The Greek parliament has voted in favour of a new law on sustainable urban mobility, which includes making it easier for car drivers to start riding light motorcycles.

The new law will allow:

• Riding a moped (category AM) by drivers who have held a car driving licence (B) for at least six years and are at least 27 years old.
• Riding a light motorcycle: (category A1), only in Greece, by drivers who have held a car driving licence (B) for at least six years, are at least 27 years old and have completed five hours of relevant training.

Thomas Kakadiaris from the Greek motorcyclists’ organization MOTOE (a member of FEMA) says: “Greece is now one of the fifteen European countries which permit, under additional conditions, car drivers to ride mopeds or light motorcycles. The new law seems to satisfy the motorcycle industry in our country and, to be accurate, the importers, who issued a welcome announcement.”

‘The key to road safety is personal training, combined with the state’s care for a safe road network’

Thomas continues: “MOTOE is satisfied because reality is being recognized. We always had the belief that 50 cc mopeds and 125 cc motorcycles are used daily as they are an affordable and effective solution to urban mobility problems. The driver who leaves his car and chooses to ride a moped or a 125 cc motorcycle helps relieve the traffic pressure and emits less emissions. The key to road safety is personal training, combined with the state’s care for a safe road network.”

“The Greek Ministry of Transport has chosen the best possible solution”, according to Thomas. “It is a solomonic solution for car drivers who want to ride a light motorcycle with a B type driving licence. The age of the prospective users, the experience deriving from the driving a car and the additional training along with the responsibility that we have to show every day, are enough for us all to win.”

When FEMA published a poll, asking European motorcyclists if they thought car licence holders should be allowed to ride an A1 motorcycle, a large majority of motorcyclists said car drivers should have easier access to light motorcycles.

In response to our poll, motorcyclists said car licence holders should be allowed to ride an A1 motorcycle, as long as they take some motorcycle lessons to master riding a two-wheeled vehicle. In some European countries, car licence holders (B licence) are already allowed to ride an A1 motorcycle, a motorcycle of 125cc, but there is no coherent European policy on this matter.

Written by Wim Taal

Top photograph courtesy of Honda

This article is subject to FEMA’s copyright