London bus lanes

I was chatting with V the other day about motorcycles being allowed in
London bus lanes, and how it's still only on a trial basis (even after
two and a half years). Hopefully it'll be made a permanent arrangement,
but while poking around the TFL web site I came across the study of the
original 18 month trial.

It's interesting (if dry) reading. Key points seem to be:

51% of motorcycles make legal use of bus lanes. 6% did so illegally
before the trial began

Motorcycles are significantly more likely to exceed the speed limit
where permitted to use bus lanes

Cyclists are 176% more likely to be involved in a collision, but it's
often the cyclist's fault and rarely if ever due to the presence of a
motorcycle in the bus lane. Indeed no statistically valid link was found
between motorcycles being alloweed in bus lanes and cyclists having more
accidents.

Motorcycles are more likely to be taken out by a car turning left
across the bus lane, but not by any significant degree (though that's
not the spin they put on it on the TFL web site, which doesn't bode
well).

Pedestrians are generally safer than before.

The conclusion's a little worrying though:

"The effect of permitting motorcycles into bus lanes has been assessed
after 10 months of implementation. This analysis period is the minimum
where any reasonably large effects can be ascertained. This has
identified that motorcyclists appear to be less safe since the scheme
has been introduced. There were no changes in the safety of cyclists and
pedestrians that could be directly attributed to the motorcycles being
permitted access to the bus lanes."

Hopefully the left-turn collisions will have reduced a bit over the
second 18 month trial and they'll keep letting us use the bus lanes.
It'll be a bit of a fucker having to go back to playing chicken with
oncoming traffic twice a day.

 

Frankly, I was always happier tootling along the BL at 30mph than dicing
with the cunting U-turning taxis and other arseholes while filtering
along the outside. The left-turning cars are catered for by keeping a
watch out for tossers and slowing at junctions as a matter of
self-preservation. Even with that, it's still much better progress than
the other option.
I wonder if TfL is infiltrated by lycra-wearing cunts who have an axe to
grind, in spite of the stats showing their axe is blunt and rusty as
****.

 

If it weren't there'd be no need to grind it, would there?

 

Isn't that the problem though? From my experience in London, most folk
don't tootle along at 30mph, then go like **** the moment a space opens up.

I've tried riding/driving at 30 in central London (after participating
in the speed awareness course that the Met offered me) and it's a
fucking nightmare.

When we went from the town centre out to Dover on holiday at 4 in the
morning a couple of years ago, even though there was hardly any traffic
on the road, everyone else was treating each and every traffic light
like a grand prix.

 

I use the bus lanes in Leeds, no idea of the legal status, but I don't sit
in them, only jinking left when the traffic in the primary lanes has stopped
or slows right down. Undertaking effectively. I'd say that folk turning left
without looking is part of my rationale.

FWIW years ago some clutz caught me out in Edinburgh. 1000EXUP, moving very
slowly (and cautiously) up the empty inside lane lane, the right lane (4
lanes, 2 each way) being stationary. Vehicle turned left as I was beside
him, no opportunity to avoid him. The Court and the insurance companies
found 50/50. Bizarre but they held I should either stop way back in an empty
lane or proceed and take the consequences.

 

The only person with an axe to grind appears to be you.

 

I'm surprised you've only just found this. There has been a load of
pressure from cyclists to get motorbikes out of the bus lanes after the
first trial period ended. The fact that Boris cycles has been used as a
stick by other cyclists to hit the Mayor with! Bizarre but true. They
were distinctly displeased when Boris announced a further trial. TfL
are running a series of radio adverts warning motorists about turning
across bus lanes and needing to watch out for motorcyclists.

I was reading something the other day which showed that accident rates
were still disproportionately high for motorcyclists in London despite
efforts to improve awareness amongst other road users and to boost
training for motorcyclists (TfL fund Bikesafe in London). It is the
accident rate issue that will drive the politicians and TfL to do
something - probably something that bikers won't like!

I suspect the Mayor would like to please both cyclists and motorcyclists
but unfortunately the way the research is going it is highly likely one
of them will be disappointed no matter which way the final decision
goes. He can't please all of the people all of the time with this issue.

 

Bound to be. One such twat had one of those 'witness cams' mounted on
his helmet. All I think it was recording was the number of red lights
the **** sailed through.

 

It's the first time I've gone looking for it.

And motorcyclists need to assume that any and every vehicle around it
might turn left across the bus lane. It's what I do, and I've had no
near misses so far.

A lot of people ride like total dicks though, so it's hardly a surprise
there have been collisions.

Given that the only people for whom there's been any appreciable
increase in risk are motorcyclists, I'd rather they left bus lanes
permanently open and let the riders take their chances.

I certainly feel a hell of a lot safer in a bus lane than filtering up
the outside of a line of traffic, and I'd rather it stayed that way. I
fully expect to be disappointed.

The bit that stood out for me was the reference to speeding
motorcyclists. I'm surprised there hasn't been more of a crackdown.
Pleased, but surprised.

 

How so? Nearly every word in the main body of my post agrees with your
later post. I'm fairly sure about the lycra-clad cunts, though.

 

On 12/04/2011 18:19, Hog wrote:
snip

I've just had to accept 50/50 with white van man too. Similarly taken
out right beside him but since he claims he was signalling and we don't
have any video evidence there's not much else I can do. So much for
surveillance Britain, two CCTV cameras at either end of the street, both
looking the other way. Compared to the filtering I saw this morning I
was the epitome of care. Guy on a KTM with matching goretex was having a
lot of high risk fun this morning dicing with traffic <fx: jealous>.