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Welcome to the Greater London Motorcycle Action Group Happy 2010!
Greater London MAG would like to wish everyone a happy, successful and safe
2010. Fred Hill run 2010 The London Fred Hill run will take place on Sunday 14th February, starting from the Ace Cafe at 14:00. There will be a riding brief before we leave so please get there a bit earlier. The run will be followed by the London All Region AGM at 16:00 at the Ace Cafe soon after our return from the Fred Hill run. This is also a call for nominations for the post of Greater London regional representative. Nominations should include a short CV plus details of the Proposer snd Second, and should be sent to greater-london-region@mag-uk.org. Note that as this is Valentine's Day there will be a dinner with a special set menu at the Ace later on in the evening so book early if you want to stay for that.
Say No To Bike Parking Fees
More on bus lanes As you should already be aware there is a trial running to see if PTWs in bus lanes is a good thing. This trial is running in most of the bus lanes that run in red routes in the capital, but there is some confusion over which routes we are allowed in. The golden rules is that if the bus lane saign says you are allowed in, the you are, but if there is no motorcycle in the sign, don't go in! Personal experience notes that you can't go in the bus lanes outside Euston or Kings Cross train stations It is worth noting that some (but not all) councils are following the TfL's example and are allowing motorcycles in their bus lanes even when it isn't a red route. Ealing allow motorcycles on at least some of their routes.
Fred Hill Run and AGM 2009 The 2009 Fred Hill run took place on Sunday February 15 and was well attended by around 100 bikes. Many thanks to those that took the time to come and remember Fred. The Greater London MAG AGM was due to start at 4:00pm following the run. Unfortunately the police Bikesafe course overran and we didn't get started until about 5:00pm by which time a number of people who were going to be there had to leave.
Sadly we said goodbye to Gerard Livett as Greater London MAG Rep as he takes on a new role as president
of FEMA. Good luck with that Sol!
At the AGM we had a talk from Josef Dunne of the "No To The Bike Parking Tax" campaign. Josef provided an overview of why the group was formed, how they had grown and what their plans were. This is a group with great motivation and drive, check out their website which is included in our links page. An initiative arose from the AGM to create a Facebook group which we will also use to disseminate information. If you are a Facebook fan then please join the "Greater London Motorcycle Action Group".
All region meeting - Ace café – February 12 The next regular all region meeting is on Thursday 12 February starting at 8:30pm. I appreciate that this is close to the AGM, but it would be good to see a few people there. You will recognise us as I will be wearing a MAG shirt and we should have a MAG flag or banner or similar. And I'll try and make us as conspicuous as possible! We'll be there... will you? Protest against Westminster Bike Charging – February 17 The next protest against Westminster's parking charges for motorcycles will be on Tuesday February 17. This will be a ride to Westminster City Hall on the day before all objections to this pernicious stealth tax against bikers have to be received. The ride will meet at the Park Lane garage at 5:15 pm and will leave at 5:45. If you cannot make the start, then the ride will arrive at City Hall at about 6:00. Once there, the objection forms will be posted to the West One offices. MAG is fully behind this campaign, so I hope to see you all there. The aim of the protests is to draw attention to the wider public that bikes have an important role to play in the vitality of Westminster and we should be recognised as being a solution to the transport problems in London , and not as part of the problem, and to make Westminster City Council realise that us bikers are fed up of being ripped off! For more information, visit No to Bike Parking Fees (opens in new window). Petition against Westminster Bike Charging Sign the petition against the parking charges by clicking  here (opens in new window).Bikes in bus lanes Motorcycles are now able to use Transport for London bus lanes on an experimental basis. Unfortunately we still cannot use most local bus lanes – but we are working on this. For more information, see the Bikes in Bus Lanes section here (opens in new window). Alleyway Parking now illegal Following the introduction of new legislation (the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2008), bikers can now be given Penalty Charge Notices when parked on a footpath. A footpath is a highway over which the public have a right of way on foot only. These can often run at an angle to a road, as opposed to a footway which runs parallel. The new legislation also allows Civil Enforcement Officers (formerly parking attendants) to remove any obstruction covering a number plate, and not be liable for any damage they cause in trying to ascertain your registration. If you deliberately try and obscure, or even remove, your registration plate to avoid getting a parking ticket you can be liable to a fine of up to £1,000. The City of London has already started enforcing using this new power. You have been warned. New Venue for Biggin Hill MAG Biggin Hill MAG go from strength to Strength, and still haven't managed to lose anyone even after moving to their third pub in a year! The new venue is 'The Crown Inn', Leaves Green Road, Leaves Green, Kent, BR2 6DG. The Group meets on the first, third and fifth Wednesday of the month. For more details, please visit The Biggin Hill Website (opens in new window) or Biggin Hill Rep. The Unity Foundation are MAG supporters - they have supported us - it's time to support them! Fulham MAG moves to monthly meets Fulham MAG will now be meeting at the Ace Cafe on the Second Thursday of each month at the Ace Cafe. Calling All Bike Clubs If you are in a bike club and are interested in joining MAG and would like a MAG representative to come and speak to your club then please contact The regional rep or The National Clubs Officer Page last modified 31 Dec 2009 |