Road Safety Officer

The BMF recently suggested that member clubs might like to consider the appointment of a road safety liaison position, whose job would be to confer with local road safety officers, police, councils and other bodies on the subject of road safety and the motorcyclist.

The club's committee discussed this matter at some length and came to the conclusion that the Leicester Phoenix Motorcycle Club could usefully be represented by a safety officer. The outcome of the discussion was that Ben Crossley has been appointed as our road safety officer. He gives the committee regular reports although he is not a member of the committee.

The subject matter he has considered so far has been considerable when it is remembered that the post has not been in existence for very long. A road safety quiz has already been organised (with, it might be added, rather poor results. Let's hope the practice is better than the theory).

A film show is on the cards for the future.

Perhaps the greatest undertaking so far is the possibility of our club running its own RAC/ACU training scheme. The local road safety officer, John Wilmot, is at present looking for a suitable site in the southern part of the city but since the scheme really requires both a large off road area (preferably floodlit for winter use) and suitable room for lectures and theory of roadcraft and maintenance, it will be appreciated that finding a suitable site poses many problems.

Pending the location of a suitable site various members of the club who have expressed an interest in becoming instructors on the course have been attending courses to gain some valuable experience.

Ben Crossley and myself, amongst others have been to the AJS Matchless owners course at Coalville and we have taken pupils on their first ride, given lectures on maintenance and followed pupils round the test course to observe their road riding skills. Whilst at times somewhat trying on the nerves (one could be excused for wondering who is the most nervous, the new pupil or the new instructor) the end result is certainly one of pride for the instructor when he sees his pupil riding a little better than when he first came to the scheme.

If anyone would like to know more about any of these matters or has any suggestions regarding road safety then I'm sure Ben will be only too happy to talk to you.

 

DBS