Officers stopped 106 motorists for entering Advanced Stop Lines (ASL) – red boxes designed to allow cyclists a head start at traffic lights – during an operation along North Bridge.

A total of 26 cyclists were stopped for jumping red lights and six more for cycling on pavements as part of the “Drive Safe, Cycle Safe” initiative.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/police-collar-138-drivers-and-cyclists-in-traffic-crackdown-1-2279522

Good stuff – there is a publicity campaign on as well about ASLs – posters on buses – a good campaign cos its fair and targeted equally.

Edinburgh has a bad record for cycling casualties – worse than other cities despite allowing for a lot of cyclists. Analysis showed junctions were a main hotspot obviously and this is a targeted campaign

Interesting, high percentage of taxis caught in the ASL.

And some news for me – I thought taxi drivers were allowed to use bus lanes – I have never seen one not use a bus lane !!

Not wanting to start an anti taxi rant, but I think that was what ahppened to the cyclist killed near the zoo, a taxi hoofing along undertaking folk in the bus lane.

Great news, we have them in england , for taxis to stop in, the ones driven by men with no fingers,who cant reach the indicators when turning left.

Wonder if they booked any of their own? Pretty much everytime I’ve seen a police car in Edinburgh at the head of a traffic light queue they’ve stopped in the ASL box.

Taxis as opposed to private hire can use the bus lane if it has been made law by a TRO.

Same with cyclists, some bus lanes dontr allow cyclists , 3 in Chester for a start.

Black cabs canuse the bus lanes, private hire cannot is my understanding.

a bus lane that does not allow cyclists? 😯 🙄

There is a person who keeps parking in the ASL lane near me, in this pic he parks where the grit bin is meaning any other vehicle at the junction blocks access to the ASL and the lane.

Might have to put a Passive Agressive PostIt on his windaes.
http://g.co/maps/awh2c

Might have to put a Passive Agressive PostIt on his windaes.

That sounds appropriately Colinton. 😉 Or perhaps you could just tut as you walk past him?

The bus lanes in Edinburgh generally have signs with bus, cycle and taxi icons on them but maybe there’s a few that are more restrictive.

Thats a really stupid place to park – report to teh police / council whichever enforces parking round there – they will add it to theiur routes to check.

take photos as well with the time on them and send it to the police maybe?

The shore near me has been made into one way only for cars and is being roundly ignored – gonna be fun when they enforce this and reopen the rods leading to it properly

Black cabs canuse the bus lanes, private hire cannot is my understanding.

only if the traffic regulation order allows them.

a bus lane that does not allow cyclists?

Wrexham road , Chester

Sealand road,Chester,

Hough Green, Chester,

Bikes banned we have to use the pavement, have a look at street view for Sealand road,its a laugh.

liverpool, yesterday, black insigni-ficant car, pulls up alongside me in ASL, 2 kids in back no seat belts, woman driving, and texting, shouted at her and she just ignored me and turned left without and signals. muppet.

That is utterly ridiculous Project.
http://g.co/maps/ezpfx

I would be using the bus lane. It can do no harm – you could take a quick hop onto the kerb if you were holding up a bus unlikely thos that is

I would be using the bus lane. It can do no harm – you could take a quick hop onto the kerb if you were holding up a bus unlikely thos that is

I’d be using the road, generally far safer than riding in bus lanes or on cycle paths.

A total of 26 cyclists were stopped for jumping red lights

I find this hard to believe. A cyclist getting caught by a policeman after jumping a red light? How useless a cyclist must one be to get caught by a policeman Babylonian? Has anyone ever heard of a proper cyclist getting caught doing that?

Has anyone ever heard of a proper cyclist getting caught doing that?

Only **** jump red lights, not proper cyclists,.

I have seen the cops doing checks / clampdowns befoer – they will have two or moree on foot each side of the junction diagonally opposite so when see a cyclist they want to stop they walk out into the road and get in front of them. Narrow busy city centre junctions Only a few steps needed

I find it interesting that half the drivers stopped were professionals.

TandemJeremy – Member
That is utterly ridiculous Project.
http://g.co/maps/ezpfx

Just along from TJs link…. http://g.co/maps/c3r8x
teh irony…

Indeed Druidh – i saw that. Parked in the cycle lane rather than the roadside parking.

Lots of cars seem to park on the cycleway as opposed to on their driveways with nice dropped kerbs, and the cyclepath is so dangerous, due to car doors being opened and all the droped kerbs.

When i go down there again i will video it.

thegreatape – Member

A total of 26 cyclists were stopped for jumping red lights

I find this hard to believe. A cyclist getting caught by a policeman after jumping a red light? How useless a cyclist must one be to get caught by a policeman Babylonian? Has anyone ever heard of a proper cyclist getting caught doing that?

thegreatape, have you let fred have a play on your computer? 😀

Good. And no surprise whatsoever that taxis are the worst offenders.

Good. My only desire is that they’d do this in London as well.

The little scamp must have snuck in while I was having my nap!

Brilliant article – balanced reporting of both drivers and cyclists. I also appreciated their dismissal of the complaints around the bus lane cameras forcing people to obey traffic rules…

One point though – 75% of cyclists caught may have been male, but what proportion of cyclists are male because it’s a meaningless statistic otherwise?

Never mind that AlasdairMc … why no link on here to last weeks adventure?

Yes – most unusual for the Hootsmon

I think they should change the law so that cyclists and other road users as well as pedestrians can photo / film drivers breaking the law, then fine the driver’s £50 and give £20 of the dosh to the filmer’s

That would be a good way to quickly improve the utter madness that is British driving!

I could get rich leaning out of my window with a camera then. Several offences each cycle of the lights ant the junction by my building

Kaesae’s suggestion would make head cams pay for themselves!

Does anyone else feel we’re approaching a critical mass of cyclists in Edinburgh? I’ve seen the number of cyclists in my building at work go from five in 2006 to around thirty now.

Bikes banned we have to use the pavement, have a look at street view for Sealand road,its a laugh.

Wouldn’t use sealand road if you paid me. Not a nice place, at least the riverside path got me to Shotton so i had no need.

Does anyone else feel we’re approaching a critical mass of cyclists in Edinburgh? I’ve seen the number of cyclists in my building at work go from five in 2006 to around thirty now.

Definitely. Enough cyclists are around to make it an every day occurrence. There has been a change of attitude in the time I have been here and some genuine co operation is happening – especially with the LRT buses.

I do wish instead of meaningless bits of red paint where there is no need the council would put some effort into engineering junctions to make it safer for cycling. Some bloody awful attempts around.

A DRIVER has been hit with £1800 worth of fines after being snapped by new bus lane cameras 30 times in just two weeks.

The motorist – who works as a private hire driver – topped a league table of 82 serial offenders who were caught in the Capital’s Greenways at least five times in the first 14 days of the controversial devices going live.

Chuckles out loud! Is that wrong? I dont care.

The Calder Road one though is a bit of a dilema tbh – it’s just before a 3 lane roundabout. I can see the temptation. I can also see the camera!

Thing is though I was in a private hire at on Tuesday and he was all talk about it vs black cabs (I’m sure we were unwittingly involved in some sort of race) so its obvious that they know its there and are still flouting the rules.

Have to say I think some lanes run too close to LH turns etc.

This stuff has to be helpful rather than punitive.

Motorcycles ok in bus lanes Tj ?

rickmeister – Member

Motorcycles ok in bus lanes Tj ?

Only in Bristol and maybe some other enlightened cities IIRC

You would be kerazee to ride a motorbike down a bus lane in Edinburgh. Some just see the recent obedience as people clearing the lanes so they can go faster.

Slight thread hi-jack/resurrection! It seems first tickets have been issued for cars using the bus lanes today. Or not just using them – being in them. A friend of mine (genuine – not a euphemism for me!) has received 4 tickets for being in a bus lane just before a left turn to her street – no other traffic in the lane so no hold up for anyone. The bus lane doesn’t break as it goes past the street entrance, so you have to enter it or at least cross it to access the street. Is there a minimum distance before a LH turn that you can enter a bus lane for – or do you leave it to the last minute and turn across it at right angles?