Bikes given access to bus lanes in Westminster

[Bob]

Westminster Council has decided to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes in the City of Westminster.

Lembit Opik MP, leader of the All-Party Group for Motorcycling said “Allowing motorcycles into bus lanes is a measure which can help to improve motorcycle safety without making a negative impact on bicycle and pedestrian safety. Large numbers of local authorities now allow motorcycles to use bus lanes in recognition of how motorcycle use can help reduce congestion and pollution.”

Bikers are already granted access to bus lanes on a number of roads in London as part of an ongoing pilot scheme to test improvement in traffic flow and safety.

[Oxygen357]

You know what bob my boy, i think we need to see more of this "Bikes in Bus Lanes"! think bout it, is it safer to lane split? even though your not supose to. If people chose to drive a car then they should suffer. But I guess some people need a car, they cant handle a bike! I think i my go to go to far off topic if i keep goin with this one!!!!!! "B.B.L. Mother *uckers"

[Bob]

Over in Blighty, we are legally allowed to lane split (or 'filter' as we prefer to call it). However, it is much safer to be allowed to use bus lanes where possible.

A number of cities have already opened their bus lanes totally to bikes - and as I said before, a limited number of lanes have been opened up in London. As chance would have it, one of them is on one of the roads I use on the way to work. And it is a Godsend. Whilst there are lines of cars, vans etc sitting there, I am able to legally ride along in the bus lane.

Plus points for me; means my journey time is shorter and I am not in the main traffic flow on a really busy road - so my field of vision is much better and I am less likely to incur problems caused by a driver getting short-tempered and pulling out in front of me (always a threat when filtering).

Really silly minus point? Bus lane access allowed on one road... but when this one ends and I have to join another road (in fact it is straight on)? That bus lane is not allowed for bikes, so I am expected to rejoin the main traffic flow!

But back to the point... bus lane access is granted to busses, pushbikes and taxi's (our 'Black Cab' ones) on all bus lanes. But permission for bikes is very much dependent on the local authority.

To me, giving bus lane access to bikes makes perfect sense - as I said above, it makes my life easier - and safer. By taking bikes out of the 'main' lane, it means that hopefully traffic flow in those lanes will improve as well.

And if a bus (or in an emergency an ambulance) needs to get through? Well a bike can always squeeze out of the way... a car cannot do the same.

[Pathos]

lol, poor cagers having to watch you scoot past. Its mean but sensible.

On the Auckland motorway 99% of people are office workers and have no passengers. However most of them will need a car for family tho. Really need a decent bus system but the politians are too scared to make the investment.

[parsley]

Over in Blighty, we are legally allowed to lane split (or 'filter' as we prefer to call it).

Oh dear, is it not legal here? Better start watching out for the Dibble...

[skidMark]

ummm with all the terrorism is that such a good idea...now they will be going along with their bomb backpacks and right beside the buses and blow them up...since everybody now gets checked when they go on them

wouldnt see that as a good idea personally in the current times

[Bob]

ummm with all the terrorism is that such a good idea...now they will be going along with their bomb backpacks and right beside the buses and blow them up...since everybody now gets checked when they go on them

They do? I travelled by bus into (and back out from) the centre of London on Saturday - all told I must have caught six busses. No-one was checking anything. I also came to work (I work about 250 yards from Aldgate Station, where one of the explosions occurred) by 'tube' on Monday. Again, no-one checked on or off any trains.

There have been reports that sniffer dogs are going to be employed - and I assume plain clothes police. But no, people are not being checked on and off our public transport vehicles. The sheer logistics of this would be nigh on impossible.

To give you some idea of scale... the population of New Zealand is about 4.5 million? So imagine ferrying a bit shy of ONE TENTH of that, every day, into a small area (it isn't known as the "Square Mile" for nothing) within a very small time period (most office hours are around 9.00am - 5.00pm).

Something like 350,000+ people, all trying to cram on board busses, tubes and trains, having bag checks? Just isn't going to happen.

[skidMark]

well i heard thats wat was happening...oops thats new york ...my bad