by Tom Nash, European Editor

Over at another Motorcycle-related web site, Motorcycle Daily, Editor Dirck Edge recently wrote a short article titled “The Recession and Two Wheels”, which can be found at: http://www.motorcycledaily.com/08february08_recession.htm

Mr. Edge has some very interesting and valid points, and I hope he will forgive me for borrowing the title of his article. Part way through his article Mr. Edge suggests, “...go live in Europe where gas has been $4.00 a gallon and up for quite some time. Look around. Two wheel transportation is the natural consequence of high gas prices."

Actually, in some places over here in Europe we have been experiencing $6.00+ per gallon for quite some time, and it peaked recently at $8.30 per gallon. The economic incentive to do something different definitely exists.

Quoting Mr. Edge again, “...Maybe it's time to stop thinking about a motorcycle (or scooter) as a toy.”

I cannot agree with Mr. Edge enough, and he is dead right in that two-wheel transportation is a very common, popular, and well-integrated form of transportation all over Europe. All one has to do is visit any large city in Europe and one will see crowds of scooters and motorcycles navigating the city streets. Even Valentino Rossi uses a scooter to get around London. America could benefit from the lessons learned in Europe, and perhaps it is time to begin a long-term planning process to integrate these fuel efficient vehicles, as well as other options, into America's culture and transportation system.

In some countries on the continent smaller scooters that cannot go over 50 km per hour (30 mph) do not require license plates. Insurance, yes, but it is cheap. Registration, no. These vehicles get upwards of 100 miles per gallon, they are allowed to use the bicycle paths, and they benefit from the same rules of the road that govern bicycles. For example, one of the common features at in intersection in Europe is called the “round-about”, or “traffic circle.” Bicycles and the small scooters have the right of way over every other vehicle in a round-about. If you are about to enter a round-about, the traffic already in the round-about has the right of way whether it is another motor vehicle, a bicycle, or a scooter. If you are about to exit a round-about and continue on your way, you must YIELD (as in STOP if required) to any bicycles and small scooters who are about to cross the exit you want to take. Looking over your right shoulder for bicycles and scooters (left shoulder in the UK) is a natural habit in Europe, and if you fail to do it you can fail the driver's license exam. There are other rules that give special rights to bicycles and small scooters, but the bottom line is that they are recognized as a legitimate part of the transportation system, and they are given special privileges in the interest of the safety for their riders. These vehicles are not toys. In many countries you will see special paved asphalt bike paths paralleling the roads, and they include their own traffic light system which, where necessary, is integrated into the main traffic light system.

Those of you who live in California and are who are used to splitting lanes would feel right at home in Paris. French traffic on the motorways and the Boulevard Périphique (Ring Road) knows that motorcycles and large scooters will be coming down between the lanes, sometimes at 10 to 20 miles per hour faster than the automobile traffic. It is a great way to beat the rush hour grid lock. Unlike California, if a French automobile driver does not look in his mirrors and check for the the lane splitters before changing lanes, and they cause an accident, not only is it the auto driver's fault, but the penalties are severe. Again, this is a rule of the road designed to give special privileges as a means of rewarding the use of economic two-wheel transportation. Lane splitting is common in many countries, and even in those where there are no specific laws covering it, the Police generally take a blind eye to riders going down between the gridlocked cars.

One of the most popular accessories for scooters in Europe is the “scooter blanket.” This is a snap on wool or other heavy warm material blanket attached to the scooter fairing that is draped over the rider's legs to provide warmth. You see scooters riding all year round in Paris and many other cities, warm and snug in their little wool cocoons.

Other examples abound, but the bottom line is that two-wheel transportation is a common, legitimate, and encouraged part of European transportation. (Pay no attention to the stupid statements regarding motorcycles and motorcycle safety by Norwegian Parliamentarian Rune Elvik. The man is generally considered to be a fringe lunatic in Europe, despite his success in getting his clueless recommendations into a report by the European Transport Safety Council, a thinly disguised special interest group with hidden agendas.) With gasoline running between $6.00 and $8.00 per gallon, motorcycles and other two-wheel transportation will continue to be extremely popular and encouraged in Europe.

Incidentally, the popularity of the “naked bikes” over here is partly due to this two-wheel culture. Naked bikes put the performance of sport bike into an everyday motorcycle that can legitimately be used for the daily commute, especially by people who do not want to assume the sportbike-prison-crouch.

When my wife and I lived in California we had two cars, four if you count the ones I bought for my two sons. When we moved to Europe (the boys stayed in California) we only bought one car, and we bought a house in a little village along the train route. I ride my motorcycle rain or shine for nine months of the year, and I take the train to my office the other three. I no longer own a car – the one car we have belongs to my wife. This is possible (and fairly common) because European countries have much greater commitment to mass transportation and other alternative forms of transport than car- and SUV-focused America. It is time for America to take a good look at a very successful transportation system that is not solely designed around the automobile, despite the fact that it just happened to be invented by someone else. There are some valuable lessons to be learned.

So the next time someone begins bad-mouthing two-wheel transportation due to perceived safety concerns, perceived status as a toy, and due to focusing only on actions of a tiny tiny fringe group of stunt riders, remind them about the economic and environmental benefits of smaller, lighter, space efficient (both on the road and in parking situations) two-wheel transportation, and challenge them to support building the infrastructure and new rules of the road to support responsible eco-friendly alternative means of transport.

One last quote from Mr. Edge over at Motorcycle Daily, “In any event, the recession may be the perfect excuse to buy another motorcycle or scooter. Just be sure you use it to save yourself some money.”

Exactly.

Save a Dinosaur – Ride a Motorcycle!