Article: Buses reject lane share with bikes

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Buses reject lane share with bikes

Buses reject lane share with bikes
October 22, 2012

A PROPOSAL to allow cyclists to ride in most of Melbourne's dedicated bus lanes has been attacked by the bus industry, which argues it would increase the risk of fatalities.

VicRoads has proposed letting cyclists use priority bus lanes in a draft policy intended to relieve road congestion. It says a public education campaign would be launched beforehand, to avoid increasing the risk of collisions and conflict between cyclists and bus drivers.

But Bus Association Victoria attacked the proposal, arguing it would slow down buses and increase the risk of a deadly accident.

''Bikes and heavy vehicles don't mix,'' chief executive Chris Lowe said. ''They are starkly opposite in mass and if they did share the road space, we believe the degree of accident risk would increase.''
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Mr Lowe said the death of Parkville woman Carolyn Rawlins in 2008 when she fell into the path of a bus while riding on Swanston Street should not be forgotten. ''While the coroner's findings exonerated the bus driver and company of any negligence, it was nonetheless a traumatic experience for everyone involved and one which no one wants to have to experience again,'' he said.

Cyclists are currently prohibited from using most of Melbourne's priority bus lanes, which are designed to improve bus travel times and reliability.

But many of the lanes are vacant much of the time, which has led VicRoads to investigate opening them up to bicycles, motorcycles, taxis and coaches. It proposes allowing bicycles and coaches to use the lanes, but rejects making them available to taxis. It is awaiting the results of an continuing trial on Hoddle Street before making a decision on motorbikes.

The draft policy would require government approval before becoming law.

VicRoads senior integrated transport engineer Tania McClure said that, as congestion grew on Melbourne's roads, new ways to transport people more efficiently had to be tested.

''Is a lane that is only allocated to buses the best use for road space, especially if you keep in mind that for a bus frequency of [say] five minutes, you might have the bus lane not being used for four minutes and 55 seconds,'' Ms McClure told an audience at Bicycle Network Victoria's annual Bike Futures conference on Friday.

She said although it was not ''ideal'' for buses and bikes to share a lane, ''when you consider the alternatives it seems like the least worst option''.

VicRoads is studying other cities where bikes and buses commonly share the road, including Sydney. A recent survey of 405 cyclists and 112 bus drivers in Sydney found a high degree of mutual unease and frustration, with more than two-thirds of both cyclists and drivers stating they felt uncomfortable when sharing a lane.

Tim Brennan, a researcher with the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, said the major concern among cyclists was being overtaken by buses at close range, and among bus drivers of cyclists' sometimes unpredictable movements.

Bicycle Network Victoria spokesman Garry Brennan said an education campaign on sharing the road would be required to reduce conflict.

Adam Carey

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/buses-reject-lane-share-with-bikes-20121021-27zhk.html

[somebody]

Sounds like they have a sensible rule in Vic and it should not be changed.