Wakefield MAG September 2014 Newsletter

Dear Wakefield MAG Member,

Welcome to the Wakefield MAG e-newsletter. If you can't attend our Wednesday meetings regularly, it's the next best thing to keep you up to date with what we are up to.

CONTENTS

1) Killer Armadillos on Salford Roundabout - An Urgent Appeal from Leon
2) Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt (The Thinking Riders Rideout)
3) Wakefield MAG Clothes Bank Donation Fundraiser
4) Wakefield MAG Bingo Night
5) 11th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite
6) MAG National Demo - Saturday 23rd August 2014
7) Snooty Fox Bike Night
8) Survey on Motorcycle Tourism
9) Scots Biker in Insurance Hell with Legal Loophole
10) ePetition - Scrap the requirement to retake a CBT every 2 years
11) Forthcoming Events (for September and beyond)

1) Killer Armadillos on Salford Roundabout - An Urgent Appeal from Leon

In issue 53 (July/August) issue of the Road, Leon Mannings wrote about the trials in Salford of armadillo shaped lumps of plastic that have been bolted to the road in the attempt to make things safer for cyclists. Yet again something is being trialled without considering it's impact on motorcyclists. This is what happens to these armadillos when something like a truck runs over them:

Broken Armadillo

Not only are the broken pieces a hazard for all two wheelers but the bolts sticking up once the armadillo is smashed are equally lethal to PTW's.

ACTION: Please email Salford Council (politely!), raise your objections to the scheme and ask them to extend the consultation period so motorcyclists concerns can be addressed. http://www.salford.gov.uk/schemeconsultations.htm

Currently, the consultation period is set to end 8th September, and be followed by internal 'consideration' and rubber stamping two weeks later. This must be extended so that the key issues raised by MAG can be properly discussed. See details below from Leon. When you email Salford Council, please bcc Wayne Rooney, the Yorkshire Region Rep yorkshire-rep@mag-uk.org, so we can collate and pass these details onto Leon.

Also get every biker you know to also respond in the negative. So far, the Council have received relatively few objections, so will be (wrongly) assuming that they can plough ahead.

Thanks in advance

--------------------------

A Summary of MAG's concerns and position:

  1. If the introduction of a Mandatory Cycle Lane, i.e a section of highway for exclusive use by cyclists, involves a reduction in road width for Powered Two Wheeler (PTW) riders, it inevitably has adverse impacts on the safety of PTW riders. Any such proposal is therefore unacceptable to the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), and something we object to in the strongest possible terms – unless there is clear evidence of an overarching safety benefit that can be demonstrated with evidence that is both valid and reliable in duly scrutinised terms.
  2. The introduction of physical delineators of cycle lanes, including 'Armadillos' and Bollards, that reduce lane width for PTW riders amounts to the introduction of new hazards that are even more unacceptable, albeit with the same caveat about provable safety benefits as above.
  3. The introduction of changes to roads that are designed to slow traffic by compressing the width of road space, either by physical means or road markings, also has adverse impacts on PTW rider safety - which is equally unacceptable - and especially at junctions and particularly on roundabouts.
  4. MAG is asking to see the casualty figures for all road user groups that relate to the three locations for the new scheme proposals - and the figures for the Greater Manchester Region as a whole so we can form a clear picture of the realities as they have been during the last three years and especially for cyclists, PTW riders and pedestrians. There needs to be overwhelming supporting data to justify a scheme which could endanger PTW riders.
  5. Casualty reduction is not the only valid criteria for proposing changes to public highways.
  6. No UK Transport Authority is legally allowed to introduce changes that can make road use more dangerous - and in our view the proposals as they stand will for PTW riders (and cyclists for that matter).
  7. MAG is requesting an extension to the consultation process in order for us to arrange meetings in September (at a senior level in the Department for Transport to discuss critical issues for bikers arising from pro-cycling and other 'safety' schemes - with Bedford and Salford being prime examples) - as there has been insufficient consideration of the reasons for objection raised above - and the extent to which these schemes may have adverse impacts of one third of Vulnerable Road User groups in the form of PTW riders.

2) Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt (The Thinking Riders Rideout)

Treasure Hunt Poster

After a gap of a year, we are hosting a Treasure Hunt again, on Sunday 28th September 2014.

Multiple Clues, Multiple Answers, Multiple Destinations, Multiple Opportunities to get totally lost.

Prizes for 1st , 2nd & 3rd place, plus a booby prize for coming last.

Rankings determined by a combination of correct answers, correct destinations, route taken and time elapsed, so the first back to base isn't necessarily the winner ... it's why it's the Ultimate Thinking Riders Rideout !!!

Meet 8:30am (to get clues/instructions) at the Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT. Leave when you have worked out where you are going !!! £1 p.p. Entry Fee (to cover the cost of the prizes). All profits to the MAG Fighting Fund

3) Wakefield MAG Clothes Bank Donation Fundraiser

We are having a Clothes Bank Donation Fundraising evening at our meeting on Wednesday 1st October. The idea is to bring along your un-wanted Clean & Wearable clothes, shoes, belts etc, we bag them up and take them to a clothes bank, where we will be paid for the donations (£5 per Kilogram), and what we raise will be donated to the MAG Fighting Fund. A simple way to raise funds for MAG, and a great way to get rid of your old rally T Shirts !!!!

N.B. This date clashes with the Huddersfield MAG Pie Night, so if you are planning to go to the excellent said event, simply bring your clothes donation along to the previous week's Wakefield MAG meeting, and we'll store them for you until the 1st.

4) Wakefield MAG Bingo Night

Bingo Night Poster

Eyes Down for a Fun Filled Night of Bingo !!!

Wakefield MAG are hosting our inaugral Bingo Night, from 8:00pm on Wednesday 22nd October 2014 at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 4EJ.

20p per ticket, cash and prize bingo, and lot's of hilarity guaranteed. All welcome and if everyone turns up who has said they are coming, we are going to run out of seats, so be there early !!!

All profits to the MAG Fighting Fund

5) 11th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite

Quiz Nite Poster

Now we are heading into Autumn, it's not actually that long to the most competitive event of the Yorkshire MAG year ... the hugely popular Wakefield MAG Bikers Quiz Nite !!!

The quiz will be held at 8:00pm on Wednesday 19th November 2014 at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield, WF1 4EJ.

We wont mess with a winning formula so it's the same tried and tested 60 questions, 30 of which will be motorcycle related and 30 will be general knowledge (but there will be a bike related link / theme somewhere, however tenuous). The quiz is hotly contested throughout Yorkshire and the prestigious roll of honour is:

Who will win in 2014 ? .... Leeds Again Probably !

Open to All. £1 entry fee p.p. Team (Max. 5) or individual entry. Great prizes for the winners (1st, 2nd & 3rd), plus booby prize for the least number of correct answers.

And just for a change ....... All proceeds to the MAG Fighting Fund ;-)

6) MAG National Demo - Saturday 23rd August 2014

MAG National Demo - SMIDSY Campaign

Circa. 300 bikes took part in the Yorkshire (Sheffield) leg of the MAG National Demo held on Saturday 23rd August 2014. Sheffield was one of many UK cities hosting simultaneous demos, including London, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.

The purpose of the demo was to raise awareness on the theme that too many riders are being knocked from their bikes; that drivers are being mildly punished or getting off free, and that we - every day - see that the errors of other road users are putting our lives at risk, while we are being popularly held up to blame. This year there have been even more deaths than usual, and it's our perception that the majority are due to driver errors and poor planning/maintenance. Every day, a motorcyclist is killed or seriously injured on the road due to the actions of a driver who didn't pay attention, or even look out into the road. Nine times out of ten, the driver receives a pitiful sentence for careless driving after pleading guilty, or worse still, nothing more than a driving ban; meanwhile, a family loses someone who cannot be replaced. Sorry mate, I didn't see you! ... is the most common excuse for a driver when a rider has been knocked off. It doesn't matter if the rider is wearing hi-viz, with headlights on or not.

The demo started from Meadowhall and received a police escort into the city centre where bike parking had been organised near the Winter Gardens and Crucible Theatre. Leaflets were handed out to the 'public' and speeches given by MAG Director Neil Liversedge.

The Sheffield Demo had coverage in the Sheffield Star newspaper and website and on BBC radio: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/campaigns/bikers-gather-in-sheffield-for-justice-protest-1-6802374

Photos from the demo can be viewed here: www.captainsmurf.co.uk/justicedemo/sheffield.htm

And if you were wondering how the demo's went down in other cities, this is a video from the one in 'That there London': https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=19FGiKNXMz8

Meanwhile, the political lobbying continues, so watch this space for future updates.

7) Snooty Fox Bike Night

The Snooty Fox public house (just round the corner from our Grey Horse HQ) are hosting a bike night on Thursday 4th September. The organiser and Landlady of the Snooty Fox is keen to point out that this is not a new bike club / group, but purely run for bikers and enthusiasts, by the Snooty Fox pub.

Snooty Fox Bike Night Poster

If you are free, and in the area, there are probably worse things to be doing on a Thursday night (and do plug MAG to any non-MAG members you may get talking to ;-)

8) Survey on Motorcycle Tourism

If you have a spare 5 minutes, you may like to complete this short questionnaire on Motorcycle Tourism. The questionnaire is from Rhiannon Rees, a Masters student from Aberystwyth University, who is carrying out research into motorcycle leisure for her dissertation thesis, and who has approached MAG for help.

The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and could be used to inform tourism businesses of the needs of Motorcycle Tourists, so could well have future benefits in terms of secure parking provision, drying facilities, helmet parks etc etc.

http://abergeography.eu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4MbZgX4oHsyfaBL

9) Scots Biker in Insurance Hell with Legal Loophole

A cautionary tale that everyone would do well to observe if you sell your bike:

http://britishbikersassociation.org/blog/entry/scots-biker-in-insurance-hell-after-legal-loophole-forces-him-to-pay-thousands-for-death-crash-on-his-old-bike

10) ePetition - Scrap the requirement to retake a CBT every 2 years

Sign this ePetition if you agree with it's aims:

I would like to see the requirement to retake the Compulsory Bike (sic) Training every two years removed. It is pointless to have to retake training, when the learning process is continued by the Rider once he or she is given the initial pass certificate by the test centre. Further training is unnecessary, as the learning process is part of riding the bike. Once the initial skills are learned, nothing more can be gained from further retesting. This is just a licence for the testing centres to print money. At approximately £100 every 2 years, this is a cost that is hard to bear for some young Motorcyclists, and is putting people off riding a cheap environmentally friendly form of transport.

Details at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/68402

11) Forthcoming Events (for September and beyond)

Thursday 4th September - Snooty Fox Bike Night

See Above

Friday 19th September - Sunday 21st September - EY MAG's Spat out of Hull

An end of season camping and drinkathon, for the rally faithful of Yorkshire and beyond. With Bands, DJ's and comedy. Dene Park, Sports and social club, Dunswell, Hull. More details at: http://east-yorks.mag-uk.org/

Tuesday 23rd September - Leeds MAG Comedy Night

7:30pm at The Cross Keys in Morley, West Yorkshire

Sunday 28th September - Wakefield MAG Treasure Hunt (Branch Rideout with a difference !!)

See Above

Meet 8:30am (to get clues/instructions) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT (Treasure Hunt will leave at 09:00am prompt) £1 per entrant (to cover cost of prizes). Arrive with a full tank of petrol

Wednesday 1st October - Wakefield MAG Clothes Bank Donation Fundraiser

See Above

Wednesday 22nd October - Wakefield MAG Bingo Night

See Above

Wednesday 19th November - Wakefield 11th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite

See Above

See the events page for further details and more !!!

That's all for this month, and I hope to see you all soon.

Ride Safe .. Ride Free
Steve Travis
Chairman
Wakefield MAG
0772 078 4734

Wakefield MAG meet at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield at 8:30pm every Wednesday. New (and Old) faces are always welcome.