Motorbikes giving the go-head from Jan 5th

[robz400]

I commuted to the city for a few months on my m/bike although I agree that the lanes are often full, there were many occassions where I found myself and several other m/bikes trying to filter through traffic next to an empty bus lane.

 

[BentMikey]

As an experienced motorcyclist, I don't want them in bus lanes. I don't think PTWs are a good thing to encourage given how much more risk is involved, both for the riders themselves, and for other vulnerable road users. OTOH I'm quite happy to share ASLs with them.

 

[robz400]

I don't think PTWs are a good thing to encourage given how much more risk is involved

You may have a point there, I heard that there were discussions into charging m/bikes the congestion charge with the excuse that too many people were falling off scooters and costing the nhs a fortune!

 

[LLB]

You may have a point there, I heard that there were discussions into charging m/bikes the congestion charge with the excuse that too many people were falling off scooters and costing the nhs a fortune!

This is down to lack of training though, Scoots are higher risk because the majority haven't been trained a decent standard given the average speeds and vehicle weight involved in comparison to cycling.

 

[Flyingfox]

I can only go by experience, and half my route takes in bus lanes that don't have a lot of bus traffic but have an awful lot of cyclists. I just see it as a dangerous mix of speed and vunerability.

 

[skwerl]

Scooters are generally (not all but most - in London that is) ridden by muppets who don't care one bit about other road users. The riders seem to have the same frame of mind as someone who's hired one for a day to pootle about some Carribean island. Usually, anything goes - using cycle lanes and bus lanes to pass traffic, etc.

The latest trend also appears to be shooting the stop line. I don't mean the ASL but the original stop line as well. Perhaps they've been told that stopping in an ASZ is illegal - the logical answer being to ride straight through it so as to stop on the other side!

These are the people I don't want to share bus lanes with. That and courriers who seem to have no throttle on their bikes. Just a button that switches between 'Stop' and 'Full Speed Ahead'

 

[jmaccyd]

The latest trend also appears to be shooting the stop line. I don't mean the ASL but the original stop line as well. Perhaps they've been told that stopping in an ASZ is illegal - the logical answer being to ride straight through it so as to stop on the other side!

Getting worse than that. Saw a scooter rider 'shoot' the ASL in Moorgate this morning, stop briefly, then just jumped the red light like a RLJ cyclist whilst peds where crossing the road ahead

 

[Jake]

saw one do that at blackfriers last week. ban all vehicles apart from me and my bike

 

[Origamist]

I think they should allow motorbikes in bus lanes. When I've been out on my bike I've always wanted to go in the bus lane and now I can from next year.

People should learn to live/ride with mbikes in bus lanes. It's going to happen from next year anyway so you should just accept it and learn to adapt having a mbike in a bus lane as well as a bus.

All bike riders (excluding those riding on L-plates) are very good riders anyway, especially in London.

They're only allowing them in bus lanes on red routes - it will be interesting to see if levels of PTW encroachment increase on other routes.

I've seen some crazy stuff by motorcycle riders in London over the years, so I can't agree with your conclusion that they're all very good riders.

 

[BentMikey]

Some are good, some are highly irresponsible. Just like cyclists, except that now they are piloting a vehicle massing hundreds of kilos at much higher speeds.

 

[jonesy]

The main concern is that they are involved in a disproportionate number of pedestrian and cycle fatalities. Giving them an opportunity to go even faster than the rest of the traffic is unlikely to help this...

 

[Tynan]

lots of good motor bike riders, some good scooter riders

and plenty of peanuts, it'll stop some motorbike riders gettign killed/injured at the cost of some cyclists getting killed/injured

great

 

[BentMikey]

I doubt this, bikes don't weigh hundreds of kilos. The standard around London seems to be a CB500 of Fazer, these are not hundreds of kilos.

Don't forget to add in the weight of the rider, which will take the vehicle mass to over 250kg. Hundreds is exactly right.

Much higher speeds? How much higher then you or I going at 20-22mph, not a lot of difference really.

You're having a laugh sunbeam. Either you're simply unobservant, or you can't bear to be wrong in a debate.

 

[BentMikey]

Average speed is not the problem, it's the regular speeding I see that worries me.

 

[4F]

It would be interesting to get an average of a motorbike going through London and compare that to the other traffic including cyclists.

See here http://www.trl.co.uk/press/press_detail.asp?pid=95&aid=172

and particually

1. Overall, the effect on motorcycle speeds was varied. However, on sites where flows remained fairly consistent (Baker Street, Gloucester Place and Bayswater Road), there was evidence that motorcyclists reduced their journey times under the higher flow conditions. On Bayswater Road the average speed of motorcyclists increased by 2 mph, with the 85th percentile of speed being 43.1 mph in the after survey. Such behaviour is of concern, particularly in relation to the effect on cyclist and pedestrian safety, as there is a correlation between increased speed and severity of collisions for pedestrians and cyclists.