Wakefield MAG October 2018 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) September Rideout (Derbyshire Day Out) Report
2) MAG wins charge exemption in Birmingham City's Clean Air Zone
3) Secure Bike Parking in Wakefield
4) October Rideout
5) MAG AGC Report
6) Yorkshire Region AGM
7) MAP AGM
8) Bingo Night
9) Wakefield MAG 15th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite
10) West Midlands MAG develop vital lines of communication with West Midlands Police
11) Forthcoming Events (for October and beyond)

1) September Rideout (Derbyshire Day Out) Report

Check out the rideout report Here.

2) MAG wins charge exemption in Birmingham City's Clean Air Zone

The Motorcycle Action Group has won a landmark campaign to gain exemption for motorcycles of all ages from Birmingham City Council's Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

At a special meeting of the Cabinet on the 10th September, Birmingham City Council has approved its CAZ business case submission. Once approved by Government, the proposal can be implemented with the launch of the zone scheduled for January 2020. Birmingham is the first authority outside London to propose the "class D" clean air zone model that allows for charging of all vehicles including private transport. The Motorcycle Action Group has consistently argued that motorcycles act within the transport system as net reducers of congestion and pollution, pointing to studies that demonstrate that a simple 10% modal shift from single-occupancy cars to motorcycles and scooters will yield a 40% reduction in congestion for all road users and result in a 7.5% reduction in CO2, a 5.5% reduction in NO2 and a 20% reduction in particulate matter.

MAG's Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said: "We are delighted that our campaign has resulted in the proposal to exempt all motorcycles from charges in the zone. This is a decision that will impact riders not just in Birmingham, but throughout the country. Birmingham City Council has recognised and accepted our position that motorcycles are net reducers of harmful emissions and thus should be exempt from charges."

"I have found Birmingham City Council to be informed, serious about their emissions policy development and capable of understanding the science, and credit to them for taking such a mature view. This decision sets the precedent for all future CAZ proposals in other parts of the country, demonstrating a clear endorsement of the fact that motorcycles contribute to improving air quality."

"The exemption from charges is a vital first step towards a policy to positively promote modal shift to motorcycles. There is pioneering work on this policy being done already in Northamptonshire, and we look forward to discussing with Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands how application of this policy in the region will accelerate the journey towards compliance of legal targets for NO2 emissions. Achieving this goal will remove the threat of fines for non-compliance and benefit the entire community."

Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Lembit Opik, said: "This excellent result in the West Midlands now has significant implications for the legitimacy of the poor decisions being made in the Capital. We will be continuing our efforts to persuade Sadiq Khan to reverse the illogical and counterproductive charging of pre-Euro 3 motorcycles in his Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) due to come into effect in April 2019."

Chairman of the Motorcycle Action Group, Selina Lavender, said "We are thrilled with this outcome, the result of much hard work by MAG's political unit and the support of MAG members and supporters. We thank the efforts of all those who supported our campaign, signed the petition and responded as individuals to the consultation. Working together we can see great results, not just for riders, but for the whole community."

3) Secure Bike Parking in Wakefield

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council have a grant to install secure motorcycle parking facilities in the region, courtesy of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. We have a meeting with Wakefield MDC in mid-October and we'd like to present them with our suggestions, based on solid research and the requirements of those 'in the know' i.e. us bikers !!!!

Secure M/C Parking

We are particularly keen to hear from anyone with any suggestions of where are good places in the district (Wakefield and the Five Towns) to install secure motorcycle parking faciltities. To qualify, any current car parks being suggested have to be owned and operated by Wakefield MDC, as the council won't be able to install ground anchors etc in someone else's car parks. If you have any suggestions of car parks in the District that would particularly benefit from secure motorcycle parking facilities, please email us with your suggestions (before mid-October 2018 please).

Email link: wakefield-rep@mag-uk.org

4) October Rideout

The October Rideout is on Sunday 7th October.

The rideout destination is Sunny Scarborough, 76 miles each way, with a mid-point stop off at Seaways Cafe for a brew.

October Rideout Route

The rideout will be learner friendly (maybe not ideal for fledgling novices but ideal for experienced confident learners), 10,000 acres of clear blue sky guaranteed (honest !!!) and all are welcome.

Meet 8:30am (leaving at 09:00am) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT. Hope to see you there.

5) MAG AGC Report

Check out the event report Here.

6) Yorkshire Region AGM

The 2018 Yorkshire Region Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday 28th October at 10:00, at The Royal Hotel, 30 Station Street, Pudsey, LS28 8PR (Leeds MAG's HQ). Web: theroyalpudsey.co.uk. The meeting will be over by lunchtime (and the Royal do very nice Sunday Lunches !!!). All Yorkshire MAG members are cordially invited to attend. 75 Branch Points awarded to any Wakefield MAG member who attends.

7) MAP AGM

The Annual General Meeting for Magic Action Promotions (The Yorkshire MAG events arm who run the Into the Valley, Farmyard Party and the Yorkshire Pudding Rally) will be held on Saturday 13th October at the White Horse, Main St, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield, HU25 9QN. Web: www.whitehorse.me.uk/

The meeting will start at 1.30pm and will consist of the company AGM, Donation to MAG, and a debrief of the 3 rallies. This will finish for around tea time and food will be served for those that wish to stay for it, also the pub will have entertainment on the night and a few beers can be quaffed in celebration of a job well done.

Camping and rooms are available at the White Horse if anyone wishes to stay overnight (bookable through Pete Walker - marshals will have received further details via an email from MAP).

N.B. Attendance at the MAP AGM is restricted to event marshals only.

8) Bingo Night

Oct 2018 Bingo Night

Eyes Down for another Fun Filled Night of Bingo !!! Cash and Prize Bingo, and lot's of hilarity guaranteed. All profits to the MAG Fighting Fund. The excitement starts at 20:00 at the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield, on Wednesday 31st October.

Hope to see you there.

9) Wakefield MAG 15th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite

Bingo flyer

The legendary and hugely popular Wakefield MAG Bikers Quiz Nite is coming up very soon !!!

The quiz will be held at 8:00pm on Wednesday 21st November 2018 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 2018 ? .... 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 ;-)

10) West Midlands MAG develop vital lines of communication with West Midlands Police

With the ever present issue of motorcycle theft and related crime in the region, West Midlands MAG is pleased to announce that it is developing a formal communications channel between West Midlands Police and the local motorcycling community.

Superintendent Rich Youds has stepped forward to act as the single point of contact between the biking community and the police. Colin Brown, Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, said "This is an important step in the right direction for combatting motorcycle theft in the West Midlands. There is much that we, MAG, and the wider biking community in the area are doing to try to work in partnership with the force, but these small projects need some structure and co-ordination to yield the best results. It is vital that we have a single route for communications. This will not be a day-to-day replacement for 101 or reporting crime, but will enable wider issues and difficulties to be discussed openly and honestly with a view to improving outcomes. We will be able to put forward ideas and suggestions and also act as expert advisers to guide the actions of the local force initiatives."

West Midlands Regional Rep, Graham Wells, said "Initially we have asked Superintendent Youds to come back to us with more detailed information and statistics that will allow us to better understand the true nature and scale of the problem based on fact rather than just anecdotal evidence. There are limits to what can be established through Freedom of Information channels, so the ability to interrogate the data in a more scientific manner will help both sides. We also hope that the relationship will help with gaining closer co-operation on things like security awareness events that we are planning in the coming months. This is the beginning of a partnership that we hope will evolve to have direct impacts on the levels of detection and conviction of motorcycle thieves in the area."

Superintendent Youds said "Motorcyclists are an important part of our community, and I'm pleased to be able to work with MAG to understand the needs of the community and seek out ways that we can work together to reduce the incidents of motorcycle-related crime for the benefit of all."

11) Forthcoming Events (for October and beyond)

Sunday 7th October - Wakefield MAG Rideout (Destination: TBA)

See Above. Meet 8:30am (leaving at 09:00am) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT.

Saturday 13th October - Magic Action Promotions Annual General Meeting

See Above. 13:30 at the White Horse, Main St, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield, HU25 9QN. www.whitehorse.me.uk/

Sunday 28th October - Yorkshire Region Annual General Meeting

See Above. 10:00 at the Royal in Pudsey (Leeds MAG's HQ). theroyalpudsey.co.uk

Wednesday 31st October - Bingo

See Above. 20:00 in the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield

Wednesday 21st November - Wakefield MAG 15th Annual Bikers Quiz Nite

See Above. 20:00 in the Grey Horse, Kirkgate, Wakefield

Sunday 11th November - Remembrance Sunday

Wakefield MAG will be attending en-masse the City of Wakefield Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service on Sunday 11th November. We have attended this service for more years now than we care to remember, to honour the fallen from our own area, in our own area. We will again be laying a Wakefield MAG wreath at the war memorial, that we have already purchased from the Royal British Legion. Following the Wakefield Service, we will be attending (at the invitation of the RBLR), the parade and service in nearby Mirfield - The role of the motorcyclists, is to lead the procession through Mirfield, with the marching bands, service personnel, cadets, veterans, and everyone else following on behind. The remembrance parade culminates in an afternoon service at Mirfield War Memorial. The Mirfield parade usually gets covered in the BBC Look North News that evening.
We will remember them
Meet 10:50 (or earlier) at the Wood Street War Memorial in Wakefield for the City of Wakefield Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service. We will then be riding over to the Old Colonial pub in Mirfield, to meet up at 13:00ish with the Royal British Legion Riders (RBLR). We will be leaving the pub at 13:30 for a ride to the Mirfield parade which starts at 14:00, followed by the service at Mirfield War Memorial. As a thank you for attending, food is laid on afterwards at the Old Colonial by landlord Tim. Hope you can attend both and let's have a big turnout of bikes to honour the fallen from all armed conflicts, and to show our respect.

Saturday 1st December - Wakefield MAG Christmas Do

A date for your diary. Venue TBC (but don't be surprised if it's the Estabulo Rodizio Bar and Grill again ;-)

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

That's all for this month, 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.