Wow this topic could run and run, both slarty and macp make good arguments for their points of view and thats what this forum is good at, Now to the BMF they were in turmoil last year with resignations etc very nearly had to cancel peterboro show, MAG not had much to do with them but if they still bangin on about helmets what century are they in ? Could we not do as a group get together with either of these organisations to see what they doing about it and throw our weight in with them, by collecting signatures for a petition if thats what there doing and if they planning a demo just have a few LBers to join in to show solidarity with the whole issue ?
I dont live in london but as a truck driver it would make life easier for me and safer for bikers if I knew they were going to use bus lanes instead of carving me up all over the place.
Thank you for your e–mail dated 29 January 2008 regarding the use of bus lanes by motorcycles. Your e-mail was forwarded to us from the Mayor’s Office for our response.
I understand and share your concerns for the safety of motorcyclists, and all other road users, in the capital.
There have been a number of difficulties with the analysis of data from the motorcycles in bus lanes trial. An early draft of the report contained some irregularities in the methodology used, which resulted in some over statement of the road safety benefits for motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users.
We have carried out further analysis of the casualty data and the final report will be published in due course. The report will inform a decision by the Mayor, which will be made for the benefit of all road users.
In closing, I would like to assure you that the safety of London’s road users is paramount and will be at the forefront of any decisions taken by the Mayor.
I thank you again for raising your concerns.
Yours sincerely
Gilmore Barrett Correspondence Support Manager - London Streets Transport for London Surface Transport Communications
Nice article and bang on the money. I’m detecting some double-talk around the TfL report: either the data they’ve collected is right or wrong. If it’s right then it is safer for us to use bus lanes. If it’s wrong then then it’s wrong and they should reconduct the survey, shouldn’t they? If the data is right and it shows that using bus lanes is safer but not as much as they first thought (‘over stated’)- it’s still safer! If the data says that riding in bus lanes is more dangerous I can only deduce that it must surely be wrong!! We all know it’s safer…this is the key issue and since TfL state ‘the safety of London’s road users is paramount’ shouldn’t we remain optimistic about the outcome.
It was a Memorial ride, and a reminder to defend ourselves against Nanny-State and the risk-averse society. No-one in their right mind would actively campaign for the repeal of the helmet law these days. That doesn’t make it a Good Law though, it paved the way for all sorts of knee-jerk legislation “to protect us from ourselves”, and was the pre-cursor of Health and Safety bureaucracy. Note I’m not saying all H&S rules are bad…
I just received a response to the mail I sent to Ken Livingstone a couple of weeks back
So my advice is to all send an email with your concerns to Ken Livingstone. They do reply to each email (if it’s polite), and the more they need to go through, the more impact it’s going to make.
I’m confused, what is LB?
The online magazine (as quoted in the site logo) mus be the ‘brand’, but (forgive my ignorance) are people making a living solely from this website or is it entirely voluntary?
What kind of organisation is LB.com?
I can understand reluctance to take the chance of attracting bad press, but I can also see the benefits of being at the forefront of biker’s rights issues - increased kudos with the target audience. No?
I’m also waiting for the, however doctored, report to come out, but would go on a ride out of some kind to show my support when the time came! (as well as write a letter etc)
As a start, I’ve just written to my London Assembly member (Bob Neill, a genuinely good guy. For a politician.) and Boris on this subject. Watch this space for their replies.
I find it difficult to be fair to TfL, but statistics are a problem in analysis, that’s why the raw data should be made available. Yeah, in your dreams, that aint gonna happen. You might get a better proven analysis thrown in your face.
Add politics to the pot and you have a brew just ready for true lies.
I still advocate the public access routes to getting this matter opened up, but if that fails I’m up for a sensible, positive publicity demo.
Oldguy.
“…there are lies, damned lies and statistics.” Winston Churchill
By definition of ownership, a benign monarchy. Very benign in this case, be grateful for it. Jay happens to be the monarch here, and it seems a very good one. That’s no arse-lick either, just impartial observation. So what he says goes, live with it.
Statistical data and the methods used to analyse or process it would normally be available under the Freedom of Information Act. The only thing you won’t get on this is records relating to discussions between officials in TFL on handing and the advice that is given to the Mayor. This is becasue they wil largue, successfully, that the excemption relating to material, which if released, might inhibit the frankness of future advice given to the Mayor etc.
