Don’t bank on it

Business news MAG wants input into self-driving laws

THEY MIGHT BE TAKING LONGER to arrive than many have predicted, but self-driving, or autonomous, vehicles seem to be just around the corner, with the UK government planning to have them on the road by 2025, with trials on motorways beginning just next year.

There’s clearly a massive amount of work to be done on preparing society for the changes, and as the latest government consultation ended last month, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) issued a statement asking for a more influential role for motorcycling in the safety debate and criticising the consultation’s proposal that self-driving vehicles will need to be as safe as a ‘competent and careful’ human driver.

MAG’s director of campaigns, Colin Brown, said, “Given the level of technological and scientific rigour needed to develop selfdriving vehicles, it is incongruous to then set a subjective safety target. You wouldn’t send a rocket to the moon saying ‘Hopefully it will end up somewhere in the vicinity of the moon’. Motorcyclists face being the first vulnerable road user group that will interact with self-driving vehicles. It is clear that there are many concerns which are entirely valid. Motorcyclists will play a role in the debate, and it must be influential. Self-driving technology should be developed to benefit humanity; we see no sense in forcing humanity to adapt to fit in with any of its shortcomings. If these vehicles cannot safely interact with us as human riders, then they have no place being rolled out.”

MAG’s statement reiterates the importance of the leisure side to biking, too. MAG’s response asks policymakers: “To note that not all road use is purely for utility purposes. Use of the road as a form of leisure is a legitimate use of the nation’s road infrastructure, therefore, riding a motorcycle for pleasure needs to be protected.”

MAG’s full response to the consultation is available on its website: www.mag-uk.org.

Don’t bank on it

As life has moved inexorably towards online, so banks have been forced to re-evaluate their commercial operations. The result is a not just a raft or a spate of bank branch closures, but a decimation to the point that some towns have no branch at all with customers forced to drive for miles to find an open counter.

Most recently, NatWest announced in mid-October another 43 branch closures that will complete by March 2023.

According to the Consumer’s Association publication, Which?, in a report updated in October 2022, Bank branch closures: is your local bank closing?, since 2015 banks and building societies have closed some 5233 branches – an average rate of 54 a month. Worst affected are those under the NatWest banner – NatWest, RBS, and Ulster Bank – which will have lost 1234 branches by the end of 2023.

Lloyds Banking Group – Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland – will have shut 924 by the end of 2023. Barclays will have closed (or scheduled to be closed) 962 branches by the end of 2022.

Of course, spending is very much digital now, whether via online purchases, smartphone/ smartwatch or by card.

But that doesn’t mean that cash is dead.

An August 2022 House of Commons research briefing, The future of local banking services and access to cash, noted that cash accounted for 45% of all payments in 2015. But five years later it is used in only 17% of transactions in the UK. The pandemic reinforced this transition. However, the report found that cash still has a role to play in society. Specifically, it noted that “older people, those on a lower income, and people with certain physical and mental health problems are particularly likely to be affected if society went cashless.”

And while many firms are now cashless, a good number still

accept it. This leaves those on cash only diets frequenting those firms that take cash.

Interestingly, the Bank of England’s third-quarter bulletin, Knocked down during lockdown: the return of cash, reported in midOctober that since coming out of lockdown, “there has been a sustained, if partial, recovery in cash use … this reflects people – up to 60% of the population – holding more cash as a store of value, which is a fundamental role of money.” And this will no doubt rise as the cost-of-living crisis grows as physical cash is easier to manage – a point noted in the Guardian, in an October story, ‘Cash use rises amid bank closures and cost of living crisis, says Post Office’.

So, where does that leave businesses needing to bank cash when nearby branches have closed?

If banking involves minimal cash, then it’s perfectly possible to move from one of the big four high street (!) brands to one of the challenger banks. Starling is a good example, but there are others.

Although cheques are dying out, it is possible to bank them to a certain value electronically by submitting an image of the front and rear – but only if the bank supports this. Again, the challenger banks excel here.

Another option is to see if the bank is moving to a hub-type model where a single location shares banking services with staff from each bank working different days on rotation. According to the Evening Standard in September 2022, an additional 13 hubs are being planned to bring the current number up to 25. More are planned.

Alternatively, it is possible to use the Post Office network to undertake basic banking services – the deposit of cash and cheques. Anything else will necessitate a visit to the nearest physical branch.

Ultimately, over the long-term cash usage is expected to become increasingly rare. UK Finance, which represents the banking industry, thinks that by 2031 cash will account for only 6% of all payments. Regardless, a combination of decline in branch networks and long-term fall in cash usage means that banking is going to become more remote.

Banks and building societies have closed some 5233 branches – an average rate of 54 a month

Intercom plug and play deal

Industry standards are usually great for consumers: being able to plug your phone into any standard USB socket makes life easier all round, and things such as the Bluetooth standard make things simpler for the non-tech savvy. But it’s not so straightforward for manufacturers, who often want to make their own innovations and compete for sales.

So it’s good to see three key motorcycle intercom brands launching two new technical standards, which should help more riders connect to their friends’ chat devices, without worrying about which model or make they have, and also improve choice between brands and helmet fitments.

Cardo Systems, Midland and UCLEAR Digital unveiled the new Open Bluetooth Intercom (OPI) and the Universal Communications Solution standards earlier this year but presented them again at the Milan show last month. The two standards allow for seamless cross-brand Bluetooth intercom connection and easier helmet headset connectivity fitments respectively. The UCS has been compared with the car stereo DIN standards, because it defines the size and shape of helmet communication devices, so helmet makers can provide one integrated fitting location for all intercoms and still comply with ECE 22.06 standards.

S.K. Hui of UCLEAR Digital, said: “UCLEAR has supported the concept of an open Bluetooth intercom standard for many years because it’s what our customers want, and what they deserve. OBI allows seamless intercom interoperability between brands and improves overall performance and reliability. Customers will enjoy more choice and less frustration.”

From left: Alon Lumbroso, chief executive officer of Cardo Systems, Gabriele Torreggiani, vice president of Midland, and Wolfgang Hantz, UCLEAR Digital contact for Europe, the Middle East and Africa

ASIAN EXPANSION

CARDO SYSTEMS HAS ANNOUNCED AN EXPANSION of its Asia-Pacific team, with the appointment of Vincent Peña as sales director. Peña said: “I am very happy to join the Cardo Systems team at such an exciting time for the business in APAC. I’m looking forward to working towards more riders understanding the joy of communication and building the already strong Cardo community. I look forward to working with the team and meeting our sales associates.”

CHARITY GOLF DAY

STERLING INSURANCE, WHICH underwrites the Bikesure insurance brand, raised £12,000 for cancer charities at the recent Sterling Cup golf tournament. More than 65 golfers played at the Hertfordshire Manor of Groves course, raising cash for a range of UK-based cancer organisations. Funds will also go towards specialist treatment for six-year-old Archie Wilks, whose father, Simon, works for the firm.

SMART LIDS FROM DOWN UNDER

AUSTRALIAN SMART HELMET MAKER FORCITE has finally launched in the UK, with an introductory discount for early buyers of its MK1S lid. Forcite has developed its own bike helmet design, which incorporates an array of add-on electronics – action camera, speakers, microphones and a Bluetooth link – together with a ‘heads-up’ display that conveys information to the rider. The 1080p camera and HarmanKardon audio system connect to a smartphone app which also controls the LED display, which shows warnings about speed cameras, traffic conditions and navigation. The ECE 22.05/DOTapproved MK1S charges in about 90 minutes and lasts up to seven hours in use. SRP is £929, with the first 500 UK buyers offered a discount to £799. www.forcitehelmets.com/en-gb

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