Safe Speed Forums

Calls to ban powerful bikes
By Steve Farrell

Politics & the law

04 September 2007 11:25


MPs have been urged to ‘insist’ Government looks at ‘downsizing’ motorcycles in a letter signed by some of the UK’s most influential road safety groups.

The letter, dated August 1, 2007, says Government should look at placing restrictions on the power, weight and speed of motorcycles. It makes no mention of cars.

It’s signed by holders of senior posts at Transport 2000, Living Streets, RoadPeace, Sustrans, the Road Danger Reduction Forum, the Slower Speeds Initiative, cycling group CTC and the London Cycling Campaign.

It’s addressed to the Transport Select Committee, a group of MPs appointed by the House of Commons to examine Government transport policy. In April the Committee published a reported recommending that Government research the ‘viability of introducing speed limiters on motorcycles’.

A Government response in June said there was no safety or environmental case for such a move.

The letter from road safety groups says the Committee ‘should insist that the government looks again at reducing the permitted weight, power and speed of motorcycles’.

Click here to read the full letter.

I haven't heard the same call to ban powerful cars.

...signed by some of the UK’s most influential road safety groups.

5 September 2007

BMF WITHDRAWS SUPPORT FOR ROADPEACE

Britain’s largest motorcycling group, the British Motorcyclists Federation, have withdrawn their support from the road safety lobby group RoadPeace.

The move follows the publication of a letter sent by RoadPeace to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee proposing that motorcycles be downsized in ‘weight, power and speed’.

Writing to Amy Aeron-Thomas, Executive Director of RoadPeace, the BMF have cancelled their membership of RoadPeace pointing out that the BMF have previously objected to Roadpeace’s stance on
motorcycle safety, but ‘now that you have attacked motorcycling yet again with ill-conceived and ill-informed arguments, you have driven us to withdraw our support for your organisation’ said BMF
Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder.

Taking issue with the Roadpeace letter, the BMF point out that the majority of motorcycle accidents happen to riders of low-powered motorcycles and scooters with a capacity of less than 125cc. In fact a
2004 Transport Research Laboratory report entitled “The Accident Risk of Motorcyclists” concluded that there was no direct link between engine capacity and accidents.

The RoadPeace letter also claims that there is a high rate of motorcycle accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, but fail to point out that in absolute terms, the actual numbers are small compared to those
involving other vehicles. Further, they do not say who is to blame. The BMF point out that motorcyclists are at least tested, licensed, registered, taxed and insured, whereas cyclists, and perhaps needless to
say, pedestrians, do not require any form of licensing to use the road.

As most safety practitioners are aware, the vast majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by other road users, by road defects or by poor road design, but the BMF accepts that a significant number are
also caused by inexperience, however, the Government’s Motorcycling Strategy aims to address all these issues by improving road design and training while RoadPeace has remained hostile to the Strategy
from the outset.

The BMF has also objected to the RoadPeace claim that reducing power could reduce pollution. Modern motorcycles produce less CO2 than the new car average say the BMF but more importantly, due
to their ability to make better use of road space, are far more fuel-efficient than other vehicles trapped in heavy traffic congestion.

Commenting, BMF Spokesman Jeff Stone said: “As a responsible motorcycling body, the BMF is represented on numerous transport and road safety committees and joined RoadPeace some years ago in
order to contribute to the road safety debate and help such bodies gain a better understanding of motorcycling iss ues. This is one of those rare cases where it sadly hasn’t worked.”

Ends

I recall LibDim MEP Chris Davies calling recently for cars with a top speed over 100 mph to be banned.

I recall LibDim MEP Chris Davies calling recently for cars with a top speed over 100 mph to be banned.

By Steve Farrell

Politics & the law

11 September 2007 11:07


Consideration should be given to cigarette-style health warnings for motorcycles, campaign groups have said.


The warnings would contain messages such as: ‘Motorcyclists make up less than 1% of road traffic but suffer around 18% of deaths and serious injuries.’


Paige Mitchell, coordinator of the Slower Speeds Initiative, said warnings should be combined with new regulations limiting the power, weight and speed of motorcycles.

She said: “If health warnings were used to support regulation and make the basis of regulation more intelligible to the consumer, then clearly that would be a good thing.”


Roger Geffen, campaigns and policy manager for CTC, the national cyclists’ organisation, said: “Anything that helps raise awareness - that prompts people think about the risks not only that they’re taking for themselves but imposing on other people - has got to be worth exploring.”

Roger Geffen said stickers on bikes quoting motorcycle casualty figures and warning us to be careful would make a “more helpful message” than stickers telling us to wear crash helmets, which have in the past been placed on bikes by manufacturers.


He said: “If the feeling is that the motorcycle helmet sticker works to influence behaviour, then working to influence the speed at which motorcyclists ride would strike me as a much more important thing to do.”


The Slower Speeds Initiative and CTC were among eight campaign groups to sign a letter to MPs urging them to insist Government look at ‘downsizing’ bikes by limiting power, weight and speed.


Get MCN on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 to see which political party has joined the two groups in their stance on health warnings.

FFS why don't these people just go out and buy a dildo or something, they're obviously not getting enough

You owe me a new keyboard

Over my stone fu**ing cold dead body will I be dictated to regarding my ride's horsepower.

Of course 1 group missing is RoSPA - probably realised they'd loose half their members if they signed.

I entirely agree with Gixxer and yourself - and I'm not even a biker. It's the principle of the thing.