Bus lanes and left hand turns.

Another question on rules of road.

I've looked in the rules and cant see a positive answer on what to do.

Left hand turn on road with a bus lane. Just before the junction - maybe 2-3 car lengths, the bus lane ends and the lane becomes a turn left lane.

Strictly speaking, rules of road say you should never enter a bus lane unless an emergency. However, the rules also say that you should not obstruct traffic and stop progress.

Picture this. Bus lane is full of taxis (or cars in it illegally), many queing to go left. Lights are green for cars going forward. You have two choices:

1. Enter the bus lane illegally? early - a long time before the junction, and queue up behind the taxis.

2. Wait until the bus lane ends to turn into the left turn lane, but this means you have to stop traffic in the going forward lane, even though lights green, as you have to wait for the line of taxis etc. to move to allow enough space for you to enter the turning lane.

Which is more correct?

P.S. There are some junctions with a sign saying its ok to queue in bus lane when turning, but this is NOT one of these.

At the Whitehall junction of Collins Ave, where the situation is as you describe, I have spotted the Gardai pulling drivers in to the layby in front of the church for entering the bus lane which leads to the left turn.

I think that from a penalty points avoidance strategy, entering the bus lane more that 60 metres before it ends would be risky.

This came up somewhere else before. I think the worst they can do for driving in a bus lane is slap an E80 fine on you.

You cannot get penalty points for driving in a bus lane.


Murt

I reckoned that there would be a number of ways to give you points for driving in a bus lane...but I am certainly no expert:

Failure to obey requirements at junctions
Crossing continuous white line
Failure to comply with prohibitory traffic signs
Failure to comply with traffic lane markings


And if they used all of these on people driving in bus lanes, they would have those inconsiderate drivers banned from driving and off the road fairly quickly.... and then those drivers would be passengers on the bus and the bus would run more efficiently with no cars blocking the bus lane. Everbody would gain!

similar situation in Cork city, heading from Wilton road toDennehys cross. Hard to know when one can enter. Colleague sent email to both city council and gardai seeking advice, but no response from either.

ontour said:

I reckoned that there would be a number of ways to give you points for driving in a bus lane...but I am certainly no expert:

Failure to obey requirements at junctions
Crossing continuous white line
Failure to comply with prohibitory traffic signs
Failure to comply with traffic lane markings

Click to expand...

I don't think so. Here is the full list of offences that attract penalty points.

http://www.penaltypoints.ie/the_full_list_of_offences.php


Murt

Murt, Not sure I understand why you think that the Gardai could not apply penalty points to a driver who enters a bus lane as to get in to a bus lane, you have probably crossed a continuous white line and the traffic lane markings specify that it is a bus lane which you are not complying with.

Again, this is just IMHO !

Surely you just wait in lane where the bus lane ceases for a space to appear?

However, the rules also say that you should not obstruct traffic and stop progress.

Click to expand...

This is irrelevant. If you wanted to apply this rule, you could not stop to turn off a road if there was traffic behind you.

It is very frustrating in your situation to obey the law and see the bus lane is full of cars who probably entered well back.

Brendan

A couple of years ago I got stopped by a Garda for entering a bus lane 50 meters before the turn (entered from a right turn), he let me off when I said I was turning left (and was only one indicating). Everyone else in the lane was going straight on and had I gone into the correct lane then I would never have gotten into the leftmost lane to make my turn because of the volume of people going straight through. Annoying.