MORE than 320 motorcycle enthusiasts from the Basingstoke area took part in a rolling protest run along the M3 last Sunday.

Riding at between 45mph and 48mph they travelled from Fleet Services south to Winchester Services and were accompanied by police motorcyclists.

The event, organised by lobbying organisation the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), was designed to highlight proposed EU legislation which, if implemented, could have a serious impact on riders’ freedoms, the organisers claim.

The ride-out was part of a nationwide series of similar protests, which saw an estimated 40,000 riders, including some MPs, set off simultaneously at 1pm from meeting points across the UK.

While the Basingstoke Group was on the M3, another group of more than 350 riders from Salisbury MAG rode up the A303 from Amesbury to Popham Services, while Winchester and Southampton MAG branches were scheduled to take similar action.

The Basingstoke convoy used only two lanes of the motorway (and only one lane south of Junction 8) so as not to inconvenience other road users, explained Basing-stoke MAG Rep Keith Lovelock. “The police were very helpful and told me they were very pleased with how the event progressed,” he said.

The protest aimed to highlight a raft of new measures proposed or being discussed by the EU, which would have a dramatic effect on motorcycling throughout Europe. These include compulsory ABS, mandatory ‘anti-tamper’ devices, which would severely restrict the ability of owners to service or modify their own machines, and random road-side checks on motorcycles – but not other vehicles.

For further details about the campaign visit mag-uk.org.