Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle ban’

Motorcycle News: More Motorcycle Bans in Europe – Why is your Congress member not on this list?

Posted: July 10, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news
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ijustwant2ride.com

Down Shift – More of Europe Banned to Motorcycles

More of Europe has now barred motorcycles from traveling along public roads. To limit “noise pollution” motorcycles are barred from parts of Pyrenees National Park.  There were no restrictions on cars applied.

The year-round ban impacts not just motorcycles but also quads, buggies and mountain bikes. According to what I read this ban on “particularly noisy” vehicles occurred without taking into account actual sound levels of the vehicles in question.

From the documentation:

  • Limit the passage of noisy vehicles to certain areas of the ZEPQA, taking into account the regulation of motorized traffic inside the park, restricting access to certain tracks either throughout the year or at certain periods.
  • Restrict motorized access to the entire network of forest trails and paved paths of the ZEPQA of Alt Àneu and Farrera, except the access roads to urban centres, by vehicles considered excessively noisy consisting of all types of vehicles such as motorcycles, quads, ATVs and buggies that are not electric, except those of registered residents, beneficiaries of livestock forest exploitation, public services and those duly authorized by the Alt Pirineo Natural Park and/or the respective local entities.
  • Promote the use of electric vehicles.
  • In addition, there is a specific point dedicated to ‘Carrying out awareness actions specifically aimed at drivers of vehicles that emit more noise: motorcycles, mountain bikes, quads and buggies.’

My Take: This is not the first area in Europe to ban motorcycles.  I have written several articles on this issue referencing the following:

Dozens of roads closed to motorcycles in Germany.

Some of the best motorcycling roads in Europe now ban motorcycles.

The Swiss are planning banning motorcycles from certain roads.

IMHO this is a continuation of a Vision Zero mind state.  If there are no places to ride motorcycles, then there will be no motorcycle accidents.  Call me cynical but the bureaucracy of the EU will beat down motorcycling over time

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Up Shift – Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2022 Legislators of the Year.

Representative Susie Lee of Nevada and Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin were recently honored as the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2022 Legislators of the Year.

Representative Lee was instrumental in seeking answers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the profiling of bikers. Representative Gallagher was the lead sponsor of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) bill which was included in a larger transportation bill that officially reestablished the MAC.

Other pro-motorcycle Senators and Congress members

  • Senator Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)
  • Senator John Thune (South Dakota)
  • Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa)
  • Senator Gary Peters (Michigan)
  • Congressman Tim Walberg (Michigan)
  • Congressman Michael Burgess (Texas)
  • Congressman Troy Balderson (Ohio)
  • Congressman Darin LaHood (Illinois)

My Take – I am just so glad that we have some pro-motorcycle folks in our national legislation branch of government!  If any of these people are representing you, you now have an avenue to approach them for more motorcycle actions! Sadly, none of these are representing my state.

Comrade Mayor of Paris to outlaw motorcycles built before 2000

Posted: February 3, 2015 in Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news
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Generic French Motorcycle Protest

Generic French Motorcycle Protest

In a bid to reduce pollution in the city, the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (a Socialist of course) is attempting to ban all motorcycle produced before 2000. She is also going to ban cars built before 1996. From what I can tell, as there has been little English reporting on this (or at least that is what Google reports), she pulled the dates for those bans from her …. Thin air.

This ban is all about age as it does not allow for upgrading your vehicles to current EU exhaust standards. But, if you cannot afford a new vehicle Paris will help you finance a new one or provide you accommodation on public transport.

So from my limited results research I was able to discern the following:

  1. The poor citizens of Paris are out of luck buying cheap vehicles.
  2. Any small businesses working on retrofitting exhausts are out of luck.
  3. The Socialist are going to buy your vote with low/no interest loans for your new bike. (and then raise taxes to pay for it)
  4. Vehicle dealerships are, most likely, the largest contributors to the Socialist Party in Paris.
  5. A year from now Comrade Mayor Hidalgo will be calling for a tax increase to support public transportation based on all the poor folks who cannot afford a vehicle.

Of course, as with all socialist and progressives, their good intentions are more important than if there are any actual results. I would be surprised if she is basing her proposed ban on actual science (or what is passing for it today). I would be very interested in seeing the air quality results 1 year after the ban is imposed. I am sure it will report that the air in Paris is 10,000% better now that the terrible vehicles have been removed…..no matter what the instrumentation really reports. Of course the real reason is for the state to be in your business and direct your life as they see fit and make you pay for that privilage.

This ban will go into effect April 2015 unless it is defeated by the city council on the 9th of February. The French Federation of Angry Bikers (I did not make that up) is going to attempt to shut down the roadways in Paris on the 8th of February in protest. Let us hope this craziness is stopped before it spreads to the rest of the world.