MMA Update: Proposed By-Laws would BAN MOTORCYCLE RIDES within the Town of Yarmouth
February 26, 2015 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) would like to remind riders that the upcoming meeting to discuss the Town of Yarmouth’s Citizen Petitions attempting to BAN MOTORCYCLE RIDES will be held March 17, 2015 at 7:00PM at the West Barnstable Community Center on Route 149.
At issue are citizen complaints of motorcycle sound emissions (noise) in the Town of Yarmouth, the accompanied requests that the town refuse to allow motorcycle rides in and through the town, that the police department issue motorcycle noise citations, and that the police department report these citation statistics to town officials.
Riders are reminded that the key focus in Yarmouth is motorcycle noise and citizen complaints about this noise; whether you agree with this or not, it is the issue at hand. Though at least 2 charity rides would be affected, what is really at stake here is you’re Right to Ride with dignity.
The MMA is acutely aware that a Town simply cannot “BAN” a particular class of motor vehicle simply due to unmeasured and unsubstantiated complaints from detractors. Nor is the MMA aware of any requirement in Yarmouth or any other city or town in Massachusetts requiring a permit for a motorcycle charity ride. Many social media comments these last few days run the gamut from protest rides and burnouts through this citizen’s neighborhood to level headed, intelligent testimony at the upcoming Yarmouth Town Meeting. The MMA recognizes the need to vent but does not condone malicious and possibly illegal reactions to these citizens who authored these special articles.
Instead, knowing that the MMA has worked against these motorcycle sound emission issues since 2002 and has in fact defeated every initiative in towns across the state, we urge riders join us on March 17 to plan a course of action to shut this down once and for-all.
The MMA is the nationally recognized State Motorcycle Rights Organization (SMRO) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has been in continual operation since 1975. In fact, knowing of the MMA’s “When in Town, Throttle Down ©” sound emissions program, Yarmouth town officials alerted the MMA of these special articles in January 2015.
The MMA meeting is Tuesday March 17, 2015 at 7PM at the West Barnstable Civic Center off Route 149 and all concerned motorcyclists are encouraged to attend!
The Yarmouth Town Meeting is scheduled for Saturday May 2, 2015 at the Mattachesse Middle School at a start time still to be determined, though it likely will begin at 10:00AM. Although all concerned parties may attend, we are specifically seeking Yarmouth town residents to stand up at the meeting on behalf of the motorcyclists of Massachusetts.
Please consider attending both meetings as your votes against this ban are the only way to defeat these two Special Articles.
Please contact LegislativeDirector@MassMotorcycle.org with any questions. Further details regarding the MMA can be found at www.MassMotorcycle.org
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