Safety campaigners are meeting Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson today to press Government to phase out two-stroke motorbikes, claiming they are responsible for the `chaos and death' on Bermuda's roads.

The protestors say the two-stroke engines are inefficient, too fast, too noisy, and pollute the environment.

They also claim oil emissions from two-strokes make roads slippery, particularly when wet, leading to accidents and death.

Community campaigner Sanders Frith-Brown, mechanic Richard Gaglio, and Cycle International owner Florindo Canale hope Mr. Hodgson will realise the environmental problems caused by two-stroke engines.

Both Mr. Gaglio and Mr. Frith-Brown would like the Minister to push for two-stroke engines to be phased out. Mr. Canale shares the concern about the environmental problems and would like to see more four-stroke engines on the Island, but he does not believe two-stroke engines can be phased out.

Mr. Frith-Brown said he was appealing to Mr. Hodgson because he has been unable to secure a meeting with Transport Minister Ewart Brown.

In the 1970s, Government reduced the maximum cubic capacity (cc) of bikes from 150 to 100 because they were becoming too powerful.

The group says this is not an accurate measurement because there was no restriction introduced on horse power (HP).

Nowadays, a four-stroke 125cc bike is capable of producing 10 HP, but a 100cc two-stroke can produce 15 HP.

Mr. Gaglio said in North America and Europe two-strokes were being phased out because of concerns about noise and pollution.

Mr. Frith-Brown said yesterday: "Two-stroke engines are inefficient and they pollute the environment.'' He said the maximum capacity of two-strokes should be lowered to 80cc for five years, then 50cc, then phased out in a decade.

He called for the introduction of 125cc four-stroke engines, with electric bikes as a radical long-term solution.

Mr. Canale said he did not believe Government could phase out two-stroke engines completely, but he was concerned about their inefficiency and environmental damage.

He said: "A four-stroke 125cc can produce less speed than an 80cc two-stroke.

I have to have two-strokes to stay in business, but if I could, I'd bring in more four-strokes.

"I don't understand why TCD doesn't open it up to more four-strokes. I am concerned because four-strokes don't burn oil like two-strokes.

"We want to increase -- through the TCD -- the awareness of this so we can import more four-stroke 125cc's to the Island.''