Oxfordshire County Council are preparing a new transport plan running up to 2050. So far, they have attempted both to leave motorcycles out of the plan and to claim that they are a major source of accidents. This could remove the role for motorcycling in Oxfordshire transport in future.

If you want to see a positive role for motorcycling, you must reply to the engagement that is now running for transport users in Oxfordshire before 17th May.

The new plan is known as Local Transport Connectivity Plan 5 (LTCP5). You can submit your response using the Survey at: –

https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/consult.ti/ltcp.engagement/consultationHome

You can skip through most of the Survey if you wish but please respond to Section 28 which is the section on Motorcycling.

The most important point to get across is that motorcycles (or Powered Two Wheelers – PTWs) are a valid form of transport and should be an integral part of the overall transport plan for Oxfordshire.

However strongly you may feel, responses must be polite and reasonable, otherwise your comments will be ignored.

Things you might like to mention but please add your own comments to assist the Council Officers in writing the full “Integrated” Transport Plan:

• Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs) are a legal and valid form of personal transport and must be an integral part of the new Transport Plan for Oxfordshire.
• PTWs are able to keep moving in otherwise congested traffic and reduce pollution helping towards reducing Climate Change.
• PTWs offer a flexible mode of transport particularly for commuting when public transport is not available, either out of hours on shift work or in remote locations.
• Many commuters will not want to use a bicycle for journeys of 10 miles or more, and this is where PTWs can be a highly effective solution.
• PTWs can also be used for leisure, social and recreational purposes as well as commuting.
• PTWs take up less space on the roads and require much smaller space for parking than cars.
• PTWs reduce congestion and pollution.
• PTWs cause less wear to the road surface.
• Road features should be designed to make motorcycle use safer.
• PTWs are used for many small local deliveries.
• PTWs should be allowed in bus lanes in Oxfordshire
• If the presentation of accident data is thought to be important, it should be on a similar basis for all forms of transport, and not just for motorcycles in Section 28.
• The Accident data is a mixture of national and local data, is confusing, and no logical conclusion is drawn from it.
• Many motorcycle accidents arise from inattention on the part of other road users, and this is where road safety campaigns can make a great difference.

The questionnaire will take some time to complete, so please feel free to skip many of the sections. It is important to make sure you respond to Section 28 on motorcycling. Please add any general comments in Section 29. Please also try and use your own words rather than just cut and pasting from the above points.

Don’t forget to click Finish to send it in once you have completed the survey.

Please try to write representations that are positive to help the Officers get over the obvious bias against motorcycling and to write points that could be part of the complete document that will be produced in September for further consultation. We need to help them (rather than just get angry).

Many thanks

Geoff Clough

Secretary BMW Club Oxford

Originally posted 2020-05-11 17:48:45.