Two MEPs will get a taste of biking politics this weekend when they attend a briefing on the implications that proposed new licencing laws will have on the future of motorcycling in the UK.The Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party, Mike Nattrass, MEP for the West Midlands and Gerard Batten UKIP MEP for the London Region, will attend a meeting arranged by the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) at the Holiday Inn Express, Wembley, this Sunday 6th November, followed by a visit to the world famous Ace Cafe London, where they will be met by the Mayor for the London Borough of Brent, Councillor Colum Moloney.
The briefing, to be carried out by the BMF and the Motorcycle Action Group Public Affairs teams, follows a recent demonstration protest ride to the Brussels Parliament when riders from across Europe joined around three hundred UK motorcyclists in a protest aimed at stopping the introduction of the Third European Community Driving Licence Directive - new licencing laws that, say the BMF, will decimate the future of motorcycling.
The main concern is that the motorcycle-related aspects will simply make motorcycling less accessible to prospective users, not safer. Legislation should be properly formulated and intended to reduce casualties by making motorcycling safer for everyone say the BMF. The BMF regards the motorcycling elements of the Directive as unworkable with few, if any, benefits to motorcycling but considerable disincentives to ride motorcycles.
Welcoming the interest of the MEPs, BMF Government Relations Executive Trevor Magner said: “Feedback from MEPs after October’s Brussels’ demonstration indicated a degree of misunderstanding over the wide implications of this directive so this briefing is intended to put the case for the motorcycling lobby as we see it.”
Essentially, the Third EU Driving Licence Directive will mean that the minimum age for riding motorcycles over 125cc rises from 17 to 19 and the age level for direct access to a larger machine rises from 21 to 24 - all this without any evidence of a safety benefit, say the BMF. Equally, further hurdles in the shape of new categories of motorcycle licences involving two-yearly steps between bikes of different engine sizes and extra riding tests between steps would be introduced, once again, with no identified safety benefits.
The new proposals, due to be introduced in five years time, have completely ignored research say the BMF that showed that the major cause of motorcycle accidents were low-speed collisions in an urban environment - more often than not the fault of the other driver - not the rider. This was just one of the conclusions of the recent two and a half million euro (€2.5 million) ‘Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study’ (MAIDS), funded by European taxpayers, the motorcycle industry and other bodies, including the BMF.
MAIDS research showed that the three key factors in rider safety are the behaviour of other road users, rider experience and the road environment, but the Directive has ignored these.
The BMF will be asking that the European Parliament calls for a full Second Reading under the Co-decision process taking it to Conciliation with the objective of:
· Removing motorcycling measures from the Directive
· Proposing a separate motorcycling directive in 3 years
· Establishing new research, reviewing existing research and reviewing best practice to inform the new directive.
Timetable for briefing meetingSunday 6th November 10.30am
Arrival at Holiday Inn Express, Wembley - Northdale House, North Circular Road, London, NW 10 7UG - refreshments will be available.
11.00am - Briefing from BMF and MAG UK Public Affairs Team - UK perspective on European motorcycling issues to include briefing on 3rd Driving Licence Directive and other topics of interest to UK motorcyclists.
12.00noon - Ace Cafe London - world famous biker’s cafe. Meet Mayor for London Borough of Brent, Councillor Colum Moloney. Ace Cafe London, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD - aprox 5 minutes walk from Holiday Inn.
1.30pm – Finish
Related Linkswww.bmf.co.ukwww.ace-cafe-london.com
