Mag And Fema News

Another kick in the teeth for motorcyclists.

News from the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG)

London motorcyclists' interests 'swept in the bin' again.

On 4th December, the Transport for London (TfL) Board signed off the recommended motorcycle charges for the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels. MAG claims that the interests of London’s motorcyclists have been swept in the bin.

At a meeting of the TfL Board on Wednesday 4th December, the recommendation from the consultation team on motorcycle charges was accepted. All objections and comments on the motorcycle charges are met by a single copy-and-paste response in the consultation report. The response reads:

“A key objective of the user charges is to manage demand and thereby lock in the benefits of additional capacity and, importantly, manage the effects of traffic on the environment.

Motorcycles like all other vehicles will benefit from the scheme though journey time savings and more reliable journeys and the increased resilience afforded by the scheme.

Motorcycles also contribute to congestion, noise and air pollution as well as wear and tear of road surfaces and, therefore, will be subject to user charges.”

Having reviewed the detail of the consultation report, MAG points out that:

• 4 responses suggested that motorcycle charges should be higher,
• 302 responses suggested that motorcycles should be exempt from charges,
• 45 responses suggested that all charges for motorcycles should be lower,
• 21 responses suggested that off-peak charges for motorcycles should be lower, and
• 10 responses suggested that peak hour charges should be lower

Looking at general support for the charges for all vehicles, 267 responses supported the proposed charges, 271 responses wanted higher charges, but 3,318 opposed them and 956 called for lower charges.

Despite overwhelming support for lower or no charges for motorcycles, riders will be charged the same as car drivers during off-peak hours (£1.50) and £2.50 during peak hours.

MAG contests that justifications for charging cars and motorcycles are different. These differences have not been fully considered by TfL.

MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said:

“The decision on this consultation once again casts serious doubt on the credibility of the consultation process. We are continually told that a consultation is not a vote, but the specific responses to all the detailed arguments made by MAG and others on the proposed motorcycle charges show a complete lack of engagement. They say motorcycles contribute to congestion – they don’t; they help relieve congestion. They say they contribute to air pollution and wear and tear, but no one with a basic grasp of reality can claim they produce the equivalent levels of air pollution or wear and tear as cars. It seems that the decision was signed and sealed before the consultation was launched and the process is merely a fig-leaf to cover the embarrassing truth of how true consultation isn’t happening.”

Colin went on to say:

“MAG uncovered the fact that the Silvertown policymakers had made zero effort to consider the potential risks to riders diverting to longer routes to avoid charges. I called for an urgent meeting with TfL to discuss their cavalier attitude to rider safety. I was promised a roundtable meeting would be arranged with MAG and other riders’ groups to discuss TfL’s disregard for motorcycle safety. I was informed just yesterday that two and a half months later they haven’t even begun organising this yet. This needs to be escalated. The Mayor himself needs to attend the meeting. The time for brushing the interests of London’s motorcyclists into the bin needs to come to an end.”

Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or [email protected]