The results from the Councils survey about buses have been published on their website.

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/travel-information/public-transport

Only one of the questions relates to bus lanes. Asked if they made the journey quicker, 43% said yes and 53% answered either no or dont know.

At the end of the report the council makes 9 recommendations, a full third of which relate to increasing the number of bus lanes.

As a car user and a very sceptical member of the voting public am I the only one who feels this survey was set up in order to allow the council to claim public consultation prior to inflicting more bus lanes on the long suffering drivers of sheffield?

the survey says a lot more than that doesn't it?
maybe you are just being cynical..... perhaps the reason bus lanes are seen as not v useful is coz they are so often abused by people parking in them
if bus companies had 21st century ticketing it would help a lot, smart cards etc

What is your point? The existing bus lanes are not effective enough - if they were, people would put yes they do.

More bus lanes are needed, especially (as i have mentioned before) to users of the corridors where there is no provision at all.

And yes, the results are of course being spun to suit the purpose... as is the way with most surveys.

Edit

Spin is obviously at work, they 9 recommendations are:

Bus Companies to improve reliability.

Can't see anything about bus lanes, and fully support it

Bus Companies to improve driver training (with PTE Training Academy)

Again, no bus lane mentions...

First Group to re- examine July 2004 changes

Or here

First Group to examine bringing back service 33

Or here - but i was surprised at how many people want this service back

The Council to help improve bus reliability further, building upon the benefits of existing bus priority schemes, and the benefits of those about to be completed in the S10 and Sheaf Valley corridors.

First one that relates to bus lanes... although it merely mentions examinging the existing priority schemes to see if it works.

The Council to publish data on the benefits of bus lanes

This one was quite forthright about bus lanes... although it just says they will publish data on bus lanes. The survey also states that it needs to be examined further due to there only being one question.

The Council to seek ways of keeping bus lanes and bus stops free of cars

Don't think this one counts, its just regarding enforcement of parking problems, no mention of new bus lanes

The PTE and Bus Companies to review the publicity for bus services, and changes.

Not here

All agree to progress a Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme for the North Sheffield Better Buses area, with a view to extending this to the existing Voluntary Quality Partnership schemes elsewhere in Sheffield.

And not here

Making 2 mildly related comments about looking further into the usage of bus lanes. The text itself says that the results may be due to people who have no bus lanes on their route putting no and inflating the total.

I filled out one of those little leaflets from the buses when I was a public transport user, those few weeks ago. I remember going on about there not being enough bus lanes and how my journey takes so long due to the lack of bus only lanes... But now I see it from the other side and have 100% changed my mind!

Bus lanes come to an abrupt end usually on a junction, then all those law abiding motorists who haven't drove in the bus lane, have to sharply cut across, so as not to miss off their turning, or end up in the wrong lane. EG: Queens road, near Mc D's. Whats even more amusing about that particular junction, is the fact that the bus has to pull up in the bus lane to let passengers off, then cut across to the normal lane (which is snarled up with traffic) in order to get into town! I know this, as this morning I was trying to cut into the left lane, as the bus wanted to pull out to the right!

Now if I could take back my mini rant from the pamphlet, I would! Please no more bus lanes!

I think the bus lane provision is probably about right, however we need to see traffic wardens out punishing car and van drivers who park in them. These selfish idiots would soon think again if they started getting frequent fines.

Remember, bus lanes don't just benefit buses, they benefit cars too, as buses aren't stopping to drop off and pick up passengers in the main flow of traffic.