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Safety and the law
Q: Are motorcycles subject to the central london congestion charge?A: No, not at all; no two-wheeled vehicles are affected.
Q:
Is motorcycling in London dangerous?
A:
On the whole I don't feel endangered while riding in London, except in certain
areas that I tend to avoid. However, although I consider myself to be a careful
rider, in the last four years I have had three crashes, one
of which required hospital treatment. I understand that this is
reasonably typical for people that ride every day in London. After my last
crash, the man sitting next to me in the casualty department had been run over
by a car while he was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing.
His injuries were far worse than mine.
The insurance companies tell us that riders of larger motorcycles have
proprortionately fewer accidents than riders of small machines, but they tend
to experience more severe injuries.
Q:
Can I ride in bus lanes?
A:
There are a few trial area where motorcycles are allowed in bus
lanes, and there are
plans to extend motorcycle access if the trial is a success. One
such lane is the offside lane on the M4 between Heathrow and Chiswick,
which can be very handy at busy times. However, it is still not
generally legal to ride in bus lanes in London,
although it is in other
cities. Many motorcyclists do ride in bus lanes, and I don't believe the
police are strongly opposed to it. If you are a policeman, and this is wrong,
please let me know. However, be aware that many bus lanes now have
enforcement cameras.
Q:
Is it legal to filter between rows of cars?
A:
You will not be committing any specific offense by doing so, but as in any
other riding situation doing it carelessly or irresponsibly is an offense. It is
probably easier to ride `carelessly' while sandwiched between two buses than
on, say, an empty road. My understanding is that sensible filtering is
perfectly legal, and is recommended by riding instructors. My experience is
that filtering is essential for reasonable progress in most parts of
London.
However, filtering between slow traffic and the gutter (except in a bus lane)
is, in my view, exceptionally dangerous, and to be avoided. Car drivers will
not be expecting to find anyone in that position, and will turn left across
your path at every opportunity. [Since I wrote that last sentence, I was
knocked off my bike by an idiot turing left access a bus lane without
looking]. It should be remembered (particular by me!) that, while it is
absolutely legal to ride in a bus lane when it is not in service, other
motorists may not expect to find anyone in a bus lane at all, except a bus.
Q:
Are there problems with diesel and oil spills?
A:
There are particular black spots for this (no pun intended) but it is -- in my
experience -- less of a
problem in London than in many other cities. Naturally you need to be a bit
careful around filling stations, and large roundabouts frequented by buses can
be a bit dodgy. [Since I wrote that last statement, I crashed my BMW K12 into
the side of a lorry on the North Circular Road, when I rode over a
diesel spill that encompassed all four lanes of the road. This was rather
unpleasant but, to be fair, it was the first time in ten years that I
have encountered a diesel spill that bad.]
Q:
Are car drivers more or less aware of motorcyclists than elsewhere?
A:
I think London drivers are more aware of motorcyclists than drivers in more
rural areas. However, London drivers seem to be less responsible, and more
agressive, in general
than in other parts of the country. So on the whole the risk posed to
motorcyclists by car drivers is about the same as elsewhere.
Parking
Q: How easy is it to park a motorcycle in central London?A: It depends on the time of day, and the local authority responsible for the area you are in. Even in the City and West End you can normally find a space in a motorcycle bay before about 8am, and after 5pm. Between these times it can be very difficult. Some local authorities offer very good motorcycle provision. For example, in the Barbican area there are large bike bays with anchors for attaching a heavy-duty chain. Other authorities are less sympathetic. In my experience, Camden is the worst. In this area there appears to be almost no dedicated motorcycle parking at all. Some areas -- not usually the most central ones -- allow motorcycles to park free of charge in residents-only parking spaces.
Q:
How easy is it to park a motorcycle at Heathrow airport?
A:
Well, you could always pay and park in the long-term
car park with the cars. That's easy enough. On the other
hand, parking closer to the terminals, and without paying,
is much less straightforward. The airport authority does
advertise that it has free motorcycle parking, but it is
absolutely dire. There is space for about fifty bikes, very
densely packed, in a concrete-fenced area just outside the
short-stay car park for terminal one. This area is underneath
a flyover road, squeezed between the two roads that lead in
and out of the car park. To be fair, this is a
dedicated bike bay, with marked bike spaces. However, it always
oversubscribed, and even if you can find a space you'll have a job
to get anything bigger than a 400cc sportsbike in it. I've only
ever parked scooters in it, and that's difficult enough.
The other place people tend to park their bikes is inside the short-stay
carpark for terminal three. There is a small area on the ground floor,
on the side of the car park closest to the main entrance to terminal three,
which is difficult to get cars into. Consequently it is usually full of
bikes. I don't think that this is an official bike bay, although I
could be wrong. There is space for about twenty bikes, but if you park
next to the wall you run the risk of getting blocked in, perhaps
for the duration of someone else's holiday.
Tyres
Q: Is London riding more prone to cause punctures?A: The risk of sustaining a pucture is increased when riding in those parts of the road that are not used by cars. This is because cars' tyres tend to throw all the road junk (broken glass, bits of metal) into those areas. The heavier the traffic, the more rubbish that seems to accumulate. A particular problem is the `chevronned' area between lanes or at junctions. This is unfortunate because this is often where motorcyclists can make most progress. I have had about four puctures in four years. If you are particularly prone to punctures, it may be worth considering getting tyres whose manufacturers offer a replacement if the tyre punctures before a significant amount of wear has occurred.
Q:
Where is a good place to get a puncture repaired?
A:
The cheapest I have found is Chaseside Tyres in Enfield (£9; takes about an
hour). If you know anywhere cheaper, let me know. Many mainstream car tyre
dealerships now do bike tyre repairs, and they are generally much cheaper than
motorcycle dealers
Q:
Does London riding suit a particular kind of tyre?
A:
Some people have an opnion on this, but I've not noticed any difference.
However, since you'll be spending a fair amount of time riding on the road
markings between lanes, your tyres need to be in good condition. Worn tyres
seem to be very slippery in these conditions.
Insurance
Q: Is insurance more expensive than in other parts of the country?A: Yes, generally very much more expensive. What's worse, no part of London is very far away from an area with a high rate of theft, so it doesn't matter much where you live if you want theft cover. `Third-party, fire, and theft' policies are about two-three times more expensive in London than in provincial areas.
Q:
Can I reduce my insurance costs?
A:
The reductions in premium for keeping the bike in a garage, fitting an alarm, or
having advanced riding qualifications are relatively modest. Insurance
companies are interested in three things: (1) the insurance category of the
bike, (2) your age, and (3) the number of claims you have made in the last
three years. The exact part of London in which you live makes little
difference. Since you can't do much about (2) or (3), and you probably don't
want to do much about (1), the short answer is `no'. However, there are a few
things to watch for.
First, some insurance agents have special schemes for particular manufacturers'
bikes. This applies in particular to Triumph and BMW since, although the
insurance categories may be quite unfavourable, they don't really reflect the
level of theft that these bikes experience. Triumphs and BMWs aren't
particularly attractive to villains. Yamaha also ofter a discounted scheme for
new bikes. Many small bikes and scooters are sold with promotional insurance
packages, which can sometimes work out good value (but phone around before you
assume that they will).
Second, the advice to `shop around' for insurance is always worth following,
but more so than ever in London.
There is an immense difference in premiums offered by different agents
for the same bike and rider. For example, quotes for insuring my Triumph Trophy
(comprehsive) ranged from £500 to nearly £2000!
Third, if you are under 25 you may find that it is impossible to get
insurance for certain bikes in London. The highest insurance quote I have heard
of was for £23,000 p.a.! This was for a 21-year-old man for a Honda FireBlade.
Do check before you buy.
Fourth, the insurance category of a bike depends on a number a factors, not
just its top speed. Insurance grouping is influenced by two major factors:
engine size and claims history. As any biker knows, engine size has little
bearing on the speed or performance of a bike. For example, Norwich Union
classes the Harley-Davidson Road Kings (67 bhp, top speed 110 mph?) as group
`15', along with Kawasaki's ZX-9R (134bhp, top speed 177 mph). The
categorization of the Kawasaki is probably reasonable, but why group 15 for the
Harley? 1500cc, that's why. When Yamaha first released the R1 (140 bhp, 178
mph) it was placed in group 13, along with BMW's R1100 series. Same engine
size, right? However, the rapid succession of claims relating to R1 crashes
has now pushed its category to 16.
In summary, you shouldn't assume that you can't afford to insure a
high-performance motorcycle in London. You may find it cheaper to ensure a
sportsbike than an old duffer. Most motorcycle magazines publish current
insurance categories for a range of bikes, and these are well worth a look; you
may be surprised.
Villainy
Q: Is it safe to leave a bike parked on the street overnight in London?A: It depends very much what kind of bike it is. Small, lightweight bikes tend to be more attractive to opportunist thieves than big, heavy ones. When I lived in central London I occasionally found my bike kicked over or tampered with, but I never had a bike stolen. It is generally a good idea to keep a bike covered up if it is parked outdoors, and the more dowdy the covering the more effective it is. However, a bike cover needs to be well strapped down; the wind can get under a loose cover and blow the bike over (this is really true; I watched this happen to my XJR1300, which weighs 230 kilos. I had no idea that the wind could lift a bike that heavy). Bear in mind that a big, expensive chain is only useful if the bike is chained to an immovable object. The risk to a bike parked on the street is its being carried away, not ridden away, and a bike with a big chain on is no harder to lift than one with, say, a disk lock.
In central london, opportunist thieves -- usually young men -- pose the biggest risk to bikes parked on the street. In most regions the local police will be able to tell you where stolen bikes tend to end up. Very often the thieves will be too young to prosecute.
Q:
I haven't got a garage, or a garden, and I don't want to park in the street.
Is it legal to park my bike on the pavement next to my house?
A:
Not usually, but lots of people do this. In my area the traffic wardens issue
parking tickets for this, so it isn't worth the hassle.
Q:
Are alarms and immobilizers effective?
A:
No, but you might get a discount on your insurance. In fact, in my area you
can't get insurance at all without one. A true story: the burglar-alarm
siren on the front of my house developed a fault, and began sounding
continuously. Because the metal case had rusted shut, I had to smash it open
with a lump-hammer. While I was doing this, a policeman walked past without so
much as a raised eyebrow. The sad fact is that in London no-one pays any notice
to alarms these days. An immobilizer won't stop your bike being lifted into the
back of a van.
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