Editorial
No great events this week, just frosty mornings, later starting for rides, heated grips and cautious riding. We now have the booking form, for the SAM Spring Breakfast, on the SAM website. Sign up so that we can ensure there will be enough food!! Photos have started to arrive for the SAM Annual Photo Competition, so I hope that yours are on their way. It’s easy to upload and quite a bit of fun anticipating who will win. Last year Andy Frith put his framed winning photo in the garage – right next to his bike! SAM Club Nights got off the a slow start with a few very keen members turning up to chat, put the world to rights, learn about club events and have a really good laugh. We are hoping to have more speakers at SAM Club Nights, so if you know of any interesting orators just send an email to sam-editor@iam-sheffield.bike.
In your newsletter this week Highways England avoided manslaughter charges over deaths on so-called ‘Smart motorways’. South Yorkshire is still the test-bed to see what can be changed. UK track days return at Oulton Park, so you can have lots of fun going around the same piece of tarmac as fast as you can safely tolerate. Mo’cycle airbag jeans extend protection to a rider’s lower body. SAM member, Steve Grundy and Astro JJR BSB are going to race in the Quatro Plant Supersport Championship. Give them your support when you go to the next BSB meeting. The latest research into the hazards faced by motorcyclists is that we are “…often seen but not remembered.” Overwhelmed by the amount of information needed to drive a vehicle, motorists initially see us and then forget we are there. Yes, bikers and motorists see the world and its hazards differently. More research, in East Lothian this time, shows that motorists are beginning to heed the requirement to give cyclists a wide berth. In more good news, Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone has been put on hold. Seeing thousands of businesses going out of business would have too much impact on the city’s economy. Lastly, there have been lots of myths, about the changes to the Highway Code, circulating on all the popular public media, so Cycling UK put together a myth-busting article. Many thanks to SAM member Kevin Boot for sending this to us for sharing. As we pointed out in last week’s SAM newsletter, it has always been the legal position that “Everyone has an equal right to use the road…and…should do so in a safe, considerate and responsible manner.” If everyone remembers that life on the road will be very pleasant indeed.
Whilst you are all out and about, have some fun, just stop and take a snap to upload or send in for the SAM Annual Photo Competition. The entry form is set up on the website. You can upload up to 10 images, in either *.jpg or *.png format. Don’t forget to give a number and label to each photo in the text box. Our security ensures that only suitable images are uploaded and will rename the file to prevent any subsequent access to it. You can upload your entries here, or send them to sam-editor@iam-sheffield.bike. The winner will be announced at the SAM AGM in April.Anyone interested in SAM activities can find them, including the SAM and Survival Skills newsletters, on the SAM website. SAM Club members can find all the latest Club events on the website’s Calendar. Read, enjoy and share your Club’s newsletter with ALL your friends and family. Until next week stay healthy and ride safely.
