Started work the other day at 09.00hrs rather than 07.30hrs as per normal. The traffic heading into Manchester was standing or crawling for the whole mile and a half where I follow the main road. It was wet and miserable weather. Don't normally commute in such heavy traffic and I loved it!
I whizzed past the cars at 15-24 mph and was at work within 15 mins as per normal. The weather was no hardship either and the drizzle just helped cool me down. Part of the route takes in a bus lane and I was the only user. I stopped counting cars passed when I reached 50 - most of them with only one occupant. Madness!
To celebrate I have just commented on this local newspaper article about the Council fining drivers who use bus lanes. The article suggests drivers feel "...they are forced to use the bus lane...due to the sheer volume of traffic". That's all right then. Congestion? Never mind just drive down some road you are not allowed to use and most other motorists respect. Despite this the article is reasonably impartial, giving the Council view as well as the motorists. The replies though are definitely anti bus lane. As a cyclist, I am no great fan of cycle or bus lanes but felt honour bound to add some balance and give a cyclist POV.
I took a look at the comments and generally they are a depressing read. People cling to this idea that the solution to congestion is ever expanding road capacity. In simplistic terms it should work but when you think a little bit harder it becomes obvious why it doesn't. Sadly not many people get this far before going to the polls.
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