ON MARCH 20, 2024 BY PHOTOMOTOMAN WAWAIN MOTORCYCLING
The Department for Transport (DFT (UK)) are advising councils in Britain, who have different rules on allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes to simply consider allowing motorcycles in addition to buses, cyclists and taxis to use them.
Allowing filtering has made riding a motorcycle in the UK safer as riders are less likely to be struck from the rear waiting between vehicles as well as making drivers more aware of motorcyclists and the need to leave room between lanes for their access.
It would simply stand to reason that this would be logical. However, as governments in Canada, and a number of states don’t seem to either care or use logic, they are banned over here. It is apparent that change is needed. As new tiny electric vehicles become more common for commuting in the coming decade, and mopeds, e-bikes and e-motorcycles are already becoming so, getting them out of the faster flow of traffic for safety, may be necessary.
Road rage is already evident almost everywhere. How bad might it get if people have to slow down to 30 kilometres an hour behind some of these slower vehicles? Maybe designating bus lanes as slow-vehicle lanes may make vehicles in them, especially mopeds, e-bikes and motorcyclists who can make better time through traffic, safer.
One of the first accidents I saw last year was caused by a driver changing lanes into the bus lane in order to attempt to speed past a line of cars. He never looked, and a e-bike ran right into the side of his car as he changed lanes without looking.
These are the DFT’s guidelines:
- Safety implications involved in restricting motorcyclists to general traffic lanes, against the possible problems of allowing motorcyclists into the bus lane.
- Effect on other vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists.
- Possible impact on bus journey time reliability due to additional traffic in the bus lane.
- Reduction in congestion for other traffic on routes currently used by motorcyclists.
- Potential for motorcycling to become a genuine choice for road users if is seen as a more convenient means of transport.
- Potential for overall improvements in transport efficiency
- Local publicity to help advise road users of a policy change.
I often find that in Europe, logical public policy is enacted much more often than in North America. The ‘wild west’ attitude here creates more issues than it solves. Here, people get angry if a motorcyclist is able to make better time, or get out of their way.
Filtering is treated like abhorrent behaviour. Recently I was having a discussion with a patron at a coffee shop about having motorcyclists allowed to filter. He went ballistic, like a six-year-old. “Why should motorcyclists be allowed to go faster!”, was his response. I suggested that maybe it would make traffic in general faster, and for the motorcyclist it would be safer. His response was, “expletive deleted”. Absurd behaviour has reached new heights in Canada. I’ve seen people actually block both lanes by pulling partially into the other lane to simply ensure that no one can pass his/her vehicle.
It would simply make sense to allow motorcycles to enter bus lanes and, where there is little issue with motorcyclists interacting with mainstream traffic to take advantage of that fact. However, as politicians often listen to a single squeaky wheel, the odds are that we’ll sit in traffic, while the bus lane remains vacant, slowing down everyone even more and creating an increase in road rage from the general automotive public.
Ciao…
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