I welcome Ealing Council's decision to allow motorbikes into bus lanes for an 18 month experiment and I profoundly disagree with the nonsense about motorbikes trotted out by Ben Owen in last week's Gazette.

His claim that a majority of motor-bikes and scooter are ridden by couriers and take-away riders is simply not true nor is his other claim that we are all 'speed merchants' who will endanger his safety as a cyclist.

Other cities such as Bristol and Reading have long permitted motor-bikes to use bus lanes without any adverse effect on cyclists' safety.

Carefully monitored trials commissioned by Transport for London found that motorbikes in bus lanes resulted in a reduction in accidents for all road users, including cyclists. This finding

was so uncomfortable for the extremists who run the cycling lobby that they persuaded Ken Livingstone to suppress the report.

Equally uncomfortable was the finding from another survey by TfL of cyclists, as distinct from the cycling organisations, that found that few had encountered any problems with motorbikes where they were allowed in London bus lanes.

In fact, almost twice as many cyclists had encountered problems with buses, so presumably Ben would like to ban them from bus lanes!

Cyclists, scooter riders and motor-bikers are all vulnerable road users who need protection from drivers cocooned in the safety of their four wheeled vehicles. There are examples of bad driving from all these groups. Calling each other names will not improve road safety. There is plenty of room in London's bus lanes for all two-wheelers. If Ben cycles in accordance with the rules of the road, looks and indicates before he manoeuvres, his safety will not be at risk from motorbikes.

STEPHEN BROOKS

Ealing