Supporting motorcycling - meeting in Salisbury quizzes politicians

A meeting at Hayball motorcycles organised by 'Riders are Voters' before the 2010 election saw about fifty bikers and trainers ask questions of Tory candidate for Salisbury John Glen, Labour's Rebecca Renisson (SW Wilts) and myself. Also taking part were Steve Kenwood, CEO of the Motorcycle Industries Association and Nick Brown, General Secretary of Motorcycle Action Group. We answered questions on a range of topics including the impact on learning to ride a bike of the latest regulations, on potholes and bus lanes, and on the need for more understanding of motorcycling amongst politicians and the public.

We were able to agree that the Driving Standards Agency had been thoroughly discredited by a parliamentary report into the way they'd implemented the European requirements to upgrade motorcycle testing, but with the DSA being a particularly pig-headed organisation we weren't optimistic about them learning any lessons.

We all agreed to do what we could to promote the industry, and the other two politicians were offered the chance of a bike ride to see what all the fuss was about.

As an ex-biker and despatch rider I'm always ready to look for ways to encourage motorcycling along the lines requested by MAG, the British Motorcycle Federation (BMF) and the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI), who all campaign for a better deal for motorcyclists and the industry.

Under the banner 'Riders Are Voters' the organisations point out that:

• getting a motorcycle license is increasingly difficult and more expensive with badly thought through policies creating no safety benefits;
• there's a lack of incentives for people to ride motorbikes despite the economic, environmental and time-saving benefits;
• local authorities don't understand motorbikes, especially the danger of poor road surfaces;
• lack of incentives for industry to produce greener motorbikes, in comparison with government subsidies for car development;
• victimisation of bikers by police and courts.

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Article originally published April 2010