Motorcyclists get bus lane go-ahead (From The Argus)

I think that Ian Davey's comment in response to Councillor Tony Janio; that the Tories could have done this as they were in power only 18 months ago, was rather unfair. Didn't councillor Davey notice that the Conservatives were asleep for most of their wasted term in office. The only woke up to try and spend £1million getting rid of a cycle lane!

It will be interseting to see how the trial goes. The new Lewes rd bus lane may be another sensible route when built if there is a seperate cycle lane.

at times of spending cuts etc etc why wouldn't the council use other city's data that they collected already? it seems to be positive feedback.

i trust any changes comply with the law,ie a change in law from the highway agency making it lawfull nationwide!!!

Another dopey proposal from our green Greens.

It is either a good idea or it isn't. I find that hard to judge, but I do not particularly object either way.

What I object to are the differences on different lengths of Bus Lane. This introduces confusion and danger. Daft.

brilliant idea that bikes be allowed to use the bike,bus,taxi lane.
lets just hope the proffesional driving comes into play and mirrors used before just pulling into traffic and the highway code practices are followed...oh and the bus drivers,taxi drivers aswell.

funkyyoyo wrote:
i trust any changes comply with the law,ie a change in law from the highway agency making it lawfull nationwide!!!

Oh yoyo, nobody cares about your obsession with whether road markings are the correct shade of white: your mum says you've got to go in now, or you won't get any pudding.

They could've been more adventurous with their proposals. I and many like me have been using the 23 and 259 bus lanes for years anyway, quite happily without incident or accident. Their approval is largely irrelevant, one way or another we're never going to line up with queues of cattle in tin boxes when we don't need to. Personally I think we should be allowed to ride on the pavement like some other 2 wheelers.

sound like more bits of meat to scrape off roads and bus and longer delays while they are doing it ,just lets some have more places to weave in and out of traffic and roads far less safe

martyt wrote:
sound like more bits of meat to scrape off roads and bus and longer delays while they are doing it ,just lets some have more places to weave in and out of traffic and roads far less safe

but unlike the cyclist,bikers have skidlids,leathers-an
d insurance,tax.we have lights on all the time,and dont cause congestion:)

if it is a success elsewhere particularly london, why are the Greens dragging their heels again, it has been over a year in deciding and another 7 months till it is operational. It is obvious that if motorcycles can use the bus lanes all over the city then that will reduce congestion because it will absolutely encourage more people out of their cars, especially commuters. the new lewes road bus lane must be included as this incorporates all the students and is going to be a nightmare for traffic and congestion/pollution
. if the buses drive within the speed limit and within the law then there should be no danger as london realises unlike this backwater. on the continent people buzz around on scooters all the time and it encourages people that do not or cannot ride a bike to get out of the car. I would certainly use a motorbike but not until it is citywide. cars should also be allowed to use bus lanes off peak. what is dangerous is the amount of ridiculous road schemes and proliferation of new pedestrian crossings every 50 yards, and pedestrians being treated as dumb, taking away all their responsibility is sure to cause more casualties.

I see no reason against motorbikes using the bus lanes as long as they stick to the 30mph speed limit. Many taxi drivers and even some buses travel much too fast and do not keep to the limit. Very dangerous !!

There are some places I wouldn't want to see motorcycles using bus lanes, by St Peters church is one place that springs to mind. This junction is already a deathtrap for pedestrains without introducing more traffic.

Roundbill wrote:

funkyyoyo wrote:
i trust any changes comply with the law,ie a change in law from the highway agency making it lawfull nationwide!!!

Oh yoyo, nobody cares about your obsession with whether road markings are the correct shade of white: your mum says you've got to go in now, or you won't get any pudding.

im afraid the laws the law,if you dont want to obide by it go away and comment on something less trivial,i however like it when councils run things in line with law,end of subject

rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

jenny.p wrote:
I see no reason against motorbikes using the bus lanes as long as they stick to the 30mph speed limit. Many taxi drivers and even some buses travel much too fast and do not keep to the limit. Very dangerous !!

If the motorcyclist do use bus lanes and stick to the speed limits, they may force taxi drivers (who also use the bus lanes) to reduce their speeds from a typival 40 - 50 mph to a legal 30mph.

This bus lane you can use, this one you can't, this pavement you can cycle on but not this, here's a one way street you can cycle against this one no...........

How many bl00dy rules are they going to make up for "our" roads?

Access to bus lanes for power 2 wheelers has been running in Bristol & Reading for neigh on 15 years. Other cities such as Bedford, Birmingham and many others, including parts if London also operate this system and in all cases there has been no negative effects on bus services or detrimental effects to pedestrians or cyclists. What Brighton & Hove are undertaking here is positive for both power 2 wheelers & the city.

Hove Actually wrote:
This bus lane you can use, this one you can't, this pavement you can cycle on but not this, here's a one way street you can cycle against this one no...........

How many bl00dy rules are they going to make up for "our" roads?

Seriously old bean, one needs to try and get some perspective - you wanna try navigating a battered old ambassador around new Delhi or Mumbai if you want proper chaos...

Driving in the UK really isn't that difficult - there's these things, called roadsigns, you may be aware of them? They have their own nomenclature and are fairly self explanatory when you get the basics - on the most part they're pretty effective...

Try them, you might get a better understanding of "our" infrastructure, especially as one travels about our great nation - most towns and cities have their own individual idiosyncracies - the integrated national network of roadsigns goes some way to easing ones confusion when exploring.

Good ho!

Happy to help.

Personally I don't see what all the bickering is about. It gets bikes into a lane not occupied by cars. This should be good for car drivers. It also gets bikes into a bus and taxi lane which will reduce the speed of those. Seems to me that saving lives is the most important thing. If people are silly enough to break speed limits and laws then more fool them.
No point slating us just because we ride bikes. Well done MAG for all the effort they have put in.

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

OK SHORTBOY :CAR,BUS,LORRY,BIKER
,TAXI,VAN ETC..PAY MORE,HAVE A RIGHT TO BE THERE BY HAVING A LICENCE:
STUDENTS DON'T PAY COUNCIL TAX.

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

5% of roadtax goes towards the roads, approx £5 of your water bill goes towards road drainage, anything that gets cyclists off the pavement and onto the roads where assuming they have a correctly fitted and maintained bike they are perfectly entitled to be is in my mind fine. cyclists have all the rights and laws to support them already, its perfectly ok to ride through a red light, ride the wrong way up a one way street, have no lights, brakes and to use the pavement especially when its got pedestrians on it. if worthing wanted cycle lanes it could pay for them by just using the current legal powers to instant fine the hundreds of thoughtless cyclists using the towns pavements every day.
that rant over, it makes common sense for cyclists to be able to use bus lanes the only problem being overtaking buses, motor bikes are a different kettle of fish, **** nusiance let them on the bus lanes then next thing you know you got midlife crisis and his oriental missus rolling up the inside on a large american joke on two wheels, and then they got to pull out to overtake the busses and the cyclists. all city planners should be made to cycle round hollands cities and villages for a week, then they would get the picture, but one thing that makes holland different to us, a high percentage of motorists are also cyclists. maybe thats where we are going wrong.

At last following the lies of the previous Tory leader of the council and the procrastinating of the greens. This move will be good for all road users,

Why would I want to ride my motorbike in a bus lane with all the foreign taxi drivers who speed along and are a danger to pedestrians. It's much safer in the normal traffic lane.

About time. Let's just hope that taxi drivers pay attention, and possibly even start using turn signals to avoid collisions.

funkyyoyo wrote:
i trust any changes comply with the law,ie a change in law from the highway agency making it lawfull nationwide!!!

The Highways Agency doesn't set laws, nor does it operate the A23 between Carden Avenue and Preston Drove, or the A259 at Ovingdean.

You must mean Parliament.

oh no no no no no, foreign taxi drivers very good fellas, taxi so much easier to drive than big landcrusier with all peoples hanging on in back

Good news for safety sake. Hopefully bikers can be seen now, especially where the junctions of side roads enter London Road/Preston Road.
Also, a very good idea to publicise this to all road users as when I ride down there next year, I don't want to be heckled for doing something legal!

Oi, Green party. We, (bikers), desperately want a motor bike parking bay outside the Caroline of Brunswick pub. The ONLY biker bar in all of B'ton & Hove.

What a great idea, perhaps motorcyclists will stop under taking and weaving in and out of heavy traffic

PRESS RELEASE for immediate use

Motorcyclists gain limited access to bus lanes
in Brighton and Hove

In The Argus of Saturday, November 17, it was reported that Brighton & Hove City Council has given the go-ahead to a limited trial allowing access – for powered two-wheeled vehicles (PTWs) – to two and a half miles of Brighton and Hove bus lanes (notably a one-mile stretch of the A23 from Carden Avenue to Preston Drove, Brighton, and a 1.5-mile section of the A259 coastal road from the city’s boundary in Saltdean to the Ovingdean roundabout).

The Brighton branch of MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) welcomes this news, in so much as it is clear that the study Brighton & Hove Council undertook came up with the same conclusions as found elsewhere in other UK and major European cities; in particular Stockholm & Barcelona.

To be precise, allowing PTWs into the bus lanes improves safety for the riders. As well as encouraging more people on to motorcycles and scooters, this will:
– Address congestion by improving traffic flow and improve sustainable transport use
– Enhance accessibility to the City centre
– Improve air quality while lowering carbon emissions
– Promote value for money
– Make better use of the infrastructure and contribute to Brighton and Hove’s sustainable transport strategy

Motorcycles and Scooters have been allowed access to bus lanes in Bristol for the past 17 years and in Reading for the past 14. Both of these locations are a similar size to Brighton and the schemes have proven to be a great success. Also, Birmingham, Bath, Hull, Plymouth, Peterborough, Colchester, Swindon, Derby, Central London (TfL Red Routes) and Bedford, to name a few, have granted PTWs access to bus lanes, as well as embraced motorcycling into their transport policies to help reduce travel time, congestion and to meet their emissions targets.

In all of these locations, despite suggestions to the contrary, it has been demonstrated that there has been no detrimental effect to pedestrians or local bus services. Brighton MAG is pleased that Roger French, MD of Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company (on both BBC Radio Sussex and in a letter to MAG’s South East Rep, John Mitchell), has publicly supported this initiative (with one caveat – North Street in Brighton, which is already very congested with bus traffic), which reinforces the evidence that this scheme is not detrimental to local bus services.

Despite all of the positive attributes of this decision, the limited extent of the trial seems to be at odds with the Council’s own Draft Road Safety Strategy 2010-2020, in which PTWs are named as a priority vulnerable group. Brighton MAG asks why there should not be a full roll-out across the city, given that the evidence in this country, and abroad, is that allowing 2-wheelers into bus lanes reduces accidents and injury?

As such, Brighton MAG is keen to continue to have a dialogue with the Council, to understand the reasons for their decision. However, until the Council can release the study & the corresponding data to us to review, we are unable to draw our own conclusions.

Ends

For more information:
John Mitchell
e. south-east-region@ma
g-uk.org
w. www.mag-uk.org

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

I don't care what they do or don't pay, I just wish they'd stick to the rules of the road. Most don't.

Ihopenoonehasthisuse
rname wrote:

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

I don't care what they do or don't pay, I just wish they'd stick to the rules of the road. Most don't.

WHY SHOULD THEY AS ANY IDIOT CAN GET ON A BIKE NO TEST WHATSOEVER ,AS FOR PAYING TO USE ROADS WHY SHOULD EVERY OTHER ROAD USER PAY THREE TIME, COUNCIL TAX CAR TAX AND ALL THAT WONDERFUL TAX ON FUEL MOST CYCLIST COULD NOT TELL YOU WHAT THE RULES OF THE ROAD ARE LET ALONE KNOW THEM ,IF THERE WAS A BIKE TEST TAX AND INSURANCE TO USE A BIKE ON THE ROAD WELL THEN THEY WOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO USE THEM ,BUT TILL THEN THEY HAVE NONE

could not agree more...and busses&taxi's now have cctv"forward facing traffic"so when you lycra wearing numpties cause an accident the police and insurance companies will have evidence.

_Mitch_ wrote:
PRESS RELEASE for immediate use

Motorcyclists gain limited access to bus lanes
in Brighton and Hove

In The Argus of Saturday, November 17, it was reported that Brighton & Hove City Council has given the go-ahead to a limited trial allowing access – for powered two-wheeled vehicles (PTWs) – to two and a half miles of Brighton and Hove bus lanes (notably a one-mile stretch of the A23 from Carden Avenue to Preston Drove, Brighton, and a 1.5-mile section of the A259 coastal road from the city’s boundary in Saltdean to the Ovingdean roundabout).

The Brighton branch of MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) welcomes this news, in so much as it is clear that the study Brighton & Hove Council undertook came up with the same conclusions as found elsewhere in other UK and major European cities; in particular Stockholm & Barcelona.

To be precise, allowing PTWs into the bus lanes improves safety for the riders. As well as encouraging more people on to motorcycles and scooters, this will:
– Address congestion by improving traffic flow and improve sustainable transport use
– Enhance accessibility to the City centre
– Improve air quality while lowering carbon emissions
– Promote value for money
– Make better use of the infrastructure and contribute to Brighton and Hove’s sustainable transport strategy

Motorcycles and Scooters have been allowed access to bus lanes in Bristol for the past 17 years and in Reading for the past 14. Both of these locations are a similar size to Brighton and the schemes have proven to be a great success. Also, Birmingham, Bath, Hull, Plymouth, Peterborough, Colchester, Swindon, Derby, Central London (TfL Red Routes) and Bedford, to name a few, have granted PTWs access to bus lanes, as well as embraced motorcycling into their transport policies to help reduce travel time, congestion and to meet their emissions targets.

In all of these locations, despite suggestions to the contrary, it has been demonstrated that there has been no detrimental effect to pedestrians or local bus services. Brighton MAG is pleased that Roger French, MD of Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company (on both BBC Radio Sussex and in a letter to MAG’s South East Rep, John Mitchell), has publicly supported this initiative (with one caveat – North Street in Brighton, which is already very congested with bus traffic), which reinforces the evidence that this scheme is not detrimental to local bus services.

Despite all of the positive attributes of this decision, the limited extent of the trial seems to be at odds with the Council’s own Draft Road Safety Strategy 2010-2020, in which PTWs are named as a priority vulnerable group. Brighton MAG asks why there should not be a full roll-out across the city, given that the evidence in this country, and abroad, is that allowing 2-wheelers into bus lanes reduces accidents and injury?

As such, Brighton MAG is keen to continue to have a dialogue with the Council, to understand the reasons for their decision. However, until the Council can release the study & the corresponding data to us to review, we are unable to draw our own conclusions.

Ends

For more information:
John Mitchell
e. south-east-region@ma

g-uk.org
w. www.mag-uk.org

Brilliant post.There's the facts.

martyt wrote:

Ihopenoonehasthisuse

rname wrote:

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

I don't care what they do or don't pay, I just wish they'd stick to the rules of the road. Most don't.

WHY SHOULD THEY AS ANY IDIOT CAN GET ON A BIKE NO TEST WHATSOEVER ,AS FOR PAYING TO USE ROADS WHY SHOULD EVERY OTHER ROAD USER PAY THREE TIME, COUNCIL TAX CAR TAX AND ALL THAT WONDERFUL TAX ON FUEL MOST CYCLIST COULD NOT TELL YOU WHAT THE RULES OF THE ROAD ARE LET ALONE KNOW THEM ,IF THERE WAS A BIKE TEST TAX AND INSURANCE TO USE A BIKE ON THE ROAD WELL THEN THEY WOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO USE THEM ,BUT TILL THEN THEY HAVE NONE

yep you are absolutely right,cyclists have no say in anything to do with roads until they start paying for the ahem pleasure.

Christ in hell! stop sulking and moaning about cyclists! I am a motorcyclist and YES there are cyclists who run red lights, and use the pavement where it is dangerous. There are however car drivers who have **** near killed me out of sheer stupidity, and van drivers HGV drivers. and before you think i am being biased, there are also idiot motorcyclist and scooter riders, until you accept that there is no such thing as a good road user solely by the vehicle you use, you yourself will be just as bad, aiming all your aggression at one area of the road. GROW UP!

martyt wrote:

Ihopenoonehasthisuse

rname wrote:

longman wrote:
rubberducker: CYCLISTS PAY FOR THE COST OF THE ROADS IN THEIR COUNCIL TAX, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RESIDENT. IT IS VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY THEY DONT PAY FOR, WHICH DOES NOT GO TOWARDS THE UPKEEP OF THE ROAD! YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AS YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IF I SHOUT!

I don't care what they do or don't pay, I just wish they'd stick to the rules of the road. Most don't.

WHY SHOULD THEY AS ANY IDIOT CAN GET ON A BIKE NO TEST WHATSOEVER ,AS FOR PAYING TO USE ROADS WHY SHOULD EVERY OTHER ROAD USER PAY THREE TIME, COUNCIL TAX CAR TAX AND ALL THAT WONDERFUL TAX ON FUEL MOST CYCLIST COULD NOT TELL YOU WHAT THE RULES OF THE ROAD ARE LET ALONE KNOW THEM ,IF THERE WAS A BIKE TEST TAX AND INSURANCE TO USE A BIKE ON THE ROAD WELL THEN THEY WOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO USE THEM ,BUT TILL THEN THEY HAVE NONE

Caps lock is your friend old bean.

Why not make the cycling proficiency test statutory?

Could you please agree for cars to use the bus lanes.Thank you .That will stop gridlock in the city and lower car drivers blood pressure thus saving money for the NHS as well.

Steve Heenan wrote:
Oi, Green party. We, (bikers), desperately want a motor bike parking bay outside the Caroline of Brunswick pub. The ONLY biker bar in all of B'ton & Hove.

No chance mate, the space is far too busy charging up all the electric cars that everyones falling over themselves to waste money on.

One thing that really gets on my wick about this... Cyclists seem to think they and bikers are enemies and we'll run into them if we're allowed to use the bus lanes.

The truth - in all the research that's been done over the past 17 years - is totally the opposite.

In the London study in 2004, it noted that only two accidents between motorcycles and cyclists were recorded in the whole country.

We've both got stupid regulations coming down on us from a great height, so it's about time we worked together.