Why does the Council feel the need to enforce bus lanes on Xmas Day?

[Cyclone 10]

The reason for the observed inflexibility is that the rules are the rules, Planner1 is not the person interpreting them merely advising the forum.

 

Planner1 isn't answering the point raised, he can't, because he isn't the council and doesn't work for the council.

We all know what the rules are, we aren't asking what the rules are.

The question is why don't the council relax the rules on xmas day BH to be like a Sunday. And despite the flim flam about no entries, and safety, there is no good reason.

[RollingJ 1,999]

Planner1 isn't answering the point raised, he can't, because he isn't the council and doesn't work for the council.

We all know what the rules are, we aren't asking what the rules are.

The question is why don't the council relax the rules on xmas day BH to be like a Sunday. And despite the flim flam about no entries, and safety, there is no good reason.

 

Cyclone, thank you - you have more patience to call it what is than I have - but I'm afraid you will still get the same convoluted non-answers.

[Squiggs 11]

My heart goes out to all those Sheffield motorists caugfht for hours in a gridlock because of heavy traffic in the City Centre caused by bus lanes

[RollingJ 1,999]

Seeing as we are talking specifically Bus Lane enforcement here, why is it that those on London Road/Abbeydale Road are allowed to be contravened on a regular basis on a normal day?

 

The number of times I have observed this makes me wonder?

 

Or, in the same area, the number of (usually large) vehicles that park on the footpaths, causing pedestrians to have to walk in the road?

Edited December 27, 2017 by RollingJ

[Planner1 428]

Seeing as we are talking specifically Bus Lane enforcement here, why is it that those on London Road/Abbeydale Road are allowed to be contravened on a regular basis on a normal day?

Ask the Police, they can enforce them.

 

Bus operators haven't asked for them to be enforced by camera, so they clearly don't view it as a problem.

 

---------- Post added 27-12-2017 at 15:39 ----------

 

Or, in the same area, the number of (usually large) vehicles that park on the footpaths, causing pedestrians to have to walk in the road?

Can't say I've ever had to walk in the carriageway to get round a vehicle parked on footway on either of those roads.

 

Again, you should ask the Police as only they can enforce obstruction.

 

Council's enforcement officers can only enforce if there's a restriction like a single or double yellow line and even then, unless there's a loading restriction in force, they have to observe for 10 minutes before issuing a penalty, which often gives the driver time to spot them and drive off. Council have a limited number of enforcement staff. They don't work 24/7 and can only be in one place. There are a lot of demands on their time.

 

If you think they should do more, or employ more enforcement staff, or operate longer hours, tell your Councillors.

 

---------- Post added 27-12-2017 at 15:42 ----------

 

Are you claiming that on Sundays when the timed restrictions all don't apply that safety and wellbeing is compromised?

The locations where it's unsafe or undesirable to allow general traffic have 24/7 restrictions.

 

---------- Post added 27-12-2017 at 15:47 ----------

 

The question is why don't the council relax the rules on xmas day BH to be like a Sunday. And despite the flim flam about no entries, and safety, there is no good reason.

 

I've already explained that the government signing regulations do not allow a restriction such as a bus lane or bus gate to be signed to not apply on a public holiday.

 

They are signed by time of day or day of the week.

 

---------- Post added 27-12-2017 at 15:52 ----------

 

The suggestion is merely that Xmas day (perhaps all bank holidays) should be considered to be Sundays for the purposes of time+day dependent regulations.

If the government wanted it to be possible for bus lanes and gate restrictions to be not applicable at public holidays, they would have couched the signing regulations to allow it. They didn't.

 

So, you started moaning about bus lanes/gates being applicable on the one day of the year when there's no public transport, now you're wanting them to be relaxed on all other public holidays, when there actually is public transport. What next, the rules don't apply if there's no bus within 50m of you?

[Cyclone 10]

Nobody suggested modifying the signs. Liverpool manage to not enforce bus lanes on xmas day without modifying the signs. It's clearly possible. Clearly safe.

 

I certainly didn't start moaning, but don't let facts get in your way.

 

Most bank holidays have Sunday service public transport running, and Sunday levels of (in city) traffic. So is there a good argument for not operating all timed traffic restrictions like it was a Sunday?

You keep mentioning traffic flow, you realise that the traffic is very light on bank holidays? Xmas day specifically as that was what the OP 'moaned' about.

 

Have you got any single justification as to why timed restrictions couldn't be ignored on Xmas day by the council as if it were a Sunday? Or just hyperbole and hysterical suggestions about red traffic lights being ignored?

[Guest makapaka]

Nobody suggested modifying the signs. Liverpool manage to not enforce bus lanes on xmas day without modifying the signs. It's clearly possible. Clearly safe.

 

I certainly didn't start moaning, but don't let facts get in your way.

 

Most bank holidays have Sunday service public transport running, and Sunday levels of (in city) traffic. So is there a good argument for not operating all timed traffic restrictions like it was a Sunday?

You keep mentioning traffic flow, you realise that the traffic is very light on bank holidays? Xmas day specifically as that was what the OP 'moaned' about.

 

Have you got any single justification as to why timed restrictions couldn't be ignored on Xmas day by the council as if it were a Sunday? Or just hyperbole and hysterical suggestions about red traffic lights being ignored?

 

Do you have any justification as to why it should be changed on a day when some people celebrate the birth of little baby Jesus?

[Cyclone 10]

Yes, there are no bus services running, thus the bus lanes are entirely pointless and just wasting road capacity.

[diezeltruck 10]

Just wish to add, and thank everyone for their comments to this thread. Some posts have queried why would you want or wish to use a bus lane anyway on Christmas Day, when the roads are quiet? Well, there is a bus lane on Boston St, which does not allow you to turn left onto London Rd, as one example of using that bus lane, and I wish to remind everyone that many PCN's are issued to motorists who just merely 'partially' enter a bus lane not deliberately. This occurs a lot at the end of the bus lane on Moore St, when vehicles wish to get in the left lane to turn onto Hanover Way, at the roundabout. These slight infringements are being penalised on a daily basis and I would go as far as to say that most violations at Moore St are related to vehicles partially entering the bus lane at the end. A wheel may just clip the bus lane, but the Council will class it as a partial enter and a PCN's is therefore issued.

[cgksheff 44]

........... and I wish to remind everyone that many PCN's are issued to motorists who just merely 'partially' enter a bus lane not deliberately. This occurs a lot at the end of the bus lane on Moore St, when vehicles wish to get in the left lane to turn onto Hanover Way, at the roundabout. These slight infringements are being penalised on a daily basis and I would go as far as to say that most violations at Moore St are related to vehicles partially entering the bus lane at the end. A wheel may just clip the bus lane, but the Council will class it as a partial enter and a PCN's is therefore issued.

 

"many"

"a lot"

"daily"

"most"

 

How do you know this? Or is it conjecture?

[diezeltruck 10]

I also wish to say that I feel that the Matrix systems could be used better to inform and advise motorists when bus lanes are in operation in the city, especially to remind drivers of their operation on Bank or Public holidays. As I have said earlier, there is a 30% increase in bus lane contraventions on a Bank Holiday Monday compared to a normal working day Monday in the city. If bus lanes are not there to generate profit, then everything should be done to advise motorists of their operation and the Matrix signs are ideal. They are already utilised to warn not to drink and drive. Would Planner1, know who operates these and how I would be able to contact them?

 

---------- Post added 28-12-2017 at 09:54 ----------

 

"many"

"a lot"

"daily"

"most"

 

How do you know this? Or is it conjecture?

 

I know, because I have visually witnessed the scene.

[Cyclone 10]

Just wish to add, and thank everyone for their comments to this thread. Some posts have queried why would you want or wish to use a bus lane anyway on Christmas Day, when the roads are quiet? Well, there is a bus lane on Boston St, which does not allow you to turn left onto London Rd, as one example of using that bus lane, and I wish to remind everyone that many PCN's are issued to motorists who just merely 'partially' enter a bus lane not deliberately. This occurs a lot at the end of the bus lane on Moore St, when vehicles wish to get in the left lane to turn onto Hanover Way, at the roundabout. These slight infringements are being penalised on a daily basis and I would go as far as to say that most violations at Moore St are related to vehicles partially entering the bus lane at the end. A wheel may just clip the bus lane, but the Council will class it as a partial enter and a PCN's is therefore issued.

 

There's no camera enforcement on Moore St, and you'd be turning left onto St Marys gate, not Hanover Way.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Moore+St,+Sheffield/@53.3742668,-1.4806696,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4879827db1326853:0xfa55ab0669d052ef!8m2!3d53.3742668!4d-1.4784809

 

---------- Post added 28-12-2017 at 09:57 ----------

 

 

I know, because I have visually witnessed the scene.

 

How do you know that those people then get a PCN?