Overseas News
Biking around the world
Canadian License fees double
Canada - Hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts demonstrated outside the provincial legislature to protest against increases in licence fees scheduled to take effect Jan 1.
The group, composed of clubs which rally regularly in the province, says it considers the fight against the fee hike, one of the most important ever to face recreational bikers.
Under the increases, the fees for racing-type motorcycles would quadruple between now and 2010. Rates for regular motorcycles would double in the same period.
Vietnam lid law
Helmets for motorcyclists became mandatory in Vietnam from July this year. About 90% of the country's traffic is accounted for by motorcycles.
Colorado
While 30 states currently allow most adults the freedom to choose when and where to wear a helmet, only three of those states have no helmet requirement for any rider; Colorado, Iowa and Illinois.
Colorado has not had a helmet restriction since 1977, but now Colorado's legislature has passed House Bill 1117 to require helmets for any rider under 18. The Kiddie Helmet Law was signed by Governor Bill Ritter on June 1, and the new law will go into effect on July 1, 2007.
This bill targets minors only, and adults 18 and older will still have freedom of choice. HB 1117 creates penalties of $25 to $110 for riders or passengers under 18 who fail to wear a motorcycle helmet, of which $10 would go to the Colorado traumatic brain injury trust fund.
"HB 1117 'fixes' little-to-nothing," said Terry Howard, State Coordinator of ABATE of Colorado, "it is a solution in search of a problem."
Helmet-free for a fee
Following on the heals of Governor Jennifer Granholm's veto of a helmet law repeal bill passed by the Michigan legislature last year, a new piece of legislation has been introduced that puts a price on freedom by allowing riders to opt out of the state's helmet requirement by paying a fee.House Bill 4749 was recently introduced by State Rep. Barbarah Farrah (D-Southgate), and sponsored by no fewer than 60 representatives, that would allow motorcyclists the opportunity to buy their freedom for $100 per year or $200 for a three-year no-helmet permit. Supporters argue that the measure could ring up more than $25 million for the cash-strapped state.
Motorcyclists could circumvent the mandatory helmet law, under the new bill, if they are 21 or older, have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years, complete a motorcycle safety course, have insurance or security of $20,000 for first-party medical benefits in the event of an accident, and purchase an endorsement for their license plate and license.
ABATE of Michigan, a group that has sought to have the 38-year-old mandatory helmet law repealed, has even claimed that the helmet law costs the state about $1.2 billion a year in tourism because cyclists go elsewhere to ride helmet-free.
Michigan is the only Great Lakes state with a helmet law, said Jim Rhoades, legislative director for ABATE, and out-of-state riders won't visit because of the state's current universal helmet mandate. "This helmet bill would be the strictest law that would allow adult choice," Rhoades said.
Guard rails in Europe
After years of continuous effort at national and European level, FEMA finally made Member States recognise the problem of existing road restraint systems with regards to motorcyclists, and made them commit to find a solution.
Road restraint systems in Europe have so far been designed and tested to protect all categories of vehicles, except motorcycles. This situation has not been amended but rather reinforced with the development of a European standard. Although the standard proved to be inadequate for motorcyclists, member states rigorously applied it. Motorcyclists have campaigned for the adoption of EU standard (EN1317) which takes motorcyclists' characteristics into account.. Many conventional systems have posed a major additional hazard when the motorcyclist impact the supporting poles.
Aline Delhaye, General Secretary of the "Federation of European Motorcyclists, Associations (FEMA) has attended her first CEN/TC226 1 meeting in Oslo, Norway, since the association was granted the liaison status last January as representative of European motorcycle riders. During the meeting, Aline Delhaye managed to explain motorcyclists, concerns about existing standards of guardrails and convinced members to start working on the issue of motorcyclist protection with regards to road restraint systems. The decision to take bikes into account marks a milestone for FEMA in the fight to have protective guardrails which do not turn into additional road hazards in the case of an accident.
Aussie Prime Minister targets heavy clubs
Australia's lawmen seem to think that Aussie backpatch clubs aren't just about motorcycles...
Australia - Premier Mike Rann has unveiled tough new laws to take-on so called 'bikie' gangs, dismantle their criminal networks and stop others setting-up in South Australia.
Mr Rann said the new laws would trap bikies at every turn under a raft of proposed criminal law changes to be introduced to state parliament over the next 18 months.
"We don't just want to run them out of
town and turn them into someone else's
problem,'" he said.
"We want to lock them up but we also
want to break them up."
Mr Rann said the proposed changes would
be bullet-proof to avoid legal challenges
and would be the most comprehensive
laws to tackle bikie gangs in Australia.
Under the changes courts will be given powers to:
- Control with whom gang members can associate and where gangs can go.
- More effective laws to stop bikies intimidating and threatening violence.
- Issuing Public Safety Orders to ban gangs from specified places.
- Bans on wearing club insignia and 'colours' where public safety is at risk.
- Amending the Controlled substances Act to deal with possession of precursor chemicals and specialist equipment in bikie drug labs.
- Prohibiting possession of certain kinds of hydroponic equipment such as high intensity lights and carbon filters.
- Confiscating unexplained wealth of gang members.
- Introducing special coercive investigative powers.
- Expanding aiding and abetting offences based on Commonwealth terror laws.
- A new offence of intimidating a criminal justice official or an official's family member.
- Aggravated penalties for offences committed by bikie gang members.
- Introduce a presumption against bail for criminal bikie gang members charged with serious or violent offences and breaches of control orders.
Police Commissioner Mal Hyde conceded bikie gangs would challenge the proposed laws. "The ability of the legal profession and the criminal community to be creative in exploiting the law is legendary and so I expect that will continue," Mr Hyde said today.
"There won't be one silver bullet or one law that is going to solve the whole problem, it's a matter of tightening up on all of the areas."
Police Minister Paul Holloway said police and courts would be placed under pressure by the proposed laws, to be introduced to state parliament over the next 18 months.
"It won't just be police, it will obviously
have some pressure on the legal system
as well," Mr Holloway said.
"These groups aren't just going throw up
their hands and say `oh look, it's all too
tough, we are giving up'.
"These groups will always look to get
around whatever laws we put up and that
is why we have to just keep ahead of the
game.
"We have to keep closing every loophole
because they are well resourced, they will
use every avenue from the top lawyers
downwards to try and avoid scrutiny.
"In terms of resources, we are determined
that we will win this fight but it will be
long and hard."
Authorities believed there were about 250 members of eight outlaw bikie gangs in SA, and about 4000 gang members nationally.
Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said the most important element of the changes was "breathing new life into the anti-consorting laws to get orders that biker gang members can't any longer associate with one another".
Australia relaxes limits on learner motorcycle power
Australia - Changes, to learner regulations in Australia will mean that learner and probationary motorcyclists can ride bikes with more than twice the power allowed under current regulations, but power-toweight ratio limits will be imposed.
Currently, new riders are only allowed to ride bikes with a maximum engine capacity of 260cc. Under the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS), engine capacity caps will be increased to 660cc but new motorcyclists will be banned from riding anything with a maximum power/weight ratio over 150kW/tonne.
Roads Minister Tim Pallas announced the changes, together with a $2 million upgrade program targeting eight Victorian motorcycle blackspots.
"Current regulations don't reflect the performance abilities and safety mechanisms of today's motorcycles," Mr Pallas said.
"This will allow new and learner riders to access a greater number of bikes that have safety features like ABS (anti-lock braking systems) and combined braking systems." Mr Pallas said the new laws would also encourage new riders to retain their motorcycle, rather than opting for a highperformance bike as soon as their restriction period ends.
They also restrict novices from riding high risk, race replica 250cc motorcycles.
Head count in Manilla
Motorcycle riders in Manilla will have to show their vehicle registration number on their crash helmets following a resolution passed by the Metro Manila Council. The idea is to make it easy for the public to identify miscreants who use motorcycles for nefarious purposes.
Denver tightens noise laws
A new law in the city of Denver Colorado will require all motorcycle pipes to have a stamp to show they are in compliance with U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency noise standards. Councilman Rick Garcia who voted for the ordinance said of motorcyclists with loud exhaust pipes.
"Hopefully they will stay out of Denver." First time violators of the ordinance would get a $500 fine rising to $999 for repeat offenders.
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