Boris comes good

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London has fulfilled one of his election promises and rules that motorbikes should be allowed to use The Capital’s bus lanes. Now I don’t get to ride in London very often, I used to but now that I live in The Midlands, well I just don’t get down that way, BUT, I applaud the move on two accounts --

1. When was the last time a politician fulfilled an election promise? Especially one that is good common sense, hounded by sooth sayers and mongers of doom, including the bunch of loonies that go by the name of the London Cycling Campaign.

2. After a period of adjustment, which will be short due to the extended trials period forced by Ken Livingstone, the roads in London will be safer AND congestion and pollution will be eased because more people are keeping moving more of the time

Ken was anti-motorcycling – pure and simple and undisguised. Boris is a cyclist, he rides a push bike, yet he can see the benefits of powered 2 wheelers (PTWs) and their increased use in The Capital. It will never be like major cities in Asia where everybody and his whole family climb onboard a small, under powered and under maintained PTW.

So why do I applaud this move? Simple, it sends a message out to other towns and cities across the UK and local councillors will now have to listen much more with an open mind to local and national pressure groups. It has already started to happen in Derby where I live, slowly the signs by the bus lanes are being changed to include symbols of motorbikes. Rest assured, it will eventually happen in a town or city near you – and that’s a good thing!