Campaigners want a new blanket rule across the UK
New bus lane regulations could be introduced if campaigners succeed in their mission, with the proposals receiving backing from tens of thousands of supporters. An online petition has already attracted more than 25,000 signatures, with over a fortnight remaining before its closing date.
The petition, started this year by Colin Brown, seeks to permit all motorcycles access to bus lanes as standard throughout the UK. Mr Brown states: “We call on the Government to reverse its decision on the motorcycles in bus lanes consultation published November 21, 2024, and make the national default that motorcycles are allowed in bus lanes unless the local authority decides otherwise.”
At present, it falls to individual local authorities to determine whether motorbike riders can use bus lanes within their particular areas. An initial Government reply to the petition was issued in March, which partly reads: “Local authorities are best placed to understand the needs of their local road networks, rather than central government.
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“In the absence of robust data from the consultation, there is little justification for moving away from a position of local authority choice to one in which allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes is the default. The safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear.
“The consultation aimed to gather up to date, robust evidence, primarily from local authorities. While a very large number of individual responses was received, there were not enough from local authorities to provide the information needed.
“Although many individuals responded in favour, the vast majority did not provide any supporting evidence of the benefits or risks.”
However, should the petition attract 100,000 signatures before the forthcoming August 28 deadline, it will be considered for parliamentary debate. You can view or sign the petition here