EU safety policy deficiencies offers the UK Government an opportunity to go further In a busy week for road safety policy in the EU, the European Commission launched its Road Safety Package. Presented yesterday in Brussels by Commissioner Adina Valean, the Package focuses on changes to the EU driving licence regime. These include digital driving licences, more focus on risk factors and hazard perception, limited changes to licence categories, enforcement and advanced vehicle technologies. Updated testing rules will take account of the transition to zero emission vehicles and teaching novice drivers about how driving styles impact on emissions. Although the Commission state that the proposed rules will; ‘prepare drivers better for … driving on city roads, alongside more bicycles and two-wheelers …’

Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) and National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) deliver key messages to Parliament on decarbonisation Recognising the needs of both industry and users, plus the need to take a technology neutral approach to decarbonisation, were among the key messages delivered to Parliament on Tuesday 7th February 2023 as part of a joint Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) and National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) briefing to MPs, Peers and Government representatives. Read the briefing here -  Motorcycling and the Future of Transport With the Government yet to announce policy after its summer 2022 consultation on decarbonising L-Category vehicles (two, three and light four-wheeled vehicles), the MCIA and NMC took the key messages for the sector to parliamentarians at a well-attended briefing which was followed by

The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) welcomes new Government focus on motorcycling in transport policy. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has strongly welcomed the announcement of a new Government strategic group that brings together several strands of policy activity relating to motorcycling. The Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group, which will be managed by DfT and DVSA, will consider a range of issues affecting motorcyclists. For the first time since the Government Advisory Group for Motorcycling was convened in the early 2000s, the new Group will be looking at motorcycling in the context of wider policy. These include areas such as technology and future connectivity advances and how Government embeds motorcycling more effectively in future policies and road safety strategies. It will also consider motorcycling

Extraordinary decision by Hackney Councillors to not review flawed justification for parking charges needs to be reversed. Motorcyclists are campaigning against a decision that will damage the contribution which motorcycling is making to cutting urban traffic congestion and pollution. The National Motorcyclists' Council (NMC) is calling for councillors in the London Borough of Hackney to reconsider their decision of November 23rd to refuse to review the evidence that was put forward to support proposed new parking charges in the Borough. The NMC has lent its support to the existing campaign against parking charges that is being run by Save London Motorcycling (SLM) and the London branch of the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG). NMC member, the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) has

Procedures and options for taking bikes in vans and on trailers across the border made clearer after the NMC and the UK Government work together on developing solutions. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has published general advice for riders who wish to take their bikes across the EU border in a van, motorhome, or on a trailer. This advice provides information about procedures and paperwork which should be considered for border crossings. It became necessary to develop the advice after the Council received reports from riders and commercial operators who had experienced problems at the border, with in some cases costly ATA Carnets demanded. On a handful of occasions, riders were even turned back until they could secure a carnet. It

New ministers inherit a long stalled policy agenda for motorcycling, while in the meantime, Brussels ‘ups the ante’ on decarbonisation. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) welcomes new Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper to his new role. The Council urges him and his new ministerial team at the Department for transport (DfT)to finally break the paralysis that has existed in departmental policy-making since before the summer, so that urgent motorcycling related issues can now be tackled. The NMC highlighted the key issues that need tacking on September 7th, but recent political events have meant that little has occurred since then. Key issues include the future road safety strategy, decarbonisation and revision of the current training and testing regime for those seeking

Inertia over who will be prime minister has led to several policy issues relating to motorcycling either stalling or slowing to a crawl While the Government under new Prime Minister Liz Truss will be rightly prioritising the urgent need to tackle energy prices and the costs of living crisis, the wider business of Government will also need to restart alongside this, after a long summer recess and the hiatus caused by the resignation of Boris Johnson and the subsequent leadership contest. This is why the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) are today calling on the Government to also start making progress on several issues relating to motorcycling. At the Department for Transport, the new Secretary of State Anne Marie-Trevelyan has several challenges. The

The Department for Transport (DfT) consultation proposes to electrify all new mopeds and 125cc bikes by 2030, with larger new petrol powered motorcycles facing a 2035 ban The Department for Transport has this morning (14th July) issued its long-awaited consultation to phase out the sale of new petrol motorcycles by 2035. A new proposal has also been made to bring this timetable forward to 2030 for mopeds and 125cc motorcycles (L1 and L3-a1). Other L-Category vehicles are included in the consultation, which covers all two, three and light four-wheeled vehicles. The consultation does not cover existing motorcycles or those on the second-hand market. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) says that the Government is making a mistake by trying to force the pace

Major riders groups come together to focus on issues of common concern The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Europe (FIM Europe) have agreed a new partnership to work together on common issues that affect motorcycling. The partnership extends the cohesiveness of the motorcycle lobby internationally and creates new potential to impact positively on public policy which affects motorcycling in a range of areas. The NMC has worked closely with both FEMA and FIM Europe on a range of issues since it was founded. These relate to motorcycle safety, transport policy and the future of motorcycling. The three organisations recognise that International collaboration is key when it comes to addressing current

Net zero motorcycling should be about much more than just battery electric motorcycles and arbitrary UK-only targets The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has today published its position on motorcycle decarbonisation and its policy on the potential end of internal combustion engine (ICE) production for motorcycles. The position was reached after extensive consultation among motorcycling and other organisations both in the UK and internationally. A target of 2035 has been mooted as the phase out date for all ICE powered motorcycles, with a government consultation on motorcycle decarbonisation due shortly. The NMC opposes an arbitrary target date, given that it is not yet known whether a global manufacturing base can meet a UK-only target with a range of motorcycle types which will have

NMC Calls for Government to Establish a new e-Scooter Task Force to Develop e-Scooter Regulation Urgent need for e-Scooter Task Force to get new regulations right The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has joined wider calls for proper regulation of the informal eScooter sector and is calling for the Government to establish an e-scooter task force which would be tasked with shaping regulation and considering the wider issues surrounding the role of e-scooters. The number of eScooters (also known as Powered Transporters) has risen exponentially since they first appeared the UK a few years ago. The Bicycle Association recently estimated that there are around 800,000 in use today. At a recent seminar organised by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) it was

Compulsory third party motor insurance will now not be extended to motor and motorcycle sports away from the public highway, but National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) calls for a wider review of motor insurance A parliamentary Private Members Bill which sought to stop the implementation in the UK of the so-called ‘Vnuk’ judgement has passed through Parliament and will soon become law. The judgement by the European Court of Justice in 2014 was made after a Mr Damijan Vnuk was injured in an accident involving a trailer on private agricultural property in Slovenia. It sought to extend compulsory third party motor insurance to all ‘mechanically propelled vehicles used on land’. Although the judgement set out to correct a problem in overall insurance law,