Motor Bikes in Bus Lanes

[Evilcat]

I really do dislike the PTWs in bus lanes, but then again my commute home is almost all red routes (Euston Road etc.). Scooters are the worst, particularly those who take it upon themselves to undertake at lights when I'm waiting in primary and then cut across. But motorbikes can be just as bad, looking for space when there is clearly none and always seeming to exceed the speed limit. Most evenings cycling home I'll be stuck in primary behind a black cab in the bus lane doing around 20 - 25mph but at the first sign of congestion I can pretty much guarantee that a slew of PTWs will divert into the bus lane and try and crowd me to the kerb.

Of course, as Origamist says, this is a purely subjective view. But it does feel less safe even though I've yet to be hit. And the bus lane experiment seems to have put more PTWs in ASL boxes and encouraged cockwit PTW riders to use non-red route bus lanes where motorbikes are forbidden. So I'm against, if you couldn't tell...

EC

 

[L3EOO]

i have had a few near misses when swerving to avoid pot holes and almost being taken clean out by a bike doing well over the 30 speed limit, i now ride in the middle of the lane which seems to make the motorbikes slow down a bit when passing me although i am doing about 20-25mph.

 

[Virtual DBP]

as a new member of this group who cycles to work 3 days a week, i also ride a motorcycle the other 2 days a week (honda fireblade) and as both a cyclist and a motorcyclist, i generally have to agree with the opinion on scooters

...that said, they are on two wheels and therefore in principle are ok by me, i just think many of them seem to lack a bit of general road sense for other two wheeled users.

 

[Bigtwin]

I commuted to/from London on a motorbikes and pushbikes before, during, and after the congestion charge came in.

Watching complete tw@s on scooters emerge from places like Chelsea Scooters was like watching mushrooms grow - I bet the shop owners though everyday was Christmas.

They are all, without exception, utterly useless highly dangerous oxygen thieves. Only ones that aren't are those riding 500cc plus scooters, TMax's and Silverwings etc. Prats on Vespas in stupid leather covered stripy helmets wearing Muji hut slippers and one-armed rucksacks must have caused more damage and injury than the rest of the traffic combined.

 

[theboytaylor]

Far too many close passes by motorbikes doing far in excess of the speed limit for my liking.

Plus, I don't think too many motorbikes care whether they're in one of the trial red routes or not - they're in the all the bus lanes on my commute. And the ASLs.

As others have said it says it does make me feel unsafe to have a motorbike or scooter shooting past my elbow at 30+.

 

[headhunter]

I agree, I find that motorbikes and scooters often whizz past my elbow/ear very close at high speed. I'm often cycling slightly further out than usual on the commute, still within the bus lane, as I'm passing a lot of the slower commuters or trying to avoid potholes and raised manhole covers. Motorbikes and mopeds then whizz very close to me, between me and the cars in the normal traffic lane.

The other day I had a moped rider undertake me as I passed a bus which was slowing as it approached a bus stop, I was starting to pull back into the left again as I had almost passed the bus when before I knew it I was almost knocked flying by a damn fool moped rider whizzing through the tiny gap between me and the bus.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Far too many close passes, by both scooters and m'bikes. It's reduced the road space and safe space for cyclists and I think BoJo is a twunt for allowing it.

 

[Tynan]

I'm not finding it to much a problem as long as I leave a safe gap to my right for them to pass, it's when I don't that I find them either squeezing through or crowding

 

[joebingo]

They are all, without exception, utterly useless highly dangerous oxygen thieves.

All of us, eh? Good to know that there are reasonable adults around who understand that no matter how overwhelming a majority, it still doesn't represent the minority.

To the topic at hand, I've never really seen motorcycles being allowed in bus lanes as that big of a problem. Far less threatening (ime) than the buses that are allowed in bus lanes.

 

[Origamist]

Trial to allow motorcycles in red route bus lanes - Interim report Nov2009 ​

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/motorcycles-in-bus-lanes-interim-report-november-2009.pdf

In a nutshell (p15):​

Limitations of casualty/collision data in the Interim Report ​

At the time of writing, casualty/collision numbers were only available from 5 January to 30 April 2009. Such a short time period means the data set cannot be considered conclusive; therefore, no meaningful comparison to previous years’ data can be made.

 

[HLaB]

This was in my list of suggestions on You tube and it made me think of the title of this topic ;-)

 

[tonka]

It hasn't made a difference prefer motorbikes to taxis

 

[chillyuk]

It's those damn buses that are the real pain in the rear end in bus lanes.

 

[StuartG]

As a biker I think it a very good idea. As a cyclist it doesn't bother me too much.

Overall I find it a lifesaver. There is one 4 lane wide (2x 24/7 bus lanes) which regulary scared the life out of me. At night you had to risk riding 40/45 mph in a 30mph and being pulled over or keep to the law and be sides wiped by a bus on the inside and a lorry on the outside squeezing through. At least I can now keep over to the left in safety.

 

[Origamist]

Report just out:


Assessment of TfL’s experimental scheme

​

​

to allow motorcycles onto with-flow bus lanes on the TLRN

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/MIBL-report-2010.pdf​

Evening Standard:​

http://lydall.standard.co.uk/2010/0...-it-more-dangerous-for-all-on-two-wheels.html​