bus lanes for motorbike

[stranger12]

Hi All,

couple of questions,
firstly i have seen bus lanes that the blue sign has a motorbike sign on it thus i know u can use that bus lane but if the bus lane does not have a bike sign and /or say cycle/ has a bicycle sign, can you go on to that bus lane?

for instance this one
https://thumbsnap.com/s/g4IzmnCI.jpg
vs this one
https://www.motorbikestoday.com/news/Images/bus_lane_2.jpg

do u get ticket if you do, can the camera capture the number plate?
how much is the ticket ? i did quite few of them today and even one that said no entry except bus and cycles

2ndly, are you allowed to overtake the traffic on right, i have seen people going on the other side of the road and overtaking traffic, is that legal? i guess as long as it is not a solid line between the two side of the street then it is ok

in addition, i guess bikes can stop on the bicycle lane behind the traffic light just before the other traffics


finally if you overtake on left with motorbike , i have seen loads of bikes do it, do u get fined
thanks to all

[tbourner]

You can only go in the lane if you have a little picture of your chosen mode of transport on it. However the rule only applies during the times stated (if there are times stated), so your first example you can ride through it outside of those times, but during those times only busses and bicycles can use it.
The second example has your picture on it so you can use it.
____________________
Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[stranger12]

i guess i should expect a ticket then? cause i used it when it was in the restricted time and had cycle sign on it

what is the charge like?

[Alex_B]

I think that's a lot of questions you maybe should know the answer to before going on the road but we wont get into that

London is over a £100 I think but other areas it's around £60-£80

Bear in mind, your fine (if you get it) could be one of those dodgy ones where the bus lanes are not marked correctly, it does happen!!
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My Lane Position is always AWESOME!!

[iooi]

A lot depends on the area you live in. I ride in them pretty much all the time here in Leeds. But do it in some london area's and expect a charge for doing so.

One thing to be aware of if using the bus lane...... Especially the times ones

Twats turning left accross you Simply because they can't read the day or time....
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Jim Mc]

?? They changed the bylaws in London and Birmingham so motorcycles are allowed to ride in bus lanes. Unless there are exceptions I'm not aware of?

Outside of those areas it depends on the Traffic Regulation Order in place for that specific bus lane, the council will hold details, motorcycles are exempt from TROs in certain bus lanes, the respective council will provide details on request.

[stranger12]

well i am in london.

i know it is quite few question and i mostly know some of the answers but really want a confirmation. specially whether it is legal to overtak on the other side of the road while riding in traffic as opposed to using bus lane

[TheDonUK]

In London if it has red lines its generally ok, yellow lines generally not.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[stranger12]

[Alex_B]

[TheDonUK]

Yes as Alex B says Red route (double red lines, no stopping ever) is controlled by TFL and largely allow motorcycles to use them.

Double yellow (at the curbside) indicate local authority control and is hit and miss.

Yes you can go into the oncoming lane, its called "offsiding" by some, i do it when clear, usually as far out as the middle of the other lane if nothing is coming the other way. It gives you more time to react to a sudden u-turn or someone flashing out a car from a side road. And you can do this as long as there is no solid white lines or cough cough traffic islands that you are passing on the wrong side. It is a bit of a grey area, obviously if you do it far in excess of the speed of the standing traffic you will catch the attention of the police, trundling past safely is ok.

While i find the bus lanes a welcome addition, more often than not im quicker taking the pre-bus lane lines on the right side of traffic, depends on the road.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[dapper]

i was in the same boat as you(or same bus lane...lol) riding in them without a care in the world.Then 2 weeks ago i got 3 bloody tickets with some lonely hearts geeezer stuck in a room zooming in on me with a camera....If the bus lanes don't have a motorcycle symbol on them,don't travel in it

[stranger12]

[Jim Mc]

There's PDFs showing maps of where the bus lanes are at the bottom of this page:

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/redroutes/10151.aspx

[Alpha-9]

If there's no buses and a traffic queue I really don't see the harm in using it to filter.

But the law is never based on common sense

Just look out for cameras and plod mobiles I guess
____________________
Fzr-600 1999

[tbourner]

You can't cross a solid white line under the guise of 'filtering' though.
____________________
Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[Atomic Punk]

[Alpha-9]

[tbourner]

[stranger12]

[Alpha-9]

[J.M.]

[ceekay]

[stranger12]

[Thelostone]

A few notes on topics raised:

Using bus lanes in London; a lot of (most/all?) London buses have forward facing cameras specifically to catch illegal bus lane use.

Offsiding (riding the wrong side of traffic islands); If the island has keep left signs (real ones, not Monty Python types) then the offence is TS50, failing to comply with a traffic sign (excluding stop-signs, traffic lights or double white lines). However, in 2003 legislation was introduced to allow local authorities in London to take over enforcement for various moving traffic offences (including box junction offences, illegal turns, no entry signs and keep left signs). Most, if not all, London councils have now taken up the option and use cctv (fixed and on top of cars) to police them. So would plod still do you (and can they still do you)?

If the keep left signs have run away, then...?

Diagonal lined areas; you may not cross solid white lines to enter (there are exceptions but not for overtaking), nor can you stop in them, but you may use them for overtaking. However, they are there for safety reasons therefore if an incident occurs as a result of you using this space you should expect a higher level of blame. (And they often house large amounts of gravel, nails and other assorted nasties.)