Philip,
yes - "strike while hot" - i know what you're saying, but after 15+ years of this i am not as quick to react as i was. As for ideas - feel free but it's participation that's needed most. We're not short of suggestions / we're desperately short of active help.
Frank,
Thank you for the post - there's not one thing wrong with what you've said. i appreciate the bluntness and MAG appreciates the support.
Dezidero,
fair points. i'll do my best to answer them. (by the way - MAG N.I. has recently become active again. you also have 'Right to Ride' (
http://www.righttoride.co.uk/ ) up there - both deserve local support.
MAGs Chairman gave a pretty good account of where we're at and what we've been up to over the last 12 months at the AGM.
Below is edited highlights of what he said and
my observations included in italics.
"...Successful political operators find a division in the enemy and exploit it. To many governmental and statutory bodies at Local, National and International levels, we motorcyclists are the enemy. Their ultimate aim, whether for so-called safety reasons or otherwise, is to legislate motorcycles off the roads entirely.
There are differences between the approach taken by various riders rights organisations in pursuit of our rights as riders, just as there are differences of opinion between us as bikers in pursuit of our own unique experience of biking. The strongest argument against further restrictions on us as motorcycles is that no further restrictions are necessary, but this flies in the face of the hollow political ideology that bikes are somehow dangerous and therefore require that they or their riders be somehow restricted.
Policy failure is often the reason for political intervention. Yet policy failure will always result from an approach which treats motorcycling as a “problem” to which some all-encompassing “solution” must be found.
It is precisely this politicising of our hobby, our lifestyle, our choice to ride motorcycles, which ultimately forces us to defend our basic right to ride a motorcycle in the first place.
MAG Ireland needs the support of Irish riders towards the common goal of our basic right to ride a motorcycle unencumbered by spurious politically motivated restrictions of any sort.
There have always been, and will always be, differences of opinion regarding how best to achieve our objectives. Each substantive decision taken by MAG will inevitably alienate some who feel that a different approach could or should have been taken. MAG Ireland makes it’s choices in the best interest of it’s membership. Some choices will always be divisive, but they are made in pursuit of the overall goal of defending our right to ride.
So, if riders do not like what they see MAG do, or not do, the only way to change that is to get involved yourself and make that change.
Now more than ever, we as riders need to present a united front towards that common goal.
Over the last year there has been some progress in areas which MAG has been campaigning on for some years:
1 .
Bus lanes: This continues to drag on. The trialled use of bus lanes in London has been extended and it seems that authorities both there and here are waiting for the final report on that before making any further decisions. We are trying to get meetings with both Labour and Fine Gael’s transport spokespersons with a view to the next election. We need to continue to push this issue until a satisfactory result is achieved.
Standard operating procedure by politicos is this;
call it a trial and you cant come to a conclusion til the end of the trial - so you can basically say nothing for or against until...
~ the political fuss has died down and they can put whatever they like in place.
~ whatever the fuss was about in the first place is now forgotten.
~ in this one, Red Ken just didn't want (Motor)Bikes in bus lanes / Boris is more open / but must be seen to prove SOMEthing one way or the other.
Ken was alleged to have forced the stats to fit his thinking / the entire trial had to be extended to give the new stats credence / so - no 'results' until the trial ends. Dublin waits til then. Even though MAG fought hard for local knowledge not foreign(ers) policy to be the decider - and most of the RSA bods were in agreement!
2 .
Motorway tolls: With the exception of the M50 Westlink and Eastlink toll bridges, all other tolled motorways charge motorcyclists for their passage. As the State cannot afford to buy out any more toll operators, this position is unlikely to change in the near future. However traffic volumes may eventually cause other tolled roads to adopt similar technology to that used on the Westlink toll which, as it involves photographing forward facing numberplates, neatly exempts motorcycles.
3 . Insurance: Though few in number, we still have four insurers namely Aon/Axa, Carol Nash, Adelaide and Quinn. The Insurance Federation expects premiums to rise by up to 20% in the coming years. We wrote to both the Quinn Administrator and the Financial Regulator asking them to ensure that Quinn and it’s eventual new owner, if sold, continues to offer motorcycle insurance. MAG will continue to campaign for the removal of barriers to competition, and will seek that greater choice be provided to all riders including novices.
From getting Carole Nash to come into the Irish market in the first place, to the present day where we now have four Bike insurers, MAG had a considerable input in the background work that encouraged Insurance companies to dip a toe into the Irish Biker market. However, the work, the meetings, phone calls, liason with various groups and individuals is by its nature 'invisible'. There used to be a monopoly, now there's choice. Amidst much back patting by some, few acknowledge MAGs part in this.
We've no use for adulation - just results. But we now see we must improve our "P.R."
In fact our biggest failing within MAG Irl. is that we have no 'body' and have given no time to P.R. We NEED to address this - but what do we do? devote the time to telling all "Look what we did!" / and ignore the Real core business work of MAG? we have to alter this and balance the core work against the P.R to make riders aware of that which we have done. All to often all that is noticed is what we HAVEN'T done.
4 .
Compulsory basic training: All new first time learner permit holders with effect from 6th December 2010 for motorcycles and 4th April 2011 for cars will be required to undertake mandatory initial basic training (IBT) with an approved driving instructor (ADI). The course will be 16 hours for motorcycle and 12 hours for car licences.
If you're reading this you most likely already have a Full Licence, so this wont affect you. MAG was involved from day one (which is actually about 12 or 13 years ago!).
Bikers making policy for Bikers - not desk driving bureaucrats with no idea of the trials and tribulations of riding a Bike. We went from nothing to what is now recognised as Best Practise all over Europe and the world.
Sure, it's not perfect. But compared to what we had - a huge leap and ready for the future. Dont agree? - Look at the situation now in the U.K. for learners and the driving test.
5 .
Parking: Dublin City Council has inserted the requirement to provide for bike parking into the next Draft Plan for the city, also requiring the planners to build a percentage of bike parking into apartment car parks etc for future developments. If one local authority has done this, it will be easier to get others to do so in the future.
An example of MAG work at local level. I was involved in this myself. Started off with developing a contact in the 'Enforcement' dept. in Dublin City Council.
Result; no Bikes get clamped for parking offences in Dublin. full stop.
Next step; get to talk to the dept that deals with policy re; new developments. Following frank and very informative meetings, follow up ph calls and mails - the decision is made by Dublin City Council, to specify that ALL new developments, be they retail, commercial or residential MUST devote 4% of parking space to Motorcycles. We (Bikes / Powered Two Wheelers) make up 2% of the road going population - so yes, the population is growing - but DOUBLE what we need - now laid in law, is a good result by any measure and, where Dublin leads others will follow.
This actually is a classic example of what MAG is doing;
~ make the contact, have the meetings, look at the plans, try to amend the proposals in Bikers favour, start off nice - not with a demo through the streets - we dont need that in most cases - we've done the knocking on doors, we've a foot in that door now - it's time to talk / not shout.
IF a demo is needed, sure we can do that too, if and when it has a point.
6 .
Europe: MAG has continued to be active over the past year on the European front, as a member of FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations. FEMA have been organising opposition to wire rope barriers and EU legislation to ban same is at an advanced stage. On the national level, several countries have already stopped new wire rope being installed, and some are removing it in particularly hazardous locations such as bends.
Even here the more recent new motorways do not have wire rope barriers and the NRA is aware that it has a problem in this regard. MAG Ireland will continue to campaign in Ireland to have these dangerous installations removed as quickly as possible.
Spreading the word to the NRA / RSA and local councils that wire rope is not a good idea - on a safety, practicality or financial level has worked. Collaboration with for e.g. The A.A has paid off.
This has not been an easy year financially for MAG –.... The opening hours have been reduced to half days on Wednesday & Friday afternoons and a full day on Tuesdays to avoid having to pay any staff costs.
That's what Linda/ Mrs Og does with her 'spare time'.
Membership is static if not slowly declining and it is seems increasingly difficult to persuade many bikers of the benefits of joining and supporting a national organisation devoted to protecting and promoting motorcycling. MAG has no substantial source of income except for it’s members subscriptions and our ability to campaign can be painfully limited to the available free time given by the board members. We need both more members and more volunteers – a tough request in a era where everyone seems to be both cash and time starved!
Progress has been made on an overhaul of the MAG website which has been completely updated and we are close to rolling out a completly new website to include online membership applications, an online shop for MAG goods and an option for online polls.
That's all i can say for now - and it's taken a while (too long) to write.
The internet is not the best format for this. All too easy for it to turn to text tennis and context is all too easy to misinterpret.
BUT,
i'm quite happy to get ph calls and explain/clarify whatever i can. ANYone can PM me a ph no and i'll respond.
Sorry for the longest post - ye did ask. 
just stating the view most bikers give me if mag is mentioned.
