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Motorcycle Riders
Foundation's Conference
Meeting of the Minds 2000 at Chicago, Illinois
A report
from The Freeedom Riders on the Motorcycle Riders Foundation's Conference,
Meeting of the Minds 2000 at Chicago, Illinois, advances Philippine
highway access fight for motorcyclists
The Meeting
of the Minds 2000, carried on live webcast and was a huge success
for Philippine access issues which were presented by Mr. James Mirasol
who addressed the convention as an invited speaker representing
the Pacific Rim during the panel discussion on Global Harmonization.
The presentation on Philippine access issues was very well received
by the international participants, as evidenced by the ovation received
by Mirasol after his description of the on-going access fight here
in Manila. During the convention, the primacy and great influence
that Asia has on the future of motorcycling as the world's largest
market was also underscored by Mirasol and other panelists, which
was composed of representatives from Harley-Davidson, BMW Motorcycle
Owners of America, Federation International Motorcycliste, Federation
of European Motorcycle Associations, MRF, ABATE, and the American
Motorcyclist Association.
Networking with these leaders of the motorcycling community, Mirasol
was able to successfully solicit specific support for the cause,
emulating the successful models that have been employed in combating
similar, albeit limited bans in Taiwan and Japan. Concrete commitments
for assistance in overturning the ban here have been secured and,
in some cases, already materialized. Through the generosity of our
new allies from motorcycle right's organizations as well as major
manufacturers and governments, detailed statistical
studies on international motorcycle expressway safety and accident
statistics have already been delivered to Philippine access
efforts by overnight mail. The information contained in these studies,
substantiates the fact of superior safety for motorcycle operation
in expressways as compared with regular roads contrary to the popular
misconception that has been the basis and rationale of the ban for
these past 30 some years. This data as well as local equivalents
will be shared with local government agencies responsible for perpetuating
the illegal and dangerous ban, particularly the TRB, which has twice
requested such information from local motorcycle rights organizations.
Members of the international motorcycle community have furthermore
expressed keen interest to participate in the upcoming national
convention to be held this March in Bacolod in order to further
strengthen the local motorcycling and right's movements. Now, thanks
to the MRF Global Harmonization Meeting, the expressway ban here
is no longer merely a local issue but a global one as well. In line
with this, Mirasol was also interviewed by two publications present
at the convention, Thunder Press and Motorcycle Consumer News, which,
like the rest of the attendees, was incredulous at current policy
banning legal motorcycles from expressways.
Mirasol, a member of Freedom Riders was co-sponsored by Club 200
and endorsed as well by both the Luzon Motorcycle Federation as
well as the National Motorcycle Federation to speak on behalf of
their members with regards to the expressway issue. The conference
was held in Oakwood, Chicago from September 21-24. Summary Of Gains
From the MOTM 2000 for Philippine Bikers' Rights:
1. Commitments
of active participation and assistance from international manufacturers
and governing body associations. Details withheld upon request as
advance notice may undermine efforts from abroad.
2. Proprietary
information, statistics and studies made available, substantiating
safe motorcycle operation in expressways.
3. Working relations
established with organizations with significant resources to assist
in local access issue. Coordination now ongoing.
4. High probability
of international participation for upcoming national convention
as a show of international solidarity and for increased prominence.
5. Lobbying
techniques and models imparted by observation and in written materials.
6. Interest
of international press gained.
7. Proposal
to have governing bodies pass resolutions condemning the ban as
a dangerous policy as well as calls for change.
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