Lack of motorcyclists could hinder congestion solution

15 March 2012

Lack of motorcyclists could hinder congestion solution

While overseas research suggests that greater use of motorcycles could play a key role in reducing vehicle congestion, a declining pool of licensed riders could mean New Zealand would be unable to take advantage of this says Motor Trade Association (MTA).

A recently released study by Belgium consultants Transport and Mobility suggests that a shift towards motorcycles results in shorter queues that disappear sooner and travel times that are significantly less. When 10 percent of all private cars are replaced by motorcycles, total time losses for all vehicles decrease by 40 percent.

The study also looked at the effect such a shift to motorcycles might have on overall vehicle emission levels. New motorcycles emit fewer pollutants (less NOX, NO2, PM2.5 en EC, but more VOC as well as less CO2) compared to average private cars. The total external emission costs of new motorcycles are more than 20 percent lower compared to average private cars. The highway test component of the study indicated that total emission costs can be reduced by 6 percent when 10 percent of private cars are replaced by motorcycles.

Ian Stronach, MTA Marketing and Communications General Manager, says “Though there are some differences in the transport situations between Europe and New Zealand, it is entirely possible that an increase in the use of motorcycles of the level mentioned in this study could see significant reductions in traffic congestion locally. It’s only logical that more people using physically smaller and more nimble forms of transport would lead to less congestion, fewer emissions and faster travel times.”

This study comes at a time when New Zealand’s car fleet is aging quickly, and the availability of suitably priced used imported vehicles to replace older, cheaper cars is declining. A shift to motorcycles as a cost effective form of transport could be a viable alternative for New Zealand, however a potential lack of licensed riders could mean the ability to capitalise on this form of transport is severely limited.

While riders of mopeds (under 60cc) are able to do so using their car license, there has been a significant fall in the number of people aged between 15 and 24 years of age holding a motorcycle license in recent years. Data from Ministry of Transport (as of June 2010) shows that there are fewer than 13,000 people in this age group with a motorcycle license, compared to more than 102,000 in the 65 plus age group. 15–24 year olds make up 15 percent of all car license holders, but just 3 percent of those licensed to ride a motorcycle.

Stronach says “The bulk of those licensed to ride motorcycles on our roads is a carry-over from the heyday of motorcycling, 20 and 30 years ago. If the trend continues, it will not be feasible for New Zealand to even contemplate motorcycles as an aid to reducing congestion; as older riders ‘retire’ from riding, there simply aren’t enough new license holders coming through to replace them. With active encouragement, effective training regimes and friendlier road design, motorcycling could take its place as an effective part of our overall transport system.”

ENDS

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