Tracking Highways Faults

As part of our discussions with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority we want to track how effective local councils are at fixing highway faults. Leeds MAG covers the Leeds and Bradford council areas so those are the areas we’re interested in. If there’s a fault near you, report it using their official reporting service and let us know what happens, via Facebook or one of our meetings. In our experience Leeds council tends to complain about tight budgets if the fault is too big, but they’re more responsive if it’s something like a pothole on a major route that could affect road safety.

We want 3 people in each local authority area to report a fault, follow its progress to completion (or not) and let us know how long it takes.

The official fault reporting page for Leeds City Council is at:

The page for Bradford Metropolitan District Council allows you to choose the type of fault to report at:

Please do not use third party services such as Fix My Street for the purposes of this exercise. We want to see how quickly they respond via their official channels.

WYCA Single Transport Plan – July/Aug Update

On the campaigning side of things, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve tried to have discussions with Leeds City Council about motorbikes in bus lanes but they’ve messed us about, turning up late to meetings in rooms that are double-booked and quoting the same old study that they’ve mentioned previously. It definitely feels like someone at Leeds council just doesn’t like motorbikes but doesn’t want to say so.

On the 20 year Single Transport Plan consultation held by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, things have been more successful. The results came out last week, with a summary on the WYCA website, and on our website. A more detailed report is on the WYCA website and on our website.  Most of the report deals with public transport, but the main points dealing with motorbikes are:

  • Motorcycles were highlighted as an omission from the Core principles
  • Road safety should be a fundamental component of the plan
  • All road and transport users should be considered in the plan, including motorcyclists.

The following comments were noted:

  • Powered Two Wheelers (motorcycles and scooters) should be included in the Plan
  • PTW users are vulnerable road users
  • Motorcycles address congestion issues
  • Wheels to Work schemes can address employment/training access
  • Motorcycles have less pressure on parking
  • Motorcycles cause less pollution

Of 398 responses from individuals, 83 noted the lack of motorbikes in the plan. There were also responses from the Leeds and Huddersfield MAG groups, MAG Central, and the Teafolk MCC. It’s difficult to say how many of these came as a direct result of our publicity, but the WYCA described the 83 as a “significant” number and it’s a good 22% of the responses. That’s approaching an organized lobby!

Along with the consultation itself was our demo ride and the publicity that came with it. The chair of the WYCA transport committee was interviewed on TV and radio, and he promised to hold workshops with us as part of phase 2. A couple have taken place already and we’re working on getting the MAG Pathways to Progress plan incorporated in the Single Transport Plan. The main points of this plan are:

  • Urgent review of road furniture and ‘safety’ schemes to identify and eliminate elements that have potential for adverse impacts on PTW rider safety
  • Lifting bans on PTWs in all with-flow bus lanes
  • Provision of parking facilities for PTWs should be on a par with bicycles
  • Ensure that PTW rider safety is considered as much as other vulnerable road users in all road scheme consultations – and from the outset of all scheme developments
  • The introduction of a Motorcycling Officer in all local transport authority areas

Quite a lot of road safety elements also affect pedal cyclists. Your webmaster is one of these as well as holding a full A class motorbike licence and understands that poor road surfaces, badly laid out junctions, deliberate traffic calming obstacles like speed humps, build-outs and chicanes, and cycle lane segregators such as armadillos can be downright dangerous regardless of whether or not your bike has an engine.

Initial impressions of the WYCA’s workshops seem quite promising. They were only formed last year and they’re keen to show they’re doing something. It would also appear to be a way to bypass some of the motorbike-hostile elements of Leeds City Council. However it needs to be treated with some caution as a spending review is on the horizon and it is expected to be pretty brutal.

Phase 2 of the plan is currently underway with more workshops planned. After that phase 3 will be a formal consultation into the detailed plan which will hopefully include MAG as an interested party. Meanwhile the WYCA advises the best way to stay informed is to email stp@westyorks-ca.gov.uk with details of the areas that you’re interested in. MAG can do a certain amount as an organized group but individual members need to get involved as well to influence the WYCA and local borough councils.

Riding the Demo Ride

Saturday the 23rd of May was our annual demo ride. This year we had two main aims: to highlight our ongoing campaign for bikes to be allowed in bus lanes, and to protest about West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s omission of motorbikes in their 20 year transport policy consultation. We also wanted to let the people of Leeds know that we exist and that riding bikes can be fun and an alternative means of transport instead of cars or buses. Before the event we got in touch with local press to let them know what we were up to. There’s an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post, and another on the BBC website. Our media officer did an interview for Radio Leeds (at 1:07:00 and 2:07:00 for as long as it’s available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r97m6). Radio Leeds also interviewed James Lewis, chair of the WYCA Transport Committee, immediately after the 2:07 interview and he promised to hold workshops with us in June and July. Let’s make sure he doesn’t forget… We also made the top story on Look North.
"You're on camera!"
As for the ride itself, everyone will have their own experiences and stories. What follows is your webmaster’s experiences of the day.
» Read more

Leeds MAG Demo Ride 2015

Demo Ride 2015

To raise awareness of Leeds MAG`s campaign to allow bikes in bus lanes.
Meeting at Squires Cafe Bar, Newthorpe, LS25 5LX from 11am for a prompt departure at 12 noon.
The demo ride will proceed through Leeds city centre on a learner friendly route to finish at the New Inn Eccup LS16 8AU
All bikes, trikes and scooters welcome.

There will be a party & camp over at the New Inn Eccup
Camping £5pp inc full English Breakfast
Selection of real ales, good bar food
Live music from “Like it or lump it”
Please let us know via Facebook if you will be camping over so we can arrange catering 🙂

19th May Meeting

Hi everyone,
Just a quick reminder that tonight is the second Leeds MAG meeting of May at The Royal Hotel in Pudsey (LS28 8PR).
We’ve got plenty to discuss, especially the upcoming demo ride on Saturday (23rd May meeting at Squires from 11am, to leave at 12)
It’s important that we get a good turnout on this ride as we want to really make a point on two issues.
Firstly, most forward thinking cities allow motorcycles in bus lanes, to help reduce congestion and ease the flow of traffic. Leeds City council recently rejected our application to gain access to bus lanes in Leeds. This could have ramifications throughout West Yorkshire since the new West Yorkshire Combined Transport Authority has been created – another meeting will be held in June where we aim to make more productive progress.
Secondly the recent formation of the  West Yorkshire Combined Transport Authority started with a consultation on it’s proposed 20 year transport plan in which not only was there not one mention of motorcycles (PTW’s) but possibly even worse, from the last transport plan, motorcycles have actually been removed!
We must make our voice heard – we are part of the solution to a lot of the transport problems we face, we are not the problem.
Please share this info far and wide and tell every motorcyclist that you know – it’s important to raise our profile.
See you on Saturday at Squires from 11
Ride safe
Manny

Leeds MAG 5th May Meeting

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow is the first meeting in May for Leeds MAG. We’re meeting at the usual place of The Royal Hotel in Pudsey (LS28 8PR) from 8ish.

We’ve loads to discuss with the Mondo Enduro event, hustings, Into the Valley rally that we’ve had and the Demo Ride and campover at the end of the month to finalise.

Hopefully you’ll have filled in the West Yorkshire combined transport questionnaire I sent out a couple of weeks ago. We just managed to get on that in time, and hopefully they’ll take some notice of it and get PTW’s included – the demo ride will help raise awareness of this issue.

On the back of this West Yorkshire wide transport policy, we have been in touch with both Huddersfield (who cover Halifax too) and Wakefield to create a joint Motorcycle Action Group West Yorkshire committee to tackle this issue in a combined assault. I’ll keep you informed with any progress we make.

Finally Friday December 11th we’re having a bit of a Christmas do and heading up to Newcastle to see rockabilly legends, Bessie and the Zinc Buckets. If you fancy joining us, bring £18 to the meeting tomorrow and I’ll order you a ticket.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Ride safe
Manny

West Yorkshire Combined Authority Single Transport Plan

URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO KEEP WEST YORKSHIRE BIKING!

West Yorkshire Combined Authority was set up on the 1st April 2014. It takes over responsibility for a number of strategic issues, most pertinently taking over from West Yorkshire Integrated/Passenger Transport Authority for transport. There is a consultation taking place into a 20 year transport plan which closes on the 30th of April 2015 which makes no mention at all of motorbikes and other powered two wheelers. We only found about it a few days ago. The survey itself is pretty short and will only take about 15 minutes to read and complete. To make sure that we are considered in the plans – we are vulnerable road users after all – PLEASE take a few minutes out of your day to make your thoughts known via the survey link on the web page – they want to know our views, so let’s tell them – nicely but firmly. You might want to include in your response some or all of the following:

How do you come up with a plan that takes no heed of motorcyclists (riders of Powered Two Wheelers) needs?
Motorcycles cause less pollution, ease congestion and reduce pressure on parking places
They are also a third of the group of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)
You have a duty to reduce ALL road casualties and to exclude us as VRUs is irresponsible and bordering on the criminal
Unless you include motorcyclists in your future plans they are not accurate nor fair and thus are flawed and not a vision for the future

PLEASE SHARE FAR AND WIDE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO WANT TO SEE YOU STAY SAFE ON OUR ROADS AND WITH OTHER BIKE GROUPS. Thanks in anticipation of your participation!

The link is http://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/stp-survey/.

Remember, it closes on Thursday the 30th of April 2015 so there isn’t much time left.

21st April 2015 Meeting and Hustings

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow is the second Leeds MAG meeting in April and we’ve got something a little bit different.

We’ve managed to get some prospective MP’s to come along and answer our questions on motorcycle related issues. We’ve got candidates from the Conservatives, UKIP and Greens coming. The Lib Dems are playing hard to get, but I hope to secure them. Unfortunately the Labour candidate is double booked and cannot attend.

It should be an enlightening night, so please come along to the usual venue of The Royal Hotel in Pudsey (LS28 8PR) from 8pm.

The ongoing campaign to get bikes in bus lanes took a turn last week when we received a notification from Leeds City council that PTW’s wouldn’t be allowed in bus lanes. It seems that Leeds has become the lead authority for West Yorkshire and there is now going to be a West Yorkshire combined transport policy.

The bus lane knock back in Leeds will have an affect on the whole of West Yorkshire and even more worrying is the fact the West Yorkshire combined authority has published a consultation on transport policy that they don’t seem to have widely published. The consultation ends on 30th April and it has NO mention whatsoever of motorcycles so we ALL need to get on it and take 15 minutes to fill it in – this will have an affect on our future so it’s important that we get as many bikers to respond as possible.

The link is http://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/stp-survey.

Hope to see as many of you as possible tomorrow.

Ride safe
Manny

7th April 2015 Meeting

Hi everyone
Spring has sprung and I hope you’re all enjoying it.

Tomorrow is the first Leeds MAG meeting of April @ The Royal Hotel LS28 8PR from 8pm, as always we’ve lots to discuss as we’ve been very busy.

The next meeting is an election hustings. We’ve invited the five main political parties candidates that are standing for MP’s to field questions from the floor – should be an interesting evening – all welcome.

Mondo Enduro – An Evening with Austin Vince is a week on Saturday (18th April) – Mondo Enduro has recently been voted the best bike movie of all time! And Austin is the man that did it! If we can sell this out we’ll make a great donation to MAG so get yourself along for a fun evening at Squires – you’ll not regret it 😉

Ride safe
Manny

The 4th Leeds MAG Comedy Night

Yes – it’s back! Get it in your diary!

Comedy Night 4

The fourth Leeds MAG Comedy Night is fast approaching and will be returning to its home – The new look Cross Keys, Britannia Road, Morley, Leeds

On the bill to date:
Dean Moore
Lulu Reubens
Lembit Opik
Roland Gent

And where would we be without our MC, the Divine Patrick Devine?!

You know the deal – tickets are £5.00 – for that you’ll get your comedy and your curry – in advance and on the door (if there’s any left). They’ll be available from Leeds MAG members and the Cross Keys.

Selected cakes and tasty tit-bits will be available for purchase – don’t forget that there’s no calories in a charity cake! 😉

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