The law in the UK, as it currently stands (26th June 2020), is very specific about how many people are allowed to meet up outside. This is not the same as Social Distancing which is a guideline, this is the law. We would request that all Branches keep to their country's laws when acting in the name of the TOMCC.
Ken Talbot, Chairman of the TOMCC stated:
"TOMCC has recently become involved with The Confederation of Motorcycling Organisations, which during these abnormal times is working hard to promote motorcycling as a viable mode of transport which not only ensures social distancing when travelling but also reduces both pollution and traffic jams. This confederation has amongst it's members The Trail Riders Federation, BMF, Biker Down, MAG, VMCC and now of course TOMCC. One of the first outputs of this group was to issue the COVID-19 safe motorcycling guide lines, a link to which can be found at the end of this article. Having been part of the effort put into this you can imagine my frustration, dismay and yes some anger to see reports of some our UK members (branches) not only ignoring the guidelines but also a complete disregard for the law which at the time of writing states a maximum group of six can meet outdoors, not multiples of six ending up together. This shameful behaviour reflects disgracefully on the image of motorcyclists but more importantly the good name of over 7,000 of our members who are just as frustrated with the restrictions but remain law abiding.
"In a nutshell do not do anything which detracts from the image of TOMCC. If you are determined to ignore the law and the rules then please do it in your own name and not in that of TOMCC."
In England you are only allowed to meet up outside in groups of 6 (when those people are not all in your household or support bubble). If you are organising a ride-out then you must make sure that there are no more than 6 people on that ride-out. Usually you would request that people notify you if they are going to attend and then only allow those people on the ride-out. If more than 6 people are interested you can run more than one ride-out at a time but they cannot start or end at the same time and place otherwise that would be construed as meeting. For multiple ride-outs they must either start and end at different places to the other ride-outs, or they must start and end at a significantly different time (at least an hour's difference) so that there is little possibility of meeting each other. At all times you should maintain social distancing (currently 2 metres).
It is not possible to hold ride-outs currently in Scotland or Wales due to the requirement for people to stay local (typically within 5 miles).
In Italy and the USA you should adhere to the current legislation in place there.
Whether you agree with the law or not, please do not break the law using the name of the TOMCC.
