The DVLAs new swerve test for motorbike liciences: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067672.stm Seems a bit barmy that they expect new riders to carry this out in wet weather conditions, although I can see the benefits overall to includeing it.
As a motorbiker with several years experience, I think it's crazy to expect learners to do this swerve test on their second day. The powers that be would have been more clued in if they had made an advanced riding test a reuirement after several months (you already are on probation in effect with only 6 points on the license instead of 12 for 2 years). But it is useful to know how to swerve - every biker will have had to do it at some point, with varying degrees of success. Also known as a "tank slapper" and it scares the s*** out of you when it happens the first time...that is if you don't come off. Just typical of our government to introduce a new ruling without due THOUGHT about it!
My thoughts exactly, the idea of a second advanced test is a good one. What iritates me is this sweerve test is puerly due to pressure from the EU. A bit like the CPC they are bringing in for those taking the loorys test (class C) both are good ideas in theory yet are being rushed through without thought.
If I was a bit more naive think its bizzare that they'd introduce it, but in reality I think it is just one more tool in the government's not so secret campaign to get motorbikes off the roads. I'm not a biker (I did a bit of off-road riding when I was younger, but never road riding), but it seems pretty obvious to me that government policy, not just the current government but for as long as I can remember, is to get rid of bikes through stealth tactics. Consider when a road has just been resurfaced. Is it just me or do they always start the loose chippings right on a bend, and hide the mandatory 'Loose Chippings' warning notice in the long grass right at the start of the chippings, where it would be too late to react even if you did spot the partially hidden warning sign? Whatever happened to steam rollers making sure there are no loose chippings in the first place? Why don't you have to pay road tax on agricultural vehicles even if they go on the roads? I have nothing against farmers, but they often drag mud all over the road and nobody ever cleans it up or puts up a warning to let people know that they are going hit soft mud on the road and do a big skid. A while ago there was some scandal when bikers got fined or something for not having any road tax, even though they'd declared their bikes off the road for winter. Why are kids of 16 or 17 let loose with a motorbike (albeit underpowered ones) after just 6 hours training and no formal test? I occassionally get them behind me, far too close, aligned with the middle of the car so that they can't just go round me if for any reason I have to slam the brakes on. I see them riding off down the road with their feet trailing (I was taught never put your feet down while moving, and I found out why when I lost control on sand, put my foot down out of instinct, and smashed my foot on a rock). And my final thought on the matter is this: If a daft kid in a car that he can't handle kills himself as a result of driving like a loony, people don't say 'oooh, cars are dangerous, they shouldn't be allowed on the roads'. But if a someone on a bike kills themselves as a result of riding like a loony, people say 'bikes are dangerous and should be banned, and all bikers are loonies'. I've even seen road signs saying things like 'x bikers killed in the last y years'. Why? Why not say 'x people killed in the last y years', and then let people look up the statistics later?
Anyone who has travelled around Romney Marsh on a sunny weekend, as I have, would have absolutely no sympathy for bikers what so ever. There are a few good uns, but the majority are complete nutters who consider the rest of the traffic as a challenge, they rearely stick to speed limits and rarely get fined. Sorry just wanted to get that off my chest.:D Anyway when I saw this about the swerve test on the TV this morning I noticed that the examiner/trainer kept quoting KM/PH to the person learning. I was under the impression that Kilometers were not legal measurement in the UK, or has that changed now?
Clueless, don't get me started on anti-biking legislation, people's prejudice about them, cage drivers (aka car drivers) lack of observation skills, dodgy roads (here in Sussex every other road is covered in those lose re-surfacing chips for weeks on end at the moment) but also weekend bikers who buy a supersports bike and ride like maniacs, breaking every rule of the highway code or chavtastic prats on their scooters (if ever someone needed a slap, its a 17 year old behaving like a prat on a scooter). We'd be here for ever... Pete, I sympathise with you - Romney Marsh is a well known biker ride out. Unfortunately, there are real prats on supersports motorbikes who think they can control them, but in reality are a danger to themselves and any other road users. Riding in a group, it's easy to egg each other on and go faster and behave stupidly and these are the ones who give a bad name to all motorbikers. However there are bikers out there, like myself, who don't behave like complete prats. My motorbike, whilst a supersports Kawasaki and capable of speeds in excess of 160mph has not been over 100mph, doesn't have a modified can (exhaust!) and I respect speed limits on the whole, especially g0ing through villages or built up areas. On the other hand, I could rant on for hours about car drivers talking on mobile phones, slapping their children in the back seat, fiddling for a CD, changing the radio channel, eating, drinking, lighting a ciggie, reading a map or putting on make up, all WHILE DRIVING! Cars are too safe these days, too much protection in them. When riding a motorbike, you have to concentrate for every second, reading the road ahead constantly and observing the whole time, far more than most people do whilst behind the wheel (I drive a car too BTW!)
Living and working in the wye valley and forest of Dean and regularly regularly driving in mid wales I see every type of driver from the ever frequent elderly hesitant car driver that goes at 30 mph regardless to the pratts who race ahead on the straights then practically do an emergency stop in the bends to the morons who overtake blind, these are all car drivers. In general the Bikers tend to be the better drivers, whilst there are bad ones in general most are fairly safe. The majority of the traffic problems I see on the local roads are generally car related.
There are two sides to every story and I think probably car/4x4 drivers are in the majority, so there are bound to be more worse car drivers than bikers. If fact I think the bikers that we see weekends doing wheelies and overtaking in groups in stupid places are probably car drivers in real life anyway. There are signs all around here at junctions saying "think bike", but in most cases the bike is doing 30 mph over the speed limit, and on you in a flash. Dont get me wrong, I tend to think most speed limits are set artificially low in order to gain revenue, but only by about 10 mph. They also seem to feel that they have this god given right to be at the front of a queue of traffic, usually weaving their way though until illegally crossing the white line at traffic lights. Often then stopping on a pedestrian crossing and roaring away at the first hint of an amber light. As I say there are a few that seem to follow the rules but the main reason many have for buying a bike is that you can ignore the rules and get away with it. As for saying cars are too safe, thats just a little ridiculous, I'm not really a safety concious person but to say something is too safe doesn't make sence. Thats the kind of thinking that makes road dangerous (speed humps and chicanes) in order to make them safer. Perhaps that brings us back to the fact that bikes may be to dangerous in this day and age, far too powerful for the ordinary bloke in the street.
Sorry Pete, I used the wrong words. What I should have said was cars have been made to feel too safe now - air bags, seat belts, ABS just as an example. All these things lull drivers into thinking they are safer, whereas of course they aren't! One of the benefits of riding a motorbike is getting to the front of a queue of traffic - filtering is legal and part of the highway code (although, cross the white line in front, or a solid white line onto the other side of the road isn't!). I do this, because it's actually safer to get away from the traffic when the lights change, rather than be behind a muppet who is yabbering away on their mobile (can you tell that's my pet hate?). Motorbikes aren't dangerous. No more than a car is. Its the riders and drivers who make them dangerous. But I guess bikers and drivers will always disagree. Bikers are just easier to target as there are less of us and more obvious. Maybe we need testing for ALL road users on a regular basis, rather than having drivers who passed 40 years ago and have never been tested since? There are plenty of road users who could do with it, on two wheels and four. I've never tried a wheelie by the way. Except by accident on my first day of learning when I nearly s**t myself! Never again!!
To be honest, I reckon you've hit the nail on the head there. There was a report on the news a while ago about people having a mid life crisis and buying bikes they can't handle just to make themselves feel alive, feeling alive for a while, then feeling very dead. There's also the likes of my mate. Failed his driving test 3 times so tried to get a bike licence. Failed his bike test 3 times before finally passing, then he bought himself a 550cc chopper style bike (Virago? or am I thinking of something else?) and constantly pushed it beyond its means. He tried to beat a Limo in a drag race from some traffic lights. The Limo won of course because my mates bike wasn't built for speed, but he tried. With aerodynamics and weight distribution set up for cruising at 50 or 60, he was constantly pushing it up to 90+ mph. He eventually gave up and sold his bike after coming off it so often that one of our other mates threatened to buy him a pair of stabilisers for christmas.
In seriousness Walnut, I'd love to see people working closer to home, rather than the need to commute crazy distances to work - think of the benefits to the environment, but also how so many people would physically benefit from walking to work or school and perhaps interacting with their community much more. But sadly, I don't think it's going to happen - our love affair with the combustible engine, combined with where the work is located makes it almost impossible.
