BikeSafe-London : Is it a success? And what does the future hold?
On Friday June 3rd 2005, the 5000th rider passed through the BikeSafe-London Rider Skills Day.
Is BikeSafe-London a success?
- BSL Rider Skills Days are always fully booked and have so far attracted 5000 motorcyclists to attend one of the days.
- Many of the attendees are now coming along because of recommendations from friends and colleagues. BSL is now well known amongst the PTW fraternity as being one of the best BS schemes in operation.
- Many of the days are being block booked by motorcycle clubs, groups and shops; such is the good reputation of the scheme.
- Follow up surveys by TFL show that the Rider Skills Day have received a “customer satisfaction” rating of over 90%. Something many companies can only dream of. BSL continues to have a major impact on changing riders attitude and behaviour:-
• 89% believe that their attitude to motorcycling has changed and they have become safer riders (significant increase since last wave)
• 63% say their attitude to other road users has changed
• 28% claim to be taking additional security measure - Many have gone on to undertake further training. Nearly 20% on last evaluation. In fact in the last year, about 25% of the new members of the two IAM groups closest to the Warren, (that is Kent and London) have joined the clubs as a direct result of their attending a BSL Rider skills day. MAM (Middlesex Advanced Motorists) have recorded a similar increase. (Nearest to Ace)
- We have received favorable reviews from the press. BIKE magazine gave the day a 4 out of 5 star rating, with the comment “Essential introduction to road craft“. The deputy editor Simon Weir was invited to witness inappropriate filtering on the A40 and was horrified to see what London’s PTW riders do just to get ahead of traffic. He wrote an informative and interesting article highlighting the dangers of filtering.
- Super Bike magazine (a notorious anti-police magazine) sent a mystery shopper along to The Ace Café and gave it a positive and fair review recommending that all riders avail themselves of the course
- MCN have sent a rider to The Ace and again wrote that it is an essential tool in making riders safer. We have continued to work with MCN on a regular basis and journalists call the officers for comments as to points of law as well as their opinions as riders. Recently we invited them to attend a day tasking in Chelsea where they saw first hand the work that the MTT do to make London’s roads safer for the PTW rider. An article appeared in last week’s paper.
- Motorcycle Tasking Team members often appear on PTW Internet based forums and are asked for comments on a raft of issues. BSL is well received across the capital and many confirm that they will be attending in the near future.
- The BSL scheme has raised the profile of the Traffic Police motorcyclist amongst London’s PTW riders, who have seen for themselves, police officers working together with the community as opposed to just as an enforcement agency. This has enhanced the work of the Traffic departments of the Met and City police and perhaps balances out some of the adverse press publicity that we, the police, otherwise receive. (i.e. GATSOs and speed enforcement generally). It is also an embodiment of the Met’s slogan “Working together for a safer London”
- The scheme has also enhanced the reputation of Transport for London who are also seen to be “doing something positive for London’s motorcyclists”.
- We have worked with a number of business partners with a view to reducing work related road risks. These include BP, Kellogg, City Sprint, Deliverance,The Ford Motor Company and most recently HSBC.
- A number of local authorities have also recognised the value of the BSL scheme. Locally Sutton Council was paying for their residents to attend a Rider Skills Day. We have worked with Bromley Council to run Rider Skills Days for young scooter riders (identified as a particularly vulnerable group) and with Road Safety Officers from Greenwich handing out leaflets at the University of Greenwich. A number of Road Safety Officers from North London have assisted in the promotion of BSL at the Alexandra Palace motorcycle show.
- Since the start of BSL in April of 2003, the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on London’s roads has fallen. (Contrary to National figures, which continue to rise). Indeed the number of PTW rider fatalities has reduced from 63 in 2003, to 47 last year. When viewed against an increase in the annual mileage and sales of motorcyclists, the figures are very encouraging. The BSL Rider Skills Day is one of a series or package of measures that has been introduced with this kind of reduction as its aim.
| Year | Fatal | Difference | Serious | Difference | Slight | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 72 | 1,205 | 6,523 | |||
| 2002 | 65 | - 7 | 1,148 | - 57 | 5,722 | - 801 |
| 2003 | 63 | - 2 | 1,078 | - 70 | 5,231 | - 491 |
| 2004 | 47 | - 16 | 833 | - 245 | 4,595 | - 636 |
Each fatal collision costs £1,365,310
Each serious collision costs £160,850
Each slight collision costs £16,030
Source http://www.gmroadsafety.co.uk/
Saving to Government on Fatal Collisions = 35 x £1,365,310 = £47,785,850
Saving to Government on Serious Collisions = 372 x £160,850 = £59,836,200
Saving to Government on Slight Collisions = 1928 x £16,030 = £30,905,840
Total saving = £138,527,890
So what is the future for BikeSafe London?
Feedback from those attending BikeSafe days; independent evaluation; positive media coverage; and the reduction in powered two wheeler casualties clearly indicates that what we are doing – works. The Met Police is committed, with appropriate support, to working with others, both regionally and nationally, to develop BikeSafe in pursuit of a Safer London for all.
We are keen to see the promotion of 'thrill in skill' taken to smaller capacity machines, commuters and young riders, possibly via ScooterSafe.
The issue of risks associated with commuting has been the rationale behind our current work to promote the benefits to employers in London of considering their 'to work' journeys alongside 'at work' as they respond to HSE guidance contained in 'Driving at Work'.
BikeSafe, as an education and encouragement initiative, has enabled police to convince many that have doubted our motives that we committed to securing compliance for safety reasons rather than simple prosecution and persecution. Nonetheless it is in the interest of all, including the responsible motorcyclist, that that police as the primary road enforcement agency present a credible capability to deter and detect the anti-social behaviour of a minority that will not heed advice.
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