I’ve only been looking downtown, City Hall-area. All of the bus lane signs down here point diagonally.

I think this is going to be a huge uphill battle… I’ve been watching the operation of the lanes over the past few days and it definitely seems to be taxis that lane jump, which usually prompts other cars to follow.

From what I saw the large street signage does hang right above the bus lanes pointing directly downward on the lane. The signs you are referring to are the supplemental ones near the lights with arrows pointing diagonally like you said. In either event I believe there is plenty of signage and stencils to indicate they are BUS ONLY lanes and where they are.

However, I only saw two signs with the $250 fine indicated. I’d LOVE to see more of those all over the city. That could be the biggest deterrent of them all.

I did get a police officer pulling over people and pointing up to a sign. And at least this is getting to be word of mouth to some degree: I heard two drivers at a light screaming about the tickets (one had just gotten one.)

It looked like bike riders were having no problem at the points that officers were writing tickets. But don’t trust that as an endorsement that you wont get one.

Perhaps they would work a little better if the sign was actually located ABOVE the lane itself. Instead, the sign is located over the curb lane and the arrow points diagonally downward to the bus lane. It’s completely unclear which lane is the bus lane.

It also doesn’t help _at all_ that the pavement lane markings on Bway are confusing. The bus lane is marked “Bus Only” and the other, remaining lane is marked “Fire Lane”. Now if I were driving down Bway and had to pick a lane to occupy, I’d do “bus” over “fire”.

New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 159:

“Vehicle

Every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.”

34 Rules of the City of New York 34 RCNY 4-01(b):

“Vehicle. A “vehicle” shall mean every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.”

The rule restricting traffic in bus lanes (34 RCNY 4-12(m)) refers only to “a vehicle other than a bus”:

“When signs are erected giving notice of bus lane restrictions, no person shall drive a vehicle other than a bus within a designated bus lane during the hours specified, except that a person may use such bus lane in order to make the first available right hand turn where permitted into a street, private road, private drive, or an entrance to private property in a safe manner or when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or at the direction of a law enforcement officer.”

There is also the general rule that the bicyclists generally have the same obligations as vehicles, so it might be said that bicyclists must keep out of the bus lane *AS IF* they were vehicles. However, there is an exception to that general rule in cases where there is a contrary, specific provision made for bicycles. Since bicyclists are supposed to ride “as close as practicable” to the left or right hand curb on one-way roadways at least 40′ wide (34 RCNY 4-12(p)(3))–and most or all of the bus lanes I am aware of are on such roadways–shouldn’t that specific provision control, allowing bicyclists to travel in the bus lane?

and STILL no room for pedestrians!

4 lanes
- 2 for (illegal) parking on both sides
—————————————-
= 2 lanes
- 1 double parking
—————————————-
= 1 lane

ddartley,
I saw many creative uses of retractable bollards when I was in Spain. They seemed to work well for multiple uses there.

If they normally stay in “up” position by default, and are not in a tiny driveway (like in the famous youtube (et al.) video), such bollards would NOT pose the safety hazard I warned against in the discussion that followed that video.