London Bus Lanes - Still waiting says BMF

The latest Transport for London review on the use of London’s bus lanes by motorcycles has been greeted with disappointment by the BMF.

Transport for London (TfL) have been conducting monitored motorcycle access trials on three trial sites; the A41 to the North, A23 to the South and A13 to the East, since 2002, but at a review meeting held yesterday, it reported that a survey of all collisions, (including those involving motorcycles), while largely proving inconclusive, suggested that casualty reduction on the three trial sites was in fact less than in other main road corridors without bus lane access.

The BMF say that because TfL are using an overly complex system of assessment to compare collisions with those on the rest of the Transport for London Roads Network such claims are questionable, numbers are small and the statistical significance doubtful. Also, the effect of increased concentrated motorcycle traffic migrating from other routes (where motorcycle numbers had therefore been reduced), had not been considered and neither were the actual causes of collisions taken into account.

At the review, presentations were also given by Kingston and Westminster who had conducted their own motorcycle access trials. Kingston has had little negative feedback whereas Westminster has had positive indications of casualty reductions despite the trial only been operative for 9 months.

On the plus side, the BMF welcomes the fact that TfL have accepted that motorcycling has not been given the parity that it warrants and proposed that more contextual data was needed with wider monitored access to bus lanes from outer as well as inner London. It is also pleased that TfL has appointed a motorcyclist, Tom Duckham, Project Manager for the London ‘Safety’ Camera Partnership, to a part-time secondary post as a ‘focal point for motorcycling’.

Commenting, BMF Senior Government elations Executive Trevor Magner said:
”The results of the monitoring are disappointing but not surprising given the overly complex assessment and questionable methodology used. The good thing is that TfL now at least accepts that motorcycling has not been treated equitably and appears to be addressing the concerns of the motorcycling community, which we hope will herald a new period of co-operation.”

The BMF is also pleased that its concerns will be taken into discussions with the Greater London Authority with an action plan promised before the end of the year.

So its a fudge because Ken doesn’t actually like anything that has an internal combustion engine but can actually ban vehicles. Meanwhile bicycles get more and more useless lanes and then ignore them and ride where they like anyway .