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DARLINGTON BIKE AWARENESS DAY
 It was the first Saturday after Easter, the sun was shining, the roads were dry and a deep rumble shook Darlington's town centre.
No, it wasn't flocks of swans dropping from the skies with a bad case of the sniffles, it was over a hundred local bikers gathering outside the Town Hall for Darlington and District Motorcycle Action Group's first "Bike Awareness Day".
The event was organised to promote public and Council awareness of all forms of motorised two wheel transport and the ways in which they can overcome congestion and address environmental concerns.
Nearly one hundred motorbikes and scooters processed from Morton Park shopping centre to the Town Hall at 1:00 pm on a busy shopping Saturday.
At about the same time, the "Commuter Challenge" began. A motorcycle, a cyclist, a car driver and two bus passengers left Morton Park for the Town Hall, with strict instructions to stay within the highway code.
The motorcycle managed the 2 mile journey through the busy Saturday traffic in just 8 minutes, followed by the cyclist three minutes later.
The car driver took 15 minutes (including time to find a parking space) and the bus took 16 minutes to the bus stop, plus a further 5 minute walk to the Town Hall finish line, making 21minutes in total.
Local group representative Christopher Wooff said "The Commuter Challenge result was just what we had hoped for. It was very encouraging and it proved that motorbikes are better for getting through traffic than cars or buses.
The car also had the problem of finding somewhere to park and the bus passenger had a 5-minute walk from the bus stop.
We hope the Council will be impressed by the result and that it will encourage them to promote motorcycling."
Once all were assembled at the Town Hall (thanks to Darlington Borough Council for the use of their staff car park and for moving the Works Department vans so we could get in), the bikers milled around and mingled with the Saturday shoppers, most of whom were friendly, supportive and impressed to see so many bikes.
The new North East Regional Rep., Ian Cook, gave his maiden speech, which was well-received (mostly because it was brief!).
Interest amongst passers-by was high, with lots of people taking the MAG handouts and participating in our questionnaire and prize draw for a year's membership of MAG.
The questionnaire was aimed at researching bikers' travelling habits and attitude to MAG and also finding out about Joe Public's view of motorcycles and motorcyclists in the urban habitat.
The results will be shared with Darlington Borough Council, to help them improve provision for motorcycles in the Town.
We signed up about half-a-dozen new MAG members during the afternoon, then had a run out to a pub on the outskirts for a pint and a natter.
Overall, it was a fun day, with lots of positive feedback from bikers and public alike and we hope to repeat the event next year.
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