MAG’s Move on Motorcycling manifesto was published and perfectly timed for the general election campaign. Many of you contacted your candidates prior to polling day, now we urge you to contact your MP’s.
Share the Move on Motorcycling manifesto
To get the issues we want raised on the agenda for candidates, we need all MAG members to familiarise themselves with the manifesto, share it with any other biker they know and of course ensure that every MP in every constituency has seen it. We need members help in spreading awareness of the manifesto by all means available. Word of mouth and social media are great tools to aid with this, share it on your pages, share it to your groups and raise the topic with your friends.
Download the PDF version of Move on Motorcyling
For those who prefer information in video rather than text format please see the MAG YouTube channel where you will find the 4 part Move on Motorcycling series.
Watch, comment, and share them all.
Contact your MP
MAG is encouraging members to write to their new MPs with the key message of highlighting three key decisions that the new Government needs to deliver. The processes for all three were started before the election:
- a decision to drop proposals on ICE motorcycle sales,
- completion of the extended motorcycles in bus lanes consultation, and
- sign off on launching a review of the motorcycle licence.
Don’t delay, contact your candidates now!
Default Bus Lane Access: Sign the petition now!
MAG has launched a petition calling for the motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome to be reversed. Sign the petition now!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/712763
Last year’s motorcycles in bus lanes consultation resulted in a decision against adopting a national default policy. MAG vowed to mount a full campaign to get the outcome reversed.
That campaign launches with the publication of a government petition. The petition was raised by MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown. The petition format allows for only a very brief description, so MAG has also published three supporting documents.
The first is a longer version of the petition wording, better laying out the argument of the petition.
Secondly there is a detailed analysis of the consultation responses from 46 key
stakeholders. These consultation responses were provided via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request lodged by MAG. These responses allow us to see the detail of arguments against the default policy.
Finally, the third document is a detailed argument for the reversal of the outcome decision.
MAG is urging all riders to sign the petition. It also calls on all rider organisations and the motorcycle press to promote the petition. Whilst the government will respond at 10,000 signatures, MAG want to hit the 100,000-signature target. This has the potential to trigger a vital parliamentary debate.
MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said:
“The petition is only a part of our campaign to get this default access policy across the line. It will be pivotal though, supporting the direct engagement with politicians that will be going on behind the scenes. We are actually a lot closer than you may think to winning this campaign. If you read right to the end of the consultation outcome the Department for Transport (DfT) says that they will do three things. First, they will update their guidance document. This will advise local authorities to work together to get consistency of provision
across boundaries. Secondly, they will work with the metro mayors and combined authorities to encourage a joined-up approach to motorcycle access. And thirdly they will take comments into account in future changes to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General
Directions.
This amounts to a default access policy in all but name.
We just need to make sure they follow through on these promises. And then they must openly state that this is a default policy position to avoid confusion and continued arguments.”
We can get this across the line. Act now to sign the petition which can be found here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/712763
View and share the YouTube petition video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8gzjboeik
The full motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/motorcycles-in-bus-lanes/outcome/motorcycles-in-bus-lanes-consultation-outcome
The extended version of the petition can be found here: https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/f/fd/Default_bus_lane_access_petition_full_text.pdf
MAG’s analysis of the consultation responses can be found here: https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/7/79/Motorcycles_in_bus_lanes_consultation_responses_-_MAG%27s_analysis.pdf
MAG’s rebuttal to the consultation outcome justifications can be found here: https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/c/ce/Why_the_motorcycles_in_bus_lanes_consultation_outcome_needs_to_be_reversed.pdf
Integrated National Transport Strategy
A new Government consultation kicked off just weeks after telling us that they have no plans to encourage the uptake of motorcycling. The Government is asking for ideas on how to create an integrated national transport strategy.
They want to set out “a single national vision which will put people who use transport and their needs at its heart and empower local leaders to deliver integrated transport solutions that meet the needs of their local communities”.
UPDATE.
This consultation has now closed, but we are not just waiting with bated breath for the outcome to deflate us. Colin Brown is now confirmed to attend one of the “have your say, regional roadshow” workshops and will be doing all he can to ensure that our submission (which you can find here: https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/7/78/Integrated_National_Transport_Strategy_call_for_ideas_response_2025_02.pdf) has a similar level of impact as we have achieved in Oxfordshire.
Creeping 50’s on a charge in Scotland
Transport Scotland have launched a blandly titled National Speed Management Review Consultation. They are seeking input on proposed changes to Scotland’s speed limits. The core proposal is to reduce the national speed limit on single-carriageway roads to 50mph. Just as the devolved Welsh Government met resistance to its blanket urban 20mph, this Scottish blanket approach to rural roads is likely (and rightly so, in our opinion) to attract some resistance.
Once again MAG will be formulating a detailed and extensive response, but Transport Scotland are keen to hear from you the public as well as stakeholder groups, so as I said with the Integrated National Transport Strategy, the door is open – make sure you walk through it, and when inside don’t hold back!
This particular door remains ajar until 5 March 2025, and you can find it here:
https://www.transport.gov.scot/consultation/national-speed-management-review-consultation
Hackney motorcycle charges face crowdfunded legal challenge.
Hackney Borough Council is facing a crowdfunded legal challenge to their motorcycle parking charges. Success could have national implications.
In a demonstration of strength of opinion and determination amongst motorcyclists in London, a legal challenge has been filed against Hackney Council. Hackney Council plans parking charges for residents’ motorcycles at the same level as cars. Motorcyclists commuting to work in Hackney will face charges up to £10 per day for parking.
The case will be heard on 23rd January. This places a deadline on the crowdfunding campaign. As of the end of January 25 the fund is at 86% of the £20k target. If you can spare some cash SLM would be grateful of your support, and please do let all your riding mates know about the campaign. A successful outcome could have significant implications not just in Hackney, but in every council area where the urge to generate revenue from your bank account is unlikely to recede.
UPDATE: SLM’s court case with Hackney Council has been delayed. This delay was agreed by SLM as it allows extra evidence to be introduced which it is believed strengthens the case and increases the chance of a win. The crowdfunder is still active and the target has not yet been reached so if you can help, please do.
Find out more about the Park It campaign here.
Including the recent victory in Bath which saw Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council withdraw plans to introduce emission-based charges for motorcycle parking.
A glimmer of hope for motorcycle insurance.
The recent announcements by Louise Haigh of a new Insurance Task Force carried all the usual rhetoric covering car insurance. Haigh commented: “Car insurance is an essential, not a luxury.…. The rising cost of cover affects all…… this government is determined to ensure drivers get a fair deal…… Our new expert taskforce is a major step forward in delivering a fair deal for drivers.”
But what of motorcycle insurance?
Colin contacted the DfT to specifically ask if motorcycle insurance would be within scope of the new Task Force. Thankfully the answer was that motorcycle insurance is in scope. Colin is now making enquiries to get contact details for the task force so that the plight of motorcyclists when it comes to insurance is properly considered.
ACT NOW: You can help to ensure that motorcycles are very much on the agenda here by writing to your local MP and asking him/her to ask for reassurances that motorcycle insurance will be covered. It may seem strange to do this when we know that motorcycle insurance is within scope, but the key is to make sure that it cannot be briefly passed over with an assumption that it is a minor issue. Motorcycle insurance is a tiny part of the entire motor insurance world, so will not naturally be top of the agenda for Government or the industry. We will only get noticed if we make some noise. Any letter to your MP can be very simple speaking in general terms or you may want to give your personal experience in more detail. The key is to make sure that you directly ask your MP to write to Louise Haigh asking for reassurances that motorcycle insurance will be given equal attention compared with car insurance.
Find out more about the Bikers Not Cash Cows campaign here
A new Road Safety Strategy
The Government is now making very firm commitments to developing a new Road Safety Strategy. We need to ensure that motorcyclists get a fair deal in terms of priority and funding. The Vision Zero mindset needs to be resisted. This ideology leads to the refusal to accept the concept of trade-offs. Colin has heard influential voices in the road safety community floating ideas such as reducing the national speed limit for rural roads to 40mph.
Thankfully the DfT does appear to recognise the economic benefits of the transport system but we need to be mindful of the ideological zeal of some voices in the road safety arena.
You will also have seen vast pressure being voiced for Graduated Driving Licences for young drivers, but notable is the complete lack of calls for a review of motorcycle licensing. The Roads Minister has publicly stated in a reply to a parliamentary question that “The Department for Transport continues to meet with representatives from the motorcycling industry to discuss proposals on Category L licensing reform. We are awaiting evidence from the Motorcycle Industry Association on their proposals.”
This suggests that the MCIA Licence for Net Zero campaign is blocking what we see as a need to commit first to a far wider debate that includes existing and potential riders rather than just the MCIA. We do not want the voice of the rider pushed into second place and we need to ensure that Government are aware that they need to listen to us.
ACT NOW: Again, you can help. Write to your MP and ask him/her to write to Heidi Alexander asking that the views and needs of riders are given ample consideration in the forthcoming road safety strategy, and that a motorcycle licensing review is included as an action in the strategy; and that it looks beyond the MCIA proposals to what riders want.
Find out more about the Welcoming Roads campaign here
Join MAG
If you have never been a MAG member, have let your membership lapse, or are thinking you need to save some money by not renewing this year, we would love you to join, re-join or stay with us. If, like us, you are passionate about motorcycling, want to see motorcycling continue in the future, and want to preserve all that you love about it, we hope it will be an easy choice to make. MAG’s strength is in numbers. The riding community can demonstrate strength when it unites. If you want to say you played your part to defend motorcycling, please… join MAG today