Base m-bike licence curbs on age
Students here are graded on their ability to remember and perform on a standard route, not bike skills.
Tue, Jun 02, 2009
my paper
I READ with interest the report, "More risk for m-cyclists than drivers" (my paper, June 1).
As an Englishman living in Singapore who is trying to get my Class 2B motorcycle licence, I have a few comments to make.
Firstly, the idea of placing restrictions on the type of bikes motorcyclists can ride, according to engine capacity, is good, but the limits should be based on age.
What one has to go through to gain even the most basic licence is so out of touch with the reality of riding that no student will advance with any real-world skills, other than basic bike control.
For example, while students are graded on their ability to remember and perform on a standard route through public and private roads under close scrutiny, they are free to ride wherever they want after they get their licence.
However, all they would be familiar with is the test route. In Britain, once an instructor deems a student can handle a motorbike on private roads, he or she is then allowed onto public roads.
It is highly likely that the student is then never taken on the same route twice.
This is a far better test of skill than using the same route many times.
It also better tests the ability of the rider to safely navigate roads and junctions they are unfamiliar with.
The situation in Singapore is such that a 20- or 21-year-old can gain a full bike licence.
In Britain, the age limit is 25.
A rider in his or her late 20s or early 30s is more likely to have a car licence and therefore a greater appreciation of how difficult and dangerous it can be to ride a motorbike.
What is lacking about the method of instruction here is that it merely teaches a rider to learn the rules and ride on a fixed route.
| READ MORE - ITE m-cyclist hurt after taxi makes illegal U-turn |
One only has to ride on Singapore roads for a short time to realise that few motorcyclists remember what they were taught and ride in the most appalling manner, ignoring correct road positioning and basic safety rules.
This is not the case in Britain, where the focus during lessons is on the Highway Code, road positioning and safety, rather than learning how to pass a test on a fixed route.
Mr Phil Callow
For more my paper stories click here.