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Front Page
Editors Ramblings
AGC 2003
Focus On
Running an AGM
Behind the Lines
The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but…………. Statistics!
Steven Norris Meeting
Pillion Footrests
Local Transport Plans
EC Driving Licence Directive
Jersey and Trikes
NEWS From
FEMA The Voice of European Motorcyclists
Quick History
Automatic Headlight On (AHO)
Helmets
Exhausts
EU Transport Policy for 2010 European Parliament supports motorcyclists
New FEMA Member in Switzerland
Intelligent Transport Systems
Third Road Safety Action Plan
National Riders’ Rights Organisations (RROs) affiliated to FEMA
Odds and Sods
Welcome to New Reps
Website of the Month
Public Liability Insurance
Stolen Bike
MAG Events
Previous Issues
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EUROPEAN NEWS FROM FEMA: The Voice of European Motorcyclists
QUICK HISTORY
In June 1988, national road riding
motorcyclists' rights organisations from France, Germany, UK, Austria, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg gathered in Strasbourg to protest against unfair European motorcycle legislation. Out of this
meeting came the decision to form a European organisation to defend and promote the interests of riders, and the Federation of European Motorcyclists (FEM) was born.
On 1st January 1998, FEM and
EMA (the European Motorcyclists Association) emerged to form the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA). FEMA is the only European riders' rights organisation with a permanent
presence in Brussels, concentrating its efforts on motorcycle and rider related matters.
Affiliated to FEMA today are 22 national riders' rights organisations from 18 European countries. The
Brussels-based Secretariat, headed by its General Secretary, co-ordinates policies and undertakes lobbying in line with the decisions of the FEMA Executive Committee, which meets three times a year and
on which representatives from all affiliates in all European countries participate.
Funding is provided mainly by the national organisations, who pay a percentage per member of their own
organisation to the FEMA.
AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT ON (AHO)
From FEMA Antonio Perlot has reported on the project for Daytime Running Lights for cars and the wider issue for
motorcycles. ACEM (motorcycle manufacturers body in Europe) had made a presentation on motorcycle conspicuity looking at different lighting solutions (different colour lights, shape, position and
composition) mention was made by ACEM on Automatic Headlights On (AHO) as being the first step in the direction of improved conspicuity with a future step whether and how ITS could be used on a
motorcycle.
As most 2003 bikes are coming through hard-wired MAG should have a letter writing campaign to MP's, MEP's and manufactures.
HELMETS
MAG has
received a request via FEMA from an official responsible for research within the European Parliament for an issue related to moped/motorcycle helmets.
Apparently member states have separate helmet
laws but there is none implemented for Europe as a whole this was contained in a resolution the European Parliament voted on in 2000.
EXHAUSTS
Federation of European
Motorcyclists Associations are to work with the European Motorcycle Industry Association (ACEM) on a European awareness campaign on motorcycle noise.
It was agreed that the FEMA Secretariat would
gather information from member organisations on the categories of motorcycles which are most subject to the problem of noise and the amount of the fines due in the different countries.
Certain
manufacturers are totally undermining the promotion of a responsible and positive image of motorcycling selling official pipes labelled 'not for road use' aimed at vehicles who have no
conceivable use anywhere else BUT on the road, e.g. Triumph, Harley. When did we last see a Harley Road King in the TT or GP???
There will be a noise conference involving all the UK riders' organisations in March.
EU TRANSPORT POLICY FOR 2010 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS MOTORCYCLISTS
The
European Parliament (EP) fully supports Powered Two-Wheelers (PTWs) in its resolution on the "White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010". The campaign undertaken by FEMA resulted in the
PTWs being properly considered by the EP. FEMA urges the European Commission on to include this in the document, setting the
general guidelines in Transport matters such as road safety, mobility and road pricing.
Thanks to the support of friendly Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and the Parliamentarian
responsible for this issue, Mr Izquierdo Collado, FEMA succeeded in having PTWs fully recognised and taken into consideration in the European Parliament's resolution on the White Paper on Transport.
This document gives the main orientations on Transport until 2010. The objective is to make sure that the subsequent documents on the different areas will incorporate the specific needs of these
vehicles.
One of the amendments contained in the EP's Resolution is that the "Third Road Safety Action Programme" should focus on solutions to reduce high risks for motorcyclists.
FEMA, together with the motorcycling MEP Carlos Bautista Ojeda, further emphasised with Transport Commissioner Mrs Loyola De Palacio the need to improve road infrastructure, such as crash barriers
systems, in order to reduce hazards met by motorcyclists on the roads due to infrastructure developed without taking PTWs into
consideration.
Antonio Perlot, FEMA General Secretary, comments on
the outcome: "We hope the Commission will endorse the resolution of the European Parliament on such an important paper which directly concerns all the European Citizens. To this end, FEMA
supports the involvement of users' groups in a European Road Safety Agency, as suggested by the Rapporteur. We wish to underline the wide support our positions were given, by thanking in particular
the Rapporteur and the six Patrons(*) of the MEP Motorcycle Ride which is organized every year at the EP by FEMA".
NEW FEMA MEMBER IN SWITZERLAND
FEMA is very pleased
to count amongst its members the Swiss riders' organisation, "IG Motorrad". The organisation was recently created to undertake a campaign on behalf of motorcyclists against
anti-motorcycling proposals emerging from the national road safety institute.
These proposals include a very strict speed limit of 80km/h for motorcycles, high road taxes,
compulsory rider
training of minimum 40 hours, permanent observation of vehicles location and major increase in insurance premiums.
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
FEMA asks to recognise non-compatible vehicles.
At the United Nations' level, plans have been initiated to organise a round table on Intelligent
Transport Systems (ITS).
Using its
consultative status as an NGO, FEMA, on behalf of the International Riders' Co-operation, has submitted a position paper (called in the UN jargon "Informal Paper") in order to express the
necessity to recognise and, most importantly, not exclude vehicles from the roads because of incompatibility with new ITS technologies...
The position paper can be found on the FEMA web-site: http://www.fema.ridersrights.org
MAG's EVSC Petition and Mulhouse Declaration can be found at
http://www.network.mag-uk.org/EVSC/EVSC_Intro.html
THIRD ROAD SAFETY ACTION PLAN
This Action Plan aims at
improving safety on European roads and will include motorcycles as one of its priorities.
FEMA, together with the motorcycling MEP Carlos Bautista Ojeda, further emphasised with Transport
Commissioner Mrs Loyola De Palacio the need to improve road infrastructure, such as crash barriers systems, in order to reduce hazards met by motorcyclists on the roads due to infrastructure developed
without taking PTWs into consideration.
It is also very important to consult the research currently undertaken by the European Motorcycle Industry Association (ACEM), called Motorcycle Accidents
In Depth Study (MAIDS), looking into the causes of accidents. The results of MAIDS must be taken into account to investigate adequate solutions in the area of road safety.
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