EICMA sirf shiny new bikes or big launches ke baare mein hi nahi hai. Ab ye ek aisa spot ban gaya hai jahan motorcycle industry crowded cities ke liye zyada clean, smart or practical future ka apna vision present karne ka chance deti hai.
Iss year bhi kuch different nahi tha. Continuously 3rd year, ANCMA or ACEM ne jointly "Rightsizing Urban Mobility" conference host ki, jahan policymakers, city officials or industry ke top people ek saath aaye. Goal yahi tha ki scooters se leke motorcycles tak, L-category vehicles kaise Europe ke cities ko thoda zyada breathable or manageable bana sakte hai.
2027 mein jab kaafi saare European Sustainable Urban Mobility plans (SUMPs) implement hone wale hai, panel ki starting ek clear warning ke saath hui, urban mobility ke rules ab completely change hone wale hai.
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TRT Trasporti e Territorio ki urban mobility consultant, Sofia Pechin, ne bola ki ek "clear paradigm shift" aa raha hai, cars se focus shift hoke ab people first mobility par ja raha hai. Means cities ka aim hai more accessible, functional or cleaner banna, or old planning tools ab work nahi karte.
Industry leaders ne stage par ye highlight kiya ki L-category vehicles kitni jaldi results dena start kar sakte hai. ACEM ke Secretary General, Antonio Perlot ne Oxford Economics (OE) ki upcoming report ke early findings share kiye, jo Europe mein motorcycle ke economic value par based hai. Full report early 2026 mein aane wali hai but abhi tak ye report aayi nahi hai jaise hi aayegi hum uske par bhi discuss karenge. Stay tunned
Basically scene ye hai ki powered two wheelers (bikes or scooters) EU or UK ke commuters ka already kaafi time bacha rahe, car se travel karne ke comparison mein approx. 25.6 million days every year, because commute fast ho jaata hai or less sitting in traffic.
Agar bas 5% car users bhi bike ya scooter pe shift ho jaayen, so or 28 million days save ho sakte hai, €3.8 billion ka expense save hoga, emissions bhi reduce ho gaye (around €308 million per year ka approx.), or cities mein itni jagah free ho jaayegi jitni Paris ke size ki hai.
Conference hall ke inside se message bilkul clear tha: motorcycle koi niche product nahi hai. Ye cleaner or faster cities ke liye ek underused shortcut hai, bas power mein sitting logon ko inke benefits recognise karne honge.
Kaafi years se bike lovers or two wheeler supporters government ko samjha rahe hai ki car ke instead bike use karne ke kitne benefits hai. But jo log decision lete hai, unko lagta hai bas money is all about , kitni saving hogi ya kitna earn kar sakte hai agar zyada audience bike pe shift ho jaayein.
Lagta hai yahi OE report ka main focus hai, baat ko simple or clear terms mein rakhna, so that lawmakers easily understand kar sakein. Basically, agar aap ye karte ho, then itna money bana ya save ho sakta hai.
Cities already at the forefront
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Kuch cities wait nahi kar rahi hai. Barcelona ne apna new Motorcycle Obeservatory showcase kiya hai, jo Anesdor ke saath jointly develop hua hai, Anesdor Spain ka two-wheeler sector ka association hai. Spain mein bikes bhi kaafi zyada hai, riders bhi, or bike brands bhi lot's of. In brands mein se around 96% market Anesdor represent karta hai, means 67 companies or 110 brands.
Ye Motorcycle Observatory ek dedicated platform hai jo safety, road par coexistence or decarbonization jasie topics par policies make karne mein help karta hai. Overall, ye clearly show karta hai ki jab public or privated sectors saath jointly work karte hai, then real progress possible hoti hai.
Milan pehle se hi daily PTW use ka ek hotspot hai, ye prove karta hai ki city kaise fleet renewal ko push kar rahi hai or electric models ko encourage kar rahi hai. Aim ye hai ki cleaner urban transport ki taraf shift fast ho, bina ye ignore kiye ki log abhi kya use kar rahe hai.
An appeal for integrated thinking
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Closing panel mein BMW Motorrad, Yamaha Motor Europe, ANCI, POLIS Network, TRT or ACEM ke representatives saath aaye the. Sabka ek hi believe tha, agar L-category vehicles ko apna full potential achieve karna hai, then cities, governments or industry ko jointly work karna padega, separate direction mein nahi. SUMPs ko motorcycle ko side mein rakhne ke instead seriously lena chahiye, bacause ye koi future ka idea nahi hai, ye aaj ka workable solution hai, 10 years baad ka nahi.
What role does the UK play in this context?
EU ke mobilityrules pe focus hone ke in spite, EICMA se jo ideas nikal kar aa rahe hai, wo sirf Europe tak limited nahi hai. UK ab European SUMPs ke under nahi aata, but phir bhi Westminster kaafi focus ke saath Europe ke urban transport experiments ko dekh raha hai. Agar Barcelona or Milan jaise cities ye prove kar paati hai ki powered two wheelers real mein traffic reduce karte hai, jagah free karte hai or air makes clean, so UK government ke liye is evidence ko ignore karna difficult ho jayega.
And by the way, UK usually apne rules or laws khud banata hai, but end of the day results zyada matter karte hai than policy documents. Agar L-category vehicles waise hi solid, measurable benefits show hote hai jaise OE report claim kar rahi hai, then poori possibility hai ke UK bhi same direction mein move kare, whether incentives ke through ho, infrastructure upgrades se, ya phir bas motorcycles or scooters ko ek legit, modern urban transport option ke form par accept karke. Riders ke liye, iska matlab ho sakta hai ke side of the channel bhi future mein kaafi zyada bike friendly transport scene dekhne ko mile.