Jake
June 29th, 2003, 10:36 PM
Bikers are congregating in north Wales to protest at what they call "harsh policing tactics" on the roads in the area.
A delegation of bikers, backed by the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), is riding from a bike dealership in Denbigh to North Wales Police headquarters in Colwyn Bay.
They will present deputy chief constable Bill Brereton with a letter protesting at the number of bikers who are being stopped by police.
But Mr Brereton, who is a keen biker himself, is hoping to persuade the contingent that the police are doing their best to cut deaths and serious accidents in north Wales.
Officers have mounted a zero-tolerance speeding campaign to improve road safety after 12 bikers died in north Wales in the first half of the year, more than the total for the previous year.
However, bikers claim the response is turning law-abiding bikers into unfair targets for the police.
The protest run has been organised by Alan Shepherd, the managing director of A&D Motorcycles in Denbigh.
We don't deny there is a problem but it's wrong to tar all motorcyclists with the same brush
Keith Taylor, BMF
He said: "I'm involved in this as someone who is passionate about riding bikes, not as a businessman.
"We all want to see casualties in north Wales reduced but the answer lies in education and persuasion directed at the minority of people who are riding badly - not persecution of everyone on two wheels."
'Responsible'
The BMF's regional chairman, Keith Taylor, sits on the North Wales Alliance, an initiative backed by the police designed to tackle motorcycle-related accidents.
He said: "We don't deny there is a problem but it's wrong to tar all motorcyclists with the same brush.
"All we want is for motorcyclists to be treated the same as every other road user.
"Those who ride or drive dangerously, be it too fast or recklessly, should of course be prosecuted, but the vast majority of riders are responsible and safe and merely out for a ride on the wonderful roads of north Wales."
The delegation left Denbigh at 1200 BST.
A delegation of bikers, backed by the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), is riding from a bike dealership in Denbigh to North Wales Police headquarters in Colwyn Bay.
They will present deputy chief constable Bill Brereton with a letter protesting at the number of bikers who are being stopped by police.
But Mr Brereton, who is a keen biker himself, is hoping to persuade the contingent that the police are doing their best to cut deaths and serious accidents in north Wales.
Officers have mounted a zero-tolerance speeding campaign to improve road safety after 12 bikers died in north Wales in the first half of the year, more than the total for the previous year.
However, bikers claim the response is turning law-abiding bikers into unfair targets for the police.
The protest run has been organised by Alan Shepherd, the managing director of A&D Motorcycles in Denbigh.
We don't deny there is a problem but it's wrong to tar all motorcyclists with the same brush
Keith Taylor, BMF
He said: "I'm involved in this as someone who is passionate about riding bikes, not as a businessman.
"We all want to see casualties in north Wales reduced but the answer lies in education and persuasion directed at the minority of people who are riding badly - not persecution of everyone on two wheels."
'Responsible'
The BMF's regional chairman, Keith Taylor, sits on the North Wales Alliance, an initiative backed by the police designed to tackle motorcycle-related accidents.
He said: "We don't deny there is a problem but it's wrong to tar all motorcyclists with the same brush.
"All we want is for motorcyclists to be treated the same as every other road user.
"Those who ride or drive dangerously, be it too fast or recklessly, should of course be prosecuted, but the vast majority of riders are responsible and safe and merely out for a ride on the wonderful roads of north Wales."
The delegation left Denbigh at 1200 BST.