MAG has received a Document from PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council For Transport Safety, excellent interview in the latest issue of Streetbiker with the CE
Robert Clifford) entitled Best Value, Local Transport Plans and Road Safety dealing with policies, guidance, best practice, funding etc
PILLION FOOTRESTS
MAG will shortly
be publishing a survey on the issue of pillion footrest with concern to an age limit for pillions.
The survey will be available online and the next issue of Network and Streebiker.
EC DRIVING LICENCE DIRECTIVE
Consultation document received from the DSA can be downloaded at http://www.dsa.gov.uk/
MAG attended the Motorcycle Retailers Training
Association conference in London chaired by John Moss.
Paul Butler from Driving Standards Agency faced the wrath of questions from the driving schools and instructors.
The main issue is the
size of the training area and the issue in respect of its implementation and acquisition of the necessary land and facilities and WHO is going to pay.
The DSA the Training schools or the cost passed onto the customer.
Estimation from MRTA that land accusation alone would cost 800 million pounds then there would be the infrastructure and
buildings cost.
MAG's take of the conference was that the trainers were looking for answers none was forthcoming with reference to the consultation document by the DSA to give them the
solutions.
Some discussion on accident rates with a statement that accident rates are going up as the use of motorcycling increases.
Some thoughts that the continued introduction of changes
to the motorcycle test was putting a barrier up to people taking the test by making it expensive and harder to pass thus reducing motorcycle use and accidents. Maybe a bit too cynical.
The driving
instructors and training schools need to get themselves organized with a consensus approach to the DSA.
JERSEY AND TRIKES
This has come through from partly from NABD and
Boon trikes in the UK, their trikes pass German and Netherlands TUV.
An interesting conversation with the Driver & Vehicle Standards in Jersey reference trikes over a certain weight being
classed as a car.
For a resident to import or build a trike over this weight it must comply with the construction and use for cars in Jersey which they can't technically comply with.
Jersey is not part of the European Union or UK therefore they don't have to comply with the SVA Directive.
The conversation was going well on understanding their standards until comments made
by the head of the Jersey Driver & Vehicle Standards. In his opinion that they don't want to, why should they and they would resist any changes by this perceived "minority" group
including disabled riders on their construction and use.
Rick Hulse from NABD has had a similar conversation with this person at which point he pointed out to him that as chairman of a charity for
disabled people his views on discrimination against minorities were vastly different from his.
The make up of the Assembly in Jersey is vastly different have a look at http://www.gov.je/ and
type in assembly members in the search engine.
NABD has also contacted BSH, 100% Biker and Bikersweb so we could work together on this.
