BIKERS' groups, highways bosses and road safety organisations met York MP Hugh Bayley and Transport Minister David Jamieson to discuss ways of driving down motorcycle deaths on the roads of York and North Yorkshire.

Education, more stringent proficiency testing and better road conditions were just a few of the suggestions put forward at the meeting in St Olave's Church Hall, in Marygate, last night, to help halt the rise in fatalities.

Mr Bayley arranged the meeting, which was part of the Labour Party's Big Conversation events, because motorcyclist deaths have doubled in York over the past seven years.

York College, York Advanced Driving, York Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the Highways Agency, the Occupational Road Safety Alliance, the Driving Standards Agency, the British Motocyclists' Federation and York Rider Training Scheme, along with concerned bikers and Scarborough MP Lawrie Quinn, were all present to give their views to Mr Jamieson.

Their suggestions to improve safety included:

More advanced training and periodical medical testing for motorcycle and car licence holders

Compulsory road safety education in schools

Allowing bikers to use bus lanes

Regular road cleaning in rural areas

More bike-friendly design of road features, such cats eyes.

Debbie Molyneux, of York MAG, told the meeting: "People are the cause of most accidents. We need to be encouraging riders and drivers to be the very best they can possibly be."

John Clark, of York Rider Training Scheme, said he wanted to see more research into the causes of bike accidents, which should be made publicly available.

Mr Jamieson, who has responsibility for road safety, said the Government wanted to promote motorcycling as it is a cheap, congestion-busting method of travel.

But safety must be improved as statistics showed motorcyclists were 30 times more likely to be killed, per mile they travel, than car users, although the rate of serious injury had fallen.

The minister said they particularly needed to tackle the "three E's" - education, engineering and enforcement.

Updated: 10:06 Thursday, October 07, 2004