London: motorcyclist code of conduct in bus-primary lanes

dummy@example.com (tomwald) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:50:39 +0000

London opens its bus lanes to motorcyclists for an 18-month trial period. The bus lanes have already been open to bicyclists and taxis.
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/ … EPI-105324

What I found interesting are the details of the voluntary motorcyclist code of conduct for riding in the bus-taxi-bicycle lanes:
http://www.mcia.co.uk/Public/Bus.aspx

The [Motorcyclist] Code of Conduct in brief:
1. We share bus lanes with other vulnerable road users, take extra care around them.
2. Be aware of pedestrians walking through traffic queues and at bus stops.
3. Look out for pedal cycles and give them a wide berth, they may suddenly change direction or position.
4. Pass cyclists on the offside only – never undertake.
5. Always assume cyclists cannot hear or see you behind them.
6. Do not use excessive speed when using bus lanes or overtaking cyclists.
7. Do not overtake each other.
8. Watch out for other vehicles at junctions and side roads.
9. Take extra care when riding alongside congested pavement areas.
10. We are ambassadors for motorcycling, riding in a bus lane is a privilege that needs to be respected.

I think it would be cool if some people developed a voluntary bicyclist code of conduct, maybe specific to Austin, that is inclusive of bicyclists who do not follow all of the traffic laws. Conduct also covers areas where laws do not dwell. One benefit of an inclusive code of conduct is that it could help bring in scofflaws and unaware novices. While our current set of traffic laws (Texas, Austin, UT's, and other Austin-area locality laws) together represent one type of a code of conduct, I think it would be helpful to limit the worst of offenses by creating a softer set of codes that shun the worst offenses. I'm imagining a voluntary code of conduct that is less restrictive in some aspects but more restrictive in others. Also, I'm imagining a code of conduct that would be accepted by 98+% of bicyclists who have read the code and spend at least ten minutes thinking about or discussing it. And again, the key idea is that it would be fully voluntary to personally accept or reject the code.

(I recommend replying on the Bicycle Austin web forum. The link is conveniently provided for you below.)

Bicycle Austin forum / London: motorcyclist code of conduct in bus-primary lanes

London: motorcyclist code of conduct in bus-primary lanes