I see that Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik is calling for motorcycles to be allowed to use bus lanes as part of the government’s approach to congestion and pollution. That should upset some of the more extreme members of the cycling lobby who oppose anything driven by an internal combustion engine as being little more than the spawn of the devil.
Well, in some ways, they have a point – any petrol or diesel powered vehicle contributes to pollution in our cites. However it is all a matter of degrees. Given that no manufacturer offers a practical alternative (there is not a hybrid bike on the market so far as I am aware) and hybrids are not yet in popular usage, a motorcycle offers less pollution per mile simply because it is moving when other vehicles are stationary. Time was, when a motorcycle was more fuel efficient too but modern motorcycles have followed the same trend as some of the more extreme SUVs and have appalling fuel consumption figures.
That aside, in Bristol we’ve been using bus lanes for years. It works – a trip into the centre means riding past long queues of stationary commuters in their tin boxes. A positive pleasure, almost. 
Now, if only they could stop buses using them….
—–