Great news for UK riders! Boris gives go-ahead for new bikes in bus lanes trial!

Finally I can report what I regard as great news from the Mayor of London regarding the bikes in bus lanes trial, and explain why it’s such good news. As I was told last week during recent talks with the Mayor’s transport advisor, Kulveer Ranger, but sworn to keep under wraps, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has commissioned a new trial to look at the evidence for a permanent bikes in bus lanes ruling.

So, despite his controversial face to face clash with the No To Bike Parking Tax protesters in Trafalgar Square on 2nd June, in which he appeared to be “threatening” bikers, as the BBC reported, by saying that motorcycle access to bus lanes would end unless their protest against the Westminster bike parking tax stopped, the mayor has now decided to sanction a new trial of the bikes in bus lanes measure.

The important thing about this decision is this. The results of the most recent 18 month trial, which ends on 5th July, were too mixed and thereby limited to be sure if there is an overall benefit to all road users from allowing motorcycle riders to share use of bus lanes with cyclists and taxis. But now, after extensive analysis by Transport for London (TfL) of results from the latest trial,  Boris has announced that a new experimental scheme will start on July 5th July and run for another 18 months in order to gather enough evidence to reach conclusions that TfL and other transport authorities can rely on to make a conclusive decision about whether to make bike access to bus lanes a permanent measure or not.

Basically this is what’s happened and where we are now. An independent report of the most recent 18 month trial, which ends on 4th July, found positive results including that fears of an increase in collisions with cyclists have proved unfounded. However the Mayor has decided some important questions remain; particularly in relation to an increase in collisions between motorcyclists and cars turning in or out of side roads where motorcycles have access to bus lanes.
Now, the new experimental scheme will start in July and run for eighteen months, in order to gather more safety evidence for the Mayor to be able to make a conclusive recommendation about whether to make bike access to bus lanes a permanent measure or not.

Mayor Johnson exclusively told me as transport policy consultant to MAG and columnists for MSL: “I am honouring my pledge to let independently gathered evidence and analysis be the deciding factor about the overall impacts of the bikes in bus lanes measure.” He added that motorcycle and scooter riders “have made a persuasive case to be able to use TfL’s bus lanes, and if the prospect of quicker, easier journeys encourages more people onto two wheels then that will be for the good of everyone using our roads.”

Lastly he says that “the initial trial has shown positive results and the chaos that was predicted by some doomsayers has clearly not materialised.”

As far as I’m concerned, I am really delighted by the Mayor’s decision. Unlike his predecessor Ken Livingstone, to Bojo has had the balls to place hard evidence above political expediency and I genuinely believe that all concerned now have an invaluable opportunity to discover the full potential of this measure. It is also great to see that the new trial will be examining potential environmental and traffic flow benefits in addition to the key aim of researching and developing ever better ways to enhance safety for all for all vulnerable road users.

I was also briefed on the results of a separate study by TfL that used police traffic officers to study journey times in bus lanes. It  indicates that journeys made by motorcycles or scooters using bus lanes are, on average, more than 10 per cent quicker than those not using bus lanes and 36 per cent quicker than cars.

And Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor, told me this. “One of our key policy areas is smoothing traffic flow and allowing motorcyclists to use bus lanes can contribute to that aim. We already know people on two wheels can get around London more efficiently than those using four and believe they should be able to do so in bus lanes without affecting the safety of other road users. Kulveer went on to say: “Our trial has seen a number of successes but we want to tackle the issue of collisions with cars going in out of side roads. That is why the Mayor has advised that we run a second trial alongside a road safety campaign and training for motorcyclists. We also want to urge the motorcycle community using bus lanes to ride with respect and with a focus on reducing speed and increasing safety.”

Boris Johnson filmed ‘threatening’ to stop bus lane use by motorcycle and scooter riders – unless protest against WCC bike parking tax is called to a halt

In an extraordinary outburst from Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor, broadcast by BBC news, he makes what NTBPT protesters have called a “threat” to stop motorbike access to bus lanes – unless they stop protesting against Westminster’s highly controversial motorcycle parking charging scheme. This episode has now also been reported by Guardian blogger Dave Hill

The mayor can be clearly seen and heard saying: “Do you want to stay in bus lanes?” To which the rider at the protest says “of course we do” – with the Mayor replying: “Well stop this protest”.

In response, Warren Djanogly, Chairman of the No To Bike Parking Tax group,   said: “This would seem like a thinly veiled threat, bordering on blackmail.”

A fuller report of the incident was aired on BBC London News as the headline story for their lunchtime bulletin today.

The bikes in bus lanes measure to which the mayor refers is being run as a trial throughout the whole Red Route network of strategic roads in the capital.

But as it happens and with a bizarre coincidence of timing, the trial version of the measure is due to end with an independent report on the results due for submission to TFL this month.

Up until today, the Mayor had made it clear that the decision to keep bikes in bus lanes would depend entirely on the results of the report which is being conducted by TRL. Sources tell me that the trial results are likely to show that casualties involving cyclists have dropped in bus lanes which are shared with motorcycle and scooter riders. If so, that result alone should make it very difficult for our avid cyclist mayor to turn the clock back and stop motorbike access to bus lanes – as it may well cause a rise in casualties to his fellow riders.

As ever, we will have to wait and see what happens next. But my hope is that the Mayors’ newly focused concerns about the bike parking tax protest will now be focused on discussions about the real cause of that problem, namely the Westminster City Council scheme – which is not only hugely unpopular and has no demonstrable traffic management benefit – but according to the council is now running at a shocking loss. As it also happens I will soon be meeting with the new Westminster City Council Cabinet member who has inherited responsibility for this ill-conceived scheme and will be hoping to find a way forward that is truly sustainable and good for all concerned – including our colourful mayor!

Will Lib Dem support for Road Pricing face riders with new charges although Motorcycles and Scooters don’t congest?

Let me start by saying that this blog is not triggered by a desire to pore scorn on any of the three major parties. But it is fuelled by a deep frustration that despite the fact that motorcyclists and scooterists are a small but significant group of road users and the electorate, all of the main parties have addressed rider’s concerns and issues in the run up to the election with a deafening silence so far…

So. Spotting significant differences between the key proposals for transport by the three main UK political parties is, as far as I can see, close to a needle in haystack hunt. But when it comes to trying to decide which one of the main parties may have the most to offer riders of motorbikes, mopeds or scooters, it gets even more difficult – even after or perhaps especially after the second ‘gloves off’ televised leaders debate – where a clear winner was difficult for anyone to pick who was looking at it without a preconceived political inclination.

Clearly, after the first TV debate a new ‘I agree with Nick‘ craze began, and now it seems that the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg may still just be top of the pops in style for TV debate viewers. But, as I have none of the party leaders on offer for me to vote for on May the 6th, I’m more interested in what their party polices are and whether they are likely to improve the way motorcycling related issues are addressed or make them worse.

Sadly as far as I’m concerned, there seems to be space in each party’s manifestos; Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem, for a few ‘politically correct’ lines on the wonders of  walking and cycling, although many of those who make up the nationwide totals are actually too young to vote – whereas there is no manifesto place for mention of powered two wheeler rider’s issues – even though there are well over 1.5 million of us, and the fact is that most Riders ARE Voters.

This leaves me with no alternative for now but to dig deeper into what the three main parties are saying about their policies for road users in general. And there lies at least one potential bombshell for the future of UK motorcycling.

There is one difference above all that could be a key factor in ending the ‘I agree with Nick’ craze that kicked off after the first televised leaders debate – and this could have a decisive impact on some key marginal seats including Richmond in London where transport and ‘motoring taxes’ are big bones of contention…

The Lib Dems want to “use road pricing revenue to cut fuel duty” according to an ePolitx.com summary in a concise and accurate list of key transports policy proposals by the three parties.

To be fair, the Lib Dems seem to think they have found a way to prevent a potentially devastating wave of objections to this proposal among a big majority of voters. Buried at the back of their manifesto on page 80, they say road pricing will not be introduced straight away but in “a second parliament” and that it would be “revenue neutral“.

But Lib Dem hopes that the UK electorate will trust any assurances about a new nationwide motoring tax, flies in the face of all the hard evidence of public opinion to date. The simple facts are that every time that the great British public have had a chance to vote on a proposal for a Road Pricing aka Congestion Charging scheme; 75% of them have said no.

Despite the massive efforts and even ‘bullying‘ by the current Labour government to push such schemes in Edinburgh and Manchester, (which I investigated and reported on extensively during my time at LTT) all hopes to impose such schemes were emphatically crushed.

And, lest we forget or you didn’t know, all the truly well informed experts on this issue agree that the main reason that Livingstone got away with imposing his Congestion Charge in London was that he had none of the trappings of a major political party to bother with when he steamrollered the scheme onto the streets during his first term in office – as he had been chucked out of the Labour party before his election as mayor for daring to defy their choice of more biddable mayoral candidate.

It is also a fact that Londoners only had two opportunities to vote on a Western Extension of the central London scheme and 70+% said no on both occasions. The first was on whether to go ahead with it which Ken Livingstone ignored, and the second was to keep it or remove it which Boris Johnson respected.

Now, the Conservatives have distanced themselves from any plans for nationwide road pricing – apart from a scheme for lorries which presumably they hope will not grab widespread attention or adverse reactions. And although Labour have said they will not try to introduce road pricing in during the next parliament, there are responses to Freedom of Information Act questions to show they may be secretly plotting to introduce it if they could in due course.

All this leaves Nick Clegg and his Lib Dem parliamentary candidate colleagues standing alone as manifesto advocates of nationwide road pricing – with Labour quietly waiting in the wings with hopes of joining forces to introduce it. But, there is at least one place where there there is a good chance of this turning into a big clanger for the Lib Dems, namely Richmond. Since the creation of this constituency the seat has been held by Lib Dem stalwart, Susan Kramer, who is to my personal knowledge a very big fan of the whole Road Pricing idea. However, her opponent in this election is none other than the Scooterist Conservative Zac Goldsmith who I know from recent conversations is extremely focused on trying to deliver a win for him and the Tories.

In the interests of balance I should say that I know there are a few key figures in the upper echelons of the Conservative party who are still very keen on the road pricing idea, but at least the party whips and policy wonks have the political sense to ensure they stay schtum for now.

So, never mind how many politicians ‘agree’ with Nich Clegg, the Lib Dem link to a new nationwide motoring tax may disincline a significant number of voters from joining that gang…

Motorbikes and Scooters offer London Olympics the most plausible hope for efficient transport…

So. BMW have got the gig to provide road transport options for knobs and competitors needing to whizz across London during the 2012 Olympics. But this is seen by some as ‘serious disappointment‘. Not least of whom are Nissan and the Greenies who are well pissed-off about this – and to some extent for very good reasons in my view.

But of course the initial mainstream media fuss is about BMW cars not their motorbikes, or indeed any other brand of bike or scooter. But I suspect that will change – or one of the abiding memories for many in the summer of 2012, will be the grim business of trying to get there and back across London to where they live or stay.

You see it’s all very well for London Mayor Boris & his ‘experts’ to try and “stamp out car use” and go by shiny new blue trains, but most people ain’t going to be anywhere near where the trains trundle to and from – and anyway this will only work as long as we don’t get the wrong leaves on the line etc.. What is even more scary though is that the suits in charge of the logistics for the games want 100% of spectators to go by public transport cycle or foot“! This means that every day throughout the 2012 London Olympics, tens of thousands more people than usual will be trying to squeeze into buses and trains that are already full to bursting when most want to travel.

There are of course many ways to move people and stuff around London and out way beyond the East-End where most of the games will be. And, I have used every one – from a bicycle and shank’s’ pony to the latest thing in bus and rail.

But the most reliable and efficient mode – by about a million times, is going by motorbike or scooter. And this is a major reason why that’s what I do more often than not – despite the crap traffic & red lights & bozos meandering into my path ‘cos they’re on the phone or pissed or just have their head in cloud cuckoo-land.

So my guess is that once London gets rammed with zillions of competitors, spectators and top bananas, a significant number of them are going to go by a PTW of some sort – or wish to F**K they had!