The BMF is whole-heartedly supporting the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) encouragement of government, public authorities and organisations involved in road safety to adopt the ‘Welcoming Roads’ approach to Vision Zero messaging which was put forward by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) in June. The NMC welcomed the approach as an important contribution to the road safety messaging debate when Welcoming Roads was launched. It has since been supported by several organisations and has been promoted to the Government.  MAG has since made available a new edition of the core Welcoming Roads message, which is available for download on the NMC website and is in a form which can be used by any organisation or individual. Vision Zero has been at the core of international

Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) are being increasingly misused by local councils, warns the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC). TROs are a ban on motorised traffic, which can be imposed by local authorities as a temporary or permanent measure. Previous examples have included the use of HGVs in residential areas or the restriction of traffic on green lanes to prevent damage during bad weather.  “The recent trend of using TROs,” said Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF. “has seen their insidious use by many local authorities, in many cases unwelcomed by local users.” Jim Freeman, along with the NMC and the Trail Riders Federation (TRF) is concerned that motorcyclists are getting caught up in bans which are primarily aimed at car and 4x4 drivers. TROs

New petrol motorcycles will no longer be sold in the UK from 2035 – that's a key message from the Government's Transport Decarbonisation Plan. Plans to ban sales of new petrol/diesel cars and vans by 2030, have been in place for some time, but motorcycles and scooters now have their own 'sell by' date. This also includes three-wheelers and other L-category vehicles, along with hybrid cars/vans.  “While the BMF have always been supporters of Ebikes, offering the first prize for an ETT winner in the IoM” said BMF Chair Jim Freeman. “We remain very aware of the many practical problems, such as cost, range, recharging infrastructure, and especially conscious of the extremely low CO2 emissions of very fuel-efficient ICE 2 wheelers. Nobody

Motorcyclists are banned from using certain roads in consequence of lobbying by a minority of local residents and/or anti-motoring pressure groups. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) - of which the BMF is a member - and its member the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) has growing concerns about the application of Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) on sealed roads. TRO’s are used to prohibit use of roads by certain classes of traffic – usually motor vehicles. Misuse of TRO powers is a chronic problem that has become acute during the Covid-19 crisis as a way of reallocating road space to non-motorised modes of transport and to create ‘safe and quiet spaces’ for walkers and cyclists. Other TRO proposals have started to appear on minor,

Thinking of an overseas bike trip? From 28th September 2021, you'll have to display a 'UK' sticker on your number plate. In January 2021, as part of the post-Brexit fallout, the old 'Euro' number plate which showed the EU stars symbol, was replaced with a new plate showing the Union flag and a GB symbol. At that point, for riding in the EU, you had to either buy one of the new GB plates or add an extra GB sticker along with the old Euro plate. From 28th September, the law changes again, with a switch from 'GB' to 'UK' plates, to include Northern Ireland. Riders with GB plates will either have to buy a new UK plate or affix a UK

The ethanol content of Britain's standard grade of petrol will increase from 5% to 10% in September 2021, the DVLA had confirmed. Adding ethanol – a colourless alcohol made from crops such as sugar beet – reduces the CO2 emissions of petrol, reducing our reliance on oil and helping the UK meet its emissions targets. According to the DVLA, most motorcycles built since the late 1990s are compatible with E10 fuel, which is already in use in several European countries including Germany, France and Finland. E5 fuel will still be available as the 'super' grade, for vehicles which cannot use E10. An official E10 checking service is available online, to find out whether your motorcycle is compatible with the new grade. E10-compatible motorcycles: Honda

Like the idea of a secure motorcycle park, complete with electric charge point and a hydrogen power source? It could be available next year. Bikers' Guardian is the brainchild of BMF supporter Jonathan Round, who had the idea after his Honda CBR600 was stolen in Matlock Bath – he had left it for just ten minutes. “I was distraught for days,” he said, “but the theft planted a seed in my head about motorcycle security in town centres.” The Bikers' Guardian, currently still under development, is a free standing unit which locks the motorcycle's front wheel and monitors the bike on a webcam, accessible by the machine's owner. An app would allow users to book a time slot for the point, which

NMC: 'Procedures are needed to allow individuals or businesses to transport road registered motorcycles across the EU border'. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) - of which the BMF is a member - has opened talks with the UK Government after it emerged that the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has a glaring gap in it when it comes to motorcycle tourism. The NMC started the talks after having been approached by individuals and businesses who are concerned about two specific issues. Firstly, the ability to send road registered motorcycles into the EU, via friends, or via a transportation businesses. The second issue is the ability for riders to transport their own road registered motorcycle by van or another vehicle. The NMC

US President Joe Biden is 'actively engaged' and 'extremely sympathetic' to the case of motorcyclist Harry Dunn, according to Boris Johnson. Nineteen-year-old Harry Dunn died when a car driven by US citizen Anne Sacoolas was in collision with his bike in August 2019. She flew back to the USA a few days later, and the Washington administration asserted that she had diplomatic immunity, having been working for a US intelligence agency. Since then, Harry Dunn's family have been campaigning for Anne Sacoolas to be brought back to the UK to face trial. The Crown Prosecution Service agreed, and issued an extradition notice, though in November 2020 the High Court upheld her claim to diplomatic immunity. That Boris Johnson raised the case with

Motorcyclists are being refused the opportunity to take their full A licence test on an electric motorcycle. The DVSA list of approved machines does not include any for the A licence. Several electric machines have the official stamp of approval for the A1 and A2 tests, but not the unlimited A test. “I can't understand why I'm unable to take my test on an electric,” says BMF member Ryan Duffy, who has already passed his CBT on an electric motorcycle and wishes to upgrade to a full licence. “I have no desire to ride a petrol bike,” he adds. “I know that if I did I would only be eligible to ride an automatic bike, but that doesn't bother me, because I

The National Motorcyclists Council responds to the lack of support by governments for motorcycling as an alternative transport mode alongside walking, cycling and public transport. The National Motorcyclists Council is participating in the International Transport Forum (ITF) Motorcyclists Safety Workshop (here). This is taking place virtually during June and builds on a similar event in 2008 in Lillehammer, which was the first international event to bring together all key stakeholders. Lillehammer has helped shape the agenda for developing government policy towards motorcycling across the world. The workshop is co-organised by the ITF, the Swedish Transport Administration, VTI, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), and the motorcycle manufacturers associations (IMMA and ACEM). It is a follow-up to the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road

At least 12 UK cities and large towns are planning to introduce Clean Air Zones. These new Clean Air Zones (CAZ) will be introduced either this year or in 2022. This follows the launch of a CAZ in Bath in March 2021, and in Birmingham on 1st June. Aimed at reducing urban pollution, CAZ areas charge petrol and diesel vehicle for entering the zone. Oxford launches its Zero Emission Zone trial in August, while the London ULEZ is expanding out to the North and South Circulars in October. Bristol is aiming to start its CAZ the same month, while Bradford, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside should follow later in the year. In 2022, we should see Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow