Make Gatsos pay!

Britain’s bike industry has stumped up the cash to save the cash-strapped nationwide Bikesafe initiative – and slammed the Government for failing to put its money where its mouth is.

The Government claims reducing bike accidents is important to it – but it’s under fire because ministers couldn’t be bothered to find a way of funding Bikesafe from the cash collected by speed cameras.

Instead the MCIA has had to find the £37,500 of admin money Bikesafe needs to keep running until the April 2005.

MCI believes the programme has helped towards the 8% decrease in bike accidents in London alone in 2003.

MCI spokesman Craig Carey-Clinch, said; “The idea of a national road safety scheme, which is police run, has public support and a proven track record, effectively going bust a few months after its launch is absurd.

“Government seems to expect that a scheme it has already indicated it supports, can run on good will, private sector cash and fresh air and in the process reduce the number of motorcycle accidents about which it claims to have so much concern.

“The refusal of Ministers to consider speed camera funding is short sighted and exasperating to say the least.

“Speed cameras are so unpopular partly because there is a public perception that cash for cameras disappears into the black hole of safety camera partnerships never to be seen again. Public acceptability of speed cameras would improve if some of the revenue raised was ploughed back into a scheme which the public can see helps to improve road safety in an area of particular public concern – motorcycle accidents.”

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