Real world rides, real world riders

Ha Ha! Gotcha, motorcycle deniers!

Take the last month for instance. While we as a nation were, for the most part, enjoying the festive period, those work-hungry people in the capital were working flat out at proving that motorcycles truly are (and do shout it loud, people) a force for good.

I know, I could barely believe it myself when I read the news from Transport for London, but it’s true.

You can read the details about what happened in relation to motorcycles being able to use bus lanes permanently in London on page 19 (and our Dr M’s thoughts on page 33) but for me the most key moment of the report was when Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of Better Routes and Places said: “The two trials have shown reduced journey times and environmental benefits with no significant safety issues thrown up for motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users.”

So let’s get this straight. TfL has invested a lot of money, time and people in two trials about motorcycles being able to use bus lanes and found that motorcycles:

■    Reduced journey times
■    Meant environmental benefits
■    Had no significant safety issues.

I love that. I love that because in one clean sweep TfL has proved that we as bikers really do achieve what we all knew we did. Of course it’s easy for us on the inside of the two-wheeled world to espouse the benefits but actually getting anyone on the outside to realise just how easy a motorcycle makes city life can be a bit tricky.

But not any more. Now we can swan into the offices of our local councils and put this document on their desks. Listen here Mr Councillor, we can politely yet forceably say, London has carried out these trials and now realises how clean and easy motorcycling is these days. So now we want the same here.

To be fair there are a few cities around the UK that have already seen the light and allowed bikers into bus lanes but there aren’t enough of them.

Given the TfL report we should really be allowed to ride in any bus lane we see, in short there shouldn’t be any restrictions on motorcycles in big cities because – as TfL says – we as motorcyclists don’t pollute, get to where we’re going quicker and are generally nicer people than other road users (Okay, I made that last one up but I do feel entitled to as we’re a motorcycle magazine...).

So I am wondering if any MSL readers are actually going to become a bit more ‘action biker’ about this and use the information about London to apply serious pressure on their local authorities. If you do then you could point out that it’s something of a win/win situation for the council.

It’ll cost them very little to implement, it’ll get them some much-needed positive publicity and it’ll all come across like they’re helping the environment when they’re actually having to do bugger all.

I’ve been dealing with politicians and councils for the past couple of decades as a journalist and in all that time I’ve got to tell you that those points tick all their boxes.

So if your local city, town, hamlet (do we still have those?), village etc., has bus lanes and doesn’t yet let motorcycles use them then try applying a bit of pressure.

And if you get short shrift then head over to the local BBC news programme and tell them a: why motorcycles should be allowed in the bus lanes (and use the TfL’s statement to back you up) and b: that your local authority is dragging its heels when it can easily help ease the burden of congestion and save the baby polar bears at the same time.

Go on, let’s see what we can get done with this.

Have a safe ride.

Tony