Is the UK Legitimizing Motorcycles?

A short but somewhat interesting article I stumbled across today:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/11302999/Rider-safety-tops-the-agenda.html

Maybe just a lot of talk, but I found the part about motorcycles reducing congestion to be quite interesting.

The entire history and approach to motorcycling is different in the UK.

In the UK, motorcycles have always been accepted, and widely used, as a form of transport. In recent years it is true that they have become leisure vehicles much in the mould of the US, but still the basic idea and purpose of a bike, that of transport, was never quite lost ... and this despite out very unfriendly weather at times.

So while we still have car drivers who pretend they own the road, the motorcycle lobby and culture is quite strong and motorcycles are seen as part of an integrated transport infrastructure.

All car parks have motorcycle bays. In big cities, prime parking spots are dedicated to motorcycles. Bikes are rarely, if ever, charged for parking, or charged tolls because they are seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem. It's a sea-change in attitudes, and one that would be very welcome here.

The UK still has idiots who abuse the privilege, and give bikers a bad name but generally they are welcomed rather than merely tolerated.

Not sure that in the UK we are being legitimised, we've always been allowed (even if not necessarily riding legally ). We are still charged tolls on many toll roads, there are not that many motorcycle-specific parking places, no longer free parking in many cities (including London), though charges are often much less than for cars. As an aside, even where there are m/c specific places, they are not signed on entry to a car park, many times I've parked in a car bay, only to walk past a m/c specific area nearer the entrance to the shopping centre or whatever.

The biggest difficulty in getting onto powered two-wheelers is the obligatory training and testing. Every few years the requirements for getting a motorcycling license get more stringent and inevitively expensive. There are many experienced and reasonably competent motorcyclists (including me) who will tell you they couldn't pass the tests that newbies have to. [rant]Without trying to get political, most of these changes in the law are being forced upon us from the European Comunity law creators, regardless of our own requirements.[/rant]

Car drivers are mostly unaware of motorcyclists, but generally won't get in a tizzy if passed by one, whether on the open road or from filtering, the contribution to reducing congestion seems to out-weigh any jealousy. Or they are too busy on their phones to even notice the motorcycle.

Officially, motorcycling is quietly encouraged (apart from the test requirements) but there are stupidities. For example, generally bus lanes can be used by cyclists and taxis, but not motorcycles. One reason I've seen given? "Because pedestrians won't be expecting motorcycles in a bus lane."