Overseas News
Biking around the world
No cables in Norway
The Norwegian motorcyclists have finally been heard: The Norwegian Minister of Transport has announced a ban on further use of cable barriers. -
"Finally, we see an end to the egg slicers", said a pleased Jan-Fredrik Moller, Chairman of the Norwegian Motorcycle Union (NMCU). Since the early nineties, the NMCU has spearheaded the struggle against this type of crash barrier.
"Most of all it's the exposed steel posts we're worried about," said Jan-Fredrick. "Also the cables themselves pose a threat as they can have a cutting effect that might lead to amputations. This type of crash barrier has earned the nickname, the 'egg slicer', for a reason. The stories of motorcyclists who have survived encounters with the cable barriers are horrifying."
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has argued that cable barriers cost a lot less than other barrier designs. While it is true that cable barriers are cheaper to purchase, maintenance costs have proven to be astronomical, and thus the total cost ends up comparable to other designs. In a press conference outside the Department for Transportation in Oslo the Minister of Transport, Mrs. Liv Signe Navarsete, made the following announcement:
"I have, in agreement with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, reviewed the objections from the NMCU, and examined the case more closely. Today I have this message to the NMCU and the Norwegian motorcyclists: The Public Roads Administration shall hereafter use crash barrier types that offer a high level of safety for all groups of road users. This implies that there will be no more road stretches fitted with cable barriers, beyond those already installed.
There's a growing scepticism towards cable barriers throughout Europe. Denmark has removed all theirs. The Dutch Parliament decided last year to ban cable barriers, and even in the European Parliament, prominent MEPs have now suggested a ban in the European Union.
US Senator pushes for new Federal Helmet Blackmail Law
The threat of a US Federal bill to enable the US Government to withhold state highway funds from states which fail to enact helmet laws is live again.
The old law, known by US bikers as the 'Blackmail Bill' was defeated after sustained and intensive lobbying after which many states repealed their helmet laws. Now US Senator Lautenberg is trying to bring back this legislation for motorcycle riders. The senator has written to state governors throughout the nation asking them to contact his Senior Transportation Counsel for information on the issue.
US bikers are rallying opposition to the senator's efforts, stressing that death per accident data shows virtually NO statistical difference between helmet states and free states. American bikers argue, as does MAG UK, that it is inconsistent to withhold rights from motorcyclists when other minorities enjoy freedom of choice in areas that arouse similar levels of contention.
The biker website message makes the point that if politicians are going to use the 'Freedom to Choose' buzz-words in regards to reproductive rights, it can ONLY be applied EQUALLY to all segments of society, and without exception. Essential freedoms can NOT be bargained away due to race, gender, or an affinity for wearing black leather and collecting tattoos.
Kiddimoto campaigns for Riders for Health
Kiddimoto - the toddler-friendly wooden bikes that look just like a real motorcycle - has teamed up with world Superbike star Troy Corser and Riders for Health to help save lives in Africa.
Kiddimoto is aiming to raise £10,000 for Riders for Health, with the help of endorsement from Troy Corser, whose son rides a Kiddimoto. Backing is rolling in from race teams and bike dealers, motorcycle clubs and biker-friendly pubs all over the country. Anyone can take part, and there are multiple chances to win super Kiddimoto bikes in RfH colours, some autographed by racing stars from MotoGP, WSB and BSB!
How does it work? Simple. Just ask your local bike dealer, club or pub to order one of our fundraising charts; there are 100 squares, plus a simple question with multiple choice answers. Entrants pay £1 per square, and write in their contact details plus answer. When all 100 squares are full, the chart is returned and one winner is drawn from the correct answers. The winner from each chart receives an exclusive Kiddimoto bike worth nearly £100.
As an additional big thank you to the person who applies for and manages each fundraising chart, there is to be a bonus draw, with another 10 special edition RfH Kiddimotos - signed by the world's greatest racing stars - up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is raise £100 by filling a chart.
To order a fund raising chart, contact Kiddimoto on 01934 733 654 or email riders@kiddimoto.co.uk
Sweet revenge down under
As is apparently normal with Australia's draconian speed culture, a driver, of an unmarked van was pulled over by the local police near Melbourne's main Tullamarine Airport on a busy duel carriageway.
The driver had been allegedly driving at 64 Km in a 60 Km zone. The patrol car had pulled up behind the van, put on the flashing slights and blipped his siren indicating that the van should pull over to the side of the road and bring the vehicle to a stand still, the driver complied. The officer then informed the driver that he'd be fined $125 and receive 3 points on his license. He then took the driver's license and returned to the patrol car to fill in the details. Sadly for this officer his victim was an inspector for Worksafe Victoria, the body responsible for the implementation of OH&S regulations throughout the state. (similar to The Health and Safety Executive in the UK).
Whilst the good officer was filling in the necessary paper work the driver of the van approached the patrol car and served the officer with a violation notice for not wearing a high visibility jacket whilst working on a public road. It ended up in court and the officer was fined $850.
Parisian bikers declared filthy
The Mayor of Paris has been declared anti-motorcycle, it's official. Ex Parisian biker Mike Werner writes to tell us that the mayor and his council have been plotting for years now on how to get rid of motorcycles in the capital.
It sounds like Mayor Bertrand Delanoe is badly informed as recently he was quoted as stating "motorcycles pollute between 3 and 122 times more than cars!
In recognition of this he has decided that on high pollution days, when cars can only come into the capital city on alternate days (determined by the last digit of their license plate - odd or even), that motorcycles will need to follow the same rule. In the past, motorcycles were exempt.
"While he speeds through the city in his limo, escorted by police motorcycles, we'll be walking" says Mike.
"No wonder I left Paris to settle in Normandy. Maybe one day there'll be no-one living or working in the city.. then he'll be happy!"
French speeding law
A little known French law means that anyone stopped for exceeding the speed limit by more than 25 miles per hour can lose their licence on the spot and be forced to find another way home if no substitute driver is present.
While this law has been around for about five years, few visitors to France seem to be aware of it - and an increasing number of British motorists are finding themselves stranded with no way to get themselves or their vehicles home.
The RAC Foundation has received numerous calls from drivers who have found themselves on the wrong side of this law and, without any other way of getting their vehicle home, are looking at repatriation costs which can amount to thousands of pounds.
The law means that anyone caught speeding on a main road through a village at more than 56mph can face instant licence confiscation and fines. The confiscation is provisional pending a court hearing which can suspend the licence for up to three years for a first offence or annul the licence on a second offence.
For the time being, foreign licences will be returned when the holder leaves the country, following international practice, but French driving bans may also be enforced across the European Union under a 1998 convention on the mutual recognition of licence suspension that has yet to be ratified.
Drivers in this situation may also face stiff on the spot fines and can be escorted by police to cash points to extract sums of up to £900. A second offence can carry a three-month jail sentence and potentially a fine of over £2000.
The ruling, in 2000, made foreign licence holders subject to the same immediate ban as French motorists but was previously only used on drink drivers.
It now gives French police the discretion to confiscate a licence immediately but allows no distinction between French nationals and visitors - unlike UK legislation which is far less draconian on foreign drivers. Here it is unusual for anything but the most serious driving offences to be fast tracked through the courts and drivers fined or disqualified.
Story Antony Dean
Friends of Dave Zien
American bikers have a long tradition of supporting their friends in political circles. As Bush's popularity wanes, the pressure is coming on the Republicans who tend to be the most supportive of rider's libertarian campaigns. This from Bill Bish at the National Coalition of Motorcyclists about Senator Zien. Any man who can ride 31,111 miles in 31 days has to be a hell of a guy.
Wisconsin State Senator Dave Zien has always been a steadfast advocate for motorcyclist's rights, beginning when he returned from service as a United States Marine in Vietnam to help repeal Wisconsin's mandatory helmet law in 1977, and continues to this day as a member of the State Legislature. But Senator Zien is facing a tough re-election this fall. He has been targeted for defeat by ultra liberals who plan to spend hundreds of thousand of dollars to remove him from office.
Since being elected, Zien has been instrumental in passing numerous pieces of pro-motorcycling legislation, including Wisconsin Act 148 in 2003 that was enacted in response to the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in Stehlik v. Rhoads that ruled not wearing a helmet could be considered negligence by the biker in a civil case. In essence, the ruling was as de-facto mandatory helmet law. The result of Dave's bill was that if a motorcyclist is not wearing a helmet, he or she can not have that fact used against him or her when a court is awarding damages.
Earlier this year, Zien authored the "Roadway Users Responsibility Act" that improves highway safety for all roadway users. This act increases penalties for right-of-way violators that cause bodily harm to motorcyclists. The new law also requires driver education courses to include motorcycle safety in order to make all drivers aware of the rules of the road and how motorcycles and cars can safely share the road. Another provision allows bikers to proceed with caution after waiting 45 seconds at a stoplight. Zien is not just a legislator who rides; he was one of the first bikers ever elected to political office, and was inducted into the National Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Sturgis, South Dakota in 2000, and has received the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Lifetime Achievement Award. As a member of the NCOM Legislative Task Force, he has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of motorcyclists across the country by lobbying their state legislatures.
He is a World-Record holding motorcyclist with 858,000+ on his 1991 FXRT Harley-Davidson as of August 15, 2006. He holds the record for most miles on a Harley ever in 11 consecutive days (11,225 miles), and Dave's ride of 31,111 miles in 31 days has been submitted for official recognition. We need to keep Wisconsin's biker Senator in office, and your contribution to his campaign will keep him in Madison, looking out for the interest of the motorcyclists. Please send what you can to keep Dave fighting for us.
Contributions to "Friends of Dave Zien", P.O. Box 1858, Eau Claire, WI 54702. www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen23/s23bio.html
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