Learners could lose right to ride alone Learner motorcyclists face losing the right to ride unaccompanied under Government plans, according to the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI). Plans to scrap the right are likely to be revealed later this month, the Association fears. It would leave learners only allowed to ride while accompanied by an instructor and deny thousands of daily transport. The proposals are expected to be included in a consultation on new Europe-wide laws set to make it more difficult to gain a motorcycle licence from 2013. The new rules will raise the minimum age for Direct Access – a single practical riding test for access to unrestricted bikes – to 24. Riders who take the standard route will be subject to power limits for four years, two at 15bhp and 125cc and two at 47bhp.  The consultation will be on details of the new regime, such as whether learners should have to take an extra test or complete additional training to progress from 15 to 47bhp. An MCI spokesman said: “The consultation may also propose that learner motorcyclists should lose their right to ride unaccompanied on L-plates.” He said the Association had warned Transport Secretary Lord Andrew Adonis that “these measures would be extremely damaging to the industry and the vitality of motorcycling in the UK”.                                                                                                                                                                              

All I got was out of date error page                                                                                                                                                                              

works for me now em                                                                                                                                                                             

Oh FFS! They really are trying to price bikers off the roads huh?

How utterly ridiculous.
                                                                                                                                                                             

OK, so it's purely speculative at this stage, but somehow it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

                                                                                                                                                                             

OMG !!   Thats just going to far !!!                                                                                                                                                                              

oh my god how riduclous, i ride my 125 all over the place, how else am i supposed to gain valuable experience to be  a safe and confident rider.   wat about all the chavs that pass there test and then jump into high powered cars same day, then hit a tree a couple weeks later killing everyone in car, or worse still everyone in car coming other way   rant over                                                                                                                                                                             

Time to get ride of these idiots. How much more of the country are they going to **** up before they go.   How many people just wont bother to get a licence so no tax no mot and no insurance   Even the Americans dont have to put up with this level of idiots.                                                                                                                                                                               

Being part of europe has brought us nothing but problems. We need to get out NOW!! The world won't stop if we leave. At least you'll know the clowns who are making this stuff up.                                                                                                                                                                             

This is beyond ridiculous!!    Once again  its target biker time!!    Why don't they look at educating car drivers first?  Why can' they see that including an element of motorcycle awareness,  at least ( 'tho a full CBT would be better ) into the Driving Test would prevent an awful lot of 'SMIDSY' !   I would have welcomed such training when I learnt to drive, because since I've done my CBT I am definately more aware of bikers!   Seems we are the scapegoats to line their big fat pockets once again.   Let's just hope someone sees sense before this nonsense is impletmented.                                                                                                                                                                                   

I suspect that it is at least partly a "More Crap than News" scare story, there isn't an MCI press release about it which is odd and no mention on any of the trade sites.   FEMA has been attending working group meetings for the Third Driving Licence Directive since 2005 and nothing like this has been reported yet. There is some fairly scary stuff about trainer and examiner qualification and monitoring, whether or not you will need yet another test after the proposed initial 2 year 15bhp restriction to go on to the 2 year 47bhp limit and yet another test to get a full licence and it seems fairly definite that the age limit for Direct Access will go up.                                                                                                                                                                             

its similar here already, you have to be 18 to get a 125 and you're not allowed to ride with L plates.   But your also not allowed to drive a car without an instructor (not just another person with a licence).   I agree with the DAS from 24 onwards, i know too many people who've done direct access then had bad accidents.   The 15bhp for 2 years is BS!  15bhp is pathetically weak.  33bhp restrictions for 2 years are fine, and it taught me a lot before I then derestricted my bike (Learnt to control the weight, handling etc)                                                                                                                                                                             

I read this in MCN today Prof.   Ok, as Wannabe says, it is only speculative at the moment, but as MCN themselves said, how could the FEMA and the MIA miss this???   The whole point of learners being allowed out on their own since year dot (or thereabouts lol) is that to do otherwise would require the cost of an additional vehicle, something which of course it doesn't in a car.   To actually suggest that this second vehicle requires manning by a qualified instructor is just plain ridiculous.   To miss this in all of the meetings held since 2005 is simply irresponsible and incompetent.  Surely this would be the biggest change by far if it were to come into place.  Those attending the meetings should be fired.                                                                                                                                                                             

Kaz I am with you on that one & always have been ... you should not be allowed to get a car licence without having at least a CBT in my books... with luck then by the time the driver has go his experience he is used to looking for a bike. To say you need another with you is just stupid, ok lets face it most of us do/have someone else with them till we build up the confidence to do a trip on our own & then the 1st is a run to the corner shop   An 18 year old can pass a test in a corsa & go out & get straight into a sports car (if daddy can afford it for them) without having a 2nd thought , but we have to do 2 years riding unless DAS tested... & soon that wont even apply if Europe get thier own way.                                                                                                                                                                             

I may be wrong in stating this (memory blank), but I believe it was Prof who previously pointed out about our very own DSA taking the existing European Directives further than intended and applying their own special brand of seasoning and lily-gilding with the changes already implemented

To blame membership of Europe for any changes is therefore rather missing the point. Yes, the changes have been led by European directives, but each member state interprets the directive accordingly. It seems to be the UK that takes these directives to the Nth degree, not other member states.

This article is speculative, the spokesman quoted is also speculating. It makes for a good headline and a sensational article, guaranteed to make Angry of Tunbridge Wells sit up and pay attention.

Not such a bad thing, but there is no supporting evidence that this is the direction our glorious leaders plan to take us in. Yet. Worth keeping a close eye on though and I'm painting the placards and tuning up the guitar for the revolution song

As for making CBT compulsory for all drivers - nah. Ineffective. Biking is not for everybody, by any stretch of the imagination. Plus I don't want my roads littered with eejits riding bikes under duress, simply because they're forced to, in order to obtain a car licence. A CBT's only a day - wouldn't make much of a dent in people's awareness.

What SHOULD be compulsory is that everyone spend time riding pushbikes on the roads, like we all used to, back in the day... every day... to/from school at least... Little Chardonnay and young Dwayne, however, are wrapped up in cotton wool in the back of Mummy's 4x4 and driven the 300 yards to school come rain or shine, so by the time they get to learning to drive, they can barely cross the road as a pedestrian, let alone have picked up any road sense and awareness of vulnerability as a 2-wheeled road user.

How about a poll? How many people on this site, who were driving before they learnt to ride and who believe you should have a CBT prior to learning to drive, actually took a CBT before learning to drive?   If we were to go down that route, then perhaps motorcyclists should be required to spend twelve months on a moped before being allowed a motorcycle?   And prior to being allowed a moped, riders should be required to spend twelve months of their adult life on a pedal cycle?   And prior to being allowed a pedal cycle, adults should be required to walk everywhere for a minimum of twelve months.   So, the new rules should be, leave school at the age of 16.  Get a job.  Spend a minimum of twelve months as a pedestrian commuter before being allowed a pedal cycle.  Then at the age of 17 (minimum) you must spend at least a year as a cyclist before being allowed a moped?  Etc.   Silly yeah?   How about one possible future (unlikely but it's possible);   Year 2015; Geoff B following a fantastically successful career as a highway/road safety engineer (told you it's unlikely) joins Parliament and becomes the new Minister of Transport.   Year 2016; Geoff B launches his new road safety initiative in which all motorists are required to undertake Compulsory Basic Training relevant to the vehicle they wish to learn to drive and with a qualified instructor.  A single test for each category is put into place, categories include; pedal cycle, moped, motorcycle, car etc.  Upon passing a test, a motorist is required to spend a minimum of 2 years on/in a restricted power vehicle.  This restriction would be repeated when a test is passed on a new category.   The answer?                                                                                                                                                                             

Geoff, bit puzzled as to your point, MCN quote the MCI as the source of this "news", as to sacking the FEMA rep it would probably be a bit difficult as ten to one it will be a volunteer given that FEMA has very few paid staff.     The MCI do seem to have a bit of a head in the sand mentality, they rarely seem to make representation about things that will affect their members which has always puzzled me. They didn't get involved in the 100 bhp limit until the shouting was all over, the first most MPs had heard about it was the mass lobby at Westminster, my MP asked me why I was telling him about it and why hadn't the trade bodies raised the issue with a minister given the effect on British jobs, just wish I knew the answer to that one.                                                                                                                                                                             

Not the answer, but children should be riding their bicycles on the streets... they still have the cycling proficiency test and some schools still run them...

Nobody should reach adulthood (or motorised 2, 3 or 4 wheeled vehicle stage - 16/17 can't really be classified as adulthood IMO) without having a clue about road awareness and some sort of road experience.

Trouble is, we've got a whole generation of drivers already out there, who never got any road experience before their first driving lesson and there's a second generation of 'em on the way...

Wannabe I think you've hit the nail right on the head using the word vulnerability. The fact is the 'do gooders' in the name of health and safety making kids wear goggles whilst playing conkers etc have taken away a huge part of the learning process, namely EXPERIENCE! Whilst our parents didn't let us crawl into a hot oven they did let us out to play (hands up who played with fire!) when they felt we understood enough to take care but knew we'd have to learn some things the hard way! My 6 year old is recovering from a couple of swollen b*****ks and some cracking bruises after colliding with a woman (who called him a f****ng dick head) on his push bike. That experience will stay in his mind for a very long time and taught him never to crash into a fat rough arsed boiler on a push bike cos she'll make you cry lol On a seriuous note though the EXPERIENCE has taught him a valuable lesson on 'keep it under control' !
                                                                                                                                                                             

Too many "bedroom" drivers   Unfortunately real life doesn't have a reset button   There's people out there who ride/drive like they're in a game