Thousands of motorbikes and scooters banned from French city centres
by UK France bikers
Who would have imagined that someone could possibly come up with the idea of banning motorbikes and scooters from city centres, when the same motorbikes and scooters are the transport solution to ever increasing congestion and pollution issues?
Well, only one politician has come up with such a ridiculous idea and that is Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet from the French green party, who has successfully submitted proposals to ban all vehicles manufactured prior to 2004 from city centres, including motorcycles.
Riders who commute on bikes that were manufactured before 2004 may not enter French city centres or else see their machines immobilised and issued with a fine of 65 euros payable on the spot. The same rules apply to their car counterparts in an attempt to reduce congestion and pollution in all cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
The French government has recently approved Kosciusko-Morizet's proposals although no official date has yet been announced for their implementation.
One could wonder how long it may take a French citizen or organisation to start legal procedures to sue the French government in the European Courts for discrimination against those who cannot afford to buy a new vehicle, especially during the present economic downturn that is causing thousands upon thousands of job losses across the whole of France. We have indeed heard of plans to sue the French government in Europe in an attempt to force Kosciusko-Morizet to scrap, or at least revise, her stupid and possibly discriminatory plans.
Whilst other European countries have taken a series of measures to reduce pollution and congestion in city centres, none has so far taken measures that consists of banning motorcycles.
The congestion charge in the British capital does not affect motorcycles nor does the low emission zone measures. Whilst London's Westminster Council decided a few years ago to treat bikers like cash cows by introducing a unique pay-by-phone bike parking tax (the method of which is currently being challenged before the European Courts of Human Rights), other councils across London, the rest of the United Kingdom and beyond have thankfully not followed suit, mainly because of the discriminatory aspect of charging bikers by mobile phone in the absence of any other suitable on-street charging method.
Not only may Kosciusko-Morizet's proposals be discriminatory towards those with financial difficulties but they may also be detrimental to the French economy as many car and motorcycle dealers may not be able to sustain their second hand business any longer. Has she thought about the wider implications of her proposals rather than concentrate solely on green issues? We suspect that such proposals have been made by a politician from the comfort of her own office and who has never sat on a motorcycle before.
A series of enormous demonstrations designed to bring the whole of France to a complete standstill by more than 100,000 bikers are scheduled for 24 and 25 March 2012.
The demonstrations, organised by the most respected Fédération Française des Motards en Colère - FFMC - (French Federation of Angry Bikers), will be to show the bikers' opposition to Kosciusko-Morizet's proposals but also to express their disgust at the French government's attitude to treat motorcyclists like cash cows by imposing measures designed to make riding difficult and expensive (e.g. the continued ban on traffic filtering or lane splitting, obligation to wear a small reflective strap around the arm even during day light when it is not reflective at all).
Let's hope that the demonstrations, which will take place less than four weeks before the first round of the presidential elections, will be a real slap in the face for a number of presidential candidates for whom road policies and safety are nothing but an opportunity to grab as much money as possible from motorcyclists who are keen to relieve congestion and pollution by using a mode of transport that is greener and less congesting than its four wheel counterparts.
If you're based in France and want to take part of the fight against the Government's proposed introduction of a compulsory annual environmental and road safety test for motorcycles and their continued policy to ban motorcyclists from filtering through traffic, then contact the Fédération Française des Motards en Colère (FFMC - French Federation of Angry Bikers).
Si vous habitez en France et souhaitez participer aux manifestations contre la proposition du gouvernement d’introduire un controle technique pour les 2 roues motorises ansi que de continuer a empecher la circulation inter files pour les motocyclistes dans les embouteillages, contactez la Fédération Française des Motards en Colère (FFMC).
Please join and support the campaign to stop Westminster Council from stealth taxing motorcyclists to park before their scheme spreads all over the UK and the rest of Europe. For further details, visit
http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/
Rejoignez le groupe de manifestants contre le stationnement payant des motocyclistes a Westminster avant que cela ne se propage dans le reste du Royaume-Uni et l'Union Europeenne. Pour plus d'informations, consultez http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/
If you have a story you would like to see published on UK France bikers.com, please contact us here.
Si vous avez une experience a partager et que vous souhaiteriez voir publiee sur UK France bikers.com, n'hesitez pas a nous contacter en cliquant ici.
UK France bikers | March 1, 2012 at 22:17 | Tags: banning motorcycles, bike parking, congestion, Fédération Française des Motards en Colère, French green party, Kosciusko-Morizet, lane splitting, low emission zone, pollution, westminster council | Categories: Motorcycling in France | URL: http://wp.me/pyxHV-1LD
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/define-and-legitimise-motorcycle-filtering.html
http://www.banwirebarriers.org/index.php
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/abolish-yac-antibike-tax.html
No comments:
Post a Comment