COMMUNITIES against Noise and Speed (CANS) is campaigning to control the excessive noise and speed from those recreational bikers who ride high performance sports motorbikes and use our rural roads like race tracks. They often have modified illegal exhausts and number plates.

Regularly at weekends they roar through the villages along the A32 and A272 starting at 6am waking the residents, intimidating other drivers and flagrantly breaking the law, travelling at over 100mph, overtaking on double white lines and frequently in the face of oncoming traffic.

Some 44% of accidents in this area where someone was killed or seriously injured in the past six years have involved a motorbike. The figure for the whole of Hampshire is only 28%.

The Road Policing Unit cite lack of resources to control or stop this illegal activity and while intermittently appearing and occasionally prosecuting are failing to protect the rural population from this reckless, dangerous and anti-social behaviour.

Sadly, those many bikers who ride within the law and enjoy the open road are being tarnished by the behaviour of the few.

We campaign for stricter policing, the installation of average speed camera’s along specific stretches the A272 and A32 and enforcement on the rules governing the noise from motorbike exhausts. There is more information at www.canshampshire.co.uk.

Jonathan Moore,

Communities Against Noise and Speed