It’s hard to believe that scooters, motorcycles and other light vehicles will be very high on the ‘to-do’ list of the new Labour government. However, when the new transport secretary, whoever they are, gets to it, they will have some helpful reading in the form of a Powered Light Vehicle Manifesto just released by the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA).
Subtitled A Thriving and Sustainable UK Powered Light Vehicle Sector, the document crystallises much of the campaigning work carried out by the association and other bike industry groups like the National Motorcyclists Council. That includes policy recommendations the MCIA says could “turbocharge a £7bn industry for the benefit of all”.
The manifesto makes five calls on the next government, including accelerating the road to net zero with policies that harness PLVs’ potential, embracing a range of technologies and fuels available to the industry. It also asks for simplified licensing, training, and testing with a full-scale review of the existing bike and PLV licensing regime.
In addition it calls for government help to reclaim Britain as the home of motorcycle manufacturing by developing the component and systems supply chain, as well as making PLVs more attractive to customers, boosting PLV adoption among users and businesses.
The final call is to modernise PLV regulations with a comprehensive regulatory review to “promote greater consumer choice, facilitate market access, and foster innovation for the inevitable evolution of mobility products that are fit for the future”.
MCIA CEO Tony Campbell said: “The Powered Light Vehicle Manifesto presents an unparalleled opportunity for the next government to drive a modal shift away from vans and cars, accelerate to net zero, improve road safety, create high-paid manufacturing jobs, and shape the transport network of the future.
“As representatives of more than 95% of the industry, we remain poised to work with the next government to drive innovation, economic growth, and job creation on top of the 55,000 this sector already sustains. With full and proper implementation, our manifesto promises to bolster our £7bn sector for the benefit of all.”
Motorcycling’s economic value mapped
As part of its election campaign, the MCIA launched an interactive heatmap revealing the economic and employment contributions of the bike trade in England and Wales. The visualisation highlights the sector’s significant impact on local economies and includes information on the number of motorcycle training providers and registered vehicles in each parliamentary constituency.
MCIA CEO Tony Campbell said: “The heatmap illustrates the immense contribution of the sector to the health of businesses and communities throughout the country. It underlines the relevance of our manifesto for a Thriving and Sustainable UK Powered Light Vehicle Sector to hundreds of candidates in constituencies where our sector is driving employment and growth.”
See the MCIA heatmap of activity here: www.mcia.co.uk/polimapper.