[sustran] Re: [carfree_cities] Re: EU laws to put brake on bikers (motorcyclists) BUT BUT BUT

[Todd Edelman]

re: http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329473814-103630,00.html

also, interesting information on MOTORCYCLES IN ATHENS at these links:
http://www.geocities.com/pezosgr/motocbust.rtf
or
http://www.geocities.com/pezosgr/motocbust.htm

and below...as well as original email.

I suggest we move this discussion off the Carfree Cities as it is my
understanding that carfree definately means motorcycle-free in the view of
the owner of the Carfree Cities list, with no discussion possible. I just
wanted to respond to your points.

Todd

---

Hi KT!

Thanks for your comments and criticism!
>
> Motorcycles may be "little guy" in Czechia, but Czechia (or perhaps
> North America) is not the whole world. In many South European and
> Asian cities (and in an ever growing number of African countries)
> motorcycle traffic is an important part of motorised traffic (and in
> many cases - e.g China or Vietnam- a first step towards car motorisation).

I CERTAINLY dont think that Czechia or the EU or North America is the
whole world! I should add that I sent blind copies of the original email
to a few members of the Committee on Transport and Tourism in the European
Commission who I thought might be or I know are sympathetic to my point of
view.

Good laws in the EU can certainly be good examples for elsewhere.

Motorised two-wheelers represent a very small part of the transport mix in
most of the northern countries of the EU, and I think most if not all of
the new EU states. I realise that Italy, and perhaps France (and Spain?)
are different.

To summarize my opinion on your points below and in the linked page you
provided: I absolutely agree that motorcycles are worse than many people
think, and as bad as you claim. I just wanted to say that the restrictions
on driving age etc should apply to both, and things like a top speed of
30km/h should apply to all motorised vehicles (except for trams) in
built-up areas. Again, this - if enforced by police (active) and design
(passive) - will slow down all vehicles, and reduce some of the advantage
of motorcycles.

I dont think motorcycles resemble bicycles in any way.

So, lets focus on Athens, as you suggest:
>
> In Athens for instance, 1 million motorcycles pollute freely the city,
> besides 2 million automobiles - without any (unlike cars) exhaust gas
> and noise controls. Motorcycling is deliberately promoted (instead of
> biking - Athens lacks even 1 km of bike lane) in order to maximize
> motorised traffic. The corrupt administration favours motorcycling
> because they don't compete cars, but use mostly pedestrian spaces and
> other free spaces (parks, squares etc) - they have also recently
> granted them legally free access to dedicated bus lanes. They use
> under police immunity sidewalks and other pedestrian spaces and act
> more aggressively than cars, being a major component of the violence
> and oppression pedestrians experience in Athens in everyday life, and
> an important (although unrecognised) part of the pollution of the most
> polluted capital in Europe.

WELL, this certainly seems like hell. A main point of my first email was
to question why all countries dont have the same regulations for both
motorcycles and cars. I also understand that two-stroke-powered have been
made illegal, and while this means they will eventually dissappear, it
would certainly be great to get them off the streets sooner. And I
understand your point that four-stroke is not much of an advantage (In
Prague and other cities of the new EU especially, a HUGE problem is all
the old Diesel trucks and service vehicles... and I have not yet found out
how to get them off of the road or when/if laws might force it.
>
> You are not right: they don't only cause damage to the motorcyclists
> themselves, but they also kill pedestrians and bicyclists. Even the
> damage they bring about to themselves shouldn't be confronted with
> indifference, given the efforts the motorcycle lobby makes to lure
> inexperienced and aggression inclined people to the motorcycle
> ideology. However I agree with you that fines and efforts should
> concentrate more to the damage they cause to others (like speeding or
> pedestrian rights violations) than the harm they cause to themselves
> (like helmet use - advising rather than penalties are more appropriate
> in this case).

YES, you are right, in Athens, some other southern EU cities, and in many
parts of the developing world. In sum, many many more people than who are
in the EU.

Reducing motorcycle traffic in many  parts of the EU will not make a big
difference. (Brussels, too, I think!). So, that is why I mention the
"little guy": I mean this as the easiest target, not necessarily the cause
of the least problems. (To say it another way, there is big push for
people to unplug their computers when they are not at home, but many of
these people leave home by car!)
>
> Although carfree cities is a worthy prospect, perhaps a completely
> carfree world is still far away, but a motorcycle free world is
> already feasible (and may become a first step towards the carfree
> vision).

AGAIN, making Prague and other parts of the EU motorcycle-free will not
make a big difference. It is much fairer to treat all private motorised
transport with strict rules regarding emissions and speed... OR to really
take them seriously - for a change - and to ban all of it immediately when
city design/public transport can replace it via proximity and replacment
mobility... and to start redesigning cities and improving PT so no one
needs cars and motorcycles and no one needs them either.

Four wheels bad, two wheels bad (if you have a motor), two wheels good if
you have no motor, and pedestrians always come first.

And European Commission really needs to take a look at what is happening
in Athens and see if they are violating laws (I imagine they are regarding
emissions) and do something to help.

There are two Greeks on the Committee for Transport and Tourism: One seems
to be very active on Womens Issues, and since women (and children) are
known as vulnerable road users, maybe she will have an ear for your
points. I am forwarding this email to her...

See:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/expert/committees/presentation.do?committee=1242&language=EN

Thanks,
T

Original email:

EU laws to put brake on bikers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329473814-103630,00.html

Relevant excerpts to our discussion:

"...The first, which comes into force in two years, will see riders who
want to obtain a full licence complete a new 'break and swerve' course in
which they perform high-speed manoeuvres, including an emergency stop at
50mph..."

"...A second directive - due to come into force by 2012 - will deal the
industry another blow. The directive, which has yet to be rubber-stamped
by the EU, proposes to raise the minimum age for riding motorcycles over
125cc from 17 to 19. Novices who want a licence to ride any bike will have
to be over 24..."

***

How come an 18 year-old new driver is allowed to drive any normal car with
an engine far exceeding 125cc in size?

I imagine motorcyclists are involved in crashes and collisions in higher
proportion to their kilometres driven than car drivers... but isnt most of
the damage to the motorcyclists themselves?

Of course motorcycles are noisy, polluting and create road chaos - as
opposed to pedestrians, bicycles and guided-vehicles (rail and BRT) - but
these new laws are part of a trend to go after the "little guy", when it
is  private cars that doing the most damage and killing the most people
over all:

In the Czech Republic a law was passed recently to require helmets for
bicyclists up to age 18. The law was formerly for up to age 15. This will
probably turn away some from riding at all, keeping in mind how "uncool"
helmets might be for teenagers. (Another interesting aside is that a 15
year-old is allowed to have sex with anyone their age or older than them
here, so... a 15 year-old needs to put on a helmet to to visit their adult
boyfriend or girlfriend, etc.)

At the same time children and adults are being encouraged to wear things
like reflective vests and bright clothing, which are not required by law.
Children are given vests by their parents. To take this another step... EU
would probably like it to be the law that European children have
flourescent skin, huh?

In the Czech Republic there are some new laws coming into effect regarding
enforcement (point penalty system, etc) BUT nothing about reducing 50km/h
speed limit to 30km/h in built-up areas, which is the standard in many
European cities.

It seems to me logical to reduce car use with tougher restictions for
drivers, just as is being done for motorcylists. THAT is the very least
Brussels can do. (EU wants to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2010... BUT
Czechia wont meet the goal (not close) and if you tell me that only one of
my friends died rather than two... I wont exactly be happy!

I admit I am a little confused about what EU can regulate and what it
cant. Licenses for motorcyclists: YES, maybe because motorcyclists can go
everywhere in the EU. BUT 30km/h speedlimits in built-up areas? No. Why
not?  Because the built-up areas themselves cant cross borders? Dont EU
citizens deserve as similar traffic conditions as possible in all the
countries of the EU they visit or reside in?

If governments (and people) REALLY want to reduce road deaths, they need to:
* Remove as many cars as possible from the streets
* Slow down as much as possible many cars as possible which are still allowed
* Start teaching drivers that they are problematic guests in shared public
space between buildings....

... in addition to increasing public transport and railway funding (in
Germany funds for regional rail are being cut even as fuel prices go up:
This is the wrong way to decrease mobility.)...

... and of course ALSO setting a goal of perhaps 50% more carfree urban
areas (hectares) by 2010!!!

- T
------------------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
International Coordinator
On the Train Towards the Future!

Green Idea Factory
Laubova 5
CZ-13000 Praha 3

++420 605 915 970

edelman at greenidea.info
http://www.worldcarfree.net/onthetrain

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a member of World Carfree Network