INTERNATIONAL

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The European Motorcyclists' Forum and the 1st International Motorcyclists' Conference - an overwhelming success

On June 28-29, 2010, the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) successfully organized groundbreaking events in Brussels, Belgium: the European Motorcyclists' Forum, the 1st International Motorcyclists' Conference, which together gathered over 230 participants, plus the 13th edition of the MEP-Ride.

Organized in partnership with the Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC) and the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC), with the support of the European Commission, the objective of these activities was to open a fruitful dialogue between the users, the industry, the research community, and especially with politicians and government representatives. Altogether the three motorcyclists organizations have, as directly affiliated members, almost five hundred thousand (500.000) power two-wheeler (PTW) users from around the world.

The European Motorcyclists Forum

The European Motorcyclists Forum, the brainchild of FEMA, was launched by the European Commission within the Framework of the 1st International Motorcyclists' Conference.  This platform will give the users of PTWs the opportunity to put their views directly to the research community and the decision makers. Sessions were held on safety and mobility needs, policy measures and on the development of intelligent transport systems (ITS). As foreseen by the organisers, high level policy makers in suits and everyday PTW users in leathers had a unique opportunity to discuss important issues eye to eye.

The participants to this initial forum were first welcomed by Gerard Livett, of FEMA. Madame Isabelle Kardacz, the Head of the European commission's Road Safety Unit, then thanked the organizers, and encouraged the participants to make the most of this time together to advance both mobility and safety issues. She reminded them that the goal is to enable the adoption and implementation of policies, practises and technologies which take into account the actual needs of the rider community.

The 1st International Motorcyclists' Conference

Sessions on Safety and mobility, including user's needs, policy measures and ITS were well attended. The mix of multi-disciplinary, international speakers created an extraordinary synergy generating numerous ideas and promising suggestions. An exposé, including the inventor of the first electric grand prix racing series, TTXGP, was held - followed by a demonstration of three TTXGP teams (Muench Racing, Agni, Mavizen) outside the venue. The green technology left the audience speechless.

Featured during the Conference was the user forum of 2BESAFE, currently the most wide ranging and best funded research project on motorcyclists' behaviour. In parallel, a workshop on road infrastructure improvements was held presenting the latest actions and best practices.

The 13th MEP-Ride

The 13th MEP ride was held in the evening with over 100 riders following a circuit inside and around Brussels; most members of the European Parliament and their assistants rode on motorbikes graciously loaned for the occasion by different manufacturers, represented by the Association des Constructeurs Européen de Motocycles (ACEM). For the first time, electric motorcycles took part in the ride, among which Azhar Hussain's famous Mavizen TTX02 - a road-legal version of the grand prix machine.

The Event's Impact

Reaction to the Conference was unanimously upbeat. Press coverage reflects the positive feedback of the conference attendees. Calls were made to make this event an annual one. In the future, we hope that even more organisations will be willing to contribute to future editions, for example the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF).

A selection of the Conference pictures can be found here (Copyright by Wim Taal).

A selection of MEP-Ride pictures can be found here (Copyright by Wim Taal).

Video clip via Youtube: an overview of the event (duration: 4 minutes)

For further details please contact:

Philip Vogt

Communication and Policy Assistant

p.vogt@fema-online.eu

Tel.: +32 (0) 27369047

Mobile: + 32 (0) 485146360

About The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations

The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) is the representative federation of motorcycle (comprising all powered two-wheeled vehicles) users throughout Europe. FEMA represents the interests of 25 citizens' national organisations at the European Union and agencies of the United Nations. FEMA's primary objective is to pursue, promote and protect the interests of motorcyclists. FEMA recognises that motorcycles have different characteristics from other vehicles and emphasises the need for motorcyclists' specific requirements to be addressed.

About the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada

The Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC) is a national federation of rider organizations in Canada and serves the interests of all riders. Its purpose is to unite motorcyclists and preserve, protect and promote motorcycling. With more than 245 member groups, as well as individual members, the MCC speaks for tens of thousands of riders.

About the Australian Motorcycle Council

The Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC) is the peak rider representative group in Australia, and is made up of the key rider organisations from each of the 8 states and territories plus the Ulysses Club - the largest single motorcycle club in the country. The AMC is also a member of the Australian Government's Motorcycle Safety Consultative Committee (MSCC).