The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 50 per cent of motorcyclists in the Bahamas are not affiliated with licensed motorcycle clubs, Brendan Foulkes, president of a prominent “riders club,” told The Tribune yesterday.

His comments came after a press conference in which Assistant Commissioner of Police Hulan Hanna emphasised that motorcyclists should join a credible club that reflects the culture of riding and values they promote.

Mr Hanna said the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) has renewed its efforts to clamp down on motorcyclists who are not adhering to road rules.

To highlight the strengthening partnership between the riders’ clubs and the police community, representatives from Friends of Distinction Riders Club (FODRC) and Platinum Riders Club (PRC) presented Mr Hanna with copies of their clubs’ licenses and lists of their regulations.

Mr Hanna said: “These two bike groups are not groups of thugs or criminals. These are professional Bahamians who came to embrace us as we embrace them at a time when we continue to have a challenge with riders who are not legitimate and who should not be on the road.

“We will be going after them in a more deliberate way. 2013 was a bad year for some who ride motorbikes. Some of them would have been paralysed, some of them would have suffered other trauma. Let’s start 2014 in a right way.”

Mr Hanna said motorcyclists who are nuisances on weekends will be among those targeted by police officers.

Referring to those law breakers, he said: “You will hear from our officers in the traffic division. We will confiscate those bikes, and you won’t have them again.”

Representatives from the two motorcycle clubs emphasised that they adhere to the strictest of safety standards, and heavily scrutinise membership applications as well as the equipment and gear of those potential members.

Mr Foulkes, president of FODRC, said: “The police have a tremendous task at hand. We adhere to rules and regulations of the road and are here to join hands with the police and give our commitment to continue following the rules and regulations.”