After complaints of long lines at the toll booth, and a lobbying effort by a local motorcycle association, councillors in Southampton, England decided to give bikers free passage over the Itchen Bridge.

Long lines of vehicles at the toll booth grew as bikers had to stop their bikes, put them in neutral, pull their glove off, dig into their pockets, pay the toll, put their glove back on, get back in gear, and get going...

So to remedy that problem, they gave motorcycles free access...

It follows lobbying by the Southampton Motorcycle Action Group, which said that it would help end queues of waiting cars.

The move will result in a net loss of £20,000 each year for the city.

According to comments posted on the city's daily newspaper, the decision is not being well received by cagers.

Source: The Daily Echo

Labels: Toll Roads, UK Motorcycle Laws

Here's an article published by Politics.co.uk, regarding the UK's consideration of letting motorcycles ride on bus lanes.

http://www.politics.co.uk/....469573.htm

This isn't legislation they're pursuing, rather it's the mother country asking local governments to consider the idea.

Any additional lanes that motorcycles get to ride in sounds like a good idea to me, considering I ride motorcycles. But if you think about this, it starts to sound as if the government wants to discourage the creation of bus lanes.

The article also went on to say that the British government officially recognized motorcycles as offering unique advantages to commuters...

Providing independence and mobility
Widening employment opportunities, especially where public transport is limited
Providing a shorter journey time in congested traffic conditions
Reducing overall congestion and more efficiently using roads and parking spaces

Ah! It's that last statement, "Reducing overall congestion and more efficiently using roads and parking spaces". Isn't that why we have mass-transit in the first place? And yet, the British government now recognizes motorcycles as offering the same solution.

Could it really be that the government is asking its local towns and counties, "Hey, before you commit to building more bus lanes, think about encouraging people to ride motorcycles instead"?

Last January I posted an article about the idea of creating "motorcycle lanes" in the USA. It fielded only one commenter who basically laughed at the idea, saying it would never happen.

There are indeed some places in the world where motorcycles are given a special place on the streets. In Taiwan, at busy intersections, motorcycles enjoy a special "waiting zone" at the front of the intersection. Cars remain in the back. Since bikes accelerate faster, it allows the congestion to clear itself more quickly.

I guess all I'm saying is that governments ought to recognize the unique advantages that motorcycles offer, and design an infrastructure that capitalizes on it. Maybe Britain is getting to that point.

Labels: Traffic Congestion, UK Motorcycle Laws