Why Riders Must Still Steer Clear Of The Bus Lanes
If you are taking motorbike lessons in London, a key skill will be handling busy traffic, especially on main roads where the myriad of cars will be added to by lorries and London buses.
Given that buses, as larger vehicles, can pose more of a threat because they block the view, recent plans by the Department for Transport (DfT) to give motorcyclists default access to bus lanes across the country were welcomed by organisations like the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA).
However, despite a public consultation showing that 93 per cent of stakeholder organisations and 98 per cent of individual respondents backed the idea, the DfT has decided not to go ahead with the plans.
MCIA chief executive officer Tony Campbell said: “Today’s decision is as shocking as it is disappointing”.
He added: “It flies in the face of clear evidence and overwhelming public support. It contradicts years of work promoting PLVs as a sustainable transport solution.”
The disappointment expressed by the MCIA will not go away unless the government reconsiders the decision, but in the meantime, the key point for trainee motorcyclists is to learn all the skills required to ride in busy streets when they can’t use the bus lanes - except outside the times when they are in operation.
London’s buses have themselves been the subject of concerns, after a recent report was published by London Travel Watch highlighting that bus travel is becoming less popular, partly due to congestion that means buses proceed at an average speed of just nine miles an hour, dropping to less than seven in some central areas.
CEO of London Travel Watch Michael Roberts said that while ridership is now above pre-COVID levels, it is still less than a decade ago.
Such congestion can be a good reason for using a motorbike, as you can weave in and out of the traffic more easily than larger vehicles.
