Petition calling for motorcycles to return to Brighton Speed Trials
The Brighton Speed Trials has been without bikes since a two-way cycle lane on Madeira Drive provided diminished grip levels according to the ACU
A Petition has been set up calling for motorcycles to return to the iconic Brighton Speed Trials event once again.
The event, one of the oldest motoring events on the planet, was without ant two-wheeled participation this year, and it wasn’t COVID-19 or health scares that prevented it. The ACU deemed that changes to the surface had made the route unsafe for motorcycles to compete upon.
Triumph SPEED TRIPLE 1200 RR 2022
The changes centre around a two-way cycle lane that is green in colour. When an ACU inspector came to sign off the course for competition, they deemed that the green paint used for the cycle lane offered diminished adhesion and therefore the course would be unsuitable for motorcycles.
The petition is calling for bikes to be reinstated in the event, calling banning them ‘absurd and ‘discriminatory’. It also calls into question the thinking behind banning powered vehicles because of a cycle lane set to be used by unpowered vehicles.
The full statement reads:
The Brighton Speed Trials, which started in 1905, celebrate the oldest historic event in the world of motorsports and motorcycles have been a key part of that legacy since the first event, securing their place in motorsport history.
Banning powered two-wheeled vehicles on the basis of safety and associating it with cycle lanes is absurd, illogical and discriminatory.
PTW's cause no more safety issues than cars or other vehicles and, as a cyclist, motorcyclist and driver of 4 wheeled vehicles, this is simply precluding motorcyclists enjoying this event.
It is also ironic that changes made for unpowered vehicles are stopping (or being used as an excuse to ban) powered vehicles participating in an event specifically for powered vehicles!
I call on the council and all those associated bodies that made this ludicrous decision to meet, discuss and reverse it immediately.
While the dream of people power winning on this one, you do have to ponder how much groundwork and money it will take to rectify the problem. Will Brighton and Hove Council be willing to fork out that cash for an event that will only run once a year – only time will tell.
The petition has been running for a couple of weeks now and has only amassed a handful of signatures at this point. It is noted on the petition page though that only one signature is needed before an officer will investigate.
You can find the petition here: present.brighton-hove.gov.uk
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
