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Motorcyclists delivering food and goods in London have never been under more pressure. Lockdown has meant increased deliveries and - frequently - heavier workloads, resulting in longer days in the saddle and more ‘drops’ on each shift.
Higher levels of congestion in some areas and restricted kerbside access - caused by ‘emergency’ road closures - have also increased pressure on professional riders.
Now Transport for London has provided funding for additional motorcycle riding training, to help riders become safer. It’s free of charge to riders, and comes in two different forms.
‘Beyond CBT’ (Compulsory Basic Training) involves one day, or seven hours of training, available to anyone with a ‘DL196 CBT’ certificate and who works in the courier/delivery industry. The organisers are keen to hear from riders who need further training to improve their riding knowledge, skills and safety.
It is free to riders who live, work or study in a London borough; riders are expected to train on their own motorcycle and provide their own protective equipment. ‘Beyond CBT’ training is also available to those interested in becoming delivery riders, if they book and attend the training within seven days of completing their CBT training.
Mark Jaffe, director of Phoenix Motorcycle Training, which has centres in London and which has been tasked with providing the training, says it aims to raise the standard of riders working in the capital, boosting delivery safety – and road safety for all.
“We look at a wide range of relevant riding skills including how to filter, overtake and when - and when not - to ride in bus lanes,” says Mr Jaffe. “Riding in London is not easy so it is a skill that must be mastered. We also aim to improve riders’ hazard perception and their defensive riding skills.”
In the saddle on a Beyond CBT course
Riding under scrutiny is guaranteed to jangle the nerves, as I found when my own motorcycling skills came under the microscope in South London.
I joined Phoenix Motorcycle Training Director Mark Jaffe at the organisation’s New Addington site, on the Honda Africa Twin - before setting out on a network of London roads.
It wasn’t long before Mark - connected to me via a Bluetooth intercom and riding his own machine some distance behind - was spotting my bad habits.
“Did you spot that car approaching a side road farther along the road?” he queried. “No,” I admit. “Thought not,” says Mark. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have become blocked off by him along with everyone else. Remember - observation is key: look farther down the road.”
Later on, we stop in a car park. Mark drops his glove six feet in front of me on the floor then strides away and holds his other glove aloft. “Look at the glove I’m holding,” he says. “And notice that you can still see the one in front of you too. It’s the same in traffic. Look farther ahead so that developing situations don’t catch you out and you’ll find you automatically see what’s immediately in front of you too. It’s the safe way to ride in London.”
It’s a point well made and one that, as the day wears on, transforms my riding; after a lifetime in slow-moving nose-to-tail London traffic I have indeed forgotten to look well ahead. Soon, a useful stream of carefully explained advice on positioning, overtaking and braking sees my riding sharpen. Overtaking is the skill that I find requires the most dramatic overhaul, to bring my own riding up to standard.
Mine was just a ‘potted’ course but I’m now enjoying the same benefits of feeling safer and more confident that I experienced after undertaking family cycle training. I strongly recommend it
More details on 0330 2234000 or email bookings@teachmetoride.co.uk
Participants are told how to make best use of protective equipment - and how to ride at speeds appropriate to road and weather conditions.
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On each training session, instructors provide time out to discuss riding techniques, and any challenges encountered on the ride. Feedback is also given while on the move, via intercom sets, and participants receive written reports within five days.
TfL has also extended funding for the successful ‘1-2-1 Motorcycle Skills’ sessions, which are two hours in length and which start and finish at times and locations chosen by the rider. These are also provided by Phoenix Motorcycle Training.
1-2-1 sessions are also available to anyone living, working or studying in any of the 33 London Boroughs, with a particular emphasis on riders aged between 16 and 40, inexperienced riders who hold a CBT certificate only, those riding to commute to and from work or education, and those using a low-powered motorcycle, scooter or moped.
On the two-hour 1-2-1 course, riders are encouraged to train on routes they already frequently use - or roads that they find challenging.
“I and my trainers know what it is like to ride under pressure, and how to cope with it safely,” says Mr Jaffe, who is also a ‘blood runner’ delivering vital blood supplies to hospital, often against the clock. “It is a skill we are keen to pass on to the next generation of riders."
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