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Public Affairs report to December 2007 National Committee Meeting (Summary)
Overview
The first month with David Short on board has been a doubling of work as he fits into the role of MAGs Campaign Manager and I hand over the responsibilities for the UK side of campaigning to David.
I will continue to handle the European agenda through FEMA with the assistance of Elaine Hardy – National Research Officer and there will be the inevitable cross over of issues on the political and meeting front.
This split of responsibilities with two full time “political” staff to support the organisation will inevitably ensure that we drive our issues forward.
As somebody said, we appear to now have a dynamic team, which I trust you will picture more as Batman and Robin rather than Abbot and Costello.
Apart from getting David up to speed as he “empties” my head of the knowledge, contacts and issues, Europe again features heavy on the agenda including the 3rd European Driving Licence Directive (3DLD), Mandatory Daytime Running Lights (DRL) and the Road Safety Action Programme (RSAP).
To put our issues forward this has seen “trips” to Brussels to the European Parliament to meet MEPs and their Assistants “face to face”, attending a seminar on DRL and liaison with the FEMA Secretariat Staff (General Secretary Aline Delhaye – Assistant General Secretary – trying to retire - Bob Tomlins) basically FEMAs equivalent to myself and David Short.
Travelling by motorcycle (BMW R1100GS) via the Euro Tunnel and motorways I can definitely recommend that you invest in a gel seat and if suitable for your bike lowered foot pegs, handle bar risers and raised screen all helps these aching bones.
However back to business.
Handover
Responsibilities that have handed over to MAGs Campaign Manager
Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) includes seat on the Road Environment Working Party.
National Motorcycle Council (NMC) – Sub Groups to be confirmed.
Technical, Engineering and Environmental Issues - TB
Training, Testing and Licensing - DS
Traffic Management, Planning and Transport Policy - GL
Road Safety and Publicity - DS
TB Trevor Baird. DS David Short GL Gerard Livett
RoSPA
Welsh Transport matters.
Scottish Transport matters with Steve Wykes
Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group (MCRG)
All Party Group on Motorcycling (APG). Crucial through our presence to build up a relationship with the “motorcycling” MPs and Lords.
DeHavilland political monitoring and campaign website we use. This has proven to be a very useful tool especially with the 3DLD campaign.
David has reviewed, as in his report our Campaign Strategy and has applied some oil to the wheel and straightened a few spokes rather than reinventing it. We are preparing at the moment a strategy to focus on issues in the coming year.
As meetings with other government agencies come up e.g. Driving Standards Agency (DSA) these will be handed over to David.
Crash Barriers
Bikeguard as forwarded from Tony Sharp from IHIE (Institute of Highways Incorporate Engineers) the motorcycle friendly secondary crash barrier system is now approved for use on the whole of the Highways Agency (HA) network and it is hoped this will be considered `best practice' on Local Authority networks.
The following is an extract from “Volume 2 Highway Structures: Design (Substructures And Special Structures) Materials: Section 2 Special Structures Part 8 Td 19/06 Requirement For Road Restraint Systems” This can be downloaded from Here
TD 19/06 includes the following section covering the fitment of motorcycle protection to post and rail safety barriers (essentially bikeguard)
3.41 At sites identified, e.g. through accident records, to be high risk to powered two-wheel vehicles, such as tight external bends, consideration must be given to the form of VRS chosen to minimise the risk to this category of driver. Any special requirements must be stated in the contract.
3.42 At such high risk sites, it is recommended to use an `add on' motorcycle protection system to post and rail type safety barriers to minimise the risk of injury to motorcyclists. The Design Organisation must check with the safety barrier manufacturer that any such proposed protection will not invalidate the tests on the safety barrier.
Such `add on' products must be approved by the Overseeing Organisation and be compatible with the safety barrier to which it is being attached as these products are not included within BS EN 1317.
FEMA is continuing the work in Europe and seeking a seat on a CEN working group to represent riders and get standards set to include motorcycling.
However the campaign that has been going still hasn’t achieved the public commitment that we are seeking from the UK Government.
Therefore using a slightly different tack from the campaign website Here rather than putting a petition on the site I have applied for a petition to be included at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk which is the Downing Street website.
The wording is as follows: “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to make a public statement that there will be no more wire rope type barrier systems fitted in the UK. To agree that these are the most aggressive vehicle restraint system used on the roads and that a review of the placement of crash barriers needs to be undertaken, with those identified as dangerous for motorcycles to be fitted with a motorcycle–friendly guardrail.”
Details: The Motorcycle Action Group supports our colleagues in riders’ organisations who are engaged with their road authorities in removing wire rope barriers from the road infrastructure.
Due to the open nature of the design which exposes the upright steel posts and wire cables, MAG considers that wire rope barrier systems are the most aggressive vehicle restraint system used on the roads.
It is the position of MAG UK that the main cause of injury to riders is the exposed upright posts of all vehicle restraint systems.
MAG UK’s aim is to improve the safety of vehicle restraint systems thus reducing the potential for injury and death of motorcyclists when impacting these systems.
Therefore MAG UK is currently campaigning for steel beam barriers to be fitted with a ‘motorcycle-friendly’ secondary rail and to have wire rope barriers removed from the UK roads.”
If we are successful in our application then I will put this up on the campaign website.
However it must remembered that electronic petitions are only a tool and only have some advantages but used in a campaign can be useful.
The main campaign still has a letter writing strategy to MPs.
On that note I am off to sign the petition to petition the Prime Minister to replace the national anthem with 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet.
DRL (Day Time Running Lights)
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Picture from RoSPA Leaflet Ride Safe Here |
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As recounted in my last report Elaine Hardy MAG UK Research Officer has submitted a response to the Commissions consultation paper.
This can be downloaded Here
Bob Tomlins the outgoing FEMA Assistant general Secretary has also submitted a paper through the UN working party he sits on as representative of the International Co-operation Fund.
FEMA has also submitted its response Here
This has been fully reported in December Network Here and the seminar I attended in Brussels organised by Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following the close of the EC consultation on DRL. The seminar brought together the various stakeholders to discuss facts and views on the mandatory fitting of DRL across Europe to all vehicles.
I was able to speak during the debate, with the motorcycle aspects covered by my FEMA colleagues. I concentrated on calling for car manufacturers to take responsibility for the bad design of car A-Pillars that hide motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians; not to rely on gimmicks like DRL and I called on the FIA or its Foundation to spend its time and effort on motorcycle awareness programmes for car drivers.
As FEMA pointed out: “Representatives of FEMA and MAG UK, very concerned by the EC’s intention to introduce compulsory DRL for all vehicles throughout Europe, challenged the road safety benefits of DRL, questioning the validity of the research on which the European Commission’s proposal was based and sought reassurance that the consultation process within the European Union would not be negated by decisions taken at the United Nations.
It seems clear to FEMA that the car manufacturers, light manufacturers and a number of road safety, research organisations and car drivers’ clubs, will continue to push for compulsory DRL, because they appear to believe that it is acceptable for motorcyclists to be more at risk of being killed if it will save the life of more car drivers.”
To set the record straight, what we are talking about is Daytime Running Lights (DRL) which is basically a separate lighting system, normally fitted in the vehicle’s original headlights and of low intensity wattage or candela (power output) by the vehicle manufacturer or as an after market part.
We are not talking about AHO (Automatic Headlights On) which is presently “fitted” to the majority of motorcycles by motorcycle manufacturers and has been voluntary since 2001. The headlights are automatically switched on with the ignition and do not have an off/sidelight/on/ switch fitted in the handle bar switch gear.
Since this meeting FEMA is discussing its strategy and one of the main concerns that the issue will be moved from the European Institutions and Parliament to the UNEC UN-ECE’s Transport Division. Basically from a “democratic” decision through consultation to a technical regulation, which must be adapted by European member states by bureaucrats, Government Officials and safety experts.
ACTION: To turn the focus on politicians both in the UK and Europe and a lobby to write to your political representative on the issue for their support and forward the concerns of MAG.
Note: Since this report, we have been working with FEMA and as a consequence, FEMA has issued the following press release. This follows the previous information in December Network:
Daytime Running Lights for all vehicles throughout Europe? Not at the expense of motorcyclists!
The EC’s consultation on Daytime Running Lights (DRL) closed on November 17th. FEMA’s campaign to stop compulsory Daytime Running Lights for all vehicles becoming a pan-European requirement received a major boost at FIA seminar on DRL this week.
At a seminar organised by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following the closing of the EC consultation on DRL, representatives of FEMA and MAG UK, very concerned by the EC’s intention to introduce compulsory DRL for all vehicles throughout Europe, challenged the road safety benefits of DRL, questioning the validity of the research on which the European Commission’s proposal was based and sought reassurance that the consultation process within the European Union would not be negated by decisions taken at the United Nations.
We were pleased however to see support for our concerns that DRL would result in a loss of conspicuity for motorcyclists, by the British Government. Senior official from the UK Department for Transport, Ian Yarnold, together with a representative of the Transport Research Laboratory, Ian Knight, raised serious doubts about the wisdom of making DRL an issue for European harmonisation and questioned a number of the conclusions reached in the research supporting DRL. Most importantly they maintained that any benefits of DRL would be far outweighed by the costs.
We were further encouraged when the Head of the European Commission’s road safety unit , Dr. Tostmann, said that the widespread concerns raised by motorcyclists and other vulnerable road user groups within the consultation process required the Commission to give further consideration to the matter and to engage in discussions with all stakeholders. He further stated that there would be no question of the Commission introducing a measure that would benefit one category of road user to the disadvantage of any other group of road users.
FEMA new General Secretary, Aline Delhaye, says: “We all agree on the overall objective of improving road safety; however FEMA can not accept the current safety-based tactics launched by the pro-DRL lobbies taking advantage of the 2010 casualty reduction objective. Every life whether a car driver, a motorcyclist, a cyclist of a pedestrian, is worth the same. Raising the risk of one category of road users at the cost of saving another is simply ethically unacceptable. I am encouraged by the Commission’s recent statement reassuring FEMA that no measure that would endanger any category of road users would be implemented.”
To that effect, the announcement of a roundtable with all stakeholders should be seen as a step forward as FEMA does appear at last to have the decision makers prepared to listen to motorcyclists’ concerns.
Road Safety Action Programme (RSAP)
The RSAP was debated on in the recent TRAN committee meeting I attended in November in the European Parliament in conjunction with my attendance for the 3DLD.
The RSAP Mid term review response by the TRAN Committee having regard to the EU Commission White Paper 'European transport policy for 2010.
A bit of a mouthful but the report basically sets out the recommendations of the TRAN Committee how to reduce accidents/casualties by 50% on European Roads by 2010.
Again all part of the safety debate that MAG needs to keep a watchful eye on.
Some of the suggestions in the paper range from the wacky to ideas against MAG positions:
”That ‘speedometers should be limited to 180kmh and red lined at 150kmh”
“Calls on the Commission to develop a long-term road safety strategy going beyond 2010 and setting out the steps required for the avoidance of all fatalities and serious injuries caused by road accidents ('zero vision')
“Considers that ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) should be adapted for older drivers”
“Considers that technologies such as telematics offer, in the long term, the possibility of eliminating fatal accidents almost totally; calls, therefore, for intensive research and cooperation between all stakeholders in order to promote the speedy introduction of the most promising technologies.”
“Calls on the Commission to submit as soon as possible its promised legislative proposals such as cross-border enforcement, a framework directive on safe infrastructure management, daytime-running lights, application of the existing measures and regulations in the field of road safety as well as blind-spot mirrors”
However what was not in the draft report was any mention or consideration of motorcycles/motorcyclist
Amendments suggested through FEMA UK MEP Gary Titley (Labour), Ms Wortmann-Kool (Netherlands) Ms Ayala Sender (Spain) Ms Blokland (Netherlands) were presented.
15.Titley “Whereas road-centre barriers significantly reduce the number of road deaths, however, consideration has to be given to motorcyclist injuries in the design of the barrier.” failed
38. Blokland “Calls on the Commission and Member States not to adopt any legislation on DRL until additional measures that have proven to be efficient, have been taken to ensure that motorcycles are clearly visible at all times” failed
82. Wortmann-Kool “Calls on the Commission to explicitly include the safety of motorcyclists in infrastructure guidelines, especially regarding motorcycle friendly crash barriers on European roads.” successful
94.Titley “Calls on the Commission, the Member States and their regional authorities to pay particular attention to the protection and safety of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and users of motorised two-wheelers, having particular regard to infrastructure measures” failed
96. Titley “The European Parliament stresses that the Member States should systematically take account of the safety of all drivers (of cars, motorcycles, bicycles, heavy vehicles, etc.) and of accident prevention when designing, building and maintaining roads and other infrastructure measures.” successful
98.Sender “In view of the rising numbers of motorcycle accidents, to urge member states to promote use of non aggressive hand rails.” (bad translation from Spanish should be Guard Rails) failed
Most of these amendments did not go through in the vote as they repeated themselves however they raised the issues and those that were successful reflected our strong lobbying.
The failure of amendment 38 was very disappointing especially if you stand back and look at the bigger picture of the EU Commission consultation and the issues for motorcyclists on DRL.
However one “strange” amendment submitted by Gary Titley was: “whereas a rising number of motorcyclists are killed as a proportion of total road deaths.”
I contacted his assistant to get the reasoning behind the amendment and explained MAG view.
If this (amendment) means that there is a belief that there is a rising number of motorcyclists as compared to the proportion of total road deaths, including pedestrians I would draw your attention to the attached document from FEMA, "Position Paper on the EC Communication Mid-term review of the Road Safety Action Programme".
The introduction states, " ...........we believe that it is a fundamental prerequisite to put the absolute figures given in the EC Communication within the appropriate context, also completing them when available with data regarding 2004 and 2005. It is also important to look into the causes of motorcycle accidents, in order to identify valid remedies.
Point 1 says, "The EU Member States have more than 27 million Powered Two-Wheelers in use, including mopeds, scooters and motorcycles, which range from 50cc to over 1000cc in engine size. Looking specifically at trends in usage over the last 5 years, a significant increase of +41% for the PTW circulating parc in Europe can be observed."
Page 9 has a statement on Comparable statistics, "To better monitor the effects of various road safety initiatives, road safety targets should reflect both casualty rates and casualty numbers. It is important to also take into account the size of the motorcycle parc so that when there is an increase in motorcycle usage with a commensurate increase in exposure to risk, motorcycling is not mistakenly interpreted as becoming an increasingly hazardous activity."
Our opinion is that it depends on what way statistics are viewed and the amendment taken in isolation has no meaning and would be viewed by MAG UK as detrimental to motorcycling, without an explanation.
The response received was that the amendment was submitted in good faith however based on statistics from the EU Commission, statistics that in MAGs opinion are flawed as reflected above.
This shows that we as a rider’s organisation must continue our contacts at this level with politicians – we must start to educate them.
Trevor Baird Director Of Public Affairs (MAG UK)
Email public-affairs@mag-uk.org
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