The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) has been invited by the Department of
Transport to comment on the Government's Draft Local Transport Bill. The Local
Transport Bill is a key part of the Government's strategy to meet the
transport challenges of not only today, but in ten and twenty year’s time.
The three key areas of the strategy, addresses public transport, the
governance for managing local transport and the issue of road pricing. MAG
have worked relentlessly to persuade Government of the advantages and benefits
which motorcycling offers to ease traffic congestion, improve the environment
as well as enhancing social mobility and the economic prosperity of the
nation.
The effort was rewarded by the release of the Government's Motorcycling
Strategy which acknowledges motorcycling as a legitimate and viable transport
mode which should be central to local transport planning and mainstreamed into
transport policy. The Government's commitment to motorcycling was reinforced
in their response to the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee's scrutiny
of the strategy.
Moves by Road Peace and other road safety movements to undermine motorcycling
have been discredited. Their claims that motorcycling is dangerous and adds to
pollution can be rebutted by hard evidence from the Government's own sources.
Motorcycling is becoming safer. Speed is not an factor. Only 4% of motorcycle
crashes involved exceeding the speed limit and only 9% of crashes involved
travelling too fast for the conditions. There is no correlation between the
size of motorcycle and casualty rates.
In terms of pollution, motorcycles meet stringent Euro 3 regulations and are
far less polluting than cars. (This has been acknowledged by an EU Commission
report). Especially when those cars are sat in traffic jams doing zero miles
to the gallon!
With regards to congestion charging, MAG holds the view that those modes of
powered personal transport which are the least polluting and promote movement
of traffic such as motorcycles, should be exempt from charging. MAG has
recommended that the London congestion charge scheme should be recognised as
best practice where motorcycles are exempt from the charge. Their use has
increased and casualty rates have decreased significantly.
MAG supports the Government's commitment to encourage local authorities to
allow motorcycles in bus lanes and to accommodate motorcycle only parking
bays. These are measures that will contribute to the objectives of the Local
Transport Bill.
MAG Campaigns Manager David Short says, " We are delighted that the Government
has asked MAG to contribute to the consultation exercise, we will continue to
ensure that motorcycling is recognised as an answer to the problem of traffic
congestion and should be exempt from charging regimes.
We will continue to fight the prejudice pedalled by elements of the road
safety lobby who are sounding increasingly more strident as their wild claims
are rebutted by hard facts and common sense.
Those responsible in Government are listening to MAG and we will continue to
work with government at the national, regional and local levels to ensure
motorcycling is indeed mainstream and recognised as an answer to the problems
facing transport and environmental issues".
Ends