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Bikers need to look after their own - Oli Rhys calls for bikers to get off their backsides and protect the future of biking

Photo by Bob Pickett

Offroad biking is under it's biggest ever threat... is road riding next to be killed off? After much frustration, I have come to the conclusion that bikers in the UK really need to start taking their motorcycling seriously.

Take the latest disaster to hit motorcycles, the NERC bill. Clause 62 is the bit we don't like as it is basically reducing the chance to ride off road, leaving us to ride on farm tracks and a few well known tracks. With it being a government issue, we ask our MP friends to do something about it. The only one I could think of was Mr Opik … and he was absent! It is not fair to put this solely upon his shoulders, but its just an indication of how we do lobbying in the UK.

"But, this issue was just about off roading" I hear you saying "It doesn't affect me on my GXHRX1200RWRF so why should I care?" This is the problem.

Bikers are People Who Ride Motorbikes. Plain and simple. However, when it comes to the public perception of us by the great unwashed, we are the offspring of the Hell's Angels. We have no morals, we are aggressive, we are racist and sexist, we are stupid, we are anti social so nobody cares about us. So what are we going to do about it?

If the NERC bill is anything to go by, leave it up to others and hope for the best.

But other groups take a more active stance. The lobby group that made the government change their minds was the Ramblers Association. They are a similar size to the BMF. So why were they able to lobby so effectively? The simple answer is that the RA asked their members to get involved.

Assuming only 10% of the members of the RA got involved, that is 14,000 letter to MP's compared to 1,000 from bikers. If you were an MP, who would you listen to?

Maybe we are just lazy? NO, I didn't think so, I think it is down to not being aware of what needs to be done.

I sent a letter to my MP, and I didn't even have to get the printer out. I just visited the "Political Wizard" page on the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) site It took me all of two minutes to find my MP, add my name and press the send button. I got a letter back from my MP, and my letter was forwarded to Dr Ladyman - he deals with transport in the UK. I got another letter a week later with his response.

I have done my bit to ensure the future for biking. It won't count for much because it was only me, but, if every biker went to that page, and did the same ... Dr Ladyman would have to answer to 1,500,000 registered bikers, one by one!

If he knew that this would happen every time he did something we didn't like, he would soon learn to respect us. The Eco-lobby have learned to do this, as have the Ramblers, maybe it is time the biker showed up in the same range of people who shouldn't be annoyed by politicians?

Or, would you prefer to just polish your bike, knowing that it is illegal to actually ride it?

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