Police sorry for ban bikes proposal

Police are sorry for proposing banning motorcycles, they have told MPs after pressure from MCN.

In a groveling new written apology, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has clarified that it does not want to get rid of us after all.

• See the full apology here

The association has also admitted virtually everything it told the Commons Transport Committee about motorcycling was wrong. Claims that bikes could do over 200mph and massive numbers were untaxed were nonsense, it says.

Incomplete details of the retraction had already been revealed but the transport committee last week published the whole thing.

It states: ‘ACPO does not hold the view that consideration should be given to banning or restricting road-going motorcycles on public roads.

“I apologise if this was the impression created by the submission and would seek your permission to have the record qualified in that respect.’

ACPO’s recommendation to the committee last year had stated: ‘Production machines are readily available for use on our roads with top speeds in excess of 200mph.

“Motorcycles are seen in the UK to be, in the majority of instances, vehicles of choice rather than necessity and one might consider if our congested roads are any longer fit for purpose for these motorised toys.’

The retraction, written by Humberside Deputy Chief Constable David Griffin, admits: ‘It has been pointed out that, in actual fact, no production motorcycle in the UK has a design top speed in excess of 190 mph.

“We understand that manufacturers have a voluntary restriction of 186 mph although we have found evidence of motorcycles being tested with top speed capabilities approaching 190 mph.

“Whilst, with some minor modifications, production machines can be made to be capable of speeds of over 200 mph, I acknowledge that to suggest they are readily sold as such in the UK is factually incorrect.’

Most embarrassingly for ACPO, Griffin writes that every paragraph of ACPO’s original recommendations on motorcycles needs ‘factual qualification’.

He states: ‘Further discussion has taken place within ACPO concerning Paragraphs 7.2 to 7.4 inclusive, which specifically relate to motorcycles… for the sake of clarity, I would like to amplify those paragraphs to provide some context and qualify some factual information.’

The paragraphs included the claims: ‘The detection of motorcycling offences is problematic, encouraging non-compliance. This includes Vehicle Excise Duty evasion on a massive scale.’

The association now admits: ‘Subsequent to this, further research has indicated that whilst vehicle excise evasion by motorcyclists is a problem, it is not, in fact, very much greater than that of other vehicles.’

The reason cited for the retraction is an ‘adverse reaction within the motorcycling community’ to the earlier claims and recommendations, after they were exposed exclusively by MCN.

• See the full here retraction starting on page four of the committee’s latest report here.