To use the bus lane in between operational times

[amiwrong2021]

Lots of bus lanes where I live open for cars to use 10am - 4pm and after 7pm

I have been driving during the day quite a lot recently and notice when I'm using the left lane / bus lane other drivers seem to get angry and pull into my path as they are in a queue of traffic or refuse to merge and end up driving on the wrong side of the road to try and get in front (when I see this I do back off so they can fit it, I'm not bothered about being one car in front and would prefer to keep me and my child safe!)

Sometimes I do feel guilty about driving past the big queue in the right hand lane but I know left hand land is the standard driving position so if the bus lane is open for use there's no reason to not use it!!

What do you people think?

Yabu - you are a CF! get behind the line of traffic in the right lane even when the bus lane is open for use

Yanbu - ignore people who are angry you're using the correct lane and they are not

Thanks guys

I was once pulled over by the police. Nearly shat myself as I had no idea what I could have done wrong. They just wanted to tell me that I should have been using the bus lane as it wasn’t operational at that time, rather than driving on the right. 🙄 Clearly they had nothing better to do but OP, it clearly that means you were right and you absolutely should be using the lanes outside of the specified times.

Used to be a driving instructor in another life and used to enjoy my evening lessons that finished in Lewisham at 7pm. Then I'd (legally) zip along the empty bus lane that had just ceased being operational while everyone else was stuck queuing in the next lane unnecessarily. One day as I pulled alongside him white van man shouted out his window at me "Oi! You should know better!" and I yelled back "and you should learn to tell the fucking time!"

If you wanna get fined then yeah go for it!

@HopingForOurRainbowBaby

If you wanna get fined then yeah go for it!

Why would you be fined for using a bus lane when it’s not operational?

@TheOneWithTwoParties

You should use the bus lane. If they have a problem they should use the bus lane. When I learned to drive my driving instructor warned me if I didn't use the bus lane if it was available it would be marked as a fault in the test.

I was about to say this. It counts against you on a driving test if you don't do it.

@HopingForOurRainbowBaby

If you wanna get fined then yeah go for it!

You dont get fined for driving legally.

I mean personally I'd wait until 5 minutes past the hour it was legal just in case my clock was wrong

Everyone around here uses them when they are not operational and I have never noticed anyone have a problem with it.

In london they seem to have made them all 24/7 anyway

It's good to know it's not only me who experiences this! And not in London so majority around here are timed!

The end of my street is a main road with three lanes, if you turn left there is a bus lane, then the second lane next to it and then the lane going in the opposite direction

Within 100m of turning left there is traffic lights with the bus lane ending and continuing on and the right lane becoming a right turn lane.

When the bus lane is open I will turn directly into it as it's always empty and have cars cutting me just before the lights as they intend to go straight on!!

And coming the other way they will cut right across both lanes to turn left despite the bus lane being open it can be so dangerous!!

Yes fair enough I'll admit I was wrong. I was always of the understanding that the only vehicles that could use it were buses and hackney carriage taxi drivers. As you can probably tell we don't have bus lanes where I live