Richard Holden MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, is in favour of giving bikes blanket access to bus lanes in London.

Speaking to MCN, he said: “I drive to my constituency through London, and you see bus lanes which often have no people or vehicles in them, and you’ve got motorcyclists being forced to weave through traffic.” He added: “It takes a moment’s lapse of concentration from a driver for that to be a real issue. It’s not about apportioning blame; it’s about getting to a situation which is safer for motorcyclists….It really struck me that one of the most sensible things you can do is where possible open up bus lanes as the basic standard.”

Current government policy leaves the bikes in bus lanes decision to local authorities. That’s despite a four-month Department for Transport (DfT) consultation in 2024 in which a majority of over 14,000 responders agreed with the statement, ‘If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes.’

The DfT argues that local authorities are best placed to make the decision, and that the cost of changing the law (and road signs) to allow blanket access would be “considerable.”

At the BMF, chair Jim Freeman said: “ The BMF’s position is crystal clear, bikes should have default access to bus lanes everywhere.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

All images authors own.