FEMA and its member organization SMC had a constructive meeting in Brussels with top political advisor Petra Söderqvist.

Petra Söderqvist is the political advisor to Jens Nilsson, member of the European parliament for the Swedish Social Democrats. Jens Nilsson is a member of the parliamentary committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN).

Present at the meeting were Jesper Christensen and Maria Nordqvist from the Swedish motorcyclists’ organization SMC and Dolf Willigers and Wim Taal, both from FEMA.

A number of national and European topics were discussed, starting with the need for motorcyclist friendly guardrails and the dangers of the cable barriers which are used excessively in Sweden. Some time was spent talking about the document ‘The Motorcycle Vision 2.0‘ by SMC, which shows how the number of motorcyclists killed or injured can be reduced.

During the meeting there was also an interesting discussion on the importance of good and affordable motorcycle training, for both beginners and advanced riders. The current European Driving Licence Directive, with its staged licences for motorcyclists, is still focussed on technical skills, rather than risk awareness.

Finally there was an exchange on views on the revision of the European directive on infrastructure. FEMA is of the opinion that the focus of the directive should be extended. The focus should not only be on motorways, but on the underlying network as well. Road authorities should keep motorcycles in mind, not only during the design and the first construction, but also during the maintenance of roads.

Written by Wim Taal