M4 bus lane is being scrapped

[Nai]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11451350

Glad to see it go? It would be nice to have a certain times only bus lane up a few of the major roads into London. Active just during rush hours so alternatives for commuters are that much more attractive. I am sure when I went up the M4 last though that lane was always active.

[Bendy]

The bus lane's been there as long as I've lived down here, so I don't remember what it was like beforehand. The road narrows to 2 lanes over the elevated section anyway so you have the '3 into 2' problem at some point, regardless of where you actually put it. Right now you seem to get a bit of a snarl around the start of the bus lane, and another at the end where lane 2 and the bus lane merge into each other.

As a rider, I'll miss it. Sure I can filter but it is nice having your own lane. Rarely see a bus in it and the taxi drivers are easy to pass.

As a car driver, probably good riddance. Unless the merge is really badly designed, that extra lane's got to help a bit, right?

It was always a stupid idea due to the utter lack of buses, but its been nice having a 'bike lane' on a bit of road I've used a fair amount.

[TheDonUK]

I will also miss it, coming in from the west you had the choice of A40, A316 or M4. And i would often swing a little bit out of my way for the blast in using the bus lane...

Oh well combat filtering 2011 here we come...
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[Nai]

Harr, I shall see you filtering on the A40 then Don!

I think it would have been of better use on the A40, with the Oxford express, A90, and the other one up there, though of course it wouldn't fit. Send a few more London buses up and down it, make it only active during rush hour and it would have been useful and a huge benefit to anyone dropping the car for public transport.