|
10th Anniversary of the “MEP Motorcycle Ride”
|
Liz Lynne MEP & Philip Bradbourn MEP |
|
MAG representatives headed to Europe on the 19th June to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the MEP Motorcycle Ride in Brussels.
The event organised by the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) of which MAG is a founder member took place at the Auto World Museum in the city.
The message of the event was that Motorcycles and Scooters contribute to the improved mobility of Citizens.
Or to put this in every day language - the event promoted the advantages of motorcycles and scooters.
The event also presented a “hands on” experience to politicians on how their political decisions affect riders allowing them to sample the practical test manoeuvres required in the “off road” section of the Second Driving Licence Directive demonstrated by qualified instructors of the Motorcycle Council Belgium.
Both I and MAG National Research Officer Elaine Hardy undertook valuable networking and discussions with the various attendees on current legislative issues from representatives from DG Transport and Energy, DG Enterprise and DG Research but in particular UK MEPs Philip Bradbourn, Roger Helmer and Liz Lynne.
The discussions with the UK MEPs centred on the 3rd Licence Directive with the strong support from Roger Helmer and Philip Bradbourne offering to attend the MAG Licence demo in Birmingham and strong support for amendments to the directive.
The general message that we delivered was that motorcycles and scooters are part of the solution of congested clogged urban roads by liberating road and parking space and offering better overall environmental use with the strong message that motorcycles are here to stay.
The invited speakers consisting of, Mr. Paolo Costa MEP, TRAN Committee Chairman, Mrs Petersen MEP and Mr. Helmuth Markov MEP stressed the importance of the inclusion of Powered Two Wheelers (PTW – motorcycles – Scooters – Mopeds) in any Transport Policy both at Union and at local level.
|
Philip Bradbourne MEP
Trevor Baird - Elaine Hardy
MAG UK
(Picture Wim Taal) |
|
They stressed that only full integration of PTWs into transport policy it is the first and the necessary condition to improve their safety.
Moreover they recognized that Road Safety is of the utmost importance and that to improve the safety performances of PTWs a balanced approach is needed, taking into account mobility rights and safety needs.
It was highlighted that a key to improve safety is to encourage access to PTWs instead of trying to unjustifiably make access to these vehicles more difficult.
However perhaps they missed the point on “safety” and that is that a large percentage of motorcycle accidents and thus casualties are caused by other vehicle drivers.
We have reports coming out of our ears on this we have statistics, the motorcycling community is promoting “safer - better” riding, there are studies on every aspect of motorcycle safety from what causes accidents to rider attitudes when riding a motorcycle.
We have a National Motorcycle Strategy in place there are various campaigns to make other vehicle drivers aware of motorcycles.
The Motorcycle Industry, Governments, riders organisations such as MAG, Councils, and Police are all part of this debate.
We have gone beyond the pale on the safety issue its time that other vehicle drivers faced the facts that generally they are part of the problem of motorcycle casualties and that governments need to act to address this hard fact.
Trevor Baird
Director of Public Affairs MAG UK
The Oscars go to:
FEMA wishes to thank all the supporters and participants of the event.
Also the sponsors of the event, Harley-Davidson Europe, Piaggio - Vespa and the Motorcycle Council Belgium, for providing the equipment and the instructors for the demonstration. Our thanks also go to all the other supporters of the event.
Pictures of the event are Here
|
