Bikers Denied UK-Wide Bus Lane Access
UK-wide access into bus lanes for motorcycles has been denied following a Government consultation
Despite huge support for motorcyclists to have UK-wide access to bus lanes, the Labour Government has denied those calls and instead bus lane use will remain at the discretion of local authorities.
A statement from the consultation said: “The safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear at this time. Where data is available, the evidence varies. The response rate to this consultation, from local authorities and stakeholder organisations, was low and did not provide a robust evidence base on which to amend the current policy.”
The online consultation ran from 17 March to 16 July, asking for the public’s views on whether the use of bus lanes across the UK for bikers should be allowed. 14,327 responses were received by the Department for Transport, with just over 14 thousand of those coming from individual people, while some of those responses came from organisations.
A total of 13,687 who responded strongly agreed to allowing a UK-wide bus lane use for motorcycles, but the Government has denied those wishes.
The statement added: “The cost to local authorities in new traffic signs and Traffic Regulation Orders of mandating such a change for existing bus lanes would be considerable.
“At present, the government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles. The existing position, that local authorities can allow motorcycles into bus lanes at their discretion, aligns with wider government policy on bus service improvements, encouraging walking and cycling and devolving powers to local authorities.”
Refuting the Government’s claims about safety not being clear, Executive Director of the National Motorcyclists Council, Craig Carey-Clinch stated: “It is extremely concerning that the Government has ruled out a measure that could contribute notably to motorcycle safety.
“With ministers stating a commitment to a new Road Safety Strategy, this announcement gives rise to concern that the strategy will not consider the more creative and supportive actions that are needed to improve motorcycle safety.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
