Government Promises - Heard Them All Before?

With a general election on the way all the parties are outlining there proposed plans if they are elected to power. The motorcycling community has long been seen as a large voting group and are of the up most importance to all the prospective parties. With Labour not delivering on the majority of their biker related promises in the eight years they have been in power what are their main rivals proposing should they be voted in? We take a look at what the Conservative party leader Michael Howard is promising to make the motorcyclists life more enjoyable.

Speed Cameras - Mr Howard believes that cameras on our roads are not there to make money and shouldn't be used to increase government revenue. He proposes to keep the cameras that are genuinely there for safety reasons, such as outside schools, which any responsible biker can't have any complaints about. This has been a long term issue for bikers as speed cameras on high speed roads seem only to cause panic braking and help to raise our bike insurance premiums if snapped travelling just over the limit. Mr Howard proposes to remove speed cameras on these roads if they are not directly related to road safety.

Police - With the decrease of cameras an increase of police officers is proposed as Mr Howard believes that this is a much more efficient way to deal with crimes such as speeding where it is actually needed. This would be a welcome change as long as they are targeting the areas where speeding is an issue not deserted A roads catching bikers and helping to increase our bike insurance premiums.

Theft - Mr Howard also believes the extra police will help to curb the growing problem of bike theft in this country. He also proposes to increase the amount of public secure storage areas for bikes in places such as bus and train stations so we can park our bikes in the knowledge they will be safe. This is also a major issue for bikers as stolen bikes means motorbike insurance claims and these claims can push up your bike insurance premiums.

Congestion Charge - Mr Howard recognises that bikers don't significantly contribute to congestion on today's roads and therefore believes that they should be exempt from congestion charges.

Roads - Roads are a major issue and Mr Howard believes that under Labour the deterioration of the roads has increased. He acknowledges that bikers are vulnerable to poor roads and aims to give the local authorities more freedom with their money to improve our roads.

Bus Lanes - Finally another big issue for bikers is the use of bus lanes. Along with bikers Mr Howard believes that there is no reason why a law shouldn't be passed allowing all bikes to travel in bus lanes, this he believes can be accomplished within his first term.

Having given Labour eight years to make our life on the road better is it about time to call it a day and give someone else a chance? Can the conservative party meet these promises? Or are they going to be as empty as it seems the Labour Parties promises were?