Bikes worse for pollution than cars?

Motorcycles are worse for the environment than cars, a leading transport advisor has told MPs.

Stephen Plowden, adviser to campaign group The Slower Speeds Initiative, told the House of Commons Transport Committee: “They are only carrying one person, and I think for other gaseous emissions I am right in saying they are actually worse than cars.”

His views were backed by Don Matthew, of transport charity Sustrans, who said: “They are considerably worse… even modern motorcycles are extremely polluting.”
Plowden and Matthew were among those invited last month to contribute to a Committee inquiry into the success of the Government’s Motorcycling Strategy, which aimed to ‘mainstream’ motorcycling and improve bike safety. But the pair hijacked the inquiry to promote their own ant-bike agenda, according to riders’ rights group Rider Connect.

Plowden even called for bikes to be banned from city and town centres.
Rider Connect said last week the pollution claims were untrue. Campaign manager Richard Olliffe said: “The new BMW R1200R produces two grams of CO2 per kilometre. For some cars it’s 30 grams per kilometre.”

Let us know what you think. Email: steve.farrell@emap.com including a daytime phone number.