‘A40 bus lanes are far too short – and intermittent – to achieve anything’

But even Steve, who has campaigned against the ‘loony lane’ for several years, was shocked by the reaction of Star readers who flooded him with messages of support. Here are your responses to last week’s column:

I AM writing to express my agreement with your article about the London Road bus lane. I have a property opposite it and use it regularly. You made the various points in a very concise and clear way. I do hope the council scrap it, it is bonkers. Keep up the pressure.

D Barry, by email

I’M in complete agreement with you. In all the years I’ve travelled along the London Road in rush hour, I can probably count the number of buses in the bus lane on one hand. Let’s all be allowed to use it.

Ray Stockwell, by email

Couldn’t agree more with your comments and wonder if those who were responsible have ever travelled along the A40 in the direction of the town centre.

A particularly dangerous situation is frequently created in the middle lane near to Mr India. If a bus approaching from the direction of town decides to stop at the bus stop, you are suddenly faced with the ‘invisible’ traffic appearing from behind the bus into the middle lane in front of you.

At the very least, this causes the quick application of brakes all round and subsequent jam if the left lane is busy or one sticks to the letter of the law.

I thought road planners aimed to lessen accidents but along this road they have certainly increased the opportunities to have one.

It would be interesting to know if any stats exist for incidents before and since bus lane.

James Miller, by email

HI Steve. I agree with everything you say about the A40 Bus Lane.

May I just add not everybody has the exact time for the commencement and cancellation for the operating times, car clocks and watches can vary so much. When you change lanes it is very confusing to other drivers.

Vince Nicholls, by email

I AGREE with everything you say about this abomination. Furthermore, I am convinced that most of the ‘improvements’ to the roads around High Wycombe have been designed by people who don’t actually drive themselves. It is astounding to see large sums of taxpayers’ money spent on making junctions more dangerous/inconvenient than they were before. My solution is to leave my home in Flackwell Heath and head in any direction except towards Wycombe.

Keep telling it like it is...

Neil, by email

I AGREE with every word that you wrote. The council really needs to sort out the London Road once and for all (and that includes the Beaconsfield-bound direction).

Trevor Wanstall, by email

I TOTALLY agree with you about this infuriating and needless on / off bus lane.

I was caught the other day trying to get through to Wycombe for a hospital appointment outside of the active bus lane times, when I caught up with a lady driver, obviously from out of town, thinking that a bus lane was a bus lane, KEEP OUT. She hogged the middle lane, I hogged the left hand lane unable to legally get past. Somehow she must have slowed down, as I found myself alongside of her, so I just kept going, with other drivers following me.

Coming out of town during these active hours can also be a nightmare, especially if you happen to get behind a bus stopping at all stops. Bus in front and the middle lane solid with cars, how does one get past? So you can if you’re that unlucky get behind a bus with a solid trail of cars behind it going at a snail’s pace from High Wycombe to Loudwater, nasty.

This bus lane has to go, we have been patient long enough.

I’m right behind you on this.

Steve Morley, by email

I AGREE that the bus lane should be scrapped. I experience the same problems as yourself. Also, outside the times when the bus lane is in force, many drivers cannot read and stay in the outside lane. This also causes a problem when they realise they should turn right but quickly come into the inside lane.

Peter Thornton, by email

How right you are. This is perhaps something I should have addressed personally myself years ago. Being a resident of Laurel Drive, Loudwater, we take our lives in our hands each time we turn right into Laurel Drive going towards Wycombe. As we wait at the traffic lights near Rayners Ave we have to be extra diligent in watching out for where all cars are heading.

Many a time when the bus lane is operational I am in the left lane where I am supposed to be. As I change to the right lane and indicate to turn right, the car behind on many occasions will show his disgust and flash his lights as I slow down. He then swerves to his left and sometimes beeps his horn just avoiding a bus. I need to turn right as I live up that road for God’s sake.

Another scenario is when the bus lane is NOT operational. If the right lane is clear I will be at lights with boy racer behind revving up. As I pull away and stay in right lane, indicate and slow down again flashing of lights, swerving to right, on occasions just missing cars in left lane and speeding up as they seem to think that it is the “fast lane”. It is an accident just waiting to happen. Like you I would love the council to scrap the bus lane. It is far too short to really achieve anything. I am going to have a chat with my neighbours and maybe do a petition to really bring this to the council’s attention.

Susan Rasala, Laurel Drive Loudwater, by email

I AGREE with what you wrote in the Star yesterday.

I do not use the A40 as often as you, but when I do, I find my zig-zagging left and then right very annoying, and sometimes scary!

I hope the council take your sensible advice.

Douglas, by email

JUST read your article and totally agree with you. What an absolute nonsense… It’s not only dangerous but also subject of an ongoing discussion between my other half and myself; Annoying. I trust you would let us know if any petition is going on.

Agi, by email

It’s legal madness, coupled with the traffic light mayhem along the same route. Also, why not adopt the American idea of allowing traffic turning left at traffic lights to filter in? I fail to understand the thinking of road traffic planners, my 11-year-old grandson could formulate a better system!

Bob Jackson, By email

I agree with you 100 per cent. Motorcycles are allowed to use this lane during rush hour and I have often been ‘under taken’ by one. I use the A40 quite often at this time and have to take great care when turning left at Chestnut Avenue so that I don’t cut across a vehicle or motor bike undertaking.

This lane can be dangerous at other times because some cars use it as an overtaking lane in both directions!

It’s an accident waiting to happen and I hope that you are successful in getting rid of it.

Brenda Hazell (Mrs), by email

WHY not demand from the people or the department who made the bus lane decision to justify their actions? This would of course be impossible for them to do, but it would be interesting to see if they could even try to justify it.

Our only hope is to make them look the fools that they are.

Whatever happened to the common sense society?

A. Gardiner, by email

I am glad to know that I am not the only one who despairs of this piece of politically correct nonsense.

Bus lanes in the right place are all well and good but as you rightly point out London Road does not fall into this category.

As a driving instructor I regularly have to try and explain the workings of this bus lane to novice drivers who cannot understand why they are surrounded by other drivers totally ignoring the rules that I am explaining. I would be interested to know how beneficial bus drivers believe it to be.

Ken Law, DSA Approved Driving Instructor, by email

YOU were spot on with your article. The London Road Bus Lane is a farce. It does not help buses/taxis and bikes, annoys motorists, raises no revenue from fines for misuse and hinders cars at every right turn, slowing down the general flow of traffic. It genuinely has no purpose. Even if there was a camera to raise some money from people misusing it, it would be doing more than it is now!

Chris, High Wycombe, by email

It is a wonder to me that there haven’t been several serious accidents along that stretch of road. Most people do abide by the restrictions during the rush hour, however for the rest of the time, drivers use the right hand lane as a fast lane.

To avoid confusion, bus lanes either need to be full time or not at all.

Mr Chris Barefield, Hughenden Road, High Wycombe

IN reference to your article on the lunacy of the London Road bus lane; I would like to express my agreement and add a few supporting points.

The stretch of road itself from the ‘Dreams’ roundabout to High Wycombe Law Courts is a shambles. However, it is comparable to the Headington Road in Oxford where a similar situation is managed competently. The Headington Road also has a bus lane which starts and stops but traffic lights are used to safely control the merging of buses and cars where the lanes stop. Cars do not merge with cars at all. Bus lanes are clearly marked as bus lanes with a different coloured road surface for people not accustomed to the area. It is extremely busy during rush hour but it is safe and controlled. The London Road is quite the opposite, as you know.

And then there is the Wycombe Marsh Retail Park traffic lights! Driving into Wycombe stopped at the lights there are two lanes (or possibly three), and upon the green light they accelerate to pass each other whilst merging into a single lane on the other side of the junction; which then ludicrously becomes a wider stretch of road where drivers push past each other again. Whilst the drag race is ongoing, London-bound traffic at the same junction gets a green light allowing them to turn right into the retail park; blissfully unaware that they are about to cut across a race track grid. What on earth were they thinking?

Perhaps if the controversial speed camera opposite The Rye was used to catch illegal users of the bus lane things may be different; but only slightly different for less than 50 metres.

Mark Hobson, by email

I drive every day and notice that indicators are hardly used and not many people can or will look at the road markings.

Another tragedy of the bus lane is when the plans were shown to the public.

I queried the extra 200 yards of lane from Fredericks Place/Rayners Avenue going east and I was told this wasn’t going to happen. Now people race to overtake the traffic patiently queuing from High Wycombe and then force their way into the left hand lane.

Lastly when coming from Loudwater and wishing to turn left into Hammersley Lane there is a filter but this doesn’t always work unless cars pull on to the sensor.

This is not obvious and the council have not told anyone about it but after the white (stop) line is a three foot square patch, if a vehicle is on this the filter should work.

Drivers not knowing this either keep behind the white line or pull up to the middle of Hammersley Lane and this doesn’t activate the filter.

Ed Bevan, Brambleside,Loudwater

My particular bug-bear is the stretch between the traffic lights at Rayners Avenue and the traffic lights at Hammersley Lane; this is a straight bit of road and has a right turn half-way along it, into which people are often trying to go at bus lane time. When the bus lane requires me to be in the outside lane, in the middle of the road, that is a particularly dangerous point at which to have to cut in to the left because it is a straight bit of road along which people accelerate, and someone signalling right is often assumed to be planning to turn up Hammersley Lane.

Maybe they could simply not re-paint that bus-lane on the road at the same time as mending the holes along that section of the A40: it’s a disgrace at present, and needs to be resurfaced.

The bus lane is only just wide enough for a bus to fit into sideways, too, and if a lorry is overtaking the bus there it’s quite alarming coming the other way.

I think you do need to go on suggesting that a major road that is only just three lanes wide at best, and only two lanes wide in places, is not a good site for an on-off-on-off lane devoted to buses and taxis only.

Chris Bell, by email

TOTALLY agree – for most of the time it is empty anyway and it’s not as though there are many buses to warrant a special lane As you say, they should admit they got it wrong and whilst I remember, although nothing to do with the bus lane what about the ridiculous cycle ‘lanes’ – the council actually pay someone to paint the ‘bicycle’ and the ‘lines’ on the road for a few yards usually before traffic lights or roundabout. It serves no purpose whatsoever – another example of money down the drain.

Maggie Brimson, by email

Totally agree with you on the bus lane.

Little or no thought to this plan or any plan to the traffic situation in High Wycombe.

If there is a need for it, it should be 24 hours not the mish mash that goes on now.

All the right turns on this should be just that, if you are in that lane you must turn right.

That would sort out some of the confusion at junctions.

There seems to be some sort of a plan to get traffic into the town (notice the direction of the bus lane) but no thought to letting it out.

Hence every morning and evening there is a jam in the centre of the town that gradually spreads outwards.

One incident on any route and the town becomes gridlocked as happened last week.

Marlow Hill should be an outlet for the traffic specially as it goes to a motorway and a bypass.

First they put in a pedestrian crossing that you cannot see if anyone is on until you are going round a corner.

Has anybody been hit on this? If not it will not be long.

Then they stop you half way up with traffic lights, then you are stopped by children going to or coming from school.

Has nobody thought of putting in pedestrian bridges to ease this and make it safer for the children crossing the road?

If the traffic going up Amersham hill was given priority to get away it would ease the congestion on the “magic roundabout” at the bottom of Marlow Hill.

First you are stopped by the lights on the High Street then at the railway station then there is a pedestrian crossing then more lights at the top of the hill then more lights at the top of Arnison Avenue.

The double roundabout at Terriers crossroads is held up again in the morning and afternoon by the school run.

Parry Johnson, by email

EDITOR'S NOTE: A reader below has asked where all the critical responses to my campaign are. In fact, until today, I received no letters of outright opposition. The most critical email was one telling me that the lane should stay, but agreeing it was 'anomalous'.

However, two critical letters have now arrived over the weekend, basically telling me to get a grip and to use buses instead of my car. I will put these up online later this week with the next batch of responses, and would welcome any more letters either backing or opposing my campaign. Email me at scohen@london.newsquest.co.uk

Steve Cohen