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Bike/Bus lane - will it work?

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Bike/Bus lane - will it work?

Old 11-01-18, 10:12 AM
  #1  
Flip Flop Rider
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Bike/Bus lane - will it work?

read this in Chicago paper. Doesn't sound all that safe but maybe it will work. What do you people think?

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/sh...ed-north-side/
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Old 11-01-18, 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Flip Flop Rider
read this in Chicago paper. Doesn't sound all that safe but maybe it will work. What do you people think?

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/sh...ed-north-side/

The big questions are whether the bus drivers will obey a rule that says they can't pass a slow bicyclist, and whether that drives bus passengers to revolt. Passing a bus close to its left at a bus stop also looks problematic.

It's worth a try because it sort of happens in a de facto way even when the lanes aren't marked off this way.
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Old 11-01-18, 11:19 AM
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good points
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Old 11-01-18, 01:17 PM
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Chicago MTA operators and Greater Boston MBTA operators are among the best trained in the nation.

I’ve had ONE problem with ONE operator in a shared bus/bike lane. Rececent expansion of shared bus//bike lanes across multiple communities around here have not resulted in mass casualties and death, or worse, whiney passengers.

That said, it’s a diamond lane. Both in Chicago and in Boston people on bikes may choose to use diamond lanes. It’s definitely polite to “take” the general travel lane and let the bus pass you on the right. You will not die, the M*******s driving alone in their cars in the general traffic behind you in the lane will not die, and bus passengers will not even notice. (Most of the time when it matters, the general traffic lane next to the bus lane is moving slower than people on bikes or people on busses.)

Learning how to safely pass a bus on the left has nothing to do with bus lanes.

(P.S. In many bus lanes, people driving CARS merge into the bus lane to make a right turn. There are lots of great safety reasons to do so. Bus passengers somehow survive such motor vehicle invasion, and bus operators are not ramming the cars “in their way.” There are also places where people driving CARS are not allowed to merge. When you travel, learn the local laws. It’s not that hard.)

-mr. bill

Last edited by mr_bill; 11-01-18 at 01:20 PM.
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Old 11-01-18, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
The big questions are whether the bus drivers will obey a rule that says they can't pass a slow bicyclist, and whether that drives bus passengers to revolt. Passing a bus close to its left at a bus stop also looks problematic.

It's worth a try because it sort of happens in a de facto way even when the lanes aren't marked off this way.
That's my thought too. Basically how the downtown Sac grid works now.
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Old 11-01-18, 01:53 PM
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Had them for years in the UK - never had any problems with them
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Old 11-01-18, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Chicago MTA operators and Greater Boston MBTA operators are among the best trained in the nation.

I’ve had ONE problem with ONE operator in a shared bus/bike lane. Rececent expansion of shared bus//bike lanes across multiple communities around here have not resulted in mass casualties and death, or worse, whiney passengers.

That said, it’s a diamond lane. Both in Chicago and in Boston people on bikes may choose to use diamond lanes. It’s definitely polite to “take” the general travel lane and let the bus pass you on the right. You will not die, the M*******s driving alone in their cars in the general traffic behind you in the lane will not die, and bus passengers will not even notice. (Most of the time when it matters, the general traffic lane next to the bus lane is moving slower than people on bikes or people on busses.)

Learning how to safely pass a bus on the left has nothing to do with bus lanes.

(P.S. In many bus lanes, people driving CARS merge into the bus lane to make a right turn. There are lots of great safety reasons to do so. Bus passengers somehow survive such motor vehicle invasion, and bus operators are not ramming the cars “in their way.” There are also places where people driving CARS are not allowed to merge. When you travel, learn the local laws. It’s not that hard.)

-mr. bill
Passing on the left is a little bit of a skill--many people try to do it too close to the bus which takes out the driver's ability to see you in the mirror.

You largely confirm what I suspected--it really isn't much different than dealing with buses without dedicated share lanes, just fewer car interlopers.

You can't count on well-trained bus drivers in other systems, though. I will allow my city to remain nameless in this post, but I almost got doored when a bus driver in the center lane randomly opened up his door in the middle of the block while I was in the right lane. He was not picking anyone up or dropping off, there wasn't a bus stop and I think he just wanted a breeze on a very hot day. I was rather surprised to find out how far those doors swing, and had to swerve rather violently.
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Old 11-01-18, 02:31 PM
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We have them here in parts of Calgary where I live, and they work fine for me. I have not had any negative interactions in the HOV bus-bike lanes, even though I have had issues on the general roads with bus drivers.

Regarding passing on the left, I often find it easier just to wait behind the bus until they have unloaded & loaded their passengers. On the routes I use, the bus will generally get ahead of you more quickly than you them, and I would rather follow the bus than the other way around. If you are riding a route with lots of stops and lots of unloading/loading, then it might be more of an issue. At least you don't have to worry about getting doored by passing a bus on the left, so you can hug that one pretty tight if you are confident the driver sees you.
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Old 11-02-18, 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by dh024
We have them here in parts of Calgary where I live, and they work fine for me. I have not had any negative interactions in the HOV bus-bike lanes, even though I have had issues on the general roads with bus drivers.

Regarding passing on the left, I often find it easier just to wait behind the bus until they have unloaded & loaded their passengers. On the routes I use, the bus will generally get ahead of you more quickly than you them, and I would rather follow the bus than the other way around. If you are riding a route with lots of stops and lots of unloading/loading, then it might be more of an issue. At least you don't have to worry about getting doored by passing a bus on the left, so you can hug that one pretty tight if you are confident the driver sees you.
When I was a kid, riding behind a bus was much more of a nightmare because it meant getting a face full of diesel exhaust every time the bus accelerated, so you really got aggressive about getting ahead of them or you consigned yourself to riding really slow to maintain a big distance. It's been decades since that's been a real consideration (exhaust goes out the top now, and a lot of buses are electric), but I still have a reflexive urge to pass the bus ASAP that I have to consciously override. I admit it, I'm Pavlov's dog, and the bus is my bell.

The situations where I would pass a bus on the right are extremely limited, and I would never do it between two close together stops as you never know where the driver is going to begin the swerve to the right for the next stop.
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Old 11-02-18, 07:18 AM
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A good mirror would help cyclists in general, but especially in a shared bus/bike lane.
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Old 11-02-18, 10:18 AM
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buses & bikes don't mix. sounds dumb to me
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Old 11-02-18, 10:37 AM
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Used them in France, didn't have a single issue. The concept works fine, as with most traffic incidents, it all comes down to how the individual users treat one another.
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Old 11-02-18, 02:34 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
buses & bikes don't mix. sounds dumb to me

They mix all the time, whether or not by design. At least this way makes the rules clearer.
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Old 11-02-18, 02:58 PM
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when a bike passes a bus at a bus stop & the driver takes off before the bicycle passes completely & the bus driver doesn't see the bicycle ...
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Old 11-02-18, 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
when a bike passes a bus at a bus stop & the driver takes off before the bicycle passes completely & the bus driver doesn't see the bicycle ...
Not nearly the issue it is when you share the lane with cars. Buses can't zip out into traffic as fast as cars can. I would much rather have one lane dedicated to only bikes and buses, rather than a curb lane that I also have to share with cars.

But since you have to imagine what it would be like, rather than speak from experience, I can understand why you would be reluctant to agree.
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Old 11-03-18, 06:05 AM
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Originally Posted by dh024
Not nearly the issue it is when you share the lane with cars. Buses can't zip out into traffic as fast as cars can. I would much rather have one lane dedicated to only bikes and buses, rather than a curb lane that I also have to share with cars.But since you have to imagine what it would be like, rather than speak from experience, I can understand why you would be reluctant to agree.
but I have played leap frog w city buses & I don't like it
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Old 11-03-18, 05:15 PM
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I will never let a bus come up next to me the same lane. I don't care whether it is a school, city, county, or transportation, bus. Even if it was a Dept. of Corrections bus heading to the state prison. I won't 'share the lane' with them.
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Old 11-04-18, 05:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Chris0516
I will never let a bus come up next to me the same lane. I don't care whether it is a school, city, county, or transportation, bus. Even if it was a Dept. of Corrections bus heading to the state prison. I won't 'share the lane' with them.
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
buses & bikes don't mix. sounds dumb to me.
Originally Posted by BobbyG
A good mirror would help cyclists in general, but especially in a shared bus/bike lane.
+10. That's a standard answer of mine to many of these seemingly thorny issues.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-04-18 at 05:34 AM.
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Old 11-04-18, 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Chicago MTA operators and Greater Boston MBTA operators are among the best trained in the nation.

I’ve had ONE problem with ONE operator in a shared bus/bike lane. Rececent expansion of shared bus//bike lanes across multiple communities around here have not resulted in mass casualties and death, or worse, whiney passengers.

That said, it’s a diamond lane. Both in Chicago and in Boston people on bikes may choose to use diamond lanes.

It’s definitely polite to “take” the general travel lane and let the bus pass you on the right. You will not die, the M*******s driving alone in their cars in the general traffic behind you in the lane will not die, and bus passengers will not even notice. (Most of the time when it matters, the general traffic lane next to the bus lane is moving slower than people on bikes or people on busses.)

Learning how to safely pass a bus on the left has nothing to do with bus lanes.

(P.S. In many bus lanes, people driving CARS merge into the bus lane to make a right turn. There are lots of great safety reasons to do so. Bus passengers somehow survive such motor vehicle invasion, and bus operators are not ramming the cars “in their way.”

There are also places where people driving CARS are not allowed to merge. When you travel, learn the local laws. It’s not that hard.)

-mr. bill
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
but I have played leap frog w city buses & I don't like it
Originally Posted by livedarklions
They mix all the time, whether or not by design. At least this way makes the rules clearer.
I live near Mass Ave and Comm Ave, a very busy auto, bike and pedestrian intersection with a bus/bike lane, and it works well. My bike shop is on that corner, so often I have to leave the sidewalk to get into that right-handmost lane, and it’s easier than a mixed-use lane.
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Old 11-09-18, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
when a bike passes a bus at a bus stop & the driver takes off before the bicycle passes completely & the bus driver doesn't see the bicycle ...

This is really simple--you either pass by giving the bus such a wide berth that it really can't just pull out and hit you suddenly, and if you can't do that, don't try to pass at that time. There are a lot worse fates in the world than riding behind a bus for a block or two.
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