Newcastle's first ever safe and legal mini-moto event 1 June 2007
Page content
Young people in Newcastle have been given the opportunity to ride their mini-motorbike safely and legally.
Safe Newcastle has been running Newcastle’s first ever legal mini-moto event, bringing in the expertise of the Auto Cycle Union to provide professional training and safety advice. Currently there are no legal sites in Newcastle to ride mini-motos but the ultimate aim of the activities is to create clubs where young people can continue to ride their bikes within the law.
These taster sessions follow the success of Safe Newcastle’s previous campaign ‘Be Safe Be Legal’, which hi-lighted the dangers of mini-motos and the legal issues surrounding ownership. This resulted in many bikes being seized and crushed.
Many mini-motos were bought by parents as toys, unaware of the legal consequences of owning one. They are classed as motor vehicles under the law, meaning they must have registration and tax, insurance, an MOT and drivers must wear a helmet and have a driving license. Under Section 59 the police have the power to seize and crush bikes that are illegally ridden.
The sessions which have taken place on a small, temporary circuit at Spillers Quay have aimed to give young people the chance to ride their mini-motos legally and in a safe environment, without causing anti-social behaviour.
Kevin McGready, Anti-social Behaviour Co-ordinator for Safe Newcastle said:
“Over the last couple of years mini-motos and the problems caused by the illegal riding of them have become more apparent, with more and more complaints being received. It is clear they have been a major nuisance to local residents and communities.
“In response to this, and with Home Office funding, Safe Newcastle has run two very successful campaigns highlighting the dangers of the illegal riding of mini-motos.
“Since then we have received many requests from parents and young people who wanted somewhere to ride their bikes legally, which is why these taster sessions have been organised.
“We are lucky to have the support of the Auto Cycle Union, the governing body of motorcycling sport for Great Britain. The young people are therefore getting the best possible training and advice.
“To achieve our aim of reducing anti-social behaviour it is crucial that parents or guardians are involved in any activities so a condition of these taster sessions is that they come along too”.
Safe Newcastle is keen to build on the success and lessons learnt from these sessions with the next stage being to train volunteers who will be able to run their own mini-moto club. This will provide young people with places to ride their mini-motos legally in the future as well as the chance to belong to a group.
Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Baker of Northumbria Police added “We will continue to rigorously enforce the law about the illegal use of mini-motos but are keen to get involved in and fully support activities to promote their safe and legal use.
“These machines can be extremely dangerous machines in the hands of untrained, inexperienced riders, causing both problems and distress to members of the public as well as putting lives at risk. This training can help in averting such risks and hopefully provide places to ride legally in the future”.
Lucille Adams from the Auto Cycle Union added “We have successfully run similar sessions up and down the country, with Durham being a local example. We are delighted to provide young people in Newcastle with a similar opportunity to have fun with their mini-moto in a safe, structured environment.
“By providing professional training and a safe and legal place for these bikes to be ridden we can offer hours of entertainment and a valuable learning experience. By also involving parents it ensures they are made fully aware of any potentially dangerous faults before machine failure or an accident occurs”.
Councillor Gareth Cooper, Chair of Safe Newcastle believes that this activity builds on the good work already being done to reduce anti-social behaviour in Newcastle reflecting its status as a Home Office Respect Action Area.
He added “By working together in partnership we are able to provide solutions to eradicate anti-social behaviour in the city.
“It is important that we consider the appropriate action for each situation; it isn’t simply ‘one size fits all’. We use enforcement if necessary but also have programmes that educate and support and these taster sessions are an excellent example of this”.
