Riders Access to Bus Lanes Extended by the London Mayor

Following MCI’s call to make the initiative permanent, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced he has decided to continue allowing motorcycles to use the bus lanes. The decision came after the Mayor looked into the real causes of collisions and saw that making this initiative permanent there will be no greater risk for riders or other road users.

"The chaos that was predicted by some doomsayers has clearly not materialised and, as I suspected would be the case, we have found substantial support for the measure,” Johnson was quoted as saying in a release from the MCI.

However, a warning signal has also been drawn by Rides are Voters (RAV), who together with the Transport for London (TfL), think that drivers need to be sure they are not putting anyone at risk, especially when turning across bus-lanes at junctions.

“However, the findings seem to show that both motorcycle users and pedal-cyclists may be bearing the brunt of falling driving standards,” said MAG General Secretary, Nich Brown.

The results of an 18-month experiment revealed:

• More than half (51 percent) of motorcyclists switched from riding on the outside of the road to the bus lanes    
• Fears of an increase in cyclist collisions with motorcyclists were unfounded    
• Journeys made by motorcycles using bus lanes were, on average more than 10 percent quicker than those not using bus lanes and 36 percent quicker than cars

Needless to say, the riders applaused the decision. "Continued access to bus lanes for riders in London is fantastic news.  The comprehensive refutation of many of the claims of those opposed shows that arguments against allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are rapidly evaporating under close scrutiny.  Obviously there is still a problem with driver awareness, but we are pleased to see that the Mayor has decided to address this with better advertising as a first step," said Chris Hodder of the British Motorcyclists Federation (bmf).