Campaigners are furious they were not consulted on the London mayor’s plans to allow motorcycles in the capital’s bus lanes over an 18-month trial period.
Boris Johnson has delivered a key election manifesto pledge by allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes operated by Transport for London on a trial basis from 5 January next year. The move will be made permanent if the trial proves successful.
But cycling and pedestrian groups are ‘appalled’ they were not consulted on the plans, especially given recent studies questioned the safety benefits of allowing motorcycles in bus lanes. They were also suspicious of the timing of the announcement, which was released on Sunday afternoon.
A spokesman for London Cycling Campaign said: ‘We’re unaware of any vulnerable road-user group being consulted. It is unlike any other consultation.’
Roger Geffen, campaigns and policy manager for national cycling organisation CTC, said: ‘The experiment itself could seriously undermine the mayor’s own aims for road safety, pollution and for increased cycle use, yet Johnson has not assessed these risks, let alone consulted on how to minimise them.
‘Worse still, he hasn’t even said what this experiment is designed to prove, and how he will decide whether to keep it or scrap it.’
Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Living Streets, said it had ‘real doubts that the research available is robust enough to warrant launching into an 18-month trial, especially one that has been announced without any consultation with the groups likely to be most affected – cyclists and pedestrians’.
‘Slipping such a large change to our transport systems out in a Sunday afternoon press release surely must set alarm bells ringing in groups representing the needs of London commuters,’ he added.
But, welcoming the announcement, Jeff Stone, spokesman for the British Motorcyclists’ Federation, said it was ‘fantastic news after many years of lobbying and almost losing heart’.
He said there was no need for consultation, because ‘as far as we were concerned, it was done and dusted, and we were waiting for a formal announcement’. He added: ‘We’re fully expecting the trial to go well. After all, no other scheme in the UK has ever been rescinded, and we hope this trial sends a message to other towns and cities which have been waiting for London to take the lead.’
Johnson said he would listen to the views of all road-users at the end of the trial period. He was unavailable for comment on the consultation process.
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