Bus Lanes and Cambridge Cycling Campaign

This is causing something of a stir among some cyclists here.

Indeed, whoever was tweeting on behalf of Cambridge Cycling Campaign the other day was getting quite hot under the collar. And, incidentally Camcycle folk, you desperately need to start initialing your tweets. Its like dealing with a comic book multiple-personality disordered super villain. And I know you've got the spandex, but you ain't got the face mask.

Anyway, the gist of it is that we're going to see the County installing cameras to enforce bus lanes - basically to keep cars out. Hooray! I hear you all shout. About time. They'll make a bloody fortune by 'taxing' idiots who think they're above the law. Its a brilliant idea - charge selfish wankers more so everyone else benefits! YAAAY!

But no. Apparently the signage isn't right. Its probably not the case that guidelines say that it shouldn't be clear that cyclists are allowed in, the rules for signs probably don't even mention us. Out of fear that cyclists aren't mentioned in the signs the County is removing labelling from bus lanes, presumably so no smart-arse Clarkson worshipper can get all 'but those signs aren't regulation!' at them and dodge the fines. BOOOO! 

The counter argument to this namby-pamby over-zealous adherence to the rules is that such an appeal would be a load of dingoes kidneys. I mean, seriously, there's no magistrate in the land who'd take this kind of claim seriously, and upon appeal the uppity little tit of a moton who tried to pull this crap would simply end up paying ever more in fees. The correct answer to those who want to waste their money on this nonsense misuse of our courts is 'bring it, Bitch'.

We get a lot of hassle on the roads, merely for being on them, and bus lanes which we're allowed in to here are sometimes much needed refuges (most especially on routes like Hills Road and Milton Road - less so on the kill-or-be-killed Newmarket Road). The fear expressed by Camcycle and others is that its only a matter of time before bus and taxi drivers mistake the lack of signage for lack of right to access. Well, maybe - to be honest the sheer number of cyclists in most of the bus lanes here makes that seem unlikely. A greater concern will be a over zealous copper (and yes, we have those here, and everyone of our boys and girls in blue involved in that shameful abuse of democracy needs to face disciplinary action) will stake out and ticket cyclists who have no reason to believe they're in the wrong, as they've done before. Heck, I've been stopped and threatened with action for riding the 'wrong way' on a one way street, by a PC who didn't know that it was two-way for cyclists. This happens all too often.

But if I may, perhaps Camcycles rage is better viewed in light of how they've campaigned over the years. Isn't the need for bus lanes to be our refuge part of an admission that across Cambridge we've entirely failed to get good quality cycle routes on main roads? Don't we only need them because the roads themselves are gobsmackingly hostile to cyclists? And isn't the fact you've spent a generation rubber stamping crap that the County offer us a big part of the problem, Camcycle?

You've made better suggestions than that recently, Camcycle. Which is excellent. But your anger on this rather reminds me your hands aren't clean - you've consistently come out with 'we need (x)' while accepting complete crap like this. I've lost track of the number of times I've asked myself whether this might be the moment you spot the disconnect between what you say you want and what you blandly, passively, submissively offer your whimpering support for - is this the one where that changes?