Barry Drive bus lane still mostly bus lane.

Soooo, now that we have descended into a motorbike vs car ‘debate’, anyone know when the roadworks are due to finish? The original plan was some time ago and the bike lanes on Marcus Clarke st to be finished by Christmas; the bike lanes look a few weeks away (hopefully – for my selfish sake – the work gets done over the holidays).

And those new lights at Marcus Clarke/Rudd St – can see some long traffic jams for people turning right from Barry Drive into Marcus Clarke when the lights arent synched.

Erg0 said :

So your argument is that it’s ok for you to do it because they haven’t done a good enough job (in your eyes) of making it illegal?

Please show me where I’ve said it’s ok to do it. I haven’t stated my personal opinion, only what the law says. Many people with little or no knowledge of the law state filtering or splitting is illegal – it isn’t. However, you can easily break other road rules whilst doing it. If you are careful you can do it and not break road rules. It’s not hard to understand.

KeenGolfer said :

Your link to the ARR requires further clarification to be correct. The ARR are incorporated into ACT law wholus-bolus but then they make a large number of changes to the ARR. Whereas other states modify the actual ARR itself, we have all our changes to the ARR in the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Regulation 2000. So if you really want to know what the road rules are in the ACT you need to read the NTC’s version of the ARR and also the regulation with all our ACT specific ARR changes.

So your argument is that it’s ok for you to do it because they haven’t done a good enough job (in your eyes) of making it illegal?

gtlloyd said :

Lane splitting is considered a breach of the following road rules:
ARR146(1) – Drivers on a multi-lane road must travel entirely within a single lane
ARR144 – Drivers must keep a safe distance when overtaking
ARR141 – Drivers must not overtake to the left of a vehicle
These appear on pages 137 (pdf 162), 135 (pdf 160) and 133 (pdf 158) of the current ACT version of the Australian Road Rules (link 1) respectively. The specific rules were identified by the National Transport Commission (link 2) as those that make lane filtering illegal (amongst other rules about traffic lights).

(1) http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/ni/2010-113/current/pdf/2010-113.pdf
(2) http://www.ntc.gov.au/DocView.aspx?documentid=01245

I am well aware of the other road rules that *may* come into application. My point being (again) there are no specific road rules against the practice – the ARR do not say:

Rule X: The rider of a motorcycle must not:
(a) Overtake another vehicle between between two lanes of traffic, whether the traffic is moving or not.

Your link to the ARR requires further clarification to be correct. The ARR are incorporated into ACT law wholus-bolus but then they make a large number of changes to the ARR. Whereas other states modify the actual ARR itself, we have all our changes to the ARR in the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Regulation 2000. So if you really want to know what the road rules are in the ACT you need to read the NTC’s version of the ARR and also the regulation with all our ACT specific ARR changes.

screaming banshee said :

Please note that it does not say from the point at which gtloyd thinks it should be…it says bus lane.

http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/tamsd/2012/11/temporary_traffic_changes_on_barry_drive

To be honest mate I’m disappointed, your a bloody motorcyclist and this sort thing is basic road craft, reading this again you were approaching the back of stopped traffic and were surprised? when all of a sudden a vehicle entered your space. It’s like passing a side street or riding on a multi lane road, always maintain a position which gives you the maximum possible safety zone and predict what the morons in their luxurious 3 bedroom suv’s are going to do….and never ever sit in a blind spot.

As I’ve previously said, I’m pretty surprised that people think that a road sign applies before you can actually see it, sloppy media release drafting notwithstanding.

I’ve also come unscathed out of that stretch of road after hundreds of mornings of banked up traffic so my ability to watch and avoid is OK, and I’m quite cautious in traffic. I’m ranting mostly about the risky activity caused by willful misinterpretation of road rules to suit people’s personal convenience. I am seeing a lot of it in the comments here too.

Please note that it does not say from the point at which gtloyd thinks it should be…it says bus lane.

http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/tamsd/2012/11/temporary_traffic_changes_on_barry_drive

To be honest mate I’m disappointed, your a bloody motorcyclist and this sort thing is basic road craft, reading this again you were approaching the back of stopped traffic and were surprised? when all of a sudden a vehicle entered your space. It’s like passing a side street or riding on a multi lane road, always maintain a position which gives you the maximum possible safety zone and predict what the morons in their luxurious 3 bedroom suv’s are going to do….and never ever sit in a blind spot.

Your right it makes much more sense to cue up in traffic waiting to pass the magic line before you can pull in front of vehicles travelling at speed that are already using the lane.

Not travelling that way too often I’m just going to assume that in doing so you would be crossing a solid white line…such is the way bus lanes are usually demarcated.

In a similar fashion if you are turning left from flemington rd at epic, you are permitted to enter the bus lane anywhere it is broken in order to perform the upcoming turn. The purpose of the bus lane there is to provide unhindered passage for the bus to the intersection. The fact that traffic doesn’t cue in that lane allows anyone turning left to continue through and they don’t delay the bus.

buzz819 said :

I say get rid of the bus lane or the exemption for motorcyclists, both will also remove this problem occurring to you.

Bus lanes exist for a reason. The exemption for motorcycles and taxis is a fact of law (and presumably also for reasons, which I won’t pretend to know). Your suggestion is not a reasonable solution to a problem.

screaming banshee said :

Last time I drove through there the sign indicated that the bus lane was open to all, to me that reads the entire bus lane….not just part of it.

The sign reads “Bus lane open to general traffic”. I make the assumption that if the sign was meant for the entire bus lane, it would be at the beginning of the bus lane (and indeed there is an un-used portable electronic sign set up 100m before the bus lane begins at the Belconnen Way/Barry Drive intersection – which has been used to advise of night works closing Barry Dr). Just as knowing a 100km/h sign will appear in a few kilometres does not mean you can go 100km/h now, I believe it’s the most sensible interpretation that a “Bus lane open” sign does not apply before you can see it (or even know that it continues to be in place).

KeenGolfer said :

Care to show me the legislation that says “lane splitting” or “lane filtering” is illegal?

Lane splitting is considered a breach of the following road rules:
ARR146(1) – Drivers on a multi-lane road must travel entirely within a single lane
ARR144 – Drivers must keep a safe distance when overtaking
ARR141 – Drivers must not overtake to the left of a vehicle
These appear on pages 137 (pdf 162), 135 (pdf 160) and 133 (pdf 158) of the current ACT version of the Australian Road Rules (link 1) respectively. The specific rules were identified by the National Transport Commission (link 2) as those that make lane filtering illegal (amongst other rules about traffic lights).

(1) http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/ni/2010-113/current/pdf/2010-113.pdf
(2) http://www.ntc.gov.au/DocView.aspx?documentid=01245

milkman said :

I regularly overtake people on the left – those people who insist on driving below the speed limit but won’t move out of the right lane.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

The legislation specifies that you must not overtake a vehicle to the left of the vehicle, unless:
(a) the driver is driving on a multi-lane road and the vehicle can be safely overtaken in a marked lane to the left of the vehicle; or
(b) the vehicle is turning right or making a U–turn from the centre of the road, and is giving a right change of direction signal and it is safe to overtake to the left of the vehicle; or
(c) the vehicle is stationary and it is safe to overtake to the left of the vehicle.

Whilst the preference remains to overtaking on the right, nothing wrong with overtaking on the left of a multi lane road.

KeenGolfer said :

bd84 said :

KeenGolfer said :

arescarti42 said :

Perhaps because lane splitting is illegal?

Care to show me the legislation that says “lane splitting” or “lane filtering” is illegal?

Try looking at the sections of the road rules about requiring to overtake in a safe manner, not to the left, or in bike lanes, and that only one vehicle is to occupy the same space within a lane.

Having said that, TAMS has not been clear about which part of the bus lane is open to traffic, whether all or just part of it and which part of it. They’ve been advertising it as the lane on Barry dr is open to all traffic, therefore I can understand why people are driving along it from the start. No point in ranting when you don’t actually know yourself if what you’re saying is correct.

I know a thing or two about the road rules. I said show me where lane splitting or filter is illegal – the answer is there’s no references to these practices in any road rules. There are road rules that may be broken when splitting or filtering, but they are not explicitly illegal.

Correct- there is no specific definition in any Australian road rules guide concerning lane-splitting, and until there is one I will happily continue to follow the practice.