Consultation outcome

Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome

Updated 21 November 2024

Introduction

From 17 March to 16 July 2024, the Department for Transport (DfT) ran a public consultation seeking views on allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes by default, as is the case for pedal cycles. Consulting on default access for motorcycles was a commitment in the previous government’s Plan for Drivers, published in October 2023.

Currently local authorities can choose whether to allow other vehicles, including motorcycles, to use bus lanes on their networks, by adding the symbol to the bus lane signs and referencing them in their traffic regulation orders (TROs).

The consultation sought opinions on 2 potential future options:

• continue with the current position, with local authorities continuing to make decisions on whether to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes on their road networks
• allow motorcycles to use bus lanes by default, as is the case for pedal cycles

In this consultation, the term ‘motorcycles’ referred to solo-powered 2-wheelers including mopeds but excluding e-scooters. The term ‘bus lanes’ referred to with-flow and contra-flow bus lanes.

The consultation sought views from local authorities and any other organisations and individuals with relevant information in order to understand the implications of any change in policy.

Number of responses and analysis

DfT received 14,327 responses to the consultation. Of these, 14,107 were from individual respondents and 46 were from ‘main’ stakeholder organisations. These stakeholders were identified by DfT as organisations with the highest level of vested interest in outcomes and activities associated with the consultation proposals.

Of these 46 key stakeholders:

• 22 were from local authorities
• 24 were from other stakeholder organisations, including police forces, motorcycling groups, cycling groups, bus operators and road safety organisations

Of the 22 local authorities, 1 combined authority and 2 transport authorities did not identify as local authorities when responding and so were excluded from local authority specific questions.

It should be noted that many of the 174 responses from other stakeholders were from individual members of stakeholder organisations, who erroneously stated they were responding formally on behalf of that organisation.

The number of responses from local authorities and stakeholder organisations was low and the findings among these groups should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Data review

With the consultation being open to all, it was possible for a respondent to submit more than 1 response. A thorough review, including a check of IP addresses identified 5 duplicate responses. In these cases, we used each respondent’s first response for the answers to closed questions to prevent over-inflation of reporting to closed questions and combined the respondent’s separate open-ended responses into 1 response so all written statements were captured.

This approach meant that duplicate responses were not necessarily excluded outright but could be consolidated where appropriate to ensure the view of a single individual was not counted multiple times.

Data analysis

Given the number of similar responses received from individuals in favour of the proposals, it was agreed that a sub-set of responses to the open questions (questions 21, 23, 25 and 27) would be analysed.

We analysed all responses from local authorities and main stakeholder organisations, and all responses from individuals who disagreed that motorcycles should use bus lanes by default. For individuals who agreed that motorcycles should use bus lanes by default, we analysed a sample of responses to the open questions.

Across the 4 open questions in the consultation, a total of 3,920 responses were analysed, with a minimum of 500 responses for each question. This proportion of responses was viewed as sufficient to obtain the full breadth of statements made by this respondent group.

Respondents’ answers to open questions were not always fully relevant to the question being asked. As a result, the themes presented for many of the open questions are broad in scope and do not always necessarily answer the question directly.

As with all analysis of qualitative data, the views and opinions reported are those of respondents and are not necessarily factually correct. Whilst numbers are provided to illustrate the prevalence of each response, a consultation cannot be seen as a ‘vote’. Conclusions have not been drawn based solely on the number of people offering positive or negative comments about a particular suggestion.

Responses to local authority questions

This section looks at responses to questions which were only asked of local authority respondents. Each question is taken in turn, with a summary of the responses received.

The questions for local authority respondents were designed to gather:

• more information about existing levels of motorcycle use in bus lanes
• the factors considered in selecting which bus lanes motorcycles can use
• the extent to which use is monitored by local authorities

Twenty-two local authorities responded to the consultation. Three respondents from combined and transport authorities did not identify their organisation type as a local authority and were therefore excluded from questions that were only asked of local authorities.

The proportion of bus lanes that can be used by motorcycles currently varied greatly across local authority respondents, from not at all to completely.

Local authority respondents reported considering several factors in deciding which bus lanes can be used by motorcycles, with safety and the characteristics of local bus networks being most commonly cited. The factors considered by local authority respondents have remained relatively consistent over recent years, despite the increase in freelance delivery drivers (the gig economy).

Out of the 6 local authorities who answered this question, only 1 reported revoking permission for motorcycles to use bus lanes. This was due to the visibility of motorcycles at junctions. Few local authority respondents (2 out of the 6 who answered this question) reported carrying out equality impact assessments on the impacts of allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes.

Roadside videos and casualty data were the most commonly used tools to monitor motorcycles using bus lanes on the road network (2 out of the 6 local authorities who answered this question).

In terms of monitoring the impacts of allowing motorcycle access to bus lanes, most local authority respondents did not have data on the impacts on journey times or number of collisions.

Where data was available, the evidence varied. Some local authority respondents found journey times increased, others found a decrease and some found there to be no change. Three out of 11 local authorities that answered the question reported an increase in the number of collisions (in general, not necessarily involving motorcycles) experienced by buses in bus lanes that allow motorcycle access.

Questions 1 to 5 of the consultation were identity questions (for example, name, email and organisation type). Questions 6 to 19 were for local authorities only.

Question 6: approximately what percentage of your local authority’s road network includes bus lanes?

We received 18 responses to question 6. The range of responses varied between 0% and 15%.

Percentage of road network that includes bus lanes	Number of local authorities reporting this percentage
0% (no bus lanes)	1
1%	13
2%	2
5%	1
15%	1

Question 7: Approximately what percentage of your local authority’s bus lanes can be used by motorcycles currently? Question 8: If none, please provide an explanation for your reply.

We received 19 responses to question 7. The range of responses varied between 0% and 100%.

Percentage of bus lanes that can currently be used by motorcycles	Number of local authorities reporting this percentage
0% (do not allow motorcycles to use bus lanes)	12
2%	1
16%	1
38%	1
68%	1
90%	1
94%	1
100% (all bus lanes are accessible to motorcycles)	1

For question 8, a total of 8 factors were identified by 12 local authority respondents regarding why the percentage of bus lanes that can be used by motorcycles is at its current level.

Comments frequently related to:

• safety concerns (7 respondents): including general unspecified safety concerns (4 respondents) and the anticipated risks of safety incidents (3 respondents)
• consideration of other transport modes (5 respondents): including unspecified comments on the impacts (2 respondents) and comments in relation to ensuring active travel and public transport have priority over private vehicles (2 respondents)
• concerns regarding how the changes should be implemented (4 respondents): including noise and air pollution (3 respondents) and inconsistency in existing policy (2 respondents)

Question 9: What are the main factors your local authority considers when deciding which bus lanes can be used by motorcycles?

In response to question 9, 7 local authority respondents identified 4 factors when deciding which bus lanes can be used by motorcycles:

• 6 local authority respondents identified safety factors
• 5 identified the characteristics of the existing bus network
• 1 identified existing policies
• 1 identified financial factors

Specific safety-related factors considered by local authority respondents included:

• potential conflict with existing bus lane users (3 respondents)
• understanding how visible a motorcycle would be, specifically at road junctions (2 respondents)
• the findings from road safety audits (2 respondents)

When considering the characteristics of existing bus networks, local authority respondents mentioned the width and length of bus lanes (5 respondents) and the reliability and frequency of services (3 respondents).

Question 10: Have the main factors that determine which bus lanes can be used by motorcycles changed in recent years? Question 11: If so, how?

Six local authority respondents answered question 10:

• 4 local authority respondents said the main factors had not changed
• 2 said they had changed

The 2 local authority respondents that reported a change in recent years identified 6 changes in response to question 11. These included:

• consideration of other transport modes
• previous experience
• benefits of motorcycles using bus lanes
• safety concerns

Question 12: In your view, has the increase in the number of freelance delivery drivers (the gig economy) had any impact on deciding which bus lanes can be used by motorcycles? Question 13: Please provide an explanation for your reply.

Six local authority respondents answered question 12. None of these respondents said the increase in the number of delivery drivers had impacted their decision making.

In response to question 13, 5 local authority respondents reiterated that the increase in delivery drivers had not impacted decisions.

One local authority made comments that suggested the increase might have had some impact for that authority, despite its response to question 12.

Question 14: Has your local authority ever revoked permission for motorcycles to use a bus lane on its road network? Question 15: If so, why?

We received 6 responses to question 14:

• 4 local authority respondents had never revoked permission
• 1 had revoked permission
• 1 did not know if had ever revoked permission

The local authority that had revoked permission reported having done so because of a safety concern relating to the visibility of motorcycles at junctions.

Question 16: Has your local authority carried out an equalities impact assessment on the impact of allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes on its road network?

We received 6 responses to question 16:

• 2 local authority respondents had not carried out an assessment
• 2 had carried out an assessment
• 2 did not know if they had carried out an assessment

Question 17: Which tools, if any, does your local authority use to monitor motorcycles using bus lanes on its road network?

Of the 15 local authority respondents who indicated they used some tools to monitor motorcycles using bus lanes, the most commonly used tools were roadside videos and casualty data:

Tool to monitor motorcycles using bus lanes	Number of local authority respondents using this tool
Roadside video	8
Casualty data	8
Video on board buses	2
Road user questionnaires	1
Bus journey time surveys	1
Another type of tool	6

Of the 6 local authority respondents who stated they used other types of tools for monitoring motorcycles using bus lanes, 5 provided further details.

The most common other type of tool used was data from vehicle surveys (for example, automatic traffic counts, vehicle location, speeding data).

Question 18: In bus lanes that allow motorcycle access has your local authority seen an impact on journey times for: motorcycles, buses, pedal cycles, taxis?

We received 17 responses to this question.

For motorcycles:

• 15 local authority respondents had no information on journey times
• 2 reported no change

For buses:

• 8 local authority respondents had no information on journey times
• 3 reported an increase
• 4 reported a decrease
• 2 reported no change

For pedal cycles:

• 13 local authority respondents had no information on journey times
• 1 reported an increase
• 1 reported a decrease
• 2 reported no change

For taxis:

• 14 local authority respondents had no information on journey times
• 1 reported an increase
• 2 reported no change

Question 19: In bus lanes that allow motorcycle access has your local authority seen an impact on collisions for: motorcycles, buses, pedal cycles, taxis?

We received 16 responses to this question.

It is not possible to make a direct comparison across modes considering the low base size for local authority responses. For example, there was only 1 more mention of an increase in collisions for buses compared with pedal cycles and motorcycles.

For motorcycles:

• 6 local authority respondents had no information on the number of collisions
• 2 reported an increase
• 3 reported a decrease
• 5 reported no change

For buses:

• 6 local authority respondents had no information on the number of collisions
• 3 reported an increase
• 1 reported a decrease
• 6 reported no change

For pedal cycles:

• 6 local authority respondents had no information on the number of collisions
• 2 reported an increase
• 4 reported a decrease
• 4 reported no change

For taxis:

• 9 local authority respondents had no information on the number of collisions
• 1 reported an increase
• 2 reported a decrease
• 4 reported no change

Responses to questions for all respondents

This section looks at the questions asked of all respondents, including local authorities, stakeholder organisations and individuals.

The base size for local authorities and stakeholder organisations is low and findings among these groups should therefore be interpreted with caution. Each question is taken in turn, summarising the responses received. As noted earlier, due to the large number of responses received, a sub-set of open questions was analysed.

Most local authority respondents (20 of 22 local authority respondents) agreed or strongly agreed with this statement: ‘Local authorities should continue to choose whether to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes on their networks’.

Individual respondents had a low level of agreement (agreed or strongly agreed) with this statement (1,778 out of 14,012 individual respondents). This was true regardless of whether the individual respondents agreed or disagreed that motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes. The most common reason provided across all respondent types related to whether decisions should be made by central or local government.

The vast majority of individual respondents (13,885 out of 14,089) agreed with this statement: ‘If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes by default’. Only 176 individual respondents disagreed.

Most stakeholder organisations (185 out of 198) agreed with this statement. Only 5 local authority respondents agreed with this statement, although the base size for local authorities was 22.

Safety benefits and journey times were the most common reasons for agreeing with this statement. Of those who disagreed with this statement, potential drawbacks included:

• safety concerns (160 respondents)
• negative impact on other modes of transport (31 respondents)

The vast majority of individuals who agree motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes (13,772 of 13,844 respondents), agreed that: ‘There are benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes. Respondents who also agreed included:

• over half of local authority respondents (12 of 21)
• other main stakeholder organisations (18 of 24)
• other stakeholder organisations (171 of 173)

Around 3 in 10 individuals who did not think motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes (54 of 176 respondents) agreed with the statement. Individuals who agreed motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes who answered this question (13,768 respondents) stated that:

• there would be improved safety for motorcyclists (13,409 respondents)
• there would be reduced congestion on routes currently used by motorcycles (11,851 respondents)
• motorcycling would be a more convenient mode of transport (11,790 respondents)

A small proportion of individuals who agreed that motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes agreed that ‘There are risks in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes’ (1,533 of 13,844 respondents).

Individuals who disagreed motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes were likely to agree there are risks (119 of 175), as were local authority respondents (20 of 22) and other main stakeholder organisations (19 of 24).

The most commonly selected risks were:

• reduced safety for cyclists (516 respondents)
• increased congestion in bus lanes (437 respondents)
• reduced safety for pedestrians (320 respondents).

Many other comments regarding risks referred to safety concerns.

Individuals who agreed motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes often provided suggestions for mitigating risks, such as:

• raising awareness of changes
• delivering training to all road users
• safety campaigns

Question 20: How far do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘Local authorities should continue to be able to choose whether to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes on their networks’. Question 21: Please provide an explanation for your reply.

We received 14,269 responses to question 20.

Local authorities should continue to choose whether to allow motorcycles to use bus lanes	Number of respondents
Strongly agree	1,500
Agree	367
Neither agree nor disagree	749
Disagree	2,318
Strongly disagree	9,228
Don’t know	107

Of the respondents who answered this question, the following agreed or strongly agreed with this statement:

• 1,710 of the 13,837 individuals who agreed motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes
• 68 of the 175 of individuals who disagreed that motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes
• 20 of the 22 local authority respondents
• 10 of the 24 other main stakeholders
• 47 of the 170 other stakeholder organisations

A total of 1,400 respondents provided comments in response to question 21. Comments frequently related to the following themes.

Whether decisions should be made by central or local government

Of the 600 respondents:

• 513 were in favour of a decision from central government
• 91 respondents supported decisions from local authorities
• 3 were undecided about who was best placed to make the decision

Potential safety benefits of allowing motorcycles in bus lanes

Of the 402 respondents:

• 206 said allowing motorcycles in bus lanes reduced risk of accidents
• 187 said there were general unspecified safety benefits
• 13 said it improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists

General benefits of allowing motorcycles in bus lanes

Of the 262 respondents:

• 139 referenced unspecified benefits of allowing motorcycles in bus lanes
• 62 said motorcycles have no detriment to bus services if given access to bus lanes
• 49 said motorcycles were an efficient use of road space

Among those respondents who referenced the drawbacks of allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes, comments included:

• inconsistencies in the current approach to permitting access (231 respondents)
• that bus lanes should be for bus use only (27 respondents)

For the comments relating to the perceived journey time benefits that would result if motorcycles were permitted to use bus lanes, 236 respondents mentioned reduced congestion and 28 respondents mentioned reduced journey times.

Question 22: How far do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes by default’. Question 23: Please provide an explanation for your reply

We received 14,309 responses to question 22.

If it is safe to do so, motorcycles should be allowed to access bus lanes by default	Number of respondents
Strongly agree	13,687
Agree	388
Neither agree nor disagree	31
Disagree	46
Strongly disagree	151
Don’t know	6

Of the respondents who answered this question, the following agreed or strongly agreed with this statement:

• 13,885 of the 14,089 individual respondents
• 5 of the 22 local authority respondents
• 15 of the 24 other main stakeholders
• 170 of the 174 other stakeholder organisations

A total of 1,748 respondents provided comments in response to question 23. Comments frequently related to the following themes.

Safety benefits

Of the 1,112 respondents:

• 650 said there would be a reduced risk of accidents
• 471 said there would be general unspecified safety benefits
• 21 said there would be safety benefits for pedestrians and cyclists

Journey time benefits

Of the 591 respondents:

• 526 said there would be reduced congestion
• 140 said there would be reduced journey times

General unspecified benefits

Of the 320 respondents:

• 145 said motorcycles have no detriment to bus services if given access to bus lanes
• 71 said motorcycles were an efficient use of road space

Whether decisions should be made by local or central government

Of the 328 respondents:

• 316 were in favour of decisions from central government
• 21 were in support of decisions from local authorities
• 5 were undecided about who was best placed to make the decision

Environmental benefits

Of the 173 respondents:

• 118 mentioned reduced levels of pollution
• 38 mentioned general environmental benefits
• 26 mentioned the potential for increased uptake of sustainable travel modes

Question 24: How far do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘There are benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes.

We received 14,278 responses to this question.

There are benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes	Number of respondents
Strongly agree	13,469
Agree	593
Neither agree nor disagree	59
Disagree	32
Strongly disagree	118
Don’t know	7

Of those who answered this question, the following agreed or strongly agreed with this statement:

• 13,772 of the 13,844 individual respondents who agree motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes
• 54 of the 176 individual respondents who disagree motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes
• 12 of the 21 local authority respondents
• 18 of the 24 other main stakeholders
• 171 of the 173 other stakeholder organisations

Question 25: In your opinion, what are the benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes?

We received 14,056 responses to this question, with many respondents selecting more than 1 benefit.

What are the benefits in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes?	Number of respondents selecting this benefit
Improved safety for motorcyclists	13,633
Reduction in congestion on routes currently used by motorcyclists	12,065
Making motorcycling a more convenient form of transport	12,007
Improved journey times for motorcyclists	11,017
Other benefits	4,494

Of those who answered this question, the vast majority of individuals who agreed motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes (13,768 respondents) stated that there would be:

• improved safety for motorcyclists (13,409 respondents)
• reduced congestion on routes currently used by motorcycles (11,851 respondents)
• that motorcycling would be a more convenient mode of transport (11,790 respondents)

A large share of other stakeholders who answered this question (171 respondents) also felt there would be improved safety for motorcyclists.

Of the 12 local authority respondents who answered this question:

• 10 said there would be improved journey times for motorcyclists
• 5 said there would be improved safety
• 5 said that motorcycling would be more convenient
• 5 said there would be reduced congestion

A total of 662 respondents provided comments to the open question regarding the benefits of allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes. Comments frequently related to the following themes.

Environmental benefits

Of the 246 respondents:

• 192 mentioned reduced pollution
• 41 mentioned general unspecified environmental benefits
• 15 mentioned reduced damage to road surfaces
• 10 mentioned promoting the uptake of environmentally friendly modes of travel

Safety benefits

Of the 229 respondents:

• 134 mentioned reduced risk of accidents
• 67 mentioned unspecified safety benefits
• 23 mentioned improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists

Journey time benefits

Of the 133 respondents:

• 107 mentioned benefits arising from reduced congestion
• 36 mentioned reduced journey times

Modal shift

Of the 98 respondents:

• 86 mentioned promoting the uptake of motorcycles as a mode of transport
• 24 mentioned reducing levels of car usage

General benefits

97 respondents mentioned general unspecified benefits.

Question 26: How far do you agree or disagree with the following statement: ‘There are risks in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes.

We received 14,281 responses to this question.

There are risks in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes	Number of respondents
Strongly agree	208
Agree	1,522
Neither agree nor disagree	2,512
Disagree	3,911
Strongly disagree	6,062
Don’t know	66

Of those respondents who answered this question, the following agreed or strongly agreed with this statement:

• 1,533 of the 13,844 individuals who agree motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes
• 119 of the 175 individuals who disagree motorcycles should be allowed in bus lanes
• 20 of the 22 local authority respondents
• 19 of the 24 other main stakeholder organisations
• 171 of the 174 other stakeholder organisations

Question 27: In your opinion, what are the risks in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes?

We received 1,708 responses to this question, with many respondents selecting more than 1 risk.

What are the risks in allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes?	Number of respondents selecting this risk
Reduced safety for cyclists	516
Reduced safety for pedestrians	320
Slower bus journey times	132
Increased congestion in bus lanes	437
Another risk	1,016

Of the 20 local authority respondents who answered this question:

• 16 said there would be reduced safety for motorcyclists
• 15 said there would be slower bus journey times
• 14 said there would be increased congestion in bus lanes
• 11 said there would be reduced safety for pedestrians

118 of the individual respondents who answered this question and also disagreed that motorcycles should be permitted in bus lanes said that:

• there would be reduced safety for cyclists (96 out of 118 respondents)
• increased congestion in bus lanes (80 respondents)
• reduced safety for pedestrians (75 respondents)
• there would be slower bus journey times (57 respondents)

A total of 574 respondents provided comments to the open question element of question 27.

The most frequent comments related to safety concerns (419 respondents) and suggestions for implementation (52 respondents). For safety concerns:

• 219 respondents mentioned the reduced risk of accidents or collisions
• 71 respondents mentioned the behaviour of motorcyclists
• 39 respondents mentioned the treatment of motorcyclists by other road users
• 28 respondents mentioned the potential risks to pedestrians and cyclists

Some respondents provided suggestions for how the policy should be implemented:

• 24 respondents said implementation should ensure a high level of awareness of any change in policy, supported by the delivery of safety campaigns
• 14 respondents mentioned delivering training for all types of road users
• 10 respondents referenced design considerations, such as the use of signage
• 9 respondents mentioned the need for enforcement of any new regulations

Question 28: Do you have any relevant information that you can share with us (research, studies, reviews, reports of trials, statistics)? Question 29: If so, please supply upload

We received 14,271 responses to question 28.

• 11,750 said they did not have any information to share
• 1,188 said they did
• 1,333 did not know

A total of 1,164 respondents provided a comment at question 29. The majority were comments relating to the personal experience of motorcycling. However, many respondents referred to or provided links regarding:

• stakeholder organisations data collection and evidence 
• transport authorities’ data collection and evidence 
• examples of cities and areas where motorcycle use in bus lanes is currently permitted 
• data collection from previous trials 
• local authority reports and press releases 
• central government reports and data collection
• generalised comments from respondents regarding motorcycles being permitted in bus lanes. 

DfT researched this policy area in 2007 and the result was inconclusive. This consultation was designed to gather more up to date information primarily from local authorities, but the base size was too small to draw useful conclusions.

The additional evidence provided in response to this question was varied. It included evidence from local and international trials, briefing notes from stakeholder groups and academic research, highlighting both the potential benefits and risks of allowing motorcycles to access bus lanes.

Question 30: additional comments

Finally, respondents were asked to provide any comments they had in relation to the consultation generally.

A total of 302 comments were provided that captured themes and sub-themes which had not been encountered in previous open-ended questions.

Most of these comments included new suggestions for implementation, either covering the specific proposals raised in the consultation or as part of facilitating motorcycling more generally. The most common sub-themes included:

• reducing the number of restrictions experienced by motorcyclists (for example, permitting the use of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and advanced stop lines and riding on the hard shoulder on motorways) 
• reforming the procedures around motorcyclist training, testing and management of licencing 
• permitting a range of other types of motorcycles in bus lanes, such as 3 and 4-wheeled bikes and motorcycles with sidecars 
• ensuring that a range of stakeholder groups (for example, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Motorcycle Action Group and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) are engaged with throughout the process 
• increased enforcement of cycling and e-scooter activity, including greater emphasis on licencing, training and insurance requirements
• references to international case studies where motorcycles are currently permitted in bus lanes by default

Summary

DfT has considered the suggestions for exempting motorcycles from other restrictions. The consultation focused on access to bus lanes. DfT does not intend to change any of the current restrictions as a result of this consultation. Further work would be needed to consider the implications of the other changes suggested and there are no plans to do this.

Comments were received regarding licencing, training and testing. The government is still formulating its positions and policies across the range of transport issues. The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this government and that is why DfT is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy, which is the first in over a decade. DfT will set out next steps on this in due course.

E-scooters

For e-scooters, within the e-scooter trials running in England, the government has set requirements for how the trials will run. These include a requirement for users to hold a provisional driving licence and to complete training before they can ride a trial e-scooter. To enforce responsible riding, operators employ a number of measures including:

• speed limits
• geofencing
• end of ride photos
• fines

It remains illegal for private e-scooters to be used on public roads unless they meet all legal requirements of a motor vehicle (including insurance and licencing), which most do not.

Those riding illegally and/or irresponsibly are subject to the same road traffic offences and penalties for unlawful use as all other motor vehicles.

What will happen next

DfT has considered the responses and is grateful for the feedback received.

The safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear at this time. Where data is available, the evidence varies. The response rate to this consultation, from local authorities and stakeholder organisations, was low and did not provide a robust evidence base on which to amend the current policy.

Research on the potential safety impacts for cyclists, and the impact on bus services would be needed to form the evidence base for any change in policy.

The cost to local authorities in new traffic signs and Traffic Regulation Orders of mandating such a change for existing bus lanes would be considerable. Without strong evidence of the benefits and a better understanding of the risks, this cannot be justified.

At present, the government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles. The existing position, that local authorities can allow motorcycles into bus lanes at their discretion, aligns with wider government policy on bus service improvements, encouraging walking and cycling and devolving powers to local authorities.

DfT is strongly convinced that local authorities are best placed to understand the needs of their local road network rather than central government. In the absence of robust data from the consultation, there is little justification for moving away from a position of local authority choice to one in which allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes is the default.

In 2024, DfT published Traffic Advisory Leaflet (TAL) 1/24. The leaflet:

• updated references to legislation
• reminded local authorities of their powers
• encouraged local authorities to consider whether to allow motorcycles into bus lanes on their road networks

It sets out various factors to consider in making those decisions.

This consultation did highlight issues regarding the current approach to permitting access. In urban areas permissions can change frequently at borough boundaries and this can lead to uncertainty.

To help address this, DfT will update TAL 1/24 to include advice that local authorities should work with neighbouring authorities to achieve consistency of provision across boundaries, particularly in urban areas.

DfT will also consider how best to work with the metro mayors, combined authorities and Transport for London, to encourage a more joined up approach to motorcycle access in these areas.     

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions are amended from time to time. Although there are no current plans to do so, the responses to this consultation will be taken into account if DfT makes future regulatory changes.

Consultation principles

This consultation was conducted in line with the government’s consultation principles.

If you have any comments about the consultation process, contact:

Consultation Co-ordinator
Department for Transport
Zone 1/29 Great Minster House
London SW1P 4DR

Email: consultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk