Editor's View
Summer’s here! Brilliant – at last, the long awaited sunny days and warm evenings of biking freedom have arrived, only spoiled by the occasional bug splat… right in the middle of your newly cleaned visor... Wiping the brightly coloured bits of dead insects out of your line of sight is an irritating hazard of summer riding, but here in Sussex we have a new and even more annoying hazard, we’re being targeted!
A series of adverts and press releases from Sussex Police and the local authority has made it clear that we, as bikers, will be closely watched and pulled over for suitable treatment in the name of “road safety” So, road safety it seems doesn’t apply to car drivers, cyclists or pedestrians in Sussex. Just bikers. And the focus of this road safety campaign? “Small number plates and loud cans”. Maybe I’m being thick, or missing the point, but when was the last time anyone fell off a bike because their number plate wasn’t big enough?
It’s too easy to blame whoever’s pulled you over and is about to spoil your day, so Sussex police appear to be the bad guys. Although they are generally a good bunch, they do as they are told by their political masters, even if they don’t agree with the instructions. It’s the faceless morons in government that neither understand nor care about the impact of the orders they impose. Our spineless civil servants are trying to implement european directives to reduce road casualties, which is something we all wish to support. However, there is division in the ranks as to how this can be achieved. On the one hand we have the pro-active, pro biking groups like BikeSafe and the Fire Service who see greater training, co-operation and awareness as the key to reduced accidents. On the other, we have agencies like the “road safety partnerships” that see fines, penalties, more cameras and prosecutions as the way forward – stick or carrot?
This leads me neatly into a blatant plug for a new initiative by West Sussex Fire Brigade. These are the guys, many of them bikers themselves, who have to clear up the mess when it goes horribly wrong and they want to do something about it. On Sunday 23rd August they will be running a motorcycle “health check” day at Worthing fire station. It’s a free event and everyone’s welcome. Qualified people will be on hand to provide a free safety check of your favourite ride, like chain adjustment, tyre wear, lights, suspension etc. with advice on anything that needs further attention. No sermons or tickets threatening prosecution, just good advice and tips on how to keep you and your bike roadworthy – and safe! Contact Watch Commander Maddams at Worthing Fire Station on 07801 689888 for further information.
The Southeast Bikerfest at Brighton Racecourse is now only a few weeks away on the 12th & 13th September and we’re getting ready for the best weekend of biking, speed trials, rides, stunt shows and live bands in the south east – see you there!
Peter Karmios,
Editor