Attendees at a forum held Thursday at U.P.’s Cineplex discussed a seemingly counterintuitive way to make the roads safer for Tortola’s bikers: legalising larger motorcycles.
About 50 people showed up to the forum, most of whom were in favour of legalising bikes more powerful than 125cc, which are currently banned here.
This movement comes despite the fact that there have been multiple scooter-related deaths in recent months, including one near the Prospect Reef roundabout on New Year’s Eve and another at Beef Island on Jan. 19.
The deaths have caused many community members to call for stricter laws governing scooters and for harsher crackdowns on offenders.
But former professional rider Shane Winter and dozens of others see things differently. Mr. Winter argued that legalising larger motorcycles would actually make the roads safer.
“Bigger bikes are safer,” he said. “Scooters are unstable and unsafe.”
Mr. Winter explained that motorcycles handle turns better, have stronger suspension systems, and have better brakes. If a scooter hits a pothole, the vehicle’s small wheels are more likely to cause an accident, he said. Moreover, he added, making a sudden stop going down a hill is impossible on a scooter.
See the Feb. 27, 2014 edition for full coverage.
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