I was just wondering how people feel the bus lane trial is going to go ?
My personal belief is that the fact that the trial is not all inclusive is going to make it a failure. Here’s how I see the scene playing out:
<scene> Rider is stuck in traffic and sees a bus lane to his left, for example on Mansell Street. Rider starts to pull into bus lane while looking for signs clarifying the legality of this. Being unable to find a sign explicitly authorising motorcycle use because he is halfway along the lane, but seeing red lines on the side of the road, he proceeds to use the lane. A few days / weeks later he receives his fine in the post. </scene>
That’s going to cause a mental issue for this rider. At some point when he’s out, we can forsee the next scene (or at least, this is how the daily wail will report it):
<scene> Rider is used to using bus lanes now, but is on a new route. He starts riding in a bus lane, and then sees the little blue sign with no picture of a motorcycle. He panics and in his hurry to get out of the lane and avoid another fine that he can’t afford in the middle of a recession, rides over the still twitching bodies of 15 passing cyclists and destroys a brand new eco-friendly car which results in him dying right in front of a little old lady who is then traumatised for life. </scene>
Beyond the practical aspects of this trial, I believe that the exclusionary nature of it is going to be dangerous. Obviously in the above scenario, all fault lies with the rider for not checking in the first instance and panicking in the second instance. But that happens.
People doing stupid things is a given on the roads and that is why all road options are supposed to be designed with this in mind. I don’t believe that the trial has been well designed. This government have a gift for misunderstanding the actual causes of various effects, and I expect this trial to be terminated early as a result.
I am not sure writing to MPs helps. Most of the decisions lay with local authorities so it would be better to write to your councillor or to the leader of the council. They get fewer letters than MPs so it might have more impact.
Anything bikers do will be drowned out by the well orchestrated campaign by cyclists. A web search on ‘motorcycles in bus lanes’ shows up a series of local publications by cyclist groups opposing our access. There is little from motorcycling groups in return.
It is becasue the decisions are down to the local authority that it is such chaos. The only way to change the policy (of all parties at the moment) of having London’s roads parcelled off to dozens of LAs and TFL etc and then providing road users will an infinite number of different rules and regulations so no-one knows which bus lane they can use or where they can legally park etc is to write to your MP with examples of the dangers and economic damage it does and ask them, to campaign for more sensible, consistent and efficient use of London’s roads. This would be of benefit to car drivers as well as motorcyclists and would also help cyclists and pedestrians so all would gain, and only the little Hitlers in the traffic Departments of local authorities would lose out as they could no longer invent their own fiendish rules.
For example, I believe there should be standard rules on Bus Lane usage, standard rules on Bus Lane hours of operation, standard rules on what the rules are from resident’s bays, M/C bays, pay and display bays etc, standard hours for parking enforcement etc, colour coded signs for operational hours for bus lanes and parking etc, for example, a green stripe on the sign means it is only rush hours, a red stripe means it is 24 hours etc. All this would stop Westminster doing what they have done and would mean that riders and drivers would have some bloody clue about what was going on.
MPs can change anything if they realise it needs to be changed.
I met with one of my local MP’s (work related) regularly. He’s as thick as several short planks. I’d be surprised if he could read without his lips getting tired and his finger tip wearing out.
IMHO once you have travelled your commute a few times you’ll work out which bus lanes you can and can’t use. I don’t see it as a problem for commuters- more for those not used to riding in London.
