DENIED: DfT rejects universal bus lane access for motorcycles

Despite 95% public support, the government will not be mandating that motorcyclists have universal access to all bus lanes in the UK.

This doesn’t mean that all bus-lanes are now out of bounds, and individual local authorities will remain able to make their own decisions on whether to allow motorcycles to share these routes. You can find out more about where you can and can’t ride motorcycles in bus lanes here.

A consultation by the DfT was carried out between March and July this year, seeking the views of the public and local authorities on granting motorcyclists access to ALL bus lanes. Over 14,000 responses were received, with just 178 people disagreeing with the statement ‘If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes by default’.

Responses from local authorities were low, but more than half who responded agreed that there are benefits to allowing motorcycles into bus lanes.

The majority of research submitted to the DfT by the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) and other stakeholders is said to have shown that allowing riders full access to bus lanes generally either leads to safety improvements or a neutral safety effect. However, the Government’s conclusion was that the safety benefits are not clear. The DfT also argued 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’. The NMC says that research points to there being no impact on bus services or enhanced safety issues for cyclists overall.

The NMC’s greatest concern is the DfT’s statement that ‘At present, the government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles’. Craig Carey-Clinch, NMC Executive Director said that “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. 

“The NMC calls on Ministers to think again and to fully engage the motorcycle sector as it develops its Road Safety Strategy.”

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