On 23 Aug, 08:45, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:33 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T

wrote:
(coz if non-bus traffic stops
moving then sooner or later - most likely sooner - that will impact on
the bus network).

Not if your bus lane network is properly designed so that in *any*
pinch point the bus has priority.

It works in Germany and the Netherlands - really. *In those parts, it
is far less common for a bus to stop at a traffic light than here.

The other offshoot of it (perhaps more controversially) is that the
delays to other traffic and buses sailing past will encourage people
not to use cars.

On the general point, the biggest issue with London's bus lanes is
that many stop well before the lights. *They should continue right up
to the lights so the bus can go past while the lights hold the other
traffic. *More sensibly designed traffic lights (it would be
particularly good if the UK could apply tram signals to buses) could
control turning across the bus lane.

(Obviously, if there is more than one bus, one will have to wait. *But
we're talking 10 seconds max here - it is far longer if other traffic
is involved).

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.


Neil

I have worked on bus issues in Wimbledon (mainly on the A219 to/from
Putney/South Wimbledon for the past 10 years and your suggestions have
been made many times before. However, they won't work for the
following reasons. Most traffic is on single lane roads, and buses
'head the queue'. As you enter a town centre, where there are more
likely to be bus lanes, if you make the bus lane go alal the way to
the lights, then just over half the vehicular traffic would be able to
progress (assuming a straight on junction only - and these are few,
so imagine the problems factoring in a left turn in such a situation,
most junctions!!! - and as for right turns, well nothing would
move.). If the traffic is busy, and if itsn't then bus lane benefits
are less, although it allows access to stops placed just before the
junction (many cases), then when the traffic is busy, the queue would
stretch beyond the end of the bus lane, holding up the bus
significantly due to the massively reduced capaciity at the junction.
The second main reason is that if you don't let other traffic get
ahead of the bus, it will do so at each and every other stop along the
route causing problems for the bus to pull away, further delaying it.
Roads should be made to run smoothly, and the buses will be the
biggest benefeciaries. As for traffic light timing, then this is a
whole topic in itself, save that in town centres buses tend to use all
juncitons in all directions (nearly), therefore, you are robbing Peter
to pay Paul, etc, etc. I am planning to write a book on my
experiences iwth the London Borough of Merton, TfL and JMP Consultants
who have collectively been responsible for a lot of ongoing grief, and
all the decisions were made by doctoring the data and pushing through
schemes that have added to the overall stop/go situation that has
become sadly prevalent in our once great city.

Ken

Kenneth Wilshire