Swap the bus for a bike: How motorcycles can get Britain back to work after lockdown

A nationwide campaign has been launched to encourage people to get on a bike for their commute, as the country begins the slow return to work after coronavirus.

• Visit the MCIA ‘Unlock Your Freedom’ website

With the phased reopening of businesses beginning now, and more set to reopen on June 15, the Government is encouraging people to look for alternatives to public transport. In response to this, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has launched an initiative in congunction with MCN that will hopefully see more people riding to work as a way of both staying safe and reducing congestion.

“Powered two wheelers [that’s motorcycles and scooters to us] have lots of advantages,” says Nick Broomhall at the MCIA. “We’re keen to show people they can be a cheap and safe way to get to work, but we need help from existing riders too.”

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As part of the campaign the MCIA are encouraging people who already own a bike but maybe save it for sunny Sundays, to skip the car and ride to work instead. As part of that they’ve created some suggestions for employers around how they can make things easier for staff, with dedicated parking and changing areas.

The MCIA are also keen to gather as many new riders as possible, so they’ve launched a new website. Under the banner of ‘Unlock your Freedom’ the website offers guidance for people totally new to two wheels as to the best places to start, plus how cheap it can be to get going. As well as getting people onto bikes, the campaign is also aimed at making motorcycling more attractive generally.

Part of this will be a push to encourage the Government to change the law so that motorcycles are automatically allowed in bus lanes. Dr Julian Lewis MP, himself a motorcyclist, has raised the advantages of motorcycling in parliament recently and also suggested the letting bikes into bus lanes would be a good idea. Let’s get Britain biking!

Provisional licences go live

The DVLA has announced the digital service for applying for a provisional driving licence has reopened. The service was paused during lockdown, but with people gradually returning to work, whilst being encouraged to avoid public transport, the move acknowledges the need for new licensing. Hopefully, this will lead to confirmation that training schools can reopen soon, too.