Given increasing rumours, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has written to the Mayor of London and the Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council seeking answers on the future of BikeSafe.
Rumours have been surfacing that the Metropolitan Police are withdrawing from delivery of BikeSafe courses. There have also been suggestions that other forces are following suit. MAG has received many requests to find out the truth, but initial enquiries have produced a lack of clarity.
MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, has now written to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
In London the MET Police receive funding from Transport for London to subsidise delivery of BikeSafe courses. This is held to be a significant part of the Mayor’s Vision Zero commitment to end road casualties in the capital by 2041. Enquiries by MAG have also pointed to possible issues at a national level. This could be indirectly connected to the ignominious departure of Northamptonshire Chief Constable, Nick Adderley in June. Adderley was the NPCC lead for motorcycling.
MAG has asked both the London Mayor and the NPCC Chair to urgently make public statements confirming that the funding, resources and political support for BikeSafe are secure.
Colin Brown said:
“MAG has always been supportive of the BikeSafe programme and was involved in supporting its development and launch in around 2000. BikeSafe has been a key part of motorcycle road safety ever since and is not something we wish to see diluted, weakened or allowed to collapse. We do not need to know every confidential detail, but it is clear from the concerns raised to us that riders are deeply invested in – and supportive of – the program. We stand ready to discuss practicalities, but the motorcycling community will be angry if the funding resources or political will are dwindling. Many motorcyclists already believe that their safety is an inconvenience or secondary concern for policy makers. The diminution or even loss of BikeSafe will be seen as a massively detrimental outcome by the riding community.”
MAG has asked for an urgent response and will report on any feedback received.