VETERAN motor cyclist Derek Knowles, has launched a safety campaign aimed at speeding bikers in the Ribble Valley.

The A59 and the A682, which converge near Gisburn, have become popular routes for motorcyclists heading to Devil's Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale, each weekend.

High speeds and the increasing number of accidents involving motorcyclists over the last two years in the area have alarmed police and residents.

Derek, of Rimington, a retired chauffeur and former National Lorry Driver of the Year, is distributing posters showing a horrific motorcycle crash.

He has been a safety scrutineer at the Isle of Man TT races for 30 years and a rider for 50 years and has sympathy with the residents of the Valley.

"The speed at which some motorcyclists travel on these roads is madness and they display a total lack of consideration for life, including their own," he said.

He was backed by John Parker, whose farm nestles on a stretch of the A682 at Little Middop, near Gisburn, with buildings on both sides of the road. "During the summer months on Sunday mornings, up to 300 bikers go through the farm bound for Kirkby Lonsdale. Some arrive as early as 5am hoping to avoid police speed traps and and they do 70 to 80 mph," he said.

"I spoke to one local rider who claims he can take the bend through the farm at 100mph. Our grandchildren - who are not babies - are not allowed to cross this road alone, or walk the lane from their home in Gisburn. That's how dangerous the road has become." Bike dealer Keith Dixon, of Dixon Motorcycles, Accrington and a member of the Ride Out Club, agrees speeds need to be checked.

He said: "Speeds and rider error, often involving inexperienced riders, is a deadly combination. The lack of appreciation regarding biking manoeuvres is resulting in tragic consequences and we support any campaign that puts safety and bike awareness foremost."

Inspector Les Martin, of Clitheroe Police, said: "This is another example of something positive being done that will, hopefully, help reduce the number of motor cyclist casualties in the area."

"But not all road users who break the law are motor cyclists. In a recent campaign, the majority of offenders exceeding 60 mph were car drivers."

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