Category: Other

1. Commuting Advantages Drive People to Two Wheels, Finds Ride to Work Day Survey

   Posted on 12:00am Saturday 4th Jul 2009

   Aspiring motorcyclists are more likely to be interested in getting to work more easily than getting their knee down, according to a You Gov survey** carried out for National Motorcycle Week.
   
   In two years the number of commuters who said they would like to ride to work on a bike has doubled. The survey revealed that 16 per cent of the public said they would like to be a  'commuter biker' when asked what sort of motorcyclist they would like to be, compared to 8 per cent who chose this option in 2007.
   
   The desire to enjoy the leisure aspect of riding is now less important to people. People want a cost-effective and practical mode of transport to get them to work. This was underpinned in the survey findings that showed the number of people of who aspired to be 'leisure riders' has notably fallen from 31 per cent in 2007 to 19 per cent in 2009.
   
   One in eight commuters in Great Britain would consider switching to two wheels in order to avoid traffic. Bicycle commuters and tube travellers were the most willing to switch. Eighteen per cent of pedal cyclists and 20 per cent of underground users said that they would consider commuting by motorcycle or scooter to avoid traffic and delays.
   
    Other benefits of riding to work highlighted by the survey included:-
   
   * Punctuality: over two-thirds of motorcycle and scooter commuters (67 per cent) said they were never late for work. The only commuters with a better punctuality performance were those who walked to work, 68 per cent of whom said they were never late.
   
   * Quicker commute: one quarter of motorcyclists said the reason they rode to work was because it was quicker than other options. For commuters as a whole, only one tenth said their usual means of transport was the quickest available. 
   
   * Financial savings: Sixty per cent of motorcycle commuters spent less than  £10 a week on their commute
   
   The general public, especially people who have to travel during the rush hour are starting to recognise the many practical benefits for riding to work on either a bike, scooter or moped. Ride to Work Day was created to highlight the fact that riding has benefits for the individual and society.
   
   Riding a bike to work can
   
   . Cut costs
   . Cut journey times
   . Cut pollution
   . Cut congestion
   
   Sheila Rainger MCI Spokesperson said, ""Motorcycling isn't just about having fun on Sundays.  Many new riders have taken their tests so that they can spend less time travelling to work and more time with their families.
   
   "Experience in London has shown that as the number of two-wheel commuters rises, the risk of being injured in an accident falls. More people riding to work is good news for individuals, the economy and for road safety.
   
   "Ride to Work Day 2009 is the ideal opportunity to Get More Out of Life by switching to two wheels." 
   
   
    **All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,136 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th - 11th June 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+)

2. MOTORCYCLE PROTESTORS TO RETURN TO CENTRAL LONDON

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 8th Jun 2009

   Protests continue as Westminster Council tries to hang on to bike parking tax
    
   Thousands of bikers are expected to descend on Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket and Regent Street on the evening of Tuesday 9th June in continued protests against the controversial motorcycle parking tax introduced under the stewardship of Cllr. Danny Chalkley, despite attempts by the council to push through a permanent charge by altering the scheme.
    
   This month WCC announced that it would drop the £150/year, or £1.50/day, charge to £1, or £100/year, and make spaces in it’s car parks free. This has drawn criticism from protestors, and other Westminster Councillors, who have called the alterations ‘back to front’, ‘plainly ridiculous’, ‘arrogant’, ‘desperate’, and ‘an empty and meaningless gesture’, as the scheme would still net millions for ‘improvements’ that have already been covered by existing takings.
    
   Spaces in car parks have historically had a lower uptake, and many of the car spaces being converted were of minimal use due to the congestion charge. Campaigners have often stressed that indoor parking would be one of the areas where charging could have been justified, and accused Cllr. Chalkley of playing politics rather than addressing the concerns of protestors.
    
   Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group in WCC, said last month:
    
   "The Council's position is looking sillier with every day that passes. How can it be fair or make financial sense to offer free motorbike parking in expensively-run car parks and yet charge motorbike owners to park in the street?"
    
   Warren Djanogly, chairman of the campaign against the tax, said:
    
   “I’d love to visit planet Chalkley, but I doubt I’d be able to afford the parking. His actions are those of a man who,  in his desperation to save face, would rather risk the reputation of one of the finest  Councils in the world rather than admit when he is wrong, in what can only be seen as petulant stubbornness." 
   
   Warren also highlighted the problems with the controversial pay-by-phone system, and the risks to riders:
   
   “Chalkley claims that cash-less parking charging has one of its roots in Eastern European Mafia attacks on the cash-machines, and yet he's content in exposing the most vulnerable of road-users, of which over 40% are women, to publicly display their mobile phones and credit cards whilst announcing the details to the world.”
    
   Press Spokesman for the Campaign, Charlie Lort-Phillips, said today:
    
   “WCC have tried to brush the concerns of these protestors under the carpet, without seeing that the very principal they are setting is the cause of the anger. If this charge is taken up by boroughs across the capital, motorbike use will plummet. That would be ultimately detrimental to the capital as a whole, and bring yet more pressure to bear on public transport. WCC’s utter inability to foresee the consequences of their greed has fuelled the anger of those joining us on the street this week.”
    
   Over 3000 protestors brought Central London to a standstill on the 11th May, in addition to over 4000 who rallied outside City Hall on 31st March.
    
   “This council have made millions out of those who are doing their bit to alleviate congestion,” said Warren “If they want to charge us like cars, we can congest like cars. We are not going away, we will prevail, and this tax will be stopped.”
   
   A map of the route can be found here:
   
    

3. MOTORCYCLISTS URGED TO SPEAK UP FOR BUS LANE USE

   Posted on 8:14am Thursday 29th Jan 2009

   After fifteen years of campaigning for national bus lane use, the BMF is urging motorcyclists to speak up and be counted in support of the hard-fought right to use bus lanes in London. 

   While motorcyclists have quickly taken up bus lane use in London, compared to the actions of London cyclist campaign groups opposed to sharing bus lanes, not enough riders are responding to the Transport for London on-line survey and saying how safe and convenient bus lane use is.

   The BMF is now urging all motorcycle users to add their comments to the TfL survey

   This is important because Transport for London’s bus lane use is undergoing an 18 month trial and they have apparently already received large numbers of submissions from cyclists opposed to motorcyclists using bus lanes. User’s views and their numbers will count so motorcyclists need to get involved say the BMF.

   With a strong cyclists’ lobby orchestrating a campaign against such use, motorcyclists could lose the scheme at the end of the 18 month period unless the motorcycle world demonstrates widespread support for the measure - particularly those motorcyclists from London and the South East.

   To those outside London, the BMF say that the TfL scheme is being keenly watched by other towns and cities and failure of the scheme in London will dash hopes of gaining motorcycle use of bus lanes elsewhere.

   Visit the TfL 'user views' website and complete the response form now

   Note: Bristol has operated a permanent bus lane access since 1996 and Reading since 1999. Other sites are in: Northern Ireland, Birmingham, Colchester, Derby, Bath, Hull, Plymouth, Swindon, Sheffield, Richmond on Thames, Newcastle on Tyne, Sunderland and the M4 bus lane. Still being trialled in London are the Finchley Road (A41) at St John's Wood to Hampstead, the A23 to the South and A13 to the East.

4. BIG D’s IS CLOSING

   Posted on 12:00am Saturday 10th Jan 2009

   It is with huge regret that Big D's will be closing on Sunday 8th February.

   Due to mounting debt that in the current financial climate that no-one is willing to wait for.

   All memorabilia both within the pub and outside, including the 8ft Alien, will be auctioned off on Sunday 8th February @ 4pm.

   The Biking community will be very sad to see Big D's close and wish Big D and Rosie all the best for the future.