The Importance of the Passenger

Some riders and drivers live for speed - they have the power of many horses at the fingertips (or toes), so why not use it?

I must confess, however, that while driving or riding I have a different aim. Instead of persuing ultimate performance (or, in training parlance, 'making safe progress'), I endevour to provide my passengers (whether real or imagined) with a smooth journey.

To achieve this requires full use of good long-distance forward observation and planning, allied with machine control where transitions are done as smoothly as possible, gear changes are achieved without any abruptness, brakes or throttle are applied or released as far as possible in a way that passengers will not have noticed.

The aim is not to impress the passenger with application of power, but more to provide them with as smooth a journey as possible.

So it was with some pleasure that, during a recent motorway journey, I saw a driver who had simlar concerns for their passenger's comfort.

I gradually caught up with the car, which was travelling at about 65mph, and had to move from the left lane out to the third lane to pass it. I can only assume that the centre lane's surface was smoother, so offered a better ride for the passenger.

Indeed, the passenger was asleep.

Luckily for me, my passenger was awake, and able to map read and give me directions should I need them.

The other driver, however, did not have that luxury, so was reading her road atlas as she drove, open across her steering wheel . . .

The E-Bay Driving Test Centre?

Want to buy a licence?

Not a real one, obviously.

But the BBC has brought to light 'novelty' photo-card licences available from a web site. Some 'novelty', though, at £250 each! An extra £100 bought the paper counterpart.

The cards have a hologram, picure, signature, and details such as address and date of birth.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7408422.stm

GPS-equipped . . . Dustcarts

You'd think that doing the same routes week in, week out, dustcart drivers would know where they're going . . .

But York City Council has, apparently, spent £40,000 fitting GPS equipment to the bin vehicles fleet.

Actually, it's not as daft as it sounds, as they say it will allow them to track them identify the nearest vehicle to a job such as a missed collection.

I wonder how long it will be before someone steals a GPS unit like that?

Pop-Up Road Signs?

Would you ride (or drvie) in to a wall? Probably not. But a new, and novel, suggestion for a pop-up 'sign' brings in the 'fear' of hitting an obstruction by using a 'virtual' wall across the road to warn drivers of pedestrians crossing.

Using laser or plasma beams, it projects 'pedestrians' in front of drivers.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/221727/lasers_boost_crossing_safety.html

It’s the brainchild of young South Korean product designer Hanyoung Lee, who wanted to do something about the number of near-misses at traffic lights. He explained that the project was still at concept stage, but said he was looking to produce a prototype in the near future. And he added that the wall could also be set up to be triggered by the sound of approaching cars. Local authorities across the US are said to be interested in the idea, and Hanyoung maintained that it could save many lives. He told us: “I would love to see it in production, although unfortunately I haven’t received any offers yet.”

DSA Investigate Unqualified Instructors

According to AutoExpress, more than 400 unqualified instructors are under investigation by the DSA.

The DSA is uurging learners to check their instructor is actually qualified. They suggest that the spiralling cost of tuition and the demand for cut-price instruction is tempting criminals into setting up bogus driving schools.

DSA say a number of firms are run by tutors who started instructor training, but failed to finish their courses, others are still practising after being struck off the register.

How can you tell? Bona fide instructors need to display an in-date pink licence or green certificate in their windscreen during lessons. They should also carry photographic ID along with their paperwork.

DSA spokeswoman Michelle Moston said: “If illegal instructors are on our roads, they haven’t passed the Agency’s rigorous three-part test and could be putting lives at risk.”

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/222066/400_instructors_put_lives_at_risk.html

Note: there are approx. 45,000 qualified ADIs in the UK

But the cynic in me can't help but note that this appeared just a few days after the Driving Instructors Association launched a scathing attack on DSA for ignoring instructor's concerns . . .
http://www.driving.org/

DSA Test Centres - A Trip Too Far?

If you're even thinking of taking the bike test - or know anyone who is - the message to hear is : "Do it now!"

The new off-road test will begin at the end of September. In itself, the test is no bad thing, in that riders will have to be taught the basics of good steering control for cornering and swerving. I have my doubts about the way in which other elements will be tested, and severe concerns about how training centres will be able to train riders for the higher-speed test exercises.

There are also concerns I've seen voiced about how easy it will be for low-power bikes to achieve the required test speeds (set by the EU) within the distance available.

But one of the most worrying factors is the sheer distance that riders will have to travel to actually take the test.

DSA are claiming " . . Most of the population able to reach one of these new test centres within 45 minutes and 20 miles."

Really? That's an average of 27 miles an hour! You only have to be stopped at lights, or at a junction for a few moments and that average will rise rapidly. The DSA's 'most' probably includes most of the UK's main population centres. Oh, except South London . . . where no test centre location has been identified!

And there are some real horror stories coming out over the distances some riders will have to travel (see below). Remember these are novice riders, who will have to travel (without the ability to use motorways where available) for some time and distance to the test centre, take the (extended) test, then return to their training site - perhaps in poor weather conditions.

Here's the DSA view:
http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=402


Here's some alternnative views, including a BBC TV report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7413809.stm

http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/motors/news/display.var.2271434.0.bike_licence_set_to_change.php

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=146868&command=displayContent&sourceNode=146861&contentPK=20246782&folderPk=83306&pNodeId=253021

Taking a motorbike test? Well, from the end of September, it's likely to mean a 160- or even 200-mile round trip to Devon.And a Penzance motorbike instructor fears he will go out of business due to the new regulations which will see testing being taken away from Penzance and moved to either Exeter or Plymouth from September 29, unless a possible site at Redruth is up and running.

The test is being introduced by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) to comply with European legislation and will entail the rider having to take a practical test at a Multi-purpose Test Centre (MPTC). At present, the nearest working MPTC is at Exeter although sites for other MPTCs have been identified in Plymouth and Redruth.

Alan Parker, owner of Cornwall Bike Training, in Albert Street, Penzance, says he can't understand why the new regulations are being brought in before all the new MPTCs are in place. "I can appreciate why the new test is being introduced," he said. "But why close the centres at Penzance (currently open two days a week), Camborne, St Austell and Bodmin before there's an alternative centre in Cornwall in place? It just doesn't make sense.

"I really do believe that if the new MPTC at Redruth does not open on time, it will lead to people riding around illegally without having passed the test."

And he fears he will have to close his business - which employs seven people - due to the additional costs.He estimates his company sees five to 10 people a week through the test and said if he had to take them to Plymouth or Exeter, it would add enormous extra expense to his business.

He thinks his fuel bill, currently £500 to £600 a month, would triple while the length of time between services on his fleet of 22 bikes, carried out every 2,500 to 3,000 miles, would also drop dramatically.

And perhaps the worst bit of all this? Alan Parker wonders why the introduction of the test hasn't been delayed until enough sites are in full operation. S

Simple answer: It can't be delayed, the test must be in place and operating this year, because the DSA have already had a two-year extension from the EU!

Ride To Work Day 2008

Is Weds. 16th July.

http://www.mcia.co.uk/S_Public/SContent.asp?sc=X3


http://www.mcia.co.uk/_attachments/Documents/R2W%2007%20poster.pdf

http://www.mcia.co.uk/_attachments/Documents/NMW%2007%20pack.pdf

Recession? Boom, Bust, and Bikes?

Reading or watching news over the last few months it's been difficult to miss the predictions of doom, gloom, and financial ruin. (Although in one of our stops on Saturday's CoastBusters! ride, one of the newspapers was heralding the end of the recession!)

So how will that affect bike sales? It might be reasonable to expect 'tightening of belts' etc.

Or could it be that people who were about to move house but are put off by uncertainty over mortgage costs and falling house prices will, instead, spend their money on a bike?

The MCAI (Motorcycle Industry Association) figures suggest that might be the case.

“On the one hand, people are increasingly concerned about the economy. Rising prices, worries about the housing market and the credit crunch are making people feel uneasy about spending,” said Craig Carey-Clinch of the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA).

“But this could well have a positive impact on the PTW market. Record petrol prices, rising household bills, high taxation and widespread gloom could well make people think very carefully about their transport needs. Time wasted in congestion, expensive and uncomfortable public transport, high parking and congestion charges and the massive costs of car ownership make a moped, scooter or motorcycle increasingly attractive."

So what are the figures?

PTW registrations last month were only 3.2 per cent down on the same month last year at 18,624. Over the first three months of the year the market is just 2.2 per cent down with a total of 30,694 registrations. To add a little more perspective, although March 2008 is down on March 2007, it is still over 10 per cent up on March 2006 . . .

So the good news is that they're not as bad as they might have been?

http://www.mcia.co.uk/S%5FPress/NewsArticle.asp?msid=1160

. . . The industry on track to exceed 140,000 PTW registrations for the second year in succession."

But with the new test now closing in fast for the end of September, it would be - sadly - reasonable to expect worse sales figures from August onwards.

The message, worth repeating: If you or anyone you know are considering getting a full bike licence, do it soon.

Information Overload

The idea of 'information overload', where the brain simply can't take in and react to any more information, is not new - it's been known about in air safety circles for years. Early experiments found that pilots could react to about 7 different warnings, the rest would be blocked out. Not good if number 8 was an 'incoming missile' warning.

Now it's been recognised within the road safety field, and the Highways Agency has acknowledged that too many signs are causing distraction for drivers, so some will be removed.

And those being removed?

Ah, well . . . they're road safety signs . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7412028.stm

Hydrogen Fuel-Cell & Electric Power

A couple of interesting developments in alternative fueling for vehicles.

First is detailed in New Electronics magazine, and involves an alternative to an alternative! A company called EEstor is working on using capacitors to replace batteries in electric vehicles.

EEstor is partnered with the Zenn Motor Company, and their plan is to have the cityZENN (citizen?) car launched in Europe by Autumn 2009.

Using capacitors has distinct advantages over batteries - unlimited recharge/discharge cycles and extremely quick recharge - but they cannot match batteries for storage capacity [sic]. At least, not until EEstor's 'ceramic supercacitor with barium-titanate dielectric. No, I don't know either. However, they claim that these will out-perform Lion baterries for price, charge time, and safety.


The second recent announcement is a follow-on from the EnvBike - a UK design - and has led to the Suzuki Crosscage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItRA5L6s0Jw

Crosscage's air cooled fuel cell designed by British company Intelligent Energy helps slim down this design by eliminating the need for a radiator or coolant system. Located just above the hydrogen fuel tank, the fuel cell is very compact, light, and powerful. It sends power to the motor controller which stores it in the lithium ion battery or sends it to the motor.

Through combining oxygen in the air and hydrogen from the fuel tank to create power this motorcycle's exhaust is only water vapor thus helping reduce CO2 emissions and protect the environment. On a single tank of hydrogen the crosscage can travel about 200km and has the power equivalent of 125ccs.

The crosscage from which the motorcycle gets its name is not merely an aesthetic choice but also protects the hydrogen fuel tank which is located directly behind the intersecting point. There is also a sensor at the top of the chassis which constantly checks for hydrogen leaks and shuts off the fuel tank if there are any abnormalities.

First Aid Update

I passed, thanks for asking.

And worth noting that St John Ambulance have a huge stock of first aid stuff available from their web shop, at very reasonable prices:

http://www.stjohnsupplies.co.uk

Plastic Fantastic

Forgot to mention in the Coastbusters! post yesterday, but an intriguing sight yesterday was a sportsbike rider travelling in the opposite direction, in Dorset.

Why intriguing?

Well, as he approached, hunched over the bars, he seemed, well . . . 'big'. No, there's nothing wrong wih big people riding bikes, but he seemed . . . too big.

As he passed by, a fleeting glimpse showed that he was a 'normal' sized biker, only wrapped in clear plastic, obviously anticipating the same foul weather we'd expected!

CoastBusters! On the road report

Today was Day 1 of Euan Stronach's marathon Coastbusters charity ride around the UK, raising money for much-needed research in to Ovarian cancer.

Checking the weather forecast and - more worrying - the Highways Agency warnings on the BBC text news last night suggested that the South of England was to be obliterated by torrential rain today.

So it was with some relief (but not much) that I heard the dawn chorus this morning (including a local blackbird which cheeps a good rendition of 'Colonel Bogey' . . . odd . . . ). Luckily for me, I had the alarm set for 7:45, so could go back to sleep.

Bemused by the bright sky lack of rain when I got up, I switched on the computer and checked the Highways Agency 'Traffic England' web site to find that their weather sensors were reporting rain across Kent and as far West as Brighton . . . where Dave, Craig and me were due to meet Euan.

Euan, however, was on the road at 6:00 am.

Part of his Day 1 route included using the M25. Which was shut, so he had to make a 'back roads' detour to get back on route. Heading into Kent took him in to rain, and more rain.

[Background info: Euan, Dave, Craig, and me 'know' each other from the web forum 'The Rev Counter' - where we're known as 'Stronach', 'Byker28i', 'Sienna', and 'Horse'. Don't ask.]

Dave and I met for breakfast, and Happy Ate.

We headed off to our pre-arranged meeting point at a petrol station at hte A27/A23 junction, where we were due to meet Euan at mid-day. Arriving at 11:20 we found a soggy Euan just arrived, and topping up his bike with fuel and himself with a pasty.

Craig arrived a few minutes later, so we formed and headed West, with a nice police escort c/o the Sussex police dog unit who happened to travelling the same way.

I have to say that, for all the 'fears' of 'electronic policing' by camera, I haven't seen so many police on the roads for ages. We must have seen getting on for a dozen police vehicles during the day.

One 'highlight' was near Chichester, when a new BMW 'moto-x/motard' type bike (on a foreign plate) pulled up alongside us at some lights. We expected a stonking wheely from him when the lights turned green; he stalled. Oh well . . .

So A27 - M27, A31, coffee stop, then to Dorchester for photos. Graig accompanied Euan on to Honiton to meet his next accompanying rider, while Dave and I turned for home.

http://www.justgiving.com/coastbusters

Pic shows Euan having a quick rest, reading the Ealing Gazette, just outside of Dorchester.

SMIDSY LBFTS "Sorry, Mate, I didn't see you"

No, not me :)

First Aid training today, my 3-year 'FAW' - first aid at work' course requalification (with Berkshire St John Ambulance - highly recommended).

Which, as always (partly because there are always changes to the content, and partly because of seeing other trainers at work) was interesting and raised some intriguing points.

The idea of 'blind hazards' was introduced. The particular situation was a 'work' accident where there were three casualties - but one was ignored by most people as it wasn't so 'obvious' as the other two. In this scenario it was actually the most 'important', or highest priority, of the three as he was the unconcscious one. However, as he was partially hidden, and not moving, we weren't immediately aware of him.

The motorcycling parallel, of course, is the rider approaching a 'busy' junction, where drivers will have more important (ie bigger, heavier, more threatening) things to take their attention. The rider is there, in clear view, but is a 'blind hazard'. The well-known SMIDSY crash, or LBFTS - 'looked, but failed to see' crash.

No, I'm not suggestion you become threatening! But remember that you need to be somewhere in clear view of drivers to stand a chance of being seen, and by moving across the lane width you make yourself more obvious and attract attention.

In other words, be a flower . . .

A Day Out Riding

No training Saturday, instead a day out riding, as Euan Stronach starts his 8 day, 3200 mile, Ovarian Cancer fund-raising ride around the UK.

So another chance to suggest adding some of your 'spare' cash to his page:
http://www.justgiving.com/coastbusters

The plan is to meet up with other riders and keep Euan company, hopefully others will do the same for subsequent days.