Thoughts on recycling, bus lanes & parking

I have a question for all the motorcyclists out there who are reading this and those, who like myself, also read the MCN paper on Wednesday. Are you ecologically friendly?

The reason I ask this question is that like most readers of the paper I check, every once in awhile the costs of a subscription as opposed to ogling the check out girl at the newsagent. Just imagine my horror when I worked out the exchange rate on the Canadian dollar for an air-mail subscription. $422.00. I almost had a stroke. I’m almost glad I live in England now and only have to pay the cover price of the MCN.

Thirty odd years ago when I lived in Vancouver the cost for the same subscription was about $100.00. To put that into perspective that same $100.00 would buy about 30 tanks of fuel for my Honda 750/4. Oil was less than a dollar for Castrol and an oil filter, yes a genuine Honda part was about $3.50. So by any stretch of the imagination you could do a lot of miles for $100.00.

To put into perspective further, the cost of the MCN in the 70’s was divided a dozen ways and by the time I got to read it the corners weren’t just dog eared but were all but gone. That said, how many readers recycle their weekly copy of MCN. Not many, I wouldn’t have thought. Correct me if I’m wrong.

I still carry on the tradition by giving last weeks copy to Nigel who lives just up the street. He has a number of bikes but he rides a B31 BSA that his father bought new in 1953. The bike became his a few years ago and it runs like a top.

Nigel’s brother, Stuart also rides various bikes but his best and favourite is a 1920’s, 550cc Triumph with a side chair and a belt drive. That’s a leather belt drive to boot. Stuart carries a pound of butter in his Belstaff to lube the belt on the move. I have seen a picture dated 1929 with their father in the saddle and their mother in the chair. Now that’s what I call recycling.

Now, and for the recent past the MCN has been flooded with the stories (moans) about parking charges, loss of designated parking areas for motorcycles, congestion charges and the gem of gems, use of bus lanes. I’ll leave parking for a minute and I’ll pass comment on the congestion charges.

We pay road tax supposedly for the roads that we use. These congestion charges are in my simple way of deduction is taxing the tax. If you were to get Carol Vordeman to calculate the rates and rises year on year you will probably find that they are well above the rate in inflation. These increases I suppose are to fund the jolly boys week end jaunts to Margate or where ever they go.

Now the lobby for opening bus lanes to motorcycles raises its head above the parapet. I am going to give you a scenario now just to illustrate my thoughts on the subject. The excuse that the lobby uses is that it would reduce congestion. Fair comment but what they haven’t considered is that bus lanes are on the left or near side as we here in the British Isles drive on the left. Now the excuse used in most road accidents involving cars, trucks and motorcycles is that, “I didn’t see the motorcycle.” Imagine this. The motorcycle is travelling down the bus lane and the rep in Mondeo to bike’s right is late for his next call and without indication decides to take the next left so he checks his mirror and there is nothing there so goes to turn left. The bike that he didn’t see because he didn’t look over his shoulder to the left was in a blind spot so what chance does the bike stand at this point. Slim to non existent.

The congestion dream is one that takes the cake. You’re tootling along in the bus lane making good time and going to get to work on time for a change. Oops, stuck behind not one but a whole fleet of buses. Overtake? Can’t, solid white line but you do anyway and because you didn’t look behind there was an unmarked police car and the ticket you get is for what, three points on your licence which puts in line for a suspension which will jerk your insurance rate on renewal through the roof.

Parking, now that’s a laugh. I just wish that all road users including car drivers not to mention delivery van as well as lorries were to spend a month in Canada where parking facing the wrong way on the opposite side of the road and delivery dudes that just pull up and park to make a delivery on either side of the road. That’s good for three points on your licence and a $50 fine. To make it simple for you lot out there sniggering and saying, “This England not Canada.” I would like you to take your right hand drive car and go France and drive on the right hand side of the road and just check out how easy it is to overtake without having a passenger to see if there is any oncoming traffic.

Better yet is the parallel parking with the steering wheel on the right. You still need a passenger to see if there is any oncoming traffic or you will need a neck stretcher to do it alone. There is a solution for the motorcyclist. See the picture. Weston-Super-Mare where we embrace the two wheeled set. We even have a beach race for motorcycles annually. It ain’t all bad.  

If you really want to do the roads a favour and do something intelligent, get the green ecowarriors who pay no road tax or congestion charges who reek havock on the roads not mention, I am not ageist in any way, those electric shopping buggies that insist on using the roads. I think it was Kevin Ash who made Wednesday’s breakfast worth while a couple of weeks ago. You have an allie.