Row over timing of ban on through traffic in Bath

“Our over qualified councillors and "paper" planners always provide a problem... before researching and implementing a solution.”

“by airhellair Monday, July 2 2012, 3:08AM
"Having attacked my credibilty, looks like MajorSad is turning on you, PetroLEverai."

= Credibility : The last shred of.”

“Busted! And not only that but he can't even spell his own user name! No wonder "people" have suddenly started agreeing with him! aurea_flamma has the right idea and it is one that is used a lot in Holland where on the smaller roads they have a dotted half lane marked and you can drive in it normally but have to give priority to cyclists and buses. And although they have very much a cycling culture it is NOT to the exclusion of cars - they all get along and the buses are cheap too - yes I did go on a bus! It was 6 euros for an all day ticket that covered the entire Waterland area and got us from Volendam to the centre of Amsterdam extremely quickly as they have excellent bus lanes. But they don't take out road space for them - they run into fields and behind petrol stations where necessary and the buses keep moving - impressive and not something that will ever be achieved here without the b***s to tackle it properly instead of the decades of tinkering we have suffered so far. Driving on the continent - Spain, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany - is a pleasure but when you get back here it is a stark reminder of how BAD we are at road and traffic management - and "public transport".”

“What on earth can we deduce from this?………………

Possibly forgot to change his profile back to airhellair. Perhaps, allegedly.”

“Thanking yourself PetrolEevarai?

What on earth can we deduce from this?”

“Thanks, petolevarai. In some places, bus/bike/taxi priorities are not understood - http://tinyurl.com/c3htuel

whereas in others, they are a way of life - http://tinyurl.com/d4rlwfe”

“Absolutely accurate, airhellair. When most countries are trying to improve bus users' experience, UK treats them like scum. The notable exceptions are London and other cities with Public Transport Authorities.”

“I too would be so happy to cycle - unfortunately our bus company loving and subsidising council dedicate whole strips of our roads to the occasional buses and taxis that from time to time traverse those roads. They then place other obstacles to further channel traffic making it even more susceptible to disruption by removing any manoeuvring space

This naturally displaces traffic across the road compressing the available space for cyclists on the other carriageway and making the roads more dangerous for them and more likely to grind to a halt when someone is waiting to turn.

Now if they were truly wedded to the idea of a cycling city then they would put a half width bus lane on each side of the road and call it a cycle lane and then provide 'motorised' lanes which would leave loads of room for cycles with buses taxis cars and lorries to safely coexist in a separate lane without hindering, risking or impeding each other.

Unfortunately the council pandering to bus companies prevents such laudable aspirations!”

“So the suggestion is to actually think about the proposals, trial things properly, co-ordinate works, and do things in a logical order. All a bit radical, and I'n sure that rushing in without much thought will be far better. Nice post Cap'n Dave, sums things up perfectly.”

“'Independent business' is a catch-all phrase. I'm an independent business. I don't need a shop and dont maintain an office. I work with clients at theirs or at home/cafe bar/bus or train. I understand that not everyone can work like that. Guess I'm rather lucky.

Clogging up a city's streets just to ensure that 'independent' businesses' interests are served doesn't seem fair to me. For the past 4 decades, cars have dominated and pushed everything aside. Bus users became less than second-class citizens. We enjoyed almost scum-like status. Nobody gave a hoot how far we had to walk, how inadequate shelters and unsuitable waiting places were, or how long a short section of a journey, eg. pierrepont st to the rail station took. The bus industry took their time to realise that too. Now, it's changing. You don't have to go far from bath to use high-spec buses and see how priorities work.

So, all you moaning, groaning, belly-aching, single-user car drivers who are not less able or without public transport options, welcome to the world inhabited by most bus users for the past 37 years. And about time.”