David Williams: Spare a thought for the forgotten bikers

Being forced to use the centre of the road to filter can also put bikers in direct conflict with oncoming vehicles. Motorcyclists need to be able to choose the safe path.

I appreciate Advanced Stop Line boxes while I’m pedalling, but must they be exclusively for cyclists and not motorcyclists, who venture in on peril of penalty? They have robbed motorcyclists of a valuable safe haven they traditionally relied on, and which enabled them to avoid being rear-ended by the surge of trucks, buses and other vehicles when they pull away at a green light. Motorcyclists must now take their chances in the “mincer”, as traffic cops once called it.

A wider, more deadly problem across London, however, is the wholesale narrowing of roads to create cycle-only lanes, making manoeuvring and filtering more hazardous. Take the roads around St George’s Circus. Before the redesign, it felt safe, with room to manoeuvre a bike. Now (admittedly the schemes aren’t completed yet) it feels cramped and unsafe. Too often, motorcycles must now queue in line as there are too few opportunities to slip safely past. There’s a similar problem at the redesigned roundabout at the southern end of Chelsea Bridge and southbound on Vauxhall Bridge.

Daily, it seems, further “improved” junctions appear — but improved for who? Do none of the traffic engineers ride motorcycles or understand motorcyclists’ needs?

TfL says it backs motorcycling, stating that motorcycle casualties have halved since 2000. They opened up their bus lanes to riders, improving safety for bikers and cyclists. This year, they promised to make junctions safer for motorcyclists. But many riders believe they are being pushed aside in the scramble to make cycling safer.

TfL figures show that cyclists comprise three per cent of London traffic, with motorcyclists accounting for two per cent. But while one group is the focus of intensive funding and outcry, the other is not. Last year, while 13 cyclists tragically lost their lives in London, with 419 seriously injured, 27 motorcyclists died, with 499 seriously hurt. How much attention did they get? How much — compared to the £160 million spent on the new Cycle Superhighway alone — is being spent on motorcycle safety?

We might find out soon. On October 15, London Assembly Transport Committee is investigating motorcycle safety. Let’s hope they do a decent job — about 130,000 motorcyclists’ safety depends on it.

I travel by bicycle much more frequently than I motorcycle — and that’s the point; Londoners should be free to choose how they travel. And be free to do so without having their safety undermined or unreasonable obstacles placed in their way. Authorities across London have gone so cycle-crazy they seem to have forgotten this.

@djrwilliams