Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo should watch this video, and so should all those who voted in favor of the motorcycle ban that affects riders in the French capital region.
Provided that these fellows have the patience to watch a 13-minute emergency ride, it would be very neat if they imagined that they or someone they hold dear was waiting for an organ, for blood or for medication that had to be administered in the nick of time.
All of a sudden, motorcycles in the city would no longer be that much of a nuisance, isn’t it? I bet it is so. Well, I doubt they will ever dedicate ten or even five minutes of their precious time to think twice about the ban they have instated.
Some might argue that the Yamaha XT660Z Tenere in this video has nothing to do with the banned bikes, as it is a new model, therefore not falling under the restrictions. Well, this is true, but remember that the ban on pre-2000 motorcycles affects more or less one in seven riders in the Paris area... and for some of them, that motorcycle is the only method of transport.
Public transport is okay sometimes... if you have time to spare
Regardless of what the supporters of the ban say, there is no faster way to get from point A to point B in the city than the motorcycle, scooter or even bicycles, at times. One simply can't deny such a blatant truth. Small, narrow, agile, burning several times less fuel than cars and much easier to park, two-wheelers are THE choice for busy urban areas.
Public transport may be more cost-efficient, that's true, but if one has to move a lot through the city, the time-consuming factor can't be overlooked. Buses and trains can't rival with how close a scooter will get a rider to his or her destination, and we all know that time is money.
All in all, fewer motorcycles mean more cars on the street, especially from those people who own both. I am in this category, too, riding a motorcycle to work from as early as possible in the spring until the snow arrives, then switching over to my car.
Politicians rarely admit screwing things up, so it's down to the riding community and the media to make a change. Banning motorcycles from a city and treating them as major sources of air pollution is... weird!
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