They should all be able to pass a fitness test, it means a higher percentage of the officers will actually be able to chase criminals! They should also make sure there enough riot batons and riot shields for every officer and some training with them so they can all be useful when large numbers are needed.

So they can play their tune of “Typhoon may never be multirole, everyone should buy Rafale instead.”
I don’t necessarily disagree with this (good choice for India), but it’s annoying to hear about it in every thread about the Gripen, EF, and now even Tornado.

I just see it as them overcompensating their national pride, after their humiliation in WW2. I wouldn’t let it get to you too much 😀

@J-20 Hotdog
The RN does want it, it will just be in reserve, though I suspect it will end up either as a second carrier on rotation or as an assault ship. It will not have a ski jump IIRC, but won’t have CATOBAR gear either. Nobody has actually shown the Japanese want such a carrier at all so it would be a bit much to suggest they buy a CVF!

@tornado64
I don’t think that’s the case. Transport is essential for economic activity, and harming transport harms the economy. In any case, making the test harder will not deter people from getting car licences, as a car licence is almost a pre-requisite for many jobs. The increased numbers of tests does deter new motorcyclists as often a motorcycle is an optional method of transport (despite it being more efficient, less congesting etc). I have a driving licence and I walk almost everywhere. Being overweight is due to eating habits mostly, not lack of exercise. I could walk for 3 hours and maybe just burn 1000 calories. I could eat a bar of chocolate and the exercise is wiped out completely.

personaly i think it is a good thing but it should be fair and braught in across the board i think the car test is way too easy and should be toughened up the same as for bikes

i also think all drivers should have to do 12 months on a motorcycle there is no finer way to make people think about their behaviour in traffic than when the car is taken away and your body is the crumple zone !!

There is no point imposing arbitary restrictions like that, just because it seems like it might be a good idea. The purpose of these regulations is not to make the roads safer, it is to gradually reduce the numbers of motorcyclists on the road by making the licence almost impossible to obtain. The UK govt doesn’t want this, but some countries (e.g Sweden) would LOVE to ban motorcycles, and see this as a major milestone on the route to doing that. Also, as the number of riders drops off, expect the price of motorcycles and related items to go up 😉

If we want to lower motorcycle KSI stats per 1000 riders, we need to target bikers in the 35 to 55 bracket. Motorbikes are a great method of transport, low cost and low congestion with potential for very high MPG figures. Most of the cars on major roads seem to be single occupant, so those who choose to use a motorbike instead of a big saloon car should be rewarded, just as they are for small cars.

With regard to the new motorbike driving test, here is how it will work:

New Motorcycle Test 2013 (3rd European Driving Licence Directive)

A1 (Standard)
This can be taken on a machine between 115 and 125cc. If you are aged between 17 and 19 this will be your only option.
Upon passing the A1 you will get a full licence to ride on motorways and take pillion passengers, but you will never be able to ride anything bigger than a 125cc machine that produces a maximum of 11 Kwh (14.6 Bhp) until you pass the next test (A2) when you reach a minimum age of 19 or two years after passing your A1 test.

A2 (Middleweight)
The test and training must be taken on a machine of a minimum of 395cc that produces a maximum of 35 Kwh (46.6 Bhp). This can only be taken when you are at least 19 years old or two years after passing your A1.
Upon passing you can ride any size of motorbike but the power is capped at 35 Kwh (46.6 Bhp) this will never increase!. The other “restriction” on this category, is the machine cannot be restricted to 35 Kwh if it produces more than 70 Kwh or 93.5 Bhp in standard trim.

A (D.A.S)
The Direct Access Scheme will still be available but the minimum age will rise from 21 to 24. The bike engine size of at least 595cc and must produce at least 40 Kwh (54 Bhp). You must be at least 24 years old or can be taken two years after passing your A2.
It is possible to obtain your A Licence at 21, ONLY IF you have already passed your A2 licence at 19.

http://www.artmotorcycletraining.co.uk/new-motorcycle-test-2013.htm

@VeeOne
You wouldn’t be opposed to employers choosing men instead of women, due to the increased cost of employing a woman compared to a man then? 🙂

I agree with much of the above.

However as a young male i’d like to point out that perhaps better driver training would be better then simply banning all young drivers from anything over 1000cc. That kind of penalises people such as myself who aren’t a ‘nuisance’ in my cars, i just have a passion for them.

You can kill yourself and others in any car, but with better training, better testing and dare i say it better road policing numbers may start to drop.

Simon

More training isn’t going to solve the problem, because the problem isn’t with young drivers skills, but rather with some making bad judgements. If anything is to be done with training then it needs to be changed to focus on practical driving rather than implementing the highway code from a driving seat. As usual the decisions on this will be made in the EU and dictated to us, as just happened for the second time now with motorbike licencing! Oh and before anyone suggests it, more training/tests isn’t going to have much effect on motorbike KSI stats per 1000 riders, since the KSI on them is mostly middle aged men who got their licences a couple decades back, then return to motorcycling, pick something stupidly fast, and crash. All these regulations do is add unwanted complexity and cost, as we saw with the building of a whole load of new test centres at great expense so could implement the off-road practical motorbike test.

Before anyone plays the racial card to earn themselves brownie points, this is
from personal observation.

It is a shame people try to use the race card against people who say things they don’t want to hear, it goes directly against the principles of freedom that we all benefit so greatly from. On the plus side, many of those who do use the race card in that manner are actually quite prejudiced/racist themselves, for example with their stereotype of a racist as a white male.

whereas presently i’m going through the motorcycle phase again ( before you even think of going near the road ) you have to pass a basic competence CBT test passed mine last week then you are allowed to ride a 125cc for 2 yrs in wich time you either have to pass the first part of the motorcycle test wich only alows you to ride upto a 33 BHP motorcycle for 2 yrs before moving onto larger machines

but this is changing this year and you will only be allowed the next step up to a 600cc machine if then you wish to have a bike larger than 600 cc you have to take another test that takes you up to unlimmited

The limit is 47BHP IIRC, rather than 600cc. Most 600cc motorbikes put out 90BHP+. I did my A2 just before the current two part practical came into force, so I avoided the ridiculous off-road section. It’s just being forced upon us by the EU, nobody here actually wants the new motorcycle licencing laws. On the 33BHP 2 year restriction many people didn’t bother restricting them since it’s so much of a PITA for the police to check it, and the difference would only be obvious if the bike is doing over 110mph, at which point they would be in trouble anyway. There are 125cc bikes that put out around 30BHP (Aprilia RS, Cagiva Mito etc).

Global government is often taken to be a conspiracy, especially in the US, usually linked with New World Order/Bilderberg/Jews etc (the core of any conspiracy). Of course if you live in Europe, then the above conspiracy, removing the talk about NWO/Bilderburg/Jews and replace them with civil servants and politicians wages, and you get something that looks all too real.

1. if a motor manufacturer could build a car that would last a lifetime with no spares needed !! …. would they ??

2. a further thaught as the world heads rapidly towards over population is it realy a good idea to try to extend everybodys lives !!

1. Because it would be very reliable and because there is competition. An AK rifle would probably last a lifetime with very few spares and they seem to be selling well 😉

2. Yes, the world is not “over-populated”. The planet could support a far larger population, and beyond that that we could populate other planets too.

@J Boyle
There are 100mpg carburetors, just look at 50cc mopeds…

@Lincoln 7
Well I believe the pill (Dichloroacetate, DCA) is actually entering trials from when I last looked at this, ~6 months ago, so hopefully something will come of it. I’ve no idea whether it is effective or not. I’ve seen people claim it is effective, though these are people associated with the DCA groups!

@Mr Creosote
LEDs can last a very long time.

@critter592
Those videos may prove chem trails to be true, since they are chemicals and forming trails. But, I suspect the chemical is a different type to the one the conspiracy theorists claim it is. This is probably the most entertaining claim from them to date (it’s test plane, nothing to do with chemtrails) 😀