March 2000

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Strategy 2000
News

8000 Streetbikers were handed out at the show which attracted over 60,000 visitors, double the previous years figure. Over 100 memberships sold and 2 new corporates, bikersweb.co.uk and National Motorcycle Inspections.

Sandwell Council

Sandwell Council in the West Midlands had their draft motorcycle policy adopted by the full council last Thursday, 3rd Feb. This had been researched and considered, with the assistance of the motorcycling community, during the past couple of years and is very positive towards motorcycling. A glossy booklet will now be produced extolling the virtues of biking to the regions' other authorities, which are now expected to follow suit with motorcycle friendly policies.

Birmingham Transport Summit

I took a MAG stand to this annual get together of West Midlands transport professionals and managed to raise MAG's profile with them, being in company with the likes of Centro and West Midlands Transport. West Mids councils have been awarded 5 million to look at ways of promoting the introduction of workplace and congestion charging to finance a light rail network.

Honda UK Rip-Off Campaign

You may have noticed a small campaign highlighting differentials between Honda US and UK pricing. Letters were distributed at Ally Pally with instruction to send to Honda's Marketing Dept. Several hundred have been submitted. MCN have followed the story, albeit at a distance, and pressure continues, with caution.

A BBC producer has been run over by an 85 year old woman while filming a Panorama report about the dangers posed to pedestrians by reckless motorists.

Poor Rachel Morgan, an associate producer on the programme, spent days searching for Britain's worst accident blackspot. She found it in every sense on a hill in Yeovil, Somerset. As she interviewed a local mother about the dangers posed by the road, she was struck by a Nissan hatchback, bouncing inelegantly off the bonnet and on to the road.

It gets worse. The programme was focusing on motorists who drive at high speeds. The lady in the car, I have to report, was driving at a mere 15 miles per hour. Needless to say, Rachel, 31, is now the "office laughing stock".

I am informed that 37,000 people visited the show this year which is around 1,000 up on last year. For whatever reason, maybe the long Xmas/New Year break, Friday attendance seem a lot lower than last year but the weekend attendance more than made up for that disappointing day.

Overall the show looked less impressive this year. Notable absentees were Bauer Millet (HD); Kawasaki's new super bike, mini moto and the Penthouse (Silicon) Pets. However there was plenty to see and buy with most traders expressing satisfaction with the weekend.

MAG used the new show stand and 'uniform' for the first time at this show and though it was well received by both members and non members alike at 6m x 3m it seemed a little crowded and untidy. Around 4,000 copies of Streetbiker were handed out but we still ran out by Sunday lunchtime. We also seem to have gained a reputation for yellow plastic bags judging by the number of requests we received.

I must thank Sam (MBNA) for the work she put in on the Friday and Saturday and the way she sold the card. Credit is also due to the AMBA staff (Ian and Stuart) who performed much better than most of people, I met, who were at the NEC. They were knowledgeable of their own product, took a genuine interest in MAG and its aims and sold their product in a professional manner.

The addition of AMBA together with our own limited efforts clearly showed the effect of positive selling. I would commend to other regions that they try to devote some resources to this area. We will be looking at organising a training program/briefing document for those people who want to sell MAG membership.

The number of enquiries we dealt with regarding membership, aims of the group, what we are all about etc. was also higher than in previous years. We have all met the person who takes a membership leaflet with the promise that 'I'll send it off later' but has no intention of doing so. This year, and whilst it is only a feeling, I have the impression that people went away with a more positive attitude to the group and the membership applications

will follow..

I would like to express my thanks to Daryl Whitby (Bolton)(blagger extraordinary - several carrier bags full of goodies for future raffle prizes obtained), Helen Whitby (Bolton), Martyn Ward (Rochdale)(even though he was so hung over from his 40th birthday party that he failed to make an appearance on Saturday :)) and DB (Lancashire Road Riders) for their help and assistance that they gave MAG over the period of the show. It goes without saying that if it were not for the free time given by volunteers we would not be able to have the presence we did.

In conclusion I would say that we had a successful show. Our presence was greater than in previous years, our image more professional and the penetration of our market better. That said I still feel that we have some way to go before we can be satisfied that we have all the elements needed for successful marketing, via bikes shows, in place.

Regards

Peter Dron on a fast-moving industry

PRESS the fast-forward button to 2010, or Y2KX if you prefer. Thanks to "intelligent speed adaptation" (ISA), road accidents are a distant memory. Cruising along a deserted motorway at 2am, at 70mph, you try pushing the throttle pedal harder: nothing happens. Satellite control of your car's engine management system prevents you from going faster.

Fanatical pressure groups in Britain and France believe in this fantasy and demand its implementation. Next month, we are told, a report will advise the DPM (the letters could stand for many things but in this case it's the Deputy Prime Minister), that "extensive trials have been so successful that a phased programme introducing a new generation of vehicle speed governors in Britain would dramatically reduce traffic congestion, cut road accidents and save lives". Will it happen? Perhaps, and perhaps it will reduce accidents and perhaps (by some miraculous means as yet unclear) it will also reduce congestion. But let us go easy on the betting.

It would be unfair to accuse those involved in this research of intellectual dishonesty, but it would astonish me if they had not set out looking for a particular result, rather than with open minds. The French government favours speed limiters because they would give French car manufacturers a commercial advantage against the Germans, whose superior engineering would be largely negated by their introduction. With some prompting from Daimler Chrysler, the Volkswagen group, BMW and Porsche, the German government is resisting strongly.

Why British authorities should be interested is less obvious. The report claims that "positive benefits would start to flow from the system once 60 per cent of vehicles were fitted with it, since that would have the effect of slowing the overall speed of traffic". But hang on: how does that square with the confident claim that it would reduce congestion? US statistics provide no evidence that lower speed limits reduce deaths and injuries (in fact, higher limits have led to fewer accidents). However, the potential for an unscrupulous government to control the movements of its citizens will worry anyone who troubles to think about it.

It is a pity that these busybodies do not spend more time addressing two serious problems: first, driver training is hopelessly inadequate, and second, there are too many lorries on the roads.

In the final analysis, I expect the measure to be rejected. Government ministers will realise how unpopular they would be, and senior policemen will spot another obvious disadvantage: as the report states, ISA would make speed cameras "redundant", and "virtually eliminate prosecutions for speeding".

Thereby, of course, it would also virtually eliminate all that effortless revenue which is the main reason for the relentless proliferation of speed cameras. Even the most retentive chief constable might decide that this substantial loss of revenue outweighs the desire to monitor everyone else's movements.

Transport Minister Lord Whitty has confirmed the go-ahead in 2000/01 for thirteen of the thirty-seven schemes in the targeted programme of improvements to the national trunk road network in England. Six of these starts had previously been planned for 2001/02.

The Minister announced that the following schemes would start in 2000/01:

A1 Willowburn-Denwick Improvement, Northumberland

A6 Great Glen Bypass, Leicestershire

A6 Clapham Bypass, Bedfordshire*

A11 Roudham Heath-Attleborough Dualling, Norfolk*

A27 Polegate Bypass, East Sussex

A41 Aston Clinton Bypass, Buckinghamshire

A43 Whitfield Turn-Brackley Hatch Improvement, Northants

A43 Silverstone Bypass, Northants

A43 M40-B4031 Dualling, Oxon/Northants*

A66 Stainburn and Great Clifton Bypass, Cumbria*

A500 Basford, Hough, Shavington Bypass, Cheshire*

A650 Bingley Relief Road, Bradford*

A1033 Hedon Road Improvement, Hull

* Start previously planned for 2001/02

In addition to these thirteen schemes, Lord Whitty said work is planned to start later this year on the privately financed Birmingham Northern Relief Road and that letting the design, build, finance and operate contract for improvements to the A13 in East London was at the final stages. He also confirmed work would start soon on widening the M2 between the A2 at Cobham and junction 4 at Rochester.

Following massive pressure from road –user representatives, including MAG, police have abandoning plans to launch a "zero tolerance" campaign for speed limits, whereby they could fine riders who evade them by even one MPH.

After discussions with ministers, chief constables announced

that the plan, floated last autumn during a national conference, is

being dropped because it is considered to be impractical.

All forces, however, have agreed new limits beyond which they will prosecute automatically. These limits, which are basically a continuation of the existing 10% plus 2mph policy, will mean, for example, that a rider exceeding 35mph in town would receive a speeding ticket.

The decision to drop the zero tolerance plan has angered road safety campaigners, who argue that speeding is the main cause of death and injury.

Paul Manning, the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said in the autumn that too many cyclists and pedestrians were being frightened off city streets and that stricter 'Zero Tolerance' limits could be enforced because more accurate cameras increased the probability of prosecutions. However, the chief constables have decided that road users still have to be given a margin to cover questions over the accuracy of their speedometers, many of which are as much as 10% inaccurate.

I'm always after material for the 'MY Bikes' section of Streetbiker, so please, a picture of any member filling the frame with their bike and about 150 words covering their impressions of it.

April/May's issue is security themed so any personal impressions of security products welcomed, but must have picture. Colour print is fine.

June/July is touring /camping themed. So far have one picture from Stuart Doiyyyyyyyyg! on his multi fuel stove - words please Stuart. Other articles are still desperately required.

Toodle pip and Shalom

As discussed in Trevor Fleming's Manchester show report, we are investigating the possibility of introducing sales training for people manning MAG show stands.

If you are, or know anyone who is a professional sales person, and willing to lend MAG a hand by showing us how to do it properly, perhaps you could give us a ring at Central Office on:

0870 444 8 448 Thanks in advance,

For anyone who races, MAGSport now have a superb new Website, courtesy of Pete Devine. Available at:

It has just been announced that Irish Short Circuit Racing will revert back to the 1998 format of Clubman and National Racing; this is good news for Classic Short Circuit riders as although they are classed as a National series their races are run at Clubman events (Is that an Irish one or what?) At the time of writing the 2000 season short circuit dates have not been finalised but here are my plans for the season.

1 All Short Circuit meetings in Ireland contesting the Irish

Championship (including the John Hall Memorial Races on 30th April 2000 held in memory of Classic Racer and MAG Member John Hall who died in a car accident in June 99)

2 Bob McIntyre Memorial Races at East Fortune in Scotland in May.

3 Selected "Pure Road Races:

Dundalk Road Races June

Dundrod Road Races June

Kells Road Races July

Ulster Grand Prix International Road Races August.

From the BBC - if anyone can help, email this gent directly at this email address: David Hutt <david.hutt@bbc.co.uk>

We're making a 50-minute special for BBC1, concentrating on the madness that is Easter Bank Holiday. The programme will look at many different aspects of motorway traffic jams - the science behind standing waves, the psychology of drivers caught up in jams (and all the tactics they employ - does the inside lane really move faster in a jam? We'll try and find out using cars filmed from helicopters). We'll be filming with the police, the motoring organisations, and also putting cameras into holidaymakers' cars.

We're concentrating on the M6 - M5 corridor, looking at people who will be making the journey from the Manchester/Liverpool area on Thurs. 20th or Fri 21st April (Good Friday), travelling down to Devon and Cornwall. Do you happen to know of anyone who will be making this journey then?

The Government are planning to introduce regulations to compel newly qualified drivers to display warnings on the vehicle they are driving that they are newly qualified. A number of safety improvements for learners and new drivers, including this one, are being considered as part of the Road Safety Strategy which is to be announced shortly.

The number of vehicles more than 25 years old at the end of 1998 in Great Britain was as follows:

Cars: 256,392 (1.1 per cent. of licensed stock)

Motor Cycles: 9l,173 (1 1.2 per cent. of licensed stock)

At present, we do not have this information for Northern Ireland.

In a parliamentary question Lord Rotherwick asked the Lords, will greater consideration be given to allowing powered two wheelers, which are both economic and environmentally friendly, further use of bus lanes? As the majority of accidents to these vulnerable, powered two-wheelers are caused by other people, does he think that in heavily congested areas bus lanes would be by far the best place for them?

Lord Whitty: My Lords, local experiments have been carried out where powered two-wheeler motor cycles have been allowed to use bus lanes. The results are not absolutely clear. Nevertheless, I recognise that in certain circumstances, powered two-wheelers can make a contribution to reducing congestion in urban areas. We would wish an integrated transport policy to take full cognisance of that fact.

A number of estimates have been made of the value road users might place on the elimination of congestion from the road network. The CBI have put this figure at £15 billion. Some estimates are lower, but agree that the figure runs into billions every year and is rising.

The DETR has made estimates of the amount of time lost on English roads as a result of congestion in 1996 and produced forecasts for 2010 under a number of illustrative scenarios. The results of this work are set out in a report "Tackling Congestion and Pollution", published last month. They will be doing more work in this area as part of our follow up to that report.

Neither the external estimates, nor those undertaken DETR can be translated directly into assessments of the cost of congestion to the economy. This is because they relate only to the benefits road users might derive from reduced delays and take no account of the costs of achieving these reductions. The true costs of road congestion to the economy are the net benefits we forgo if we fail to tackle it.

Although motorways account for a significant proportion of traffic-nearly 20 per cent. of all vehicle kilometres in England in 1996-analysis undertaken for the Government's report, suggests that they account for only about 5 per cent. of the total amount of vehicle time lost.

The expenditure on road safety schemes was: £ million

1997-98 £7.3

1998-99 £50.6

1999-2000 £39.3'

' To date

The basis for classifying road expenditure was revised from 1998-99 onwards, and the information for 1997-98 is not directly comparable with subsequent years. It may understate the position.

The Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 came into force on 5 April 1999. In the initial three months no payments were made to trusts. In the second quarter £2,671,409 was collected and paid to National Health Service trusts in England, Scotland and Wales. In the third quarter this figure rose to £13,823,013, making the total paid to NHS trusts by the end of December 1999 £16,494,422.

Conservatives reject raising driving test age to 18. The Government are briefing that they plan to raise the minimum age for taking the driving test to 18. They argue that it is 17 year olds to 18 year-olds who have the worst driving record.

Shadow Transport Minister Bernard Jenkin MP said:

This is a silly idea. This briefing is in response to our attack on the delay of the Government's road safety strategy, which they promised would be published `in the autumn' (Annual Report: July). It is newly qualified drivers who are the problem. Other countries with a driving test limit of 18 have terrible road safety records. The issue is what is taught and how it is tested. Changing the age for the test may be an easy way to clear the backlog of people waiting for driving tests, but will do nothing long term on its own to improve road safety. This just shifts the problem of newly qualified drivers from 17-18 year-olds.

"The majority of seventeen-year-olds are perfectly capable of driving a car responsibly and safely. Why should they suffer this anti-car crackdown? The objective should be to improve the standard of all newly qualified drivers.

"Labour inherited the best road safety record in Europe from the Tories. We are as committed to road safety as any party and have the record to back up our road safety credentials."

Nine Member States and the Commission have pledged to organise a car free day on 22 September 2000. Recent surveys indicate that Europeans are increasingly concerned about air pollution, noise, danger and stress caused by traffic. Nevertheless, the number of cars in European cities continues to grow and a significant majority of all car trips cover a distance of less than 5km. Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallstrom said that publicity campaigns alone would not be enough. Public transport and cycling facilities need to be dramatically improved and the design of streets and cities must take better account of pedestrians. Park and ride schemes should be promoted, elements of the fiscal and legal framework of transport be reformed and a stop put to urban sprawl.

The European Commission publishes a six-monthly comparison of pre-tax prices across the European Community. The most recent one covered prices at 1 May 1999; the UK was the most expensive market for 62 of the 75 models covered. Publication of the survey of prices taken on 1 November 1999 is expected shortly.

The most recent Commission report on new car prices in the EU shows that the variations are still substantial. The situation on 1 November 1999 reveals that the UK remains the most expensive EU market with Finland and the Netherlands generally having the lowest prices before tax. Certain manufacturers have cut prices in the UK but this has been offset by a 2.4% appreciation of the pound sterling. Across the euro zone price gaps across all models examined narrowed from an average of 20.6% to 19.5%. The Commission is still receiving a significant number of complaints from consumers, mainly UK residents encountering problems buying in other member states, and it will investigate possible restrictive practices applied by car manufacturers.

The report can be found at

http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg04/aid/en/car.htm

The Used Tyre Working Group, a joint Government/Industry initiative established to consider used tyre disposal issues, estimated that around 465,000 tonnes of tyres were disposed of in 1998. Of this total, it is estimated that value was recovered from approximately 330,000 tonnes. The table provides a breakdown:

Tonnes

Exports of used casings 35,000

Re-used as put-worn tyres 29,000

Other reuse (silage clamps, dock tenders. etc. 20,000

Retreaded tyres 86,000

Materials recovery 49,000

Energy recovery 84,500

Landfill engineering 25,500

The Used Tyre Working Group is currently in the process of collecting used tyre disposal statistics for 1999.

It is estimated that a significant proportion of the outstanding balance of some 135,000 tonnes was disposed of in landfill, either in whole or shredded form or as automotive shredder residue.

The EU Landfill Directive will ban the disposal of almost all tyres to landfill during 2006, requiring the development of further tyre recovery facilities to handle those tyres that would otherwise have gone to landfill. The Government will continue to work closely with industry on this issue.

The Secretary of State's "Traffic Management and Parking Guidance for London", published in February 1998 gives advice to the London boroughs on the development of a parking strategy and the level of parking charges, which must be set for traffic management reasons.

Angela Smith asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to combat the avoidance of car insurance.

Mr. Hill: Evidence of valid insurance must be produced when a vehicle is licensed and the Vehicle Excise Duty is paid. Police have wide powers to stop vehicles and check insurance. As a result more than 250,000 motorists are convicted of insurance evasion each year. When vehicles are clamped and impounded for not displaying a tax disc an insurance certificate must be produced in order to buy the disc and reclaim the vehicle. The department which is supporting the Association of British Insurers is setting up a computerised insurance database with links to the vehicle register. This should be operational by autumn next year.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce measures to make the displaying of a car insurance certificate on the car compulsory.

Mr. Hill: Display of a certificate would provide no assurance that the driver was covered by an insurance policy or was complying with policy conditions. Although the Government have not discarded the possibility of a requirement to display evidence of insurance, it appears at present that other measures such as a computerised insurance database would offer a better approach to the problem of the irresponsible minority of drivers who fail to take out insurance.

An American inventor has filed a patent for the system that the UK intends to use for digitally nabbing speeders. The UK system was developed by engineers at Cambridge University, and they have never filed a patent for the system, but this yank has. He already has a US patent, and expects the European one to go through shortly. He then will "want to talk to the UK Government"

What it basically means is either the system won't be as cheap and easy to use as the cops/government hope, as they will have to pay royalties (ha!) or they won't be able to use it if royalties can't be agreed. Super! See here for full story.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2224182

Scotland's legal system has been thrown into chaos following a landmark ruling which upheld riders right to silence when questioned by police over suspected driving offences.

The spectre of thousands of pending cases being abandoned has been raised in the wake of a judgment which could ultimately lead to the outlawing of speed cameras.

The ruling forced to give way by the European Convention of Human Rights is section 172 of the Road Traffic Act which compels the registered keeper of a vehicle to identify the driver of a motoring offence. Failure to do so is an offence in itself.

Lord Rodger, the Lord Justice General said Westminster, which retains power over road traffic regulations, had to decide whether the act should now be amended. For the time being, the legislation remains in force but open to similar challenges.

Politicians and road safety campaigners have urged the government to close the loophole which may allow the guilty to slip through the net. Legal experts revealed that such a challenge had been predicted and the authorities had been given ample warning.

The European Convention on Human Rights, which has already been adopted by Scotland, is due to come into force in England and Wales later this year says 'that no authority can force an individual to provide self-incriminating evidence'. In other words, even if you know it was you riding when the camera flashed, there is no obligation to say so. It is up to the authorities to prove it.

The outcome of the Scottish case may have far reaching consequences. It is not just speeding and red light offenders that are now being prosecuted using camera evidence; several London authorities are using CCTV cameras to enforce bus lane violations. In theory, the technology could be used to enforce a wide range of traffic offences, such as illegal turns, blocking junctions, or driving the wrong way up a one-way street.

All this 'big brother' enforcement could have the rug pulled from under it if the legal experts decide that people suspected of motoring offences really do have the right to remain silent.

Tomorrows World predicts that by 2025 we will have cars that drive themselves. A prototype can already drive itself around the streets of Stuttgart in Germany. By 2040 we could be driving on fully automated highways and there are those who believe that the flying car may finally take to the skies in the new century.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) are planning a huge expansion in their political lobbying effort using email

technology. MAG currently has an 'email army' of over 200 individuals who have volunteered to write to politicians, civil servants, newspaper editors etc when requested to do so by MAG. There is no compulsion to respond to every request. If a particular issue that MAG mails the volunteers about is of interest to them then they are encouraged to contact the authority in question. MAG will supply addresses and outline the arguments.

For example, at present, MAG is endeavouring to persuade The City of London and the City of Westminster's authorities to provide more motorcycle parking bays. The relevant email addresses are:

comms@westminster.gov.uk and pro@corpoflondon.gov.uk

Those wishing to join the email army should email MAG

at

mag-uk-info-request@meng.ucl.ac.uk

to automatically add themselves to the list.