So everyone is all gung-ho for getting more bicycles on the road. They want less emissions and more exercise and of course to add some European style to the city. I support this, just don’t put the bicycles in the bus lane. You have the largest vehicle on the road sharing the same space with humans on a pair of wheels, something will go wrong. The reason I decided to write about this is not because I am concerned for the safety of the people (I am, but that’s not important), it’s because it took me forever to get to the office today.
The reason: A cyclist in the bus lane. Who thought it would be a good idea for the enviornment and the world in general to have a large bus filled with some 70 people wait on a cyclist? Someone with time should really try and multipl out the cost of having a bus go very slowly because of a single slow cyclist. The bus now has to accelerate/deccelrate more, is cruising at lower efficiencies and is taking more time and so more emissions in general. Not to mention that it is holding up other busses behind it.
So yes, bicycles are good. Let’s have more, but let’s have a cycle lane that’s not shared with anyone else. Get the bicycles out of the bus lane so that public transport can actually save emissions and in the mean time reduce the chances of accident. We have all seen how close bus drivers like to drive to cyclists, just to get their frustration out. So if you are a cyclist the please please, if you must use the bus lane, make sure you cycle quickly. The enviornment depends on you.
I agree, buses can be slowed down and this can of course, have an adverse effect one emissions etc.
However, just as a general comment from my experience of cycling in to uni:
-The buses accelerate away from the bus stop too quickly, then barely any distance down the road brake to stop at the next bus stop, (or maybe brake when they catch up with a cyclist). Maybe if they didn’t accelerate so fast, the drive cycle would be smoother so there’d be less emissions, and they also wouldn’t be catching up with cyclists quite so much.
-Secondly, I know this has no effect on energy/emissions or anything, but is another comment about shared bike and bus lanes, there is generally a lot of leap frogging between the two vehicles. Buses stop at bus stops and the cyclist has to overtake, the bus then overtakes the cyclist usw. Really annoying.
Anyway, so, wider bus lanes needed, agreed.