Kate Hawkesby: Why bus lanes - and buses - really grind my gears

The wheels on the bus go ... Photo / File

OPINION:

When is someone going to admit bus lanes contribute to traffic ... and not in a good way?

How often do you pass a bus lane and it's empty? And the one lane next to it - for other vehicls - has a huge queue, absolutely stacked, virtually stationary, yet next to you is an empty bus lane?

How many times have you needed to turn left at the lights, but you can't get into the lane to do that because it's a bus lane, so you just contribute to more traffic congestion by sitting in a lane you don't actually need to be in ... until the 11th hour when you can suddenly veer off to turn.

And how often are you in your own lane and a bus pulls out in front of you? Despite having their own lane, the bus literally swerves out into traffic when the driver decides they want to.

In Wellington this week, it was revealed buses are even running red lights.

Red light running bus drivers attracted almost 200 complaints last year.

And in a glaring display of a huge disconnect from the wider public, the Tramways Union tried to defend this behaviour, which by the way is a total breach of the road rules, by saying the drivers may've felt "forced" to break the rules due to strict schedules.

Does that excuse fly when a cop stops you for running a red light in your car?

"Oh sorry, officer, I was in a hurry. I'm on a tight schedule."

Really?

And the 200 or so complaints are only those reported. There're likely more bus drivers running red lights who never even get reported. The union admitted it could be as high as double that amount.

But to defend it as being a timetabling issue, essentially blaming the company, is a typical and disappointingly weak response.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Where's accountability gone these days? If you're in charge of a large vehicle and you don't know that red means stop, then what are you even doing on the road?

And why should different rules apply to buses?

It's that kind of arrogance that gives them a bad rap.

The same way some bus drivers force themselves into heavy traffic by lunging out in front of drivers in cars who have no choice but to stop and make way.

Apart from cars, there are also pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, even scooters these days, all sharing the road or crossing it at some stage. And we should be able to do that without fear of being hit by a red-light running bus.