MOTORCYCLES are, to anyone with two brain cells to rub together, one of the best ways of travelling distances in and out of cities that would otherwise be too far to cycle or walk.
Moreover, riding a motorcycle has been proven to be excellent for both body and mind. With those two final points in mind, the comments made by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), which call motorcycles ‘a noisy safety risk’ extremely ill-judged.
The comments came in the wake of a wish to charge motorcycles to travel into the so-called ‘Sustainable Travel Zone’ (STZ). The new rule would see a blanket charge of £5 per day, the same as cars, for travelling within the area between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm. The charges will affect all road users of private vehicles, residents, tourists, and those working within the area. The charges are part of a wider consultation called ‘Making Connections', which looks to ‘improve’ travel connections in the region – presumably by ‘improve’ they mean ruin for all that don’t use public transport.
Councillor Elisa Meschini- credit cambridgelabour.org.uk
The charges in the STZ aren’t quite over the line yet though. As with any changes of this sort, a public consultation is ongoing, giving the public the chance to air their views on the plan. That means there is still time to add your thoughts on the scheme.
To add your thoughts on the scheme, head to: consultcambs.uk
Speaking about the proposed changes, BMF’s Government Relations Executive, Emily Rochester, said:
‘We do not accept the reasonings put forward by the GCP and would like to know where the idea comes from that motorcycles conflict with pedal cycles, as there doesn’t seem to be any data backing it up. These proposals are a poorly justified move against not only motorbikes but all privately-owned transport.’
