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As you may be aware or not, a European Directive (3rd European Driving Licence Directive) is to be implemented across Europe by 19th January 2013 which includes a raft of changes to the motorcycle licence and testing requirements.
The directive was adopted in the European Parliament in 2006 and aims to harmonise licences across Europe and will see:
introducing enhanced security features on driving licences;
harmonising definitions of vehicle sub-categories and rules on the duration of the validity of a licence;
formal testing or training for younger motorcyclists wishing to progress to larger and more powerful machines;
introducing minimum standards for driving examiners; and aiming to ensure that no one can, at any one time, possess more than one licence issued by an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) state.
Northern Ireland will see the introduction of this directive. A public consultation was undertaken by the DOE (Department of the Environment), which Right To Ride responded to in April 2010.
In January of this year the DOE published a Summary of Consultation Responses, the Department’s Response, and Next Steps including the drafting of the necessary legislation.
The DOE also stated that a communication plan would be put in place to keep stakeholders and interested parties informed of the changes being made and the implementation of the directive here in Northern Ireland.
At Right To Ride we can report that we attended on Tuesday 6th December, the first meeting of a stakeholder’s group which will not only advise members of the group of the implementation aspects of the Directive prior to 19th January 2013, but will be a two way communication on the issues.
The Stakeholder Group will:
help identify and resolve problems and issues arising from the introduction of the Directive;
help to quality assure the accuracy of information gathered by DVA in relation to the implementation of the Directive;
feed views to the policy making process;
Right To Ride’s Trevor Baird says, “Although we are a bit between a rock and a hard place as regards what the directive says must be implemented, there is some flexibility to get the best out of the directive for Northern Ireland riders. We welcome the opportunity to be part of this stakeholders group to put our views and those of the motorcycle community across.”
You can view our information on the directive at http://www.righttoride.co.uk/?page_id=964
You can also leave comments to this article on the website at http://www.righttoride.co.uk/?p=8410
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As the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee heads towards the scheduled vote on the 5th December regarding EU Regulations for motorcycles, we take a closer look at issues in the lead up to the vote.
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) reported on November 23rd that “today sees the start of a new Impact Assessment into the EU Type Approval Regulation.” Stating that, “This has been demanded by the European Parliament following the incredible amount of work which has been done by every one of us who wrote to our MEPs or who rode in the protests of the 25th September.”
Regarding the scheduled vote in the IMCO committee, Paddy Tyson from MAG UK comments, “we have very good cause to believe it will be moved yet again, as there is no way the IA can be completed, a report prepared, and the Committee members have time to read it, before the 5th December”.
At Right To Ride, we make it our business to look in-depth at the issues, we always take a step back to look at the wider picture, to look at the background surrounding the issues before reporting factually and giving our opinion.
While we have every respect for MAG the organisation, is this information supplied by MAG’s Campaign Manager Paddy Tyson offering false hope to riders without an understanding of the technical contents of the proposal?
Paddy Tyson says this new Impact Assessment into the EU Type Approval Regulation will, “delay proceedings enough to set back the regulation till the Spring, at a Strasbourg meeting, which will be “MAG’s time to get out on the streets again.”
The Impact Assessment that Paddy Tyson mentions is not looking at the whole regulation proposal as submitted by the European Commission. The Impact Assessment will be looking at three compromise amendments which were submitted by MEPs to the IMCO Rapporteur, Mr van de Camp’s report.
To clarify, the European Commission has already had an Impact Assessment carried out and published on their proposed regulation.
Because these three amendments are substantive amendments to the proposal, the Chair of the IMCO committee, UK MEP Malcolm Harbour, has asked for an Impact Assessment specifically in relation to these three amendments.
These three amendments are:
•Moving the ABS introduction date forward by a year.
•Extending ABS cover to Powered Two Wheelers more than 50cc.
•Earlier introduction of On Board Diagnostics II (OBD II)
The reason for the Impact Assessment on these amendments, is that none of these specific amendments have ever been costed. So the European Parliament through the IMCO committee, as the responsible committee, is assessing the amendments for potential impacts to the regulation.
So are there any advantages for riders in this specific Impact Assessment?
Our view is: Not in the grand scheme of things. It would appear that the Impact Assessment on these three amendments (as amendments that would have an impact on the proposed regulation), is to determine the cost and any disadvantages to manufacturers and riders.
The vote on the amendments in the IMCO committee is scheduled for the 5th December and it is possible that the Impact Assessment (relating to the three amendments mentioned above) would not be completed before this vote.
However our understanding is that even if the Impact Assessment is not ready for the vote on the 5th December, work on the Impact Assessment (relating to the three amendments mentioned above) would continue and once concluded would be used in informal negotiations known as trilogues.
It would appear not to be the great hope of, “every delay is a minor victory” but a tidying up of amendments to get to the bottom of the issues and to better align with and take into account the progress in the Council and introduction dates.
Full details on Right To Ride EU
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At Right To Ride we welcome the inclusion of motorcycles in the new Bus Lanes introduced in Belfast.
They will be on the Shore Road, York Road, York Street, and Victoria Street.
The lanes will be available to buses, motorcycles, bicycles and Belfast public hire taxis and will be in use from Monday 2st1 November 2011.
Drivers urged to take care
The bus lanes are clearly marked with white lines and the associated signs.
Drivers should take extra care when travelling on these roads until they are familiar with the new lanes.
On the Shore Road, York Road and York Street the bus lanes will give priority to buses between Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle to Mount Vernon Road and North Derby Street to Midland Terrace inbound between 7.30 am to 9.30 am, Monday to Friday.
Travelling out of the city centre, buses will be given priority between Midland Terrace to North Queen Street and Mount Vernon Road to Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle Monday to Friday, 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
The bus lane on Victoria Street will give priority to buses between Chichester Street and Queen’s Square from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm, Monday to Saturday.
This additional four kilometres of bus lanes will bring the total length of bus lanes in the city to 46km.
Roads Service would urge drivers to take extra care when travelling on these roads until they are familiar with the new traffic management arrangements.
Read this article on Right To Ride – Includes advice from GB on using Bus Lanes.
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Out on our travels we had the occasion to call into Homebase on the Bangor Ring Road. Not a bathroom or kitchen hunting expedition but to purchase some large bolts for fitting a vice to the bench in the garage.
Digressing slightly the vice is a Record Steel 35 Made In England, it is really heavy duty and was fitted in my late father’s garage and must be circa early sixties, I can remember it since I was knee high and that’s a long while ago. The bench it is being fitted on was built to support the vice and any subsequent hack sawing and filing!
Anyway, you may not be aware but there is a new Sainsbury’s being built beside Homebase and driving to park up, our eagle eyes spotted a sign which had a motorcycle logo on it.
On closer examination Sainsbury’s have built a dedicated motorcycle parking bay opposite the front doors of the new store.
The bay, large in size has blockpaving as its surface area, the surrounding car park has a “tarmac” surface, so no sinking sidestands. The block paving differentiates the motorcycle parking space from the car parking with its bright orange sign and bordered by a raised concrete kerb.
The front end of the motorcycle parking bay has two bollards which would assist in delineating the parking bay in stopping other vehicle drivers parking in it, however the “entrances” do not have bollards which may lead to other vehicle drivers parking in the bay, just to get a couple of feet nearer to the shop entrance.
There does not appear to be any secure locking points but with the bay close to the entrance, in an open “public area”, the CCTV cameras, that we are sure will be in operation that would pick up mis-use.
We will still give Sainsbury’s a ten out of ten for providing dedicated motorcycle parking.
Let Us Know
If are you aware of other shopping facilities, centres or other provided dedicated motorcycle parking, we would love to hear where they are and a picture paints a thousand words, if you can let us know.
Leave your comments on Right To Ride
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The French motorcycle magazine, MOTOMAG reports on what seems to be a change of position from the French Government after the recent mass protests by French riders.
The protests, regarding new traffic legislation proposals, included for motorcyclists the mandatory wearing of Hi-Viz.
MOTOMAG report that the Interior Minister persists in the idea of improving the visibility of motorcyclists but says, “In this sense, we must improve the training of drivers,” to better integrate with the two-wheeler drivers. ” But we also have a perception problem at night. It was never intended to dress up bikers in yellow vests, but rather to negotiate with them, reflecting spots or reflective tape.”
It is also reported that on French TV, the Interior Minister said that he had nothing against the motorcycle but that he intended to “improve their visibility because bikers are particularly vulnerable”.
“It is not question of asking bikers to wear a phosphorescent chasuble*” (Hi viz), said Claude Guéant, but “simply to improve reflecting devices that many of them already have”.
This is relevant as MAG Ireland face the possibility of mandatory Hi-Viz material for all motorcyclists in 2014, from their Road Safety Authority (RSA), subject to consultation on the most appropriate type of hi-vis material and possible solutions. At present we are trying to pin down the RSA for an answer, on how they perceive that mandatory Hi-Viz would affect riders from Northern Ireland and other countries visiting Ireland.
*Note the nearest translation we can get for chasuble is – jumper, pinafore or sleeveless robe.
Read the full article on Right To Ride EU
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