Motorcycles in your bus lane

hmmm yes occifer although nobody will pull out from a side turn going over there though ! had a few near misses on my commute home from the city and one shunt stopped riding motorbikes soon afterwards as they started to scare me !!

If the studies were inconclusive, do more studies!

I think it's at least worth studying some more. Bus lanes full of motorbikes would make people think twice before carving across them, and it makes more sense to me than sharing a lane with busses...

I ride my bicycle, scooter and various big motorbikes round London on a daily basis.

When i am on my bicycle the twats who get to me are the people who have just gone and bought a hybrid commuter for the summer and have no idea how to ride and get in the way of everyone else, along with the f++ck wits on scooters who ride up the inside of cars by the curb rather than filtering on the outside as they should do . .

When i am on my scooter the thing that f@@ks me off more than anything else is when some c@nt of a cyclist decides to cycle down the middle of the road in slow traffic, getting in the filtering space of motorcycles. Not only are they slowing me down, but they are putting themselves and other road users in danger . .

When i am on my Motorbike the thing that f++ks me off the most is the idiots on the scooters who have done a days training (cbt) and have no concept of how to ride safely on their underpowered 50cc pieces of sh!t, and are a danger to me and themselves . .

My point is that every other mode of transport is in your way whatever you happen to be riding/driving/pedaling . . though i would say that the most dangerous group of road users is cyclists, because we are the ones who take no notice of the majority of road laws, and also have no common training which means road users know how each other will behave. I have lost count of the number of cyclists i have nearly killed on Clerkenwell road in rush hour who cut in between cars and in front of filtering motorbikes without looking first. A lot of the accidents i see, and a lot of the accidents that my cycling friends have are by their own admissions avoidable if they hadnt been riding like a twat. I know that when i ride my bike i take way to many risks, but to me that is part of the buzz of riding around London.

I was at Bristol Uni when they bought in the same Bus Lane rules in, and it made no difference to riding my bike, and made motorcycling a lot safer. There has been a nation wide campaign run by MCN, the UK's biggest motorbike rag for the past decade to get this law in various cities. I think this is a great move, and cannot see how it is going to make my pedaling life any more dangerous, as from what i can tell the roads are in such a state of chaos already that it doesnt matter what you do, its still a lottery as to whether you end up in a hospital bed or your own bed at the end of any journey.

Having worked as a motorcycle courier , i can tell you that they are probably amongst the most considerate road users out there, and thier rivalry exists with taxi drivers, not cyclists.

Rant over

Spot on! I ride a big motorcycle too, but not often in London, too frustrating. In my experience, experienced motorcyclists are the best riders/drivers due to the number of near-death moments they have. Generalisation I know, but a very good one......

Ha! Spot on

90% of the time I get into a black cab and ask to go to Brixton I always get the whole bollocks...black this, black that.....racist cunts!

Head in hands...

and those recent lady cyclists (that have gingerly ventured from the pavement, to the bus-lanes) abandoning the whole cycling experiment altogether.

errrrr?

and those recent lady cyclists (that have gingerly ventured from the pavement, to the bus-lanes) abandoning the whole cycling experiment altogether.

????errrr ditto

We will just have to see what it's going to be like... And no implementation date has been announced yet.

i ride a motorbike too and have used that part of brixton road that's been on trial quite a lot. I can't see the problem. When i'm on a push bike - which is the majority of the time - i've never been sliced by so close my rectum contracts by a motorbike. I have had it done by cars though, in fact one knocked it's wing morror off on my arse, so i don't really have that image of all motorcyclists being some sort of speed merchants with no respect.

Less hate, more love.

Possibly.

B.

I have a lot of love for motorcyclists. They are the best road users out there. I have never had a single piece of trouble from a single rider. In my experience, they always look out for cyclists on the road. Always move forward a bit at a traffic light if they see me behind them. Always give lots of space when overtaking me. Always very courteous towards cyclsits. I kind of see them as my friendly uncle.

They are good people - we share much of the dangers they share, and they understand that. A lot better than most cyclists do.

Some of you think everyone is on the road is your enemy. It's really pathetic sometimes.

Less hate, more love,

Definitely.

lpg.

fuck that i dont think i could handle a 700cc sports bike flying past me up a hill in a bus lane

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

yeah FWIW I don't instantly think of motorbikes either as the worst things on the road. Delivery mopeds - yes. Scooters - sometimes, especially Barries caning it around their estates sans helmet. Cars, jeeps, buses, vans, CABS, stupid people in cars, jeeps, vans, CABS - these far more. I do believe guys on good motorbikes have been riding too long and have had far too much time learning how wacked out every other road user is not to be more considerate by default.

I've never had any trouble on brixton road, even during the motorcycle schemes. However, I think this is more down to the road itself (wide, straight, few traffic lights) rather than anything else.

It's true about the majority of motorcyclists being courteous towards cyclists - I guess it's because they know exactly what will happen if they knock you off; they're far more aware than other motorists. I'd rather share a lane-sized portion of road with a motorbike than a fucking bus any day.

I, like many of you, have never had hassle from motorcyclists. I've spoken to quite a few serious riders through one of my mates back home and they're all very keen on road safey.

When i am on my scooter the thing that f@@ks me off more than anything else is when some c@nt of a cyclist decides to cycle down the middle of the road in slow traffic, getting in the filtering space of motorcycles. Not only are they slowing me down, but they are putting themselves and other road users in danger . .

Funny you should mention that. The other day, I was filtering down the middle of the road at end of Fulham Palace Road near Hammersmith Broadway. Total gridlock. Some c*nt on a motorbike (a courier, the ones with a green logo and black hard plastic pannier-style boxes on the back) suddenly appears right up my arse, calls me a cock, and points to the kerb, so I hurl some abuse back.

The filtering space of motorcycles? Excuse me? Where does it say in the highway code that the centre of road is "filtering space of motorcycles"?

How does it put me in danger? If anything, riding on the left hand side puts me in far more danger than filtering in a prominent position. Left turning cars just don't check their left wing mirror, and cut riders up.

And as well, the speed at which I would filter through is much safer to other road users than that at which a motorcyclist would filter.

For example, yesterday I was riding down High St Ken to Hammersmith, down the middle of the road because of solid traffic jam in my lane. Pedestrians don't look and just walk out - because they don't see cars moving in the immediate lane. A motorcyclist would cause much more damage to a ped than a bike.

Also, if I had been kerb crawling, I'd have no where to maneuver away to. In the middle of the lane, I have more options and can see further down the road and spot potential hazards.

you've been indside a cab? Smite the heathen!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed, I really have no idea how he got into office.

We are living in a city of idiots.

because people's actually vote for him because he's going to get rid of the bendy bus, that all, that's all the reason he's well liked.

fuck sake, bendy bus! simply add a conductor on the bendy bus and the problem will (kinda) be solved, rather than spending £100 million on a new routemaster, which is nice, but with 2012 coming up, it's a bit too much when there's already a lots of investment in public transport and the like.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as sexist. I was referring to women who have taken the decision to cycle to work, for greeness and health, and to avoid the congestion charge - some find the speed or density of traffic to be daunting, so at first, use the pavements to avoid the busier parts, but eventually use the roads, and buslanes when they feel its safer to do so. For the bus lane to then start having motoorcycles on it......I think would lead to a lot of nervousness, and possibility of some riders giving up, and going back onto the trains or buses, or cars.
From what I have observed, its appears to be a larger percentage of women that cycle on the pavement to avoid traffic. If my observation is wrong, then I shall be off to SpecSavers for a 2-for-1! Ok?

You didn't come across as sexist at all. I later thought of what you said and yes you're right it may deter a lot of new cyclists (but not just ladies) and unfortunately it may influence more people to use mopeds. What freaks me out is when mopeds (and cyclists) under-take me and I am worried that will see more of that in the bus lanes and I certainly don't want to have to kiss the kerb to get out of the way they think is theirs. But we will have to see....

I, like many of you, have never had hassle from motorcyclists. I've spoken to quite a few serious riders through one of my mates back home and they're all very keen on road safey.

Funny you should mention that. The other day, I was filtering down the middle of the road at end of Fulham Palace Road near Hammersmith Broadway. Total gridlock. Some c*nt on a motorbike (a courier, the ones with a green logo and black hard plastic pannier-style boxes on the back) suddenly appears right up my arse, calls me a cock, and points to the kerb, so I hurl some abuse back.

The filtering space of motorcycles? Excuse me? Where does it say in the highway code that the centre of road is "filtering space of motorcycles"?

How does it put me in danger? If anything, riding on the left hand side puts me in far more danger than filtering in a prominent position. Left turning cars just don't check their left wing mirror, and cut riders up.

And as well, the speed at which I would filter through is much safer to other road users than that at which a motorcyclist would filter.

For example, yesterday I was riding down High St Ken to Hammersmith, down the middle of the road because of solid traffic jam in my lane. Pedestrians don't look and just walk out - because they don't see cars moving in the immediate lane. A motorcyclist would cause much more damage to a ped than a bike.

Also, if I had been kerb crawling, I'd have no where to maneuver away to. In the middle of the lane, I have more options and can see further down the road and spot potential hazards.

+1 ad infinitum.
everyone harks on about overtaking on the outside, but with that turned into 'filtering space' we're now supposed to sit on the inside of a turning vehicle? no thanks.
i agree that a majority of liscensed motorcyclists know what they're on about and are genreally considerate. i even had one move up from blocking the space between two cars, to allow me to move past into the green bike space thingy.
BUT.
motorcycles in bus lanes? uh oh. yeah they are about as exposed to dangers as cyclists are, maybe more so because of their speed. but the flip side of that is that speed (and the weight of the vehicle) makes them vastly more dangerous to other road users (especially cyclists) than a bike could ever be. speeding along in the bus lanes, overtaking cyclists just as they move over to avoid that pothole way on the left = death and destruction. bad fucking idea.

They're not gonna be bombing it down bus lanes because it's not in their interests to do so. Think about where they'll be in the bus lane - on the right. A car could very easily swing a left and then they'd be completely fucked - even more than we would because they'd be going a lot faster and wouldn't be able to brake/swerve as easily as we would.

i see what you're getting at, and agree to a certain degree, but the same could really be said about the middle of the lanes as well, and there are still a fair amount of motorcycles riding quite quickly through them...

True.. maybe a 20mph speed limit for all vehicles in bus lanes would be a good idea.

i agree with that, just don't see it being enforced or even happening, isn't boris trying to get rid of a lot of 20 mph zones?

because people's actually vote for him because he's going to get rid of the bendy bus, that all, that's all the reason he's well liked.

fuck sake, bendy bus! simply add a conductor on the bendy bus and the problem will (kinda) be solved, rather than spending £100 million on a new routemaster, which is nice, but with 2012 coming up, it's a bit too much when there's already a lots of investment in public transport and the like.

There probably are reasons to not like the bendy bus, but what I really can't stand is how such a stupid little issue gets blown out of any sane proportion and you end up with people voting based on the model of a fucking bus, that probably most voters in london don't use and don't ride a bike on the same streets as them. It's like someone voting someone in because they say they'll bring steam trains back. It's fine to not like a bendy bus, but replace them with routemasters, load of shit that'll never happen. AND if people really are such bus spotters for old buses, why aren't they queuing up to get on the handful that still run?

Oh, but they're not suited to London's roads. Maybe, maybe not but no other city with them has a bus made out to be such a big deal. What's so unique about London's roads then?

As a passenger on them they are fucking horrible when they're packed, but isn't the answer to that more buses or better use of them? I can see why a transport planner would go for a bendy on some routes - if it's a city centre route where people are mainly jumping on for a couple of stops then getting people on and off quicker's a good thing, and people don't want to go upstairs on a bus if they're only going a couple of stops. The sort of route they're suited for should probably have a tram on it instead though - trams instead of the ones to Ilford and Islington would be great, if there was enough room for them. With segregated bike lanes along the tracks where there's room too. Why didn't Boris campaign on something like that? Because it's all cheap soundbite gesture politics bollocks.

I, like many of you, have never had hassle from motorcyclists. I've spoken to quite a few serious riders through one of my mates back home and they're all very keen on road safey.

Funny you should mention that. The other day, I was filtering down the middle of the road at end of Fulham Palace Road near Hammersmith Broadway. Total gridlock. Some c*nt on a motorbike (a courier, the ones with a green logo and black hard plastic pannier-style boxes on the back) suddenly appears right up my arse, calls me a cock, and points to the kerb, so I hurl some abuse back.

The filtering space of motorcycles? Excuse me? Where does it say in the highway code that the centre of road is "filtering space of motorcycles"?

How does it put me in danger? If anything, riding on the left hand side puts me in far more danger than filtering in a prominent position. Left turning cars just don't check their left wing mirror, and cut riders up.

And as well, the speed at which I would filter through is much safer to other road users than that at which a motorcyclist would filter.

For example, yesterday I was riding down High St Ken to Hammersmith, down the middle of the road because of solid traffic jam in my lane. Pedestrians don't look and just walk out - because they don't see cars moving in the immediate lane. A motorcyclist would cause much more damage to a ped than a bike.

Also, if I had been kerb crawling, I'd have no where to maneuver away to. In the middle of the lane, I have more options and can see further down the road and spot potential hazards.

Ha . . . you misunderstood my post . . . when i am on my pushbike i regularly filter down the middle of the road, i was just trying to point out in a light hearted manner, which if you re read my original post i think you will understand, that whatever mode of transport i am using every other road user becomes annoying to me.

If you are filtering on a pushbike then motorbikes are in your way, and if you are filtering on a motorbike pushbikes are in your way!

Shit motor cyclist tend to end up dead real quick, it's a natural selection thing.

Have to throw my two pence here

I'm a motorbiker too, and have full license and one of the bigger bikes, and indeed, mostly use it on longer routes as in the centre it's pointless, but can see the appeal of sometimes taking it to work out of laziness or convenience etc.

Still, as a cyclist i get sometimes so annoyed with other motorbikers- passing way too close, blocking gaps pointlessly, and don't even get me started on the teenagers on mopeds.
** But i'd say i could point out a big bunch of idiots who are shit cyclists and don't have any understanding of other road users too, so i guess it goes both ways.**

Have to agree though, that surprisingly often the bigger the motorbike they have the less they need to show off on the road hence the more calm and easy they are on others - maybe it's got to do with more years of experience. And mopeds are a nightmare for other moto users too, if i could i'd shoot them all.

Re. bike lane - can't be objective here, i'm cool with it, win-win.

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I have an overpowered motorbike that gets used infrequently for town use as well as long distance riding and I think it's a really good idea (from the motorbiker's view). I have been knocked off twice while not in a bus lane by taxis suddenly pulling out of said bus lane into me as I am overtaking them. If I had been in the same lane as them, I'm pretty sure they would have seen me behind them and saw me pulling out to overtake.

I'm with VinylVillian completely on this one, having driven, rode and pedelled most forms of transport round the centre of London (including artic lorries.) Everyone else is a cunt, you are always in the right.