The Government has today announced that it will not change policy, so that universal access for motorcycles to UK bus lanes can be made the default situation. Decisions on bus lane access for motorcycles will remain at local level with local authorities.
A consultation by the Department for Transport (DfT) which was conducted between March and July this year, sought the views of the public and local authorities on granting motorcyclists default access to all bus lanes. Over 14,000 responses were received and of these, only 178 people disagreed with the statement, ‘If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes by default’. Although responses from local authorities were low in number, over half who responded agreed that there are benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes and it is likely that the low response rate was due to non-responding authorities having no clear concerns about the measure.
Despite research from a broad range of sources being submitted to the DfT by the NMC and other stakeholders, with the majority showing that allowing bus lanes access mostly either leads to safety improvements, or a neutral safety effect, the Government has concluded that the safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear. The DfT also argues that ‘Research on the potential safety impacts for cyclists, and the impact on bus services would be needed to form the evidence base for any change in policy’ – ignoring the fact that this research has been done on several occasions, revealing that there are no impacts on bus services, or enhanced safety issues for cyclists overall.
But of most concern is the DfT’s statement that “At present, the government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles.” Failing to support a measure which can lead to safety improvements for the UK’s most vulnerable road users, on the basis that it may encourage use, is a continuation of the approach which has helped sustain the UK’s high motorcycle casualty rates and suppressed investment in policies which can both improve motorcycle safety, reduce rider vulnerability and improve access and riding conditions for the near 1.5million people who ride.
Craig Carey-Clinch, NMC Executive Director said: “It is extremely concerning that the Government has ruled out a measure that could contribute notably to motorcycle safety. With Ministers stating a commitment to a new Road Safety Strategy, this announcement gives rise to concern that the strategy will not consider the more creative and supportive actions that are needed to improve motorcycle safety. Continuing the current approach to motorcycle safety, with a lack of support for strategic motorcycling policies, will do nothing to reverse the decline in casualty reduction rates that has been the picture since 2013. The NMC calls on Ministers to think again and to fully engage the motorcycle sector as it develops its Road Safety Strategy.”