Northern Ireland EAPC status.

[Sinjin Smythe]

Nichola Mallon is the new infrastructure minister so it's her responsibility to sign off the legislation, may be good to contact her or Colm Eastwood.
I think for infrastructure it's a no brainer to get traffic off the roads, increase air quality and add extra parking without spending any budget.

 

[TedG]

What can I say Flecc.
Top man, many thanks. We very much appreciate what you have done.
Ted.

 

[flecc]

Nichola Mallon is the new infrastructure minister so it's her responsibility to sign off the legislation, may be good to contact her or Colm Eastwood.
I think for infrastructure it's a no brainer to get traffic off the roads, increase air quality and add extra parking without spending any budget.

Thanks Sinjin, I've sent the body text of my email to them as well.

These are the contact details should anyone else wish to write in support:

Nicola Mallon MLP, Infrastructure Minister
Email: nichola.mallon@mla.niassembly.gov.uk

Colum Eastwood MLP
Email: colum.eastwood@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
.

 

[TedG]

Splendid.
Mails from me off to the both of them presto pronto. Many thanks for sending the body of yours Flecc.
I can't hope to better that but I will do what I can to keep this topic alive at Stormont.

 

[flecc]

Splendid.
Mails from me off to the both of them presto pronto. Many thanks for sending the body of yours Flecc.
I can't hope to better that but I will do what I can to keep this topic alive at Stormont.

Absolutely, I see this as a window of opportunity at present.

On the one hand we have the N.I. civil servants probably disillusioned at present after struggling with problems and no political direction for three years. They'll probably be only too eager to instead get on with the legislative job they should have been doing.

On the other we have the catastrophic situation in Australia at present, forcing the climate change issue and urgent need for action firmly near the front of everyone's minds.

There could hardly be a better time to get MLPs tackling this popular issue.
.

 

[flecc]

Further information for anyone wanting to write to the N.I. Green Party in support.

I first used the email link they give on their site and which Green MLPs use, info@greenpartyni.org

However it was rejected as unrouteable. I then reformed it with an addition stop beteen party and ni: info@greenparty.ni.org and this has not been rejected so is presumably ok.

I've also asked their Claire Bailey MLA for advice on any other email address that might be suitably used for our purposes and will let you know of any reply.
.

 

[Danidl]

It should be pushing an open door.

 

[Andrewscotsman]

Excellent, keep at them! I've just succeeded in getting my bike registered, but nothing will give me greater pleasure than to de-register it. I've pointed out to Clare Bailey that although I am now legal, current legislation means that I have to mix it with the traffic while wearing a motorcycle helmet and displaying a 10" x 7" numberplate - presumably nailed to my back - and I can't use cycle tracks. If I want to do that I'd rather do it on my Harley!

 

[Andrewscotsman]

Further information for anyone wanting to write to the N.I. Green Party in support.

I first used the email link they give on their site and which Green MLPs use, info@greenpartyni.org

However it was rejected as unrouteable. I then reformed it with an addition stop beteen party and ni: info@greenparty.ni.org and this has not been rejected so is presumably ok.

I've also asked their Claire Bailey MLA for advice on any other email address that might be suitably used for our purposes and will let you know of any reply.
.

If you go on Clare Bailey's Facebook page and message her it comes up with a Green Party address which she says will be followed up if it's 'constituency business', which this legislation is.

 

[TedG]

Excellent, keep at them! I've just succeeded in getting my bike registered, but nothing will give me greater pleasure than to de-register it. I've pointed out to Clare Bailey that although I am now legal, current legislation means that I have to mix it with the traffic while wearing a motorcycle helmet and displaying a 10" x 7" numberplate - presumably nailed to my back - and I can't use cycle tracks. If I want to do that I'd rather do it on my Harley!

Sorry but we could never agree to accepting that our bicycles are mopeds.
The more folk who do the registration, the more those in power will stick to upholding this ludicrous "law".
Slippery slope time.

 

[sjpt]

Sorry but we could never agree to accepting that our bicycles are mopeds.
The more folk who do the registration, the more those in power will stick to upholding this ludicrous "law".
Slippery slope time.

I doubt there is much risk of their not accepting the change; its more a matter of priority when they get round to it.

 

[Andrewscotsman]

Sorry but we could never agree to accepting that our bicycles are mopeds.
The more folk who do the registration, the more those in power will stick to upholding this ludicrous "law".
Slippery slope time.

I disagree, far better to go through the process then kick up a fuss than to stick your head in the sand and hope no-one will notice. Besides, what if you were knocked off your electric bike by a car driver, severely injured, then sued because you were riding an unlicensed, unregistered vehicle?

 

[TedG]

And I disagree with you.
I have been battling this stupidity since 2015 with countless mails and letters to MP's at Stormont.
We have had a face to face with the leader of the Green Party at his offices in Stormont and been assured that whenever their hands are "released" the matter regarding the use of e-bikes will be signed off and they will be exempt from being classed as mopeds.
All the replies I received stated the same thing so we remained and still remain patient.
If you care to read back through my countless posts on this issue you will see that we have reluctantly put our bicycles away three years ago, refusing to use them for the very things you suggest.
We have had a face to face with the Chief of Roads Policing in Northern Ireland who assures us that the law, ludicrous as it is will have to be upheld until e-bikes can be officially treated as bicycles as in the rest of the UK and Europe.
Because of this we decided that we were unwilling to put ourselves at the risk of personal litigation should one of us be involved in an accident, however minor. We would have been classed as riding an illegal vehicle and prosecuted accordingly, therefore leaving the gates open for being sued for compensation.
We tried unsuccessfully to get our bicycles insured for this eventuality but unless we had them registered, taxed, etc etc they would not issue cover.
I rode motorcycles since 1965 but my helmet is now destroyed and I will not be using one again.
We swore we would never agree to have our e-bikes classed as mopeds and we haven't changed our minds.
Many folk on this forum in this country have defied the law and continued to ride. I always wished them luck but we wouldn't be joining them.
I have over 55 years on the roads of Great Britain behind me on two, four and eighteen wheels with a clean licence so I have nothing to learn. Equally so I have no intention of breaking any law which would soil this record or put us in jeopardy at this late stage.
Nothing would be worth that and nothing will convince me to accept that I am still riding my 851 or Fireblade when I am actually riding a bicycle which assists me with my medical issues.
My personal views on those who are going down the registration route will remain personal.
If the law is changed to bring us in line with the rest of the UK and Europe our bicycles will be out again and used daily as before but if it isn't they can rot in the attic.
Mopeds / motorcycles?? Tax and registration plates on a bicycle?? Not in our case.

 

[Andrewscotsman]

I hope you will keep battling, as will I.

 

[TedG]

Five e-mails off at the weekend to MP's at Stormont.
Considering this is the beginning of hopefully a new start up there I didn't expect much but I did get a few replies, two positive and one from the Infrastructure Minister who said ;

Good afternoon
Thank you for your email.
As this is a Department for Infrastructure matter, can I ask that you direct this correspondence to the Departmental Private Office. The email address is Private.Office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Nichola

Hopefully this will help any of you guys who are supporting us.
Ted.

 

[mike killay]

Five e-mails off at the weekend to MP's at Stormont.
Considering this is the beginning of hopefully a new start up there I didn't expect much but I did get a few replies, two positive and one from the Infrastructure Minister who said ;

Good afternoon
Thank you for your email.
As this is a Department for Infrastructure matter, can I ask that you direct this correspondence to the Departmental Private Office. The email address is Private.Office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Nichola

Hopefully this will help any of you guys who are supporting us.
Ted.

Just sent my email.
Mike

 

[flecc]

Five e-mails off at the weekend to MP's at Stormont.
Considering this is the beginning of hopefully a new start up there I didn't expect much but I did get a few replies, two positive and one from the Infrastructure Minister who said ;

Good afternoon
Thank you for your email.
As this is a Department for Infrastructure matter, can I ask that you direct this correspondence to the Departmental Private Office. The email address is Private.Office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Nichola

Hopefully this will help any of you guys who are supporting us.
Ted.

Thanks Ted. I've just re-sent my original to this address.
.

 

[TedG]

Really appreciate all the support from our 2 wheeled friends.
We can only hope that with your help we will be taken seriously in our simple quest to ride bicycles again legally.
No debates, no bickering, no walking out in a huff. Nobody is objecting, it is an administration issue.
How hard can it be to sign a dusty document and set us free?

 

[sjpt]

Trouble is that in three years of unhelpfulness they have acquired rather a lot of dusty documents to sign ... I hope nobody hurts their back carrying all those documents up to where the signing needs to happen.

 

[TedG]

Trouble is that in three years of unhelpfulness they have acquired rather a lot of dusty documents to sign ... I hope nobody hurts their back carrying all those documents up to where the signing needs to happen.

Three years of restfulness - a bit of exercise will do them the world of good.