Martin C
22-03-2007, 09:45 AM
The "Off-Road Vehicles Registration Bill" proposed by Graham Stringer MP is, despite its misleading title, only targeted at motorcycles. It is intended to control the activities of people who ride "mini-motos" and any other motorcycles/scooters illegally in public places. As it stands, following its second reading and now entering the committee stage, it requires the Registration via DVLA of ALL motorcycles & scooters, whether used on the road or not, and that all such vehicles display number plates.
This is unlikely to achieve the desired result, as it is naive to expect that illegal riders will actually go to the trouble and expense of registering their machines in order to make it easier to prosecute them - they will simply continue to ride illegally. Existing legislation already provides for the confiscation and destruction of machines used in the illegal way that has prompted Mr Stringer's Bill.
Registration of a vehicle mandates that it be road-legal (to comply with the Road Traffic Act), which is a completely impractical and quite absurd requirement to try to impose on the many thousands of modern and classic/vintage motorcycles regularly used in all types of motor sport throughout the UK. There is also the impact on any classic/vintage machines in privaye collections/sheds, and those displayed at Shows and in museums - the Bill as it stands does NOT exempt ANY machines!
I therefore suggest that those of you resident in the UK actively oppose this ill-conceived Bill by writing to your MP as soon as possible. At he very least, it should be amended to say that "all vehicles used in a place to which the public have free and open access must be Road Traffic Act compliant and carry a registration plate, unless they are participating in a Approved Event" (an Approved Event being a licensed motor sport event already covered under existing legislation).
You can find your MP’s contact details via http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alcm.cfm
This is unlikely to achieve the desired result, as it is naive to expect that illegal riders will actually go to the trouble and expense of registering their machines in order to make it easier to prosecute them - they will simply continue to ride illegally. Existing legislation already provides for the confiscation and destruction of machines used in the illegal way that has prompted Mr Stringer's Bill.
Registration of a vehicle mandates that it be road-legal (to comply with the Road Traffic Act), which is a completely impractical and quite absurd requirement to try to impose on the many thousands of modern and classic/vintage motorcycles regularly used in all types of motor sport throughout the UK. There is also the impact on any classic/vintage machines in privaye collections/sheds, and those displayed at Shows and in museums - the Bill as it stands does NOT exempt ANY machines!
I therefore suggest that those of you resident in the UK actively oppose this ill-conceived Bill by writing to your MP as soon as possible. At he very least, it should be amended to say that "all vehicles used in a place to which the public have free and open access must be Road Traffic Act compliant and carry a registration plate, unless they are participating in a Approved Event" (an Approved Event being a licensed motor sport event already covered under existing legislation).
You can find your MP’s contact details via http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alcm.cfm