Campaigns What Now & Next


One year after MAG's man in the loop in London was invited to express our views on the best ways to improve roads up to 2031, the report is out, but so is the jury...


Talk, words & action?


Talk is cheap and words are ten a penny. So what are the chances of MAG turning new recommendations to improve conditions for bikers into effective action on our roads?


It’s almost a year to the day that I first mentioned the potential benefits of us being offered the only place for bikers in the Roads Task Force (RTF) team of 15 stakeholders and experts. The simplest summary of what happened next is that motorbikes and scooters were not in the frame for serious consideration to start with, and now they are. But the ride between the start and finish had plenty of hairy moments.


The first few meetings involved presentations by Transport for London (TfL) that were supposed to identify the ‘key challenges’ and help the RTF members find new ways to tackle them.


The biggest problems were quite simple, although they were not spelt out quite like this: The population of the Capital is set to grow from around eight to ten million by 2031, or probably sooner, and that's like moving the population of Leeds and Birmingham to a city that is already chocker-a-blocked. And, the last ten years of road ‘improvement’ schemes may have cut the number of cars on the road – but they have certainly made congestion continue to get worse. Nevertheless, 80% of all trips made by people are by road, alongside 90% of all goods. So, carrying on with the same old jam-making ways can only lead to one thing. Transport by most road modes will be buggered. Now you can call me a


simpleton if you like as I’ve been called much worse, but the most


48 The ROAD


effective solution to these problems in practical terms is blindingly obvious – unless you are a very blinkered bunny or have your head stuck in a place where the sun don’t shine. Many more people and goods could, and I firmly believe would be moved by motorbike or scooter, if riders were offered half the help that pedestrians and cyclists get to make their use of roads safer and more convenient.


burst out of the RTF Report. “Powered-two-wheelers are an alternative for some trips but these were not included in this initial analysis.” And, “The RTF recommends that this analysis is developed further ... and should include establishing the extent of barriers, understanding what measures might be most effective in facilitating change, and considering the potential of PTWs as an alternative for some


“congestion is a blight and can be addressed by encouraging the uptake of transport modes that make efficient use of road space, such as... the PTW.”


As you might guess, several RTF members didn’t see things that way and some couldn’t see it all. But to cut a long and tortuous story short, the RTF Report that was finally published in July actually contains some excellent news for MAG and our chances of improving the way motorcycling is treated in London and all UK towns or cities.


Perhaps the biggest issue and win for us, centres on the thorny old problem of getting more modal shift from cars and vans. Masses of time, money and effort were spent on estimating how many more trips could be made by foot, bicycle or public transport. But thanks to our active engagement with that process, two bombshell conclusions are now ready to


journeys.” (p.159-160) To be honest I may have gone slightly over the top with the ‘bombshell’ analogy, but we do now have more heavy ammo for battles on key fronts.


First we have a clear admission that the potential for significant modal shift from twin-tracked vehicles to motorbikes has yet again been ignored. Better still we have a clear recommendation that such lunacy needs to stop – and transport authorities should properly investigate the many benefits of more motorcycling NOW!


Other pertinent


recommendations are to move more goods by motorcycle, and that a key to ‘Breathing life back into town centres’ is good quality parking with better facilities for PTWs. TfL's official response to


the RTF report also boosts our case for better treatment of bikers. Their Report says that “congestion is a blight and can be addressed by encouraging the uptake of transport modes that make efficient use of road space, such as... the PTW.” TfL also promise (at last) that it will actually encourage other Local Transport Authorities to allow motorbikes in bus lanes. So, after months of talk we


have two reports that could help us get a better deal for biking in the Capital and all UK towns. But the likelihood of these potentially influential documents leading to real improvements for bikers is far from certain. Positive words about motorcycling in such pivotal policy papers will remain unread unless we ‘encourage’ our MPs, Councillors and Highway Managers to read and heed them – and to sanction action that improves conditions for biking. Some influential figures in the transport policy world have already seen that there is much more substantial food for thought about motorcycling on the table than before. But turning positive words into action will depend just as much on our efforts to get our rights to ride taken more seriously as these new reasons to enable more motorcycling.


RTF & TfL Reports; http://is.gd/JQbUpB


Leon Mannings


Transport Policy Advisor, MAG (UK)


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