Welcoming Roads
MAG asks the Government to adopt a Welcoming Roads approach to road safety.
Making the statement that you oppose Vision Zero (the dream of achieving zero road casualties) may seem counter-intuitive at first and certainly leads to straw man arguments that we support more death on the roads. That is the all-too-common response to a genuine effort to improve road safety for all road users.
When it comes to the safety of motorcyclists there is an insidious double standard increasingly manifest in the Vision Zero approach to road safety. Whilst claiming to have the best interests of all road users at heart, Vision Zero continually states a preference for changing modal choice rather than improving the safety of all modes. Policymakers have subordinated the safety of motorcyclists to their desire for social engineering. Hierarchies of “consideration” consistently write motorcyclists out of the equation entirely or, at best, throw their interests into a blanket silo of choices they wish to actively discourage.
The example diagram – a proposed hierarchy from the road safety strategy of a council signed up to the Vision Zero approach – clearly shows that the motorcyclist is not even listed in the order of “consideration” for road safety interventions. Sadly, this is a common and increasingly expected output from the Vision Zero drive to promote certain transport choices rather than seek the best safety policy for motorcyclists.
MAG launched Welcoming Roads to create a realignment of a road safety trend that inherently under-delivers for the road user group that is undeniably in need of the greatest support when it comes to safety. https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/6/66/Welcoming_Roads_2021_06.pdf
MAG launched Welcoming Roads to create a realignment of a road safety trend that inherently under-delivers for the road user group that is undeniably in need of the greatest support when it comes to safety. https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/6/66/Welcoming_Roads_2021_06.pdf
MAG asks the next Government to adopt a Welcoming Roads approach to road safety. Riders want their safety to have equal priority in a way that reduces division, judgement, and entitlement. Government can achieve that by embracing the Welcoming Roads approach to road safety, and a genuine Move on Motorcycling.
Welcoming Roads- Campaign Progress
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/
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 Louise Haigh 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.
MAG continues to get motorcycling issues on the political agenda. All riders can get involved in helping to make that happen. Visit the ACT NOW page to see what you can do today to help us make the future of motorcycling better.
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