THE M.E.N. campaign to end the menace of off-road bikes is being opposed by a high-powered coalition of pressure groups.
Blackley MP Graham Stringer has tabled a Private Member's Bill to force all off-road motorcycles and quad bikes to be registered and carry number plates.
But now the Motor Cycle Industry Association, the National Farmers Union, the Agricultural Engineers Association, the RAC Foundation, the Land Access and Recreational Association, the riders' groups MAG and BMF and the Auto Cycle Union have come together in a coalition to lobby against the Bill. Mr Stringer introduced the Bill after the M.E.N. revealed complaints to Greater Manchester Police are running at about 26,000 a year as youngsters terrorise neighbourhoods with cheap Chinese imports of mini-motos and `pit bikes'.
But the opponents say the number of imports of very cheap Chinese bikes fell by around 59 per cent last year against a backdrop of police and community action against illegal motorcycling by the Home Office and the industry. The coalition of organisations is arguing that new laws are not needed.
They say when riding a motorcycle illegally in a public place, particularly an unregistered mini-moto, riders can already break more than a dozen existing laws. They claim that instead of a new law, the existing laws need to be enforced.
It claims the Bill has unintended consequences which would have wide effects on off-road motorcycle sport and motorcycles, quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles used for agricultural purposes.
Motor racing would also be affected, they say, with Kart tracks and Kart owners being required to register machines and fit number plates, adding further bureaucracy and cost to the breeding ground of Formula 1 racing.
And they claim the impact on off-road motor sports would hit the revenues of landowners who provide land for events.
The requirement to display number plates on agricultural vehicles would increase costs while illegal users would simply remove number plates and other identification marks, much as they do now.
Mr Stringer's Bill recently received its second reading in parliament, despite strong opposition from the government and Conservative front benches.
The coalition is calling for the Bill to either be rejected at third reading, or for MPs to amend it so that legitimate off-road motorcycle and quadricycle users are exempt.
During the second reading, Mr Stringer told MPs that Tony Blair had told him in private it would be crazy not to support the Bill.
But Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman urged him to abandon the Bill and offered a full review of legislation surrounding the issue.
Should the bikes be licensed and carry registration plates? Have your say.
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Sorry M.E.N. but 'they're' right!
Laws, laws, and more laws. Don't have have enough of them aready? Shouldn't the police be out doing something about current laws instead of making new ones and nothing is done about it anyway?
Make More Dirt tracks for the people to ride on and stop thinking about the money aspect of things because no doubt it will cost money to have them made legal. All cost in this country it stinks.
I have to agree that the M.E.N is barking up the wrong tree with this one.
Stringer's bill is ill-thought-out and would have massive consequences for MotoGP, WSB and BSB racing.
Basically all bikes that are currently not road-legal (such as racing bikes & classics in museums) would have to be registered & display a registration plate or face being crushed.
Can you imagine Valentino Rossi racing round Donnington Park circuit with a plate on the back? Or Honda having million-pound GP bikes crushed as they are illegal?
It is totally wrong and this bill should be kicked right out - all the Police & councils need to do is enforce current legislation to get rid of the MINORITY of off-roaders who cause a problem rather than saddle us with more poorly tought-out & implemented legislation.
The fact Blair supports it tells you it is totally wrong!
Its ok for these people to oppose these laws ,but people have to live with these anti social bikes that wreck peoples lives with noise and the deaths of the people who use these offroad bikes? Since the warmer weather once again weve been plauged with these bikes.And the stupid adults that drive these bikes with very young children sat on the fuel tanks?Driving down the wrong side of the road at speeds of 30mph plus? THESE BIKES NEED DRIVING OFF THE STREETS BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE.
ACE is right. All very well for the people to support the right to ride these things but try living near open land. They are noisy and anti-social. They are often driven by idiotic younsters with even more idiotic 'parents' shouting encouragement. No wonder kids have no regard for the feelings of others - lack of consideration is bread-in. But, if there are already laws in place to deal with the menace why don't the police act? Motorbikes are a curse. I'd ban em all.
There wouldn't be a problem if the Police did their job properly...
Ace, as has been said the powers to deal with these sorts are already in place so kindly ask your council & local Police to sort it out with existing legislation.
Why wreck UK motorcycling as a sport just to deal with a few inner-city chavs who will TAKE NO NOTICE of new rules anyway?
good its about time the M E N stopped interfiering and just reported news wich is after all its primary purpose.
Look at the metrolink, nobody on the oldham loop line wants the tram but the M E N keeps harping on about how good it will be. who said it will be good ? oh yes manchester council, the very people who own it but never use it even to get to bury for a meeting.
Angry of New Moston, what a lovely balanced view you have and thank the lord we live in a democracy eh?
I'd personally ban people who know nothing about particular subjects from talking about them....never mind having a say on the potential outcome!
These idiots already break the law so why is a new law going to make any difference. The only answer is to enforce the law, you could bring in hundreds of new laws as this government has done with regard to many problems but it does not make any difference if they are not enforced. I don't blame the police because they have not got the manpower but something does need to be done and I think they should give the public the right to take possession of the bike and pass it to the police.
At last some sense is being spoken.
I have been very disappointed to read of the MEN's suppport of Stringer's latest crazy idea.
At present the law is perfectly right. Valentino Rossi can happily tear round Donnington, and Simon Stead around Belle Vue stadium in organised sports, but the morons who are tearing round housing estates and fields on these imported illegal bikes are already breaking the law. THATS WHY THEY'RE CALLED ILLEGAL BIKES!
Since they're already breaking the law it's just up to the police and the council to deal with the law breakers.
Stringer's barking mad proposals will just mean that organised motorsport will be hit. Can you imagine Superbikes, Speedway, moto-cross bikes carrying numberplates? and what would the number plate relate to? engines are swapped, frames are relaced etc etc in the pits in the course of a meeting.
Meanwhile those with already ILLEGAL bikes will just continue to flout the new law in the same way that they are currently flouting the existing law.
ILLEGAL bikes are already ILLEGAL. You can't make them MORE ILLEGAL. Stringer will just be making problems for leagal sportsmen and costing the economy money.
1. Leave the laws as they are.
2. Concentrate on the people causing the problems who are already breaking perfectly adequte laws.
3. Build a proper motorsport complex in Manchester where bike users can go legally without annoying society.
The Bill was a nice idea to placate fed-up residents, but it was ill thought-out. Aces5-1 is right: "ILLEGAL bikes are already ILLEGAL. You can't make them MORE ILLEGAL." All that this Bill would achieve would be to criminalise ordinary people who are doing nothing wrong, whilst the criminals will continue to be criminals. They already flout the existing laws, so making new laws won't make any difference.
Aces5-1
Are you in the same world as everybody else? do you know how much land and the cost of this land would be? And the massive cost of insurance Ect thats without the health and safety aspect of it.I dont think many people would put up such massive investments in something most would not pay to use.
I often wonder about people who constantly complain about antisocial behaviour.
I am not a socialist, you see, so I feel that ¿antisocial¿ can only be a good thing.
When did we become such an intolerant nation?
Chris from Irlam. You must own one of these contraptions.
Jim from Canada - No I do not own one of these 'contraptions', just a fully paid-for, taxed & insured Honda CBR 600 F4 (which is a road bike by the way). Any more questions or comments please?
Ace,
I'm in the same world as the Trax motorsport complex in Preston, the same world as the South Teesside Motorsport Park in Middlesbrough. How's life on your planet?
The council have plenty of land to build such a complex in Manchester.
Aces5-1
At the cos of land in manchester is massive ,are you and your bike members ready to put your money where your mouth is? And buy some land from the council?If you say there are plenty of people interested it shouldnt be to difficult to get the loan....
Ace doesn't seem to be reading what is written or is easily confused.
Me and my bike members? I don't own a bike, have never ridden a bike in my life, and have no interest in owning an illegal off-road bike. (please point out where I have said otherwise).
I'm merely putting forward the perfectly logical solution that illegal bikes are already illegal without any further legislation, and it is therefore up to the police and council to uphold these existing laws.
Further, to discourage illegal bikes from our roads in the first place, it would make sense to provide a facility where they can be ridden legally. This is something which has been successfully implemented by other councils.
And I don't know where ace gets the idea that the council would need to buy further land. The council already owns masses of land. disused tip land which can't be built on would be ideal. Some land has been successfully used to build a football stadium, velodrome, tennis centre, badminton courts, athletics arena etc etc.
A 'wheels' complex could cater for roller skating, skatebording, BMX, karting, through to differing forms of motorsport.
This is the direction Mr Stringer should be channeling his energies in.
Sounds a bit like the gun laws after Dunblane, They took them off the good guys, Wrecked all the legal sport and now only the Bad guys have them. We have more shootings than ever.