Bikers in bus lanes: the great debate

On Monday, Camden Cycling Campaign co-ordinator Jean Dollimore led a protest against the experiment, calling for it to end immediately. She said: "Cyclists look to use bus lanes as a haven. Motorbikes are faster and less predictable than buses and they can frighten even the most experienced cyclists.

"One of TfL's objectives is to get more people to cycle but this trial isn't going to help achieve that." Figures collected from the Road Casualties of Great Britain show that motorbikes are more likely to be involved in collisions than cars and are three times as likely to kill, she said.

TfL bosses have defended the trial, saying a code of practice for the safe use of bus lanes by motorcyclists has been put together by the motorcycle industry.

Road Cycling UK has a link to a map of the bus lanes involved and says Let's hear from all the London based readers of RCUK on your thoughts on the trial.

The motorcycle lobby argues that urban crashes are more the fault of the drivers, cyclists and pedestrians they hit than the riders: “Urban collisions involving motorcycles are generally not caused by the rider” said Nich Brown “typically a rider will be travelling with right of way when another driver crosses their path at a junction, or a cyclist rides off the pavement into the road or a pedestrian steps out in to the road”.