This is the sort of shit we have to put up with as motorcyclists in London. But I blame the folk that elected this sorry excuse for mayor or better still the idiots that decided we needed a mayor in the first place.
The British Motorcyclists Federation have
accused London Mayor Ken Livingstone's office of putting motorcyclists
lives at risk by failing to authorise the use of London's bus lanes by
motorcycles. The BMF will now be making a formal complaint against the
Mayor who is also Chairman of Transport for London.
This follows the leaking of a long overdue Transport for London (TfL)
report in to the use of bus lanes by motorcycles. The report (the
findings of which of not been disputed), shows that accidents were
nearly halved over a three-year period on two trial routes where
motorcycles were allowed into bus lanes. In fact it found that when
motorcycles were allowed access to bus lanes, it proved safer for all
users, pedestrians, cyclists, car drivers and motorcyclists, with a 42
per cent fall in the overall rate of collisions.
Speaking on the report, BMF Chairman Anna Zee said: "Considering that
the Mayor set a target for a 40% casualty reduction across London and
the only group that has not met this are motorcyclists, this is a
disgraceful affair. The report was available in September but has been
suppressed for political reasons. Lives are being put at risk for
political expediency."
Comparing the trial routes of Brixton Road and Finchley Road with a
control route, the report found that accidents directly involving
motorcycles fell by 45 per cent, while those on the control route
increased by 19 per cent. Also down were pedestrian casualties by 39
per cent against a three per cent rise on control route.
On the perceived danger to cyclists, the report shows that collisions
between cyclists and motorcyclists fell by 44 per cent. Summarising,
the draft report said: "These figures demonstrate that crashes
involving powered two-wheelers and other vulnerable road-users become
more infrequent even when considering the increased concentration of
riders."
A year ago the BMF welcomed the news that a TfL review was underway of
its trials that ran between 2002 and 2005, but has bemoaned the fact
that despite repeated requests, the report has still not been
published.
Commenting on reports that Mayoral staff have now ordered a re-write of
the report to avoid a green backlash from the cycle lobby, the BMF say
that this is like living in a dictatorship where everything is
manipulated to suit the state.
BMF Spokesman Jeff Stone said: "I've been involved with the campaign
for wider bus lane access for over twelve years now. These findings
match what we know from elsewhere and I find it bizarre that an
expensive report set up to establish the facts has confirmed what we
have been saying but has been suppressed because it doesn't suit.
This smacks of political interference from the highest level."
