WTF... !?!?! I thought it was legal to ride in Buslanes now?

[Visitor Q]

Been riding in to London the last week or so, and on my commute there are a couple of pissy buslanes that I basically avoid anyway as they're shite.

However, I occasionally go in them if I see other bikes about in them as I remembered all the massive fanfare about it now being legal to ride in them.

Well qel suprise, notice has come through for £120 fine for being in one. From the first day I commuted in. So I'm expecting loads of the bastards to come in from my odd daliances with their usefulness (which is next to nil anyway).

Not a happy bunny. Any good sources for whether it is legal or not?

This is in Camden by the way.
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Pete.]

They are not all legal for bikes - you have to look at the signs for each and every one. If there is no picture of a motorbike on the sign at the start of the bus lane don't ride in it.

There's a similar one in Brixton on the A23 - only 50m long or so but you can't ride in it.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Visitor Q]

[instigator]

Hahaha...sucker.

I only laugh because they got me too. Stupid thing was I knew it was only a select few buslanes that we could use and I still went and used one that I knew I'd get a fine for. Go figure. The bikes for bus lanes thing has only ever helped me on euston road and even there, it hasn't made a huge difference. Total waste of time to limit it to so few lanes.

The A23 down south is a fantastic help though, even if it has been made available to bikes for more than a year now.

[Visitor Q]

It goes without saying that I will contest the fucker.

It even says 'We will consider any mitigating factors which may be put forward'... although that probably just means getting rammed in to them.

It's not like a bike ever blocks a bus in anyway. Jesus, they let fucking taxis in them.

I think I know where it is now... might be the one bus lane I've used daily.


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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[instigator]

Shit.

Isn't it £60 fine though if you pay within 28 days or something?

I got caught the day I bought my bandit 12 so the previous owner got the fine and he said he'd tell the council to send it onto me. I was caught on 28th of January. Still not heard a thing. Told the council after 27 days and they said that's okay, you will still be able to pay the reduced fine with a fresh 28 days once it's issued to me.

So they said anyway.

[Visitor Q]

[Paivi]

TfL has a list here showing all bus lanes we're allowed on. If yours is not on it, you have to pay up. They usually only charge for the first offence.
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My other bike's a Monster...

[Charlie]

I know your annoyed but think level headed here, do you really think you will get them reduced/canceled if you contest them? Would it not be worth just paying up now while it is cheaper?
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[bikedemon99]

Not good news there bonny_ricardo, I personally dont use any unless I notice the sign says I can maybe after a certain hour but I dont go looking for the signs, I think your only defence is using quotes from BCF where other motorcyclist have said you can, after they have stopped rolling about on the floor laughing you can pay them what you owe them
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Ride safe

[multijoy]

[Pete.]

[G]

Lets say some scamp had stuck a 'motobike' sticker on to the bus lane board just to catch people out. You get photo proof of this, would you still be liable, I wonder?

95% of the bus lanes in Reading allow motorbikes and have for many years, which is nice. The ones that don't are only tiny ones (ie a random separate 100 metre section.)

[Visitor Q]

[Stelmer]

Bus lanes should be scrapped.

One thing I notice when in the company car, especially in Hull is that the buses think they're hallowed and more worthy than the car. They cut you up when the bus lane ends and merges with the road, almost swipe mirrors off and god forbid turning left onto a side street...

[instigator]

[Charlie]

The guided/track bus routes I saw in Leeds one afternoon looked interesting... How well do they work Stelmer? They looked like the most effective bus lane I had seen.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Paivi]

What I don't understand is that we're not allowed to use some bus lanes but the tourist buses (even when on their way to the depot) and coaches are, when they don't have stops anywhere nearby.
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My other bike's a Monster...

[Robby]

I'll give you a sweaty hug on saturday, that'll sort you out.

Not having all of the bus lanes opened up is a bit of an embuggerance - I used to ride up the A23 from Redhill to Central, which was fine. Then I made the mistake of using a bus lane somewhere in Lambeth after the A23, and got fined for it. Bastards.

However, I wouldn't scrap the lanes. Seeing as I get the bus to work from the station every morning, the bus just wouldn't get there at all on some mornings. If the buses run shit, most of London runs shit, they're quite important.

[Stelmer]

[mr-inteligent]

How do they catch you, is it a camera?

[c_dug]

Cameras on buses and fixed cameras around the route.

A general rule to go by is that bus lanes on red routes are ok to ride in, thats not a dead set rule but it applys to most of them.

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[t121anf]

the one thing sunderland got right was to call ours "no car lanes"

[Bofh5]

Thanks for reminding me about bus lanes.....................
Just remembered after my bike got nicked i drove the car down the bus lane in Reading

I'd been going that way for so long it was just sencond nature. Fortunately the camera is on the other side by the Uni so i got away with it.
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(L)users...Disk space is to good for them.

Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[Stelmer]

Anyone get told by instructors that you should use the peak-period bus lanes when outside the timed hours?

I didn't but my brothers did. Makes things more confusing...