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Motorcycling in the 21st Century
The largest survey ever of motorcycle use in the United Kingdom is being undertaken by Alan Tilly, author of the 'Sandwell Strategy for Powered Two Wheelers' and honorary life member of the Motorcycle Action
Group.
The survey is being conducted as part of Alan's part-time PhD at the University of Southampton researching 'The Role of Motorcycling in the Twenty First Century'.
The reason for
this work stems from the 1998 Transport White Paper in which it became apparent that the Government was unclear as to their position regarding motorcycles. They accepted that motorcycles are an affordable mode of
transport but were unsure whether they offer benefits for the environment and for congestion. It mentioned that this 'depends on the purpose of the journey, the size of motorcycle used and the type of transport
that the rider has switched from. Mopeds and small motorcycles may produce benefits if they substitute car use but not if people switch from walking, cycling or public transport'
The purpose of the
research is to find out in what circumstances motorcycle use is 'good', that is when it is helping to alleviate traffic congestion, cut carbon dioxide emissions and provide people with access to jobs,
healthcare and education. When this has been identified, the next stage is to produce advice as to how this can be achieved, in other words, how to get the right sort of people, riding the right type of motorcycle
for the right sort of trips. To do this Alan needs to understand what are the factors that determine a person's decision to ride a motorcycle and he can only find this out by asking riders themselves, hence the
survey.
Alan says, "For example, from the survey I will be able to understand why somebody who used to drive a car to work started to ride, say, a scooter. I will then be able to produce advice upon the
'buttons that need to be pressed' in order to get others to do the same. The target is to generate 10,000 replies, but with your support I hope to beat that."
MAG supports Alan's survey. The
bigger response he receives, the better this analysis of the data will be to help the Government and Councils make informed decisions upon how they can make motorcycling safer and more convenient.
It's your chance to have a say for Motorcycling in the 21st century.
You can either complete the survey on line by visiting www.motorcyclesurvey.org or
receive a paper version, 15,000 questionnaires have been printed, and each comes with a pre-paid envelope. If you would like to receive copies to fill in yourself or pass to or could help distribute them around your
local motorcycle dealers, training schools, clubs or events, contact Alan either by email alan@tilly77.freeserve.co.uk or telephone 07870 869604.
Notes.
The Sandwell Motorcycle Strategy is available at
http://www.network.mag-uk.org/documents/Sandwell_Motorcycle_Strategy.doc
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