We Ride London protest ride TODAY

WE RIDE LONDON will take to the streets of the Capital later today in a protest against the diminishing rights for motorcyclists in the city and across the UK.

Starting at 4.30pm from Parliament Square, the protest ride will not take the form of a led route as previously. Instead a potential loop route between Lambeth Bridge and Parliament Square has been suggested, with the actual decision being left to riders in attendance. The aim is to create a ‘visible motorcycle and scooter presence at 4:30PM.’

We Ride London tirelessly campaigns against the ‘marginalisation of motorcycles and scooters in London and the UK’, ‘which are impacted by the policies of Transport for London & the Mayor of London’.

Rider safety, security and cost are affected by Sadiq Khan’s policies. Figures show that 36 riders died on London’s streets in 2016, a number that is thought to have increased last year. Meanwhile, more than 16,000 motorcycles and scooters were stolen last year, another figure which grows on year. Finally, from April 2019, owners of motorcycles that do not meet Euro 3 standards – i.e. those registered before 2007 – will be charged a £12.50 per day ULEZ charge in central London.

The lobby group’s manifesto demands: “We want schemes that put motorcyclists at risk such as lane narrowing and painted cycle lanes to stop and policies such as use of bus lanes to be consistently applied in all boroughs across London and across the UK.

“We need investment in prevention, detection and investigation capability to close these gangs down for good and we need policies that allow the police forces to chase & apprehend these criminals while at the same time ensuring sentencing is a true deterrent. We also want more secure parking to be provided by the boroughs in London. More and more insurance companies are pricing themselves out of London coverage leading many riders unable to afford to fund their means of commuting. 

“With the introduction of the (Ultra Low Emission Zone) ULEZ charge, older motorcycles & scooters will have to pay the same tariff as cars (£12.50 per day). This is despite Transport for London’s own data showing that motorcycles & scooters contribute less than 1% of the pollution in London. Adding this to the issues of insurance highlighted above, motorcycles & scooter riders are having to pay more and more to get to work.”