Can we take the politicians seriously this time?

REMEMBER the promises the Labour Party made before it was elected? All that stuff along the ” Bike to Basics ” line. Well, unfortunately, the party itself doesn’t.

After a landslide victory, Blair’s gang seemed to develop selective memory loss when it came to riders’ interests. With many of our votes secured, talk of opening more bus lanes to bikes and putting motorcyclists at ” the heart ” of transport planning suddenly evaporated.

The key parties are now jostling for position ready for the next General Election, likely in May. So, within three months, Labour will want us to put a cross in its box at the polling station. But, in four years in power, what has the Government actually done for us riders?

Unless you count making full car licence holders take their theory test again before getting on a bike, or reviving debates about leg protectors, the answer is… nothing.

The Government’s 10-Year Transport Plan, unveiled last year, mentioned bikes once. And that was on the final page of a 70-page document, listed in brackets under the heading ” other ” .

Then came a document called Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer For Everyone, which included a four-page chapter on bikes. After a paragraph on the environmental benefits of using motorcycles, the rest of the chapter focused on the number of motorcyclists killed each year and how that could be cut by effectively making it harder for new riders to get on bikes. It also proposed wider use of anti-lock brakes, along with the use of airbags and even leg protectors.

The only piece of welcome information for riders is a proposal to improve drivers’ awareness of motorcyclists through better training and testing – in two or three years.

So we asked the Labour Party why riders should vote for it again in this year’s election. Incredibly, it could not answer our question. Spokesman Richard Addison couldn’t even come up with a time when an answer could be provided. He said: ” We won’t be able to answer your question today, tomorrow or the next day. ” Instead, he simply referred us to last year’s documents, saying there had been no policy changes since it was published.

Addison said Lord Whitty, a Parliamentary under-secretary for transport and the environment, would be making an announcement about Labour’s transport policy today (Wednesday), but couldn’t elaborate.

But it’s not as if Labour was waiting to announce its plans before telling us why it deserves to win votes from riders. Addison said he still would not be able to answer that question next week, long after its announcement.

So if Labour won’t address riders’ concerns, perhaps the Conservative Party would be well prepared to try and state its case to bikers. As you would expect from a party desperate for votes, it is.

Part of the Tory transport policy is a document called A Fair Deal For Motorcyclists. In it, the party pledges to improve road standards, change traffic regulations to allow us to use bus lanes and scrap all plans to charge for congestion. It also proposes to increase the amount of parking facilities for bikes and make them more secure, as well as reviewing the amount of road tax we pay.

And the Conservative promises don’t end there. Its Shadow Transport Minister Bernard Jenkin said: ” Speed cameras should be concentrated at accident blackspots and dangerous stretches of road, not just located to catch people out. They should also always be clearly advertised and it is important that limits should be seen to be reasonable, so we think there should be a review of them on all roads, and the limit on motorways should be 80mph. ”

Jenkin also claims that, if elected, the Tories will draft in more police officers to tackle bike theft and accident rates. ” What we need to improve security is more police and it’s Labour’s cuts in police numbers that are not in the interests of motorcyclists, ” he said. ” We have pledged to increase the number of police to 1997 levels and costed proposals to do it during the next Parliament. ” Jenkin says these steps are essential if more people are to be encouraged on to bikes.

” In the urban environment, motorcycling is probably faster than any other form of transport, ” he said. That’s a huge ad for people to get out of their cars and on two wheels, and the Government should be promoting it. ”

Jenkin says the Tories would issue local authorities with guidance on transport planning which will be ” mindful of the needs of motorcyclists ” . That’s where the number of secure parking spaces and lockers for helmets and leathers will be addressed. He added that road surfaces will be improved by setting up a new ” roads standards unit ” that will assess the quality of the Tarmac and report to local and central Government to help prioritise how they can be improved. And other road users will be educated to be more aware of motorcyclists.

One bizarre Conservative view is that riding with lights on during the day should become an endorsable offence – even though many riders believe this improves safety. Jenkin says making it illegal would protect other road users and improve the image of riders themselves.

The party would also crack down on illegal end cans.

The current thorny subject – dark visors – is not on the Conservative agenda at the moment. But Jenkin admits transport ministers can be out of touch with riders, and says the party would listen to people in the know.

He said: ” We want to set up a motorcycle industry forum in order to stay in touch with motorcyclists. The Labour Government has set up a motorists forum, why not a motorcyclists forum? ”

The forum would include representatives from bodies like the Motorcycle Industry Association and British Motorcycle Federation.

And the dark visor question could be analysed by a new organisation, which would investigate issues on which ministers aren’t too clued up.

” We’re going to set up a road casualty investigation branch, which will be independent of all other agencies involved in transport, ” said Jenkin. ” It will solely investigate the cause of road casualties. It will be able to take evidence in secret, so that it cannot be used in any prosecution, and advise on what needs to be done. It will put accident investigation on a much more scientific basis.

” Dark visors is the kind of issue where this professional assessment is needed, ” he continued. ” I have no idea if dark visors are safe. It’s exactly the kind of thing we need research done on. These decisions can’t be taken by ministers, they need to take advice on the issues. ”

Jenkin seems to talk sense, but whether the Conservative Party would follow through with its promises – and prove it is worth voting for – is impossible to predict.

As for the Lib Dems, it is consulting on policies which it says would encourage people on to bikes. Items under discussion include running studies on allowing bikes to use bus lanes, insisting that plans for car parks include greater provision for bike parking and introducing new vehicle documentation to try and cut bike theft. The party is also talking about setting a vehicle’s excise duty in line with its emissions and either exempting bikes from congestion charges or charging at a lower rate.

But, as with any of the parties, there’s the chance it could immediately forget the needs of motorcyclists after it’s elected – just like the current Government.