Make London safer for motorcycles to save lives and reduce congestion

Shamefully, City Hall’s anti-car ideology means Transport for London (TfL) often forgets motorcyclists and their safety. That’s why I have published a new report, Safer Ride, setting out how the mayor and TfL could make London safer for motorcycles to save lives.

My report calls for the mayor to work with delivery companies and large providers in the gig economy, which increasingly use motorcycles, to provide training and set a voluntary standard.

He must also use his political influence to ensure a consistent approach across London’s boroughs so motorcyclists can use bus lanes. This would significantly improve motorcyclists’ safety and end confusion over which bus lanes motorcyclists can use.

Keith Prince has been re-elected to the London Assembly (Image: Archant)

The mayor must also ensure motorcyclists are represented in TfL. He could do this by extending the walking and cycling commissioner’s remit to include motorcycles and setting up a Motorcyclist Reference Group to draw attention to motorcycling-related issues.

Motorcyclists make up almost a third of all deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads despite only accounting for one per cent of road users.

The mayor cannot continue to ignore this problem. For TfL to achieve its Vision Zero ambition to ensure no one is killed or seriously injured when travelling in London, it must make London’s streets safe for motorcyclists.

Doing so would make motorbikes a more attractive transport option. A study in Belgium found that if 10pc of drivers switched to motorbikes, time losses for all vehicles would fall by 40pc and emissions would be cut by six per cent. A 25pc shift would eliminate congestion completely.

By making London safe for motorcycles, the mayor could transform the capital, saving lives, reducing congestion and improving air quality.