I've understood correctly)
Last edited by: Focusless on Mon 16 Mar 15 at 07:34
|
>> >> Don't know how to put a streetview on here
>>
>> Overhead: goo.gl/maps/nWyv3 (if I've understood correctly)
>>
Well done, that's the one.
|
Driver's eye view: goo.gl/maps/2klwz
Don't the traffic lights to the right give a 'window' to get out?
|
>> Don't the traffic lights to the right give a 'window' to get out?
>>
Yes, they do... but... it's such a busy commuter type road, the main road has green for quite some time.
I can't work out why the bus lane couldn't finish a bit sooner, so you can get out of that well used side road more safely.
The main road is supposed to be a 40mph limit, but it's often driven at more than that as you can imagine.
|
>> I can't work out why the bus lane couldn't finish a bit sooner, so you
>> can get out of that well used side road more safely.
Because the buses need to do something (turn left or go straight on?) at point lane does finish.
You've got what is to all intents a traffic light controlled access from minor road onto major.
What's there to complain about?
|
>> Because the buses need to do something (turn left or go straight on?) at point
>> lane does finish.
The buses can do what they like, they are allowed to travel in the general lanes and the bus lanes. I'm suggesting the bus lane finishes earlier, so that it's safer for traffic to pull out of the side road without having to by-pass the bus lane.
>> What's there to complain about?
It's not that safe. You have to go straight out onto a 40mph dual carriageway and miss the bus lane, instead of keeping left and merging and using the bit of road that the bus lane currently covers.
|
|
I only use the bus lanes in the areas I know. Anywhere else I stay out of them, too many devious markings, I will not be in a hurry to get anywhere in bus lane areas and I will leave them free for any emergency vehicles.
|
|
As a convicted bus lane abuser, I now avoid all of them all the time at all costs.
|
|
This is what a lot of people do in Edinburgh. The council tightend up the enforcement a year or so ago with many cameras. This backfired big time as their income from fines dried up. Now they are proposing rationalising and reducing the active hours of the lanes and abolishing many. This has upset the militant cyclists as I posted some time ago.
|
|
I don't think we have any bus lanes in Cornwall, but then we hardly have any busses either now that Western Greyhound has ceased trading.
|
>> I don't think we have any bus lanes in Cornwall, but then we hardly have
>> any busses either now that Western Greyhound has ceased trading.
I suppose a bus lane would occupy the entire road in some places.
Give them time - it will seem like a good idea to somebody!
|
|
We have bus lanes-rush hours only(clearly marked with times)but avoided at all times.
|
|
Same here, the bus lanes are not used when they should be, on one of the roads near me is it is actually very dangerous as the as the road is too narrow for a bus lane and it results in near head on collisions.
|
|
You can't blame drivers not using the bus lanes.The rules are confusing the signs very small when allowed to use.On another topic leaving the lad's house from Tooting London. about two hrs to arrive at the motorway.Slow moving traffic roadworks this was about ten in the morning.
|
>>On another topic leaving the lad's house from Tooting London.
>>
That's two people mentioned Tooting today and Sky News was interviewing people at Tooting Broadway this morning. That's Mrs ONs patch and mine is nearby. It will soon be a famous as Balham. :)
|
>> It will soon be a famous as Balham. :)
Do you mean 'Bal-ham: gateway to the South'?
:o}
|
>> Do you mean 'Bal-ham: gateway to the South'?
>>
Thats the one, complete with the red, red and amber, green, lights.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 16 Mar 15 at 12:42
|
>> >> Do you mean 'Bal-ham: gateway to the South'?
>> >>
>>
>> Thats the one, complete with the red, red and amber, green, lights.
Not the sellers original, but I think this effort is slightly better
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ewUOSlRDkk
|
>> You can't blame drivers not using the bus lanes.
Oh yes you can!
How difficult is this:
tinyurl.com/lrb252z
Bus lane is Mon- Sat 07:30 - 09:30. What the f@*ck else might the sign mean. And it's repeated at intervals.
Yet moron after moron sits in outside lane on a weekday afternoon.
|
I used to visit Streatham quite often and delighted in using the bus lanes when times permitted - like having my own private lane.
Managed motorways are the same, using the hard shoulder when permitted. None of Pat's big, smelly, oil burners getting in the way. Too much hassle, according to her.
|
>>I suppose a bus lane would occupy the entire road in some places.
S'right! .. The 'city' of Truro is bad enough as it is, the A39 from Falmouth into Truro is the wûrst though, quite dangerous too in places. I'd like to live down that part of the world actually, but that road would put me right orf!
|
Truro has been a city since 1877, and meets the proper definition of a city, has a cathedral and a market to boot.
Many of the modern 'cities' meet neither, and some are quite ridiculous, being a concoction of two towns. The 'city' of Brighton and Hove comes to mind as a particularly silly example.
|
|
Has to be a proper City, it's got a steam engine named after it :-), Nice one too
|
>> Has to be a proper City, it's got a steam engine named after it :-),
>> Nice one too
Its currently knackered and may never steam again.
|
>> Truro has been a city since 1877, and meets the proper definition of a city,
>> has a cathedral and a market to boot.
Guildford has a cathedral, a top grade university, and a market. In ad978 it had a royal mint. Its still a town.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 16 Mar 15 at 14:54
|
Truro is also the only city in England beginning with a T. Strangely enough, there is only one beginning with an M.......Manchester.
Yet in the Colwich high speed train crash in September 1986, one of the locomotives destroyed was 86211 City of Milton Keynes...AFAIK...MK has never attained city status.
Not a lot of people know that !
|
Guildford has a cathedral, a top grade university, and a market. In ad978 it had a royal mint. Its still a town.
Guildford is an exception I think. Guildford cathedral only started being built in 1936, with consecration in 1961. I think you blame the current system for the status, the case for it being a city is many times better than most of the recent crop.
|
>>Truro has been a city since 1877, and meets the proper definition of a city, has a cathedral and a market to boot.
Silly really though IMO, pop c20k same as St Austell, more in the larger areas of both naturally.
|
Ely is not much more than a jolly fine cathedral, a market square, two streets and a tiny river frontage, but has city status. Population is 20k ish now - 25 years ago it was only half that.
St David's is the smallest of course, with population under 2k.
|
>> As a convicted bus lane abuser, I now avoid all of them all the time
>> at all costs.
>>
That's the ticket Zeddo.
|
This should of gone under Westpigs post
I know where you mean and no their is no camera.Further along past Mcdonalds outside the
carwash their is a bus lane camera which catches vehicles regularly just as they cut in to go B&Q.
This should of gone under Westpigs post
Last edited by: mazda chris on Mon 16 Mar 15 at 21:21
|
As so often - Duncan
