A bill currently before Parliament could
have a devastating effect on motorcycling, as Frank Melling reports Motorcycle bill roars on towards disaster We
all know that well-intentioned actions can sometimes bring unintended
results. But few events in motoring history would be as spectacular as
the potential fall-out from The Off-Road Vehicles Registration Bill
proposed by MP Graham Stringer (Labour, Manchester Blackley). | Wipe
out: to combat the anti-social use of mini-motos by making it an
offence to own any bike without a number plate would criminalise bike
racers and enthusiasts |
That
Mr Stringer's basic idea was harmless enough is beyond dispute. Annoyed
by feckless youths irritating his constituents on mini-moto bikes, he
felt that if all these tiny motorcycles had to carry number plates then
the police could arrest the miscreants and the nuisance would stop. Many
thought that he was being naive at best. The bikes were already being
ridden illegally, and simply adding a rear number plate wasn't going to
help. It was a shallow and simplistic proposal, but it was harmless
enough, so no one took much notice. As always,
however, the devil was in the detail. Or, in this case, the lack of
detail. The Bill is drafted in such a way that it covers all
motorcycles. In simple terms, it insists that every motorcycle should
comply with the Road Traffic Act (RTA). There is
absolutely no exemption, and the DVLA in Swansea insists that a
registration mark can only be issued to an RTA-compliant vehicle. So
whether it is Valentino Rossi's 2007 MotoGP Yamaha or a classic racer,
an Edwardian museum exhibit or a gold-plated custom show bike, the
proposals mean it will have to be fitted with number plates and made
RTA-compliant or face confiscation and destruction. advertisement < src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/NetGravity/mpu.js" ="">< ="" src="http://ads.telegraph.co.uk/js.ng/site=motoring&spaceid=mpu&sz=200x200&sz=240x400&sz=250x250&sz=300x250&ls=f&transID=1175884596437&Section=motoring/motorbikes/feature&view=details&=/motoring/2007/03/17/nosplit/mfbike17.">
< src="http://ds.serving-sys.com/Bursting/ebBannerServing_213966.js">< src="http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/AdPipe.asp?=%3C%3ACommand%3BCode%3A14%3BobjRef%3AgEbCurBanner%3BFlightID%3A213966%3BPluID%3A0%3BPage%3Awww.telegraph.co.uk%3BWebPageSource%3A0%3B%3E%3C%3APlugin%3BAudioVersion%3A0%3BFlashVersion%3A9%3BPlat%3A4%3BBrowser%3A512%3BWMPVersion%3A0%3BResolution%3A2%3B%3E&ord=414431460785923971175884597546&CSVersion=5.6&OptOut=0">< src="http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds/ebBannerMain_62_33.js">< src="http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds//Res/Empty_Movie.swf" play="false" id="ebReportingFlash" name="ebReportingFlash" quality="high" wmode="window" allowaccess="always" menu="false" ="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; : ; width: 0px; height: 0px;">< src="http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds/BTemplates_62_22/Banner.js">< src="http://ds-ll.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/Site-3325/-11/411891_3B4FC59F-8639-4FA8-A912-1D97B985898F.js"> < style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-align: left; width: 300px; height: 250px;" flashvars="&clickTag=http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerRedirect.asp%3FPage%3DUnSpecified%26PluID%3D0%26Pos%3D414431460785923971175884597546%26EyeblasterID%3D411891%26di%3D0&clickTAG=http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerRedirect.asp%3FPage%3DUnSpecified%26PluID%3D0%26Pos%3D414431460785923971175884597546%26EyeblasterID%3D411891%26di%3D0" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" allowaccess="always" ="application/x-shockwave-flash" menu="false" wmode="opaque" play="true" src="http://ds-ll.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/Site-3325/-2/D921D9CD-3467-4DBE-B04A-07F560993C82.swf?ebDomain=www.telegraph.co.uk&ebDCPipe=http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BurstingCapturePipe.asp&ebAdID=411891&&cp=http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds//Res/ebV54_&ebIntTime=http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds//Res/ebInterTimeV62_12.swf&ebResourcePath=http://ds-ll.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/&ebCampaignID=35098&ebStreamingPrefix=http%3A//ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/FLVStream/&ebStreamingSuffix=.&ebStreamingAppURL=rtmp%3A//cp16207.edgefcs.net/ondemand&ebStreamVirtualPath=Res/Site-3325/&ebAdIdentifier=gEbBanners%5B0%5D.displayUnit_411891&ebLC=gEbBanners%5B0%5D.displayUnit_ebBannerFlash_411891" name="ebBannerFlash_0_414431460785923971175884597546" id="ebBannerFlash_0_414431460785923971175884597546">< style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-align: left; width: 0px; height: 0px;" flashvars="&clickTag=http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerRedirect.asp%3FPage%3DUnSpecified%26PluID%3D0%26Pos%3D414431460785923971175884597546%26EyeblasterID%3D411891%26di%3D0&clickTAG=http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerRedirect.asp%3FPage%3DUnSpecified%26PluID%3D0%26Pos%3D414431460785923971175884597546%26EyeblasterID%3D411891%26di%3D0" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" allowaccess="always" ="application/x-shockwave-flash" menu="false" wmode="opaque" play="false" src="http://ds-ll.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/Site-3325/-2/29CECDAB-C0BF-4EDA-B904-006591F44B34.swf?ebDomain=www.telegraph.co.uk&ebDCPipe=http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BurstingCapturePipe.asp&ebAdID=411891&&cp=http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds//Res/ebV54_&ebIntTime=http://ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingCacheds//Res/ebInterTimeV62_12.swf&ebResourcePath=http://ds-ll.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/&ebCampaignID=35098&ebStreamingPrefix=http%3A//ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingRes/FLVStream/&ebStreamingSuffix=.&ebStreamingAppURL=rtmp%3A//cp16207.edgefcs.net/ondemand&ebStreamVirtualPath=Res/Site-3325/&ebAdIdentifier=gEbBanners%5B0%5D.displayUnit_411891&ebLC=gEbBanners%5B0%5D.displayUnit_ebRichFlash_411891" name="ebRichFlash_0_414431460785923971175884597546" id="ebRichFlash_0_414431460785923971175884597546"> The
police already have such powers, although they are rarely used. But Mr
Stringer's Bill would make it a criminal offence even to possess an
unregistered motorcycle, of any type or description, under any
circumstances. Even if the bike were an objet d'art in your bedroom, it
would have to be registered. The Bill as it stands
would therefore kill British motorcycle racing at a stroke. It is
impossible to make most racing bikes RTA-compliant (consider the
aerodynamic consequences of fitting a number plate to a 200mph MotoGP
machine) and it would be an offence to race any that was not
registered. Custom and classic events would be equally devastated and
museums would be liable to prosecution if they displayed any bike that
did not carry a DVLA registration. What's more, the Bill makes no
mention of compensation for confiscation. One can only imagine the
reaction of someone who has a £100,000 racing bike in the garage if the
authorities try to remove it. The political
parties are in disarray about what to do with this ill-conceived and
poorly thought-out piece of legislation. Mr Stringer himself seems
confused and bemused by the reaction. His response to my questions was
to ask whether I was "pig ignorant" about parliamentary procedure, then
terminate the conversation. Alistair Carmichael,
the Lib Dem spokesman on transport and MP for Orkney and Shetland, was
willing to listen but equally confused. This is particularly worrying
because the Lib Dems are the main supporters of the Bill. Mr Carmichael
feels that a system of exemptions would be the way forward. This is
topsy-turvy, given that the exemptions would have to cover everything
except illegally used mini-motos. On March 2 the
Bill was passed by a large majority at second reading, and only when I
repeatedly pressed the Conservatives this week did transport spokesman
Chris Grayling declare that they would oppose it at third reading: "It
is certainly far too wide-ranging," he said, "and while there is a case
for strong action against mini-motos, this is a sledgehammer to crack a
nut." The Department for Transport also claims to oppose the Bill but
refuses to say why, and none of the other parties bothered to respond.
Such complacency is disappointing, given that the future of an industry
is at stake. Is it any wonder we end up with bad laws? The
best way forward is surely to scrap the Bill entirely. It is an
ill-conceived, simplistic piece of legislation that does not deserve to
reach the statute books. Is a yob illegally using a mini-moto really
going to add a number plate so that he can more easily be prosecuted?
Will his long-suffering neighbours rest easier in the knowledge that
museum-bound Edwardian tricycles are being road-registered? One wonders
what planet our politicians inhabit. If the Bill
cannot be stopped altogether, then Telegraph Motoring wishes to suggest
a simple amendment, viz: "All vehicles used in a place to which the
public have free and open access must be RTA compliant and carry a
registration plate, unless they are participating in an Approved
Event." An Approved Event is a licensed motorsport event - car or bike
- and already covered under current legislation. You
might look at this amendment and say, with a degree of justification,
that it merely reiterates current law. Yet if such an amendment is not
included in the Bill, the future of motorcycle sport in Britain looks
bleak at best, with a maze of bureaucratic red tape for racers, custom
bike builders and museum owners. At worst, the five-page Bill would
wipe out motorcycling as we know it. I would add
one final comment. Those in the car community who think that this
affects only bikes and is therefore not their problem should be very
careful. Once motorcycle sport has been destroyed, how long do you
think it will be before four-wheeled motorsport is targeted? If the
Bill were to include quad bikes, which are also capable of causing a
nuisance on the wrong hands, then cars, karts and the like might
eventually end up in exactly the same position as motorcycles. Mr
Stringer's Bill is now entering the committee stage. Please write now
to your MP at The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, and ask him or her
to oppose it, for the sake of justice and common sense. |