On the 25th September 2011 (I can't believe it was that long ago) MAG organised a protest whereby bikers met on service stations across the country and then rode on the inside lane of the motorways at 45mph (I think it was). This was to warn the Government and, in particular, the EU to keep their hands off biking. There were many different issues that MAG were protesting about, and banning older bikes from urban areas was one of them.
Well I remember the bikes/trikes on the M27 taking up all three lanes at times. At the same time a load of scooters were doing the same on the other side. They even waved to each other!
Other road users were pretty good about it all. Police on motorbikes joined us so they couldn't resort to road rage!
Well after all that, my main point is we are not always apathetic. Yes, the French are brilliant at protesting but UK bikers (of all ilk) can be too. Now I know not everyone thinks MAG achieves that much but at least they are doing their best to give bikers a voice.
So did the protest do any good? I don't know. I think perhaps more media coverage would have helped. Perhaps we were even too nice and should have been more disruptive (like the French). Trouble is, you don't want other vehicle users to support this type of legislation because they have become anti-bike.
At least we do now know many bikers are willing to stand up (or sit down) for biking.
