Motorcycles permitted to use bus lanes throughout Plymouth, UK
Britain’s strong bike lobby seems to be winning the fight to get bikers the right to ride in bus lanes, with the announcement of an 18-month trial throughout Plymouth to begin soon.
With bikes representing efficient, clean and quick personal transport, while causing a congestion factor approaching zero on the road, the British Motorcyclists Federation has been arguing for some years that allowing riders to use bus lanes is not only a matter of common sense, but an opportunity to get bikes out of the flow of car traffic where they’re at greatest risk of not-at-fault crashes.
Britain seems to be coming around… How are bikers looked after in *your* part of the world?
Photo and story thanks to MCN.
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April 1st, 2008 at 3:36 am
One of the reasons for the problems with the UK bus lanes has been the active lobbying by bicycle groups against the use by motorcycles. THey claim that cyclists (who are already allowed to use them) are “intimidated” by motorcycles.
Bearing in mind they already share with bloody great buses, and taxis in some places, I really can’t get my head around that reasoning.
October 8th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Well in my neck of the woods (Utah, USA) bikers are somewhat taken care of, we are allowed to use highway toll lanes free of charge, we just have to share them with buses that move slow as tar and little old lady’s whom take it all as an excuse to drive like a mad man! We are also allowed to make use of bicycle only lanes for a “short distance” in case of emergency, it’s just a matter of finding a police officer who agrees with your very own definition of “short distance” and “emergency” or at very least a judge with a similar view of the law. Otherwise (and off topic) we just went to a new system for motorcycles to obtain there license, that is in no small part inspired by the British methods, and I can only thank God for it! rather than being able to take the test and get endorsed on any bike, you now have to take the test on a bike that is within the same engine class as one intends to ride. a step in the right direction if you ask me!