Are You Riding London?

London – Will you be riding London on the 27th March 2018 at 4.30pm?  We Ride London – are coordinating a rally at Parliament Square to raise awareness with policy makers and the public of the issues affecting riders of motorcycles and scooters in London.

We Ride London are encouraging  all riders to attend the demo whether you ride a classic bike, sports bike, adventure bike, cruiser, scooter or the latest retro bike. They say, “All of us are impacted by the policies of Transport for London & the Mayor of London. The only people who can influence change are you, the average, voting, rider of motorcycles & scooters in London”

In We Ride London’s opinion, “The personal bias of policy making and influencing bureaucrats has resulted in an active campaign to drive motorcycles & scooters off London’s roads, ignoring data produced by Transport for London and others that clearly shows motorcycles & scooters have a positive contribution to congestion & pollution in London and should be actively encouraged as a strategic transport solution for Londoners”. 

They continue that, “Over 155,000 riders rely on motorcycles and scooters for work, whether it’s to commute to/from work or to move around London as part of their job. The demographic is extremely diverse, ranging from city bankers, fire officers and doctors to teachers, builders, retail-sector workers, hospitality workers and delivery riders. In the truest sense, this is a grass-roots minority community that is being actively discriminated against and marginalised by Transport for London and the Mayor of London. Many of these riders can’t afford to use other transport options including public transport, or they are not served by viable public transport, or practicalities and logistics don’t allow them to use bicycles (eg a 45-mile ride to work from outside London).”

Who Rides London? – Survey

At Motorcycle Minds we have launched a – Who Rides London – survey – which is asking these very motorcycle, scooter and moped riders, to determine the typical rider’s profile and the type of bikes/scooters/mopeds travelling in these areas.

To highlight the importance that this form of transport offers, that charges should not be introduced for a mode of transport that has the benefits of reducing congestion and which in terms of pollution, has a very small impact, especially compared to other private and public forms of transport.

The results will hopefully offer riders the opportunity to put forward a case for continued access to all areas in London, as a £12.50 charge per day for older (than the Euro 3 standard) motorcycles/scooters/mopeds traveling in proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London is planned.

Who Are ‘We Ride London’?

As a reminder and to those who not aware of We ride London, “We Ride London is an unaffiliated and inclusive campaign acting as the main lobby and pressure group for grass-roots riders of motorcycles and scooters in London. It is also supporting the hundreds of small businesses that will be significantly impacted by some of the changes proposed by City Hall, including the ULEZ pollution charge. We Ride London is campaigning in three key areas, all of which should be wrapped into an inclusive transport policy for London and the UK.”

Some of We Ride London’s aims and objectives are:

• Safety: 36 motorcycle and scooter riders died on London’s streets in 2016. Initial, invalidated numbers suggest this has increased in 2017.We want to see the end of schemes that put riders at risk such as lane narrowing and painted cycle lanes, and policies such as use of bus lanes to be consistently applied in all boroughs across London and the UK.

• Security: Theft of motorcycles and scooters, along with scooter-enabled theft, has reached epidemic levels within London. Over 16,000 motorcycles and scooters were stolen last year, a significant increase year-on-year.Criminals operate with impunity, and our police forces are starved of funds and have their hands tied by fear of the IPCC. We need investment in prevention, detection and investigation capability to close down these gangs for good, and we need policies that allow the police forces to chase and apprehend these criminals while at the same time ensuring sentencing is a true deterrent. We also want more secure parking to be provided by the boroughs in London. More and more insurance companies are pricing themselves out of London coverage, leaving many riders unable to afford to fund their chosen means of commuting.

• Economic fairness: Motorcycle and scooter riders are happy to pay their way in proportionate costs. However, with the introduction of the muted (Ultra Low Emission Zone) ULEZ charge, older motorcycles and scooters will have to pay the same tariff as older cars (£12.50 per day). This is despite Transport for London’s own data showing that motorcycles and scooters contribute less than 1% of the pollution in London. Adding this to the issues of insurance highlighted above, motorcycles and scooter riders are having to pay more and more to get to work.

As We Ride London explain, “The format is different from previous rides. We are not leading a ride but encourage you all to join us on parliament square where we will have two large banners carrying some of our key messaging and also you can print your own placard to carry and/or stick on your back/top box if you are riding. You can download a file containing printable placards/posters here or you can make your own with a message that is important to you.”

So if you ride London try and support the rally from We Ride London or share through #WeRideLondon #MotorcyclesMatter #BikersUnited and please complete our survey – Who Rides London? – Further information!

Sources – We Ride London – Protest Rally March 27th

More Information – facebook.com/weridelondon – twitter/weridelondon

For the Who Rides London? – Survey – Click Here