Motorcycle News (MCN) the UK’s weekly motorcycle newspaper reports that its protest ride in Brussels, against proposed EU Regulations for motorcycles, attracted riders from the UK, France and Belgium.
The protest ride was planned to take place on the same day that the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee was due to vote on the MEPs submitted amendments to the European Commission Proposal, before it headed to the European Parliament.
However in the run up to the protest the vote was suspended for a second time until the 5th December.
Riders congregated near the European Commission headquarters at the Auto World Museum before riding to the European Parliament with a police escort, where MEPs had been invited to come out and hear concerns over anti-tampering proposals.
The assembled riders where addressed during the day by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) President Ian Mutch, the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) Government Relations head Chris Hodder and MCN’s Steve Farrell.
MCN have called for the anti-tampering measures to be thrown out of the plans, their supporting MEP, UKIP’s Marta Andreasen, who as reported by MCN proposed the action, sent a memo to other MEPs saying: ‘I have been campaigning with bikers across the UK and MCN to ensure that this needless legislation is thrown on the scrapheap.
MCN have also highlighted several issues that they are concerned with in the proposal from the European Commission, issues that could and that rider groups fear could have an affect on motorcycling.
We Was There – Working From The Inside
At Right To Ride with our previous communications with the European Commission and the Chair of the IMCO committee we saw the importance of the scheduled vote in the IMCO committee as an opportunity to take that communication one step further and to head to Brussels.
While riders protested on the streets of Brussels, outside the European Parliament and the European Commission headquarters, Right To Ride’s Elaine Hardy met with a Representative of the European Commission, the assistants of UK MEP Malcolm Harbour, chair of the IMCO committee and chatted with Malcolm Harbour himself.
The meetings cleared up some of the issues we have been concerned with, for example, what is meant by anti-tampering, what is the difference between legal modifications and illegal modification and how these and other issues are interpreted in the proposal.
Elaine also raised concerns regarding adaptions to motorcycles/trikes/sidecar outfits for disabled riders and how these adaptions would be seen in the proposal, supplied with information from the NABD (National Association of Bikers with a Disability) Chairman Rick Hulse.
We will have a full report when Elaine returns from Brussels.
Links
Report from MCN – MCN’s multinational protest reaches Brussel – Click Here
Report from – MCN Riders gather for MCN EU protest – Click Here
Information
View all our press releases and articles regarding the proposed European Commission regulation proposal – Click Here
List of our documents regarding the regulations that we have produced at Right To Ride EU – Click Here
Information – proposal – amendments – timetables – Click Here
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Bikers’ concerns over motorcycle type approval will be heard in European Parliament
Brussels, 22nd November 2011
The EU is currently reviewing the so-called ‘Type Approval’ for two and three wheel vehicles, which sets out performance and design standards for new models. Among bikers’ concerns are the possible introduction of anti-tampering equipment, mandatory ABS on high-powered bikes, and on-board diagnostics.
Malcolm Harbour MEP, Conservative chairman of the internal market committee, said that he has listened to the concerns that have been raised by motorcycle users and he is seeking to ensure that the proposals will reflect their views.
He said:
“It is important that we listen to the views of bikers who also want safer and more environmentally-friendly bikes. We must ensure that the regulation takes into account their concerns.
“We have already carried out a great deal of work to ensure that bikers can continue to make improvements to their bikes using a wide range of parts. I am confident that their viewpoint on ABS and on-board diagnostics will also be taken into account when we agree the final text.
“There are some aspects of MEPs’ amendments that I believe have nothing to do with motorbike type approval, such as mandatory fluorescent jackets. However, I am confident that such proposals will never make it into the final regulation.
“Motorbikes are a passion for many people and EU legislation cannot, and will not, ruin that passion.
Original Source: European Conservatists and Reformist Group – Click Here