Motorcycle Monday: Banning Bikes From Public Roads Becoming Reality?

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Hear us out before drawing a knee-jerk conclusion.

A new report out of the UK sheds some light on a possible and disturbing new trend: county councils there might be trying to ban motorcycles from public roads slowly. The reasoning is reportedly that getting rid of motorcycles will save motorcyclists’ lives.

This is like the old saying about burning down the village to save the village. And while it might seem overly alarmist to say motorcycles could be banned from public roads in the UK, US, or anywhere else by justifying the lives saved by just such a measure, we’ve seen in 2020 all kinds of radical changes to public health enforcement using the same reasoning.

One of the counties in England that’s been cited by British Motorcyclists Federation, Trail Riders Fellowship, Motorcycle Action Group, and Vintage Motor Cycle Club is Oxfordshire. Statements about the safety, environmental impact, and space requirements of motorcycles have reportedly been brought up by county officials. And while bike enthusiasts and others have been able to address these concerns, they could easily pop up anywhere else.

Just look at the NHTSA page about motorcyclist safety, which declares “motorcycle riders are still over-represented in traffic fatalities.” Measures to make drivers more aware, teach motorcyclists to ride more defensibly, and to boost helmet usage have had only small effects. All it takes is a push from politicians or bureaucrats to make riding a bike in public the enemy of the people.

Yes, before 2020 we would’ve written this kind of talk off as alarmist, a wild conspiracy theory developed by people with overactive imaginations and too much time on their hands. But after watching sweeping, unquestioned health policies enacted in many areas with little to no discussion about whether or not they should even be put into place, coupled with the reluctance to roll most of those back because “if they save just one life they’re worth the sacrifice”, we can see the same possibly happening with motorcycles.