Motorcycles in bus lanes - be careful what you believe!

[Farjo]

TfL say that from 23 Jan 2012 motorcycles can use more of London's bus lanes: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/redroutes/10151.aspx.

The way they've written it - "motorcycles will be given permanent access to bus lanes on the majority of the Capital's red routes" - makes it sounds like we're allowed in most bus lanes, but if you look at the maps you'll see that this isn't the case.

Therefore you should be careful to check the sign at the start of the bus lane for the bike.


The maps also show that some bus lanes switch between being bike-allowed and disallowed at different points, so if you're riding along that road you will need to be vigilant to the signs so you don't get caught riding in a non-bike stretch of the bus lane.

[Fazerider]

Can you edit the URL Farjo? I got a "page not found" until I spotted the spurious dot at the end.


Doesn't look like the roads I use in London are affected by the change.
Some of my route includes bus lanes that are only in effect during the busiest hours and, since I usually travel outside those times I make use of them. Most car users don't read the sign so treat it as a bus lane at all times. Where the restriction ends and they wish to make use of the lane or turn left they tend to move across without looking for anything smaller than a bus...

[Farjo]

Thanks mate, tis fixed

Hopefully, with many more non-bus things in the bus lane, drivers will look more, and cyclists will benefit from this too.

[Phil TK]

Hopefully, with many more non-bus things in the bus lane, drivers will look more, and cyclists will benefit from this too.

  On Lower Thames Street there is a cycle lane that is used by practically all motorcycles during the rush hour and the cyclists never seem to object, in fact I think they rather like us there as we make a good 'sacrificial anode' to hide behind, I 've often had a cyclist slipstream me down there. At the lights they also usually move off slowly to let the motorcycles into the cycle lane first, although you don't take it for granted of course.

[pinkbikerfzs1]

They had a trial run on this subject, in Derby, but only included the ones that did'nt really work. then said the trial was a failure and just dropped it..  Why can't motorcycles just be allowed to use bus lanes everywhere, there is no valid reason that i can think of for not. No obstructing if breakdown occurs, just push out of the way, and in my experience there's not enough buses to fill the lanes anyway. pay your road tax, use the roads..   

[goldfazer]

'pay your road tax, use the roads.'

Yep - let cars in 'em too