Government transport advisors to discuss future of motorcycling

Government transport advisors are to discuss the future of motorcyling at a forthcoming conference. 

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety will discuss motorcycles at its conference on March 13, called ‘Beyond 2010 – Where Next?’

The Government’s current casualty reduction targets expire in 2010. It is feared ministers may come under pressure to replace the targets with a Swedish and Norwegian road safety policy linked to calls for motorcycles to be banned.

Vision Zero aims to eliminate road deaths altogether but none of its backers can explain how this can be achieved while motorcycling is permitted.

PACTS supported a road safety summit in Brussels last month discussing how Vision Zero’s goal could be achieved throughout the EU.

Robert Gifford, PACTS’ executive director, has said the group is recommending a derivative of Vision Zero aimed at “reducing the risk of death among all classes of road user as far as is practicable”.

David Short, campaigns manager for the Motorcycle Action Group, said he would attend the conference to defend motorcycling.

He said: “I am using every opportunity to defend biking from the health and safety zealots and risk-averse bureaucrats.”