Motorcycle Action Group
IF you, like MAG, are fed up of motorcycle crime being overlooked, then I urge you to write to your MP and Police Crime Commissioner to ask them what they are doing about it? Colin’s attended a number of meetings with PCCs, London’s MOPAC (Mayors Office for Policing and Crime), representatives from the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, and the Home Office but, disappointingly, the personnel within these groups, whilst being polite, advise that motorcycle theft is not a priority.
We all know there are ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics’ – well, the statistics these groups look at, say theft of, and from, cars and vans is proportionally higher than that of motorcycles, but when Colin examines the figures, he finds that motorcycle theft is far higher than theft of any other vehicle type.
We hope you’ll write to help highlight and address this issue, including a link to MAG’s Police Force Bike Theft Rankings document (easily accessed and shared from https://bit.ly/TheftRank2020) thus allowing those in your area to see the figures for themselves, and how they compare to the rest of the country… and maybe take some action.
If you’re writing to your MP (details easily found on the Internet via www.theyworkforyou.com/mps) it might be useful to know that it’s Conference season from September 24th to October 17th, so you may want to follow up on any correspondence if you don’t get a reply in a reasonable time.
Do please share your experience and any reply with us, whether it’s positive or negative. MAG’s still working to get a meeting with Kit Malthouse, Police Minister, and knowing that you’re also engaging with this campaign’ll be helpful.
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A quick reminder here that the MAG Foundation (www.mag-foundation. org) is a registered charity that supports initiatives into motorcycle and scooter safety and security matters. It’s provided support to a number of initiatives, including independent organisations that collect dumped and stolen motorcycles, looking to reunite them with their owners, and you can support the Foundation at no cost to yourself when shopping online by using Amazon Smile (www.smile.amazon.co.uk) or Give as You Live (www.giveasyoulive.com) and selecting MAG Foundation Limited as your chosen charity.
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It’s better news in the West Midlands where their public engagement survey on transport (WMLTP5 Green Paper) included an option to rate your support for a shift from four wheels to two. This shows that some planners do listen, and Colin’s been in communication with the council over a number of years, which is possibly the reason for this inclusion, and a reminder that regular contact can pay dividends.
Remember to keep an eye on all things transport in the areas you live, regularly travel to or through, and work in. You never know where you might find the opportunity to champion the case for two wheels, be it reminding planners to include motorcycle parking or highlighting a potential danger that only a rider would identify. When you spot an opportunity, please share it with us, and we’ll share it with the membership, and if you’re looking for help, we’re happy to support you.
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Something that’s been slowly creeping in is the ‘20 is plenty’ brigade – those looking to reduce speed limits to 20mph, typically in residential areas and rural villages. We’ve been here before, and I’m currently looking at the previous information we put together on it. Lowering speed limits isn’t always the answer, and can invoke a sense of
detachment and false security for those who find them the norm, whilst frustrating those travelling on the roads. Look out for more details on this.
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Parking charges for motorcycles’re another example of a returning foe. Lewisham in London is the latest council to consider this, and a public consultation is taking place until November 1st.
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We’ve again written to Baroness Vere of Norbiton, Minister for Roads, Buses & Places, following the release of Safe Roads for All (August 2021), a report that very much sees ‘active travel’ (cycling and walking) as the only permissible forms of transport for tomorrow, and clearly fails to recognise motorcycles.
You can visit https://trl.co.uk/publications/safe-roads-for-all to download a copy of the report.
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A reminder: From September 1st E10 (petrol containing 10% ethanol) has come to garage forecourts as it becomes the standard unleaded petrol on sale in mainland UK, although pumps may be labelled E10 but still dispense E5 whilst changes occur in the supply chain. This is acceptable; however, it is not acceptable to dispense E10 from a pump labelled E5.
Know whether your vehicle can run on E10 and, importantly, if it can’t or you don’t know, pay very close attention to the pump before filling up! There’s a checker on the Government website (https://www.gov.uk/ check-vehicle-e10-petrol), but it doesn’t list every vehicle.
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It’s great to see that biking events’re being well received, and a regular one that’s hoping to return this year is Motorcycle Live 2021, scheduled to go ahead at the NEC, Birmingham, from December 4–12th. The MAG stand will be there, crewed by a willing bunch of volunteers that will change on a daily basis so do stop by for a chat if you attend.
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Another reminder: The Government’s ‘Transport Decarbonisation Plan’ (TDP) will affect all our futures. You can download a copy from https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-decarbonisation-plan if you don’t mind some heavy reading.
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Members in Leeds’re still on the case to get a trial of motorcycles in bus lanes. If you know of any bus lanes that allow motorcycles, please tell us as we try to put together a comprehensive map. ----------------------------------------------------------------
To all of you who are already members, ‘Thank you!’. Whether you’re someone who gets active with our campaigns and events, or you simply pay your annual subscription, every member’s important. If you feel inspired to get involved as a volunteer, get in touch with your local or regional rep – all help’s greatly appreciated. If you’re not yet a member then please consider it. Membership costs as little as £25 a year if you sign up with Direct Debit.