Sunday 8 January 2012

VICROADS/MUARC RESEARCH PROJECT - JAN 2012

TO INTERESTED PARTIES

I'd  be interested to hear what happens at the meeting this afternoon.
I  suspect  VicRoads/MUARC  will  tell  the selected few what they are
going to do and call it consultation.

I  doubt  there  will  be  any real stakeholder input. A question that
should be asked is why the restricted invitation list? The excuse that
public knowledge of this research may alter rider behaviour and effect
the outcome they want is not credible. The public already knows.

Questions   on  what  motorcycling  experience  those  designing  this
research have will probably be avoided or met with the excuse that the
research project is designed by qualified people who only want what is
best  for  riders  so they do not need to actually be motorcyclists or
even  know  motorcyclists.  Riders  should  be grateful they are being
saved from themselves.

Any  doubts  about  the  size of the samples or methodology or similar
studies  on  other  transport  modes  will  likely be danced around or
promises given to get that info to the questioner later.

The  promised  special-duplicate-of-this-meeting  meeting  for the IRG
hasn't  happenend  yet but I made sure each of the members of the Road
Safety  Committee  got the details on today's VicRoads/MUARC pantomime
and the fact that VicRoads Director Holgate told me I was NOT invited.
Professor  Marcus  Wigan  and  highly  qualified  Michael Czajka, both
riders, were not invited either.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621
d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

If  you  ride a motorcycle or scooter on Victorian roads and/or earn a
living from motorcycling, this directly effects you.

The  Independent  Riders'  Group  was  specifically  excluded from the
VicRoads/MUARC  information  session  set  for  January  9,  2012. The
session  was to inform selected people about a research project and to
discuss  ways  of communicating with motorcycle & scooter riders about
the project.

I  received  an  email  making  it  clear  that  I  was NOT invited. I
forwarded it to the Victorian Road Safety Committee as another example
of  VicRoads/TAC/Police  selecting  people  who  fit  their agendas to
represent riders rather than riders choosing their own representatives
as other groups do.

There  are 300,000 plus riders in this state. How many of them elected
the  people  who are invited to attend this "information session"? How
many  of them even know the session is on?

75%  of the bike media don't bother to keep the riding public informed
about  this  sort  of  thing. Bike mags generally don't have political
columns  any more. This research directly effects their readers and is
part-funded by the TAC antibike tax rip off. Considering their readers
and  advertisers  are  directly  effected  and  the way journos earn a
living, this neglect seems counterproductive.

Director  of  Road  Safety  Holgate  (VicRoads)  said he will set up a
special   meeting   for   the   Independent  Riders'  Group  after the
January 9 meeting for selectees. Why the segregation?

It  will  be  very  interesting  to see if any of the selectees puts a
complaint   on  the  record  about  the  way  this  research  and  the
information  session  were set up. Minimal consultation, short notice,
holding  the  meeting  in a pub during the holidays, hardly the way to
get stakeholder input.

I  urge  you  to  make  your  views known to the Victorian Road Safety
Committee  as  part  of  the  Parliamentary  Inquiry into Motorcycle &
Scooter Safety.

The members of the Victorian Road Safety Committee are:

Murray Thompson MP
Liberal
Sandringham
Tel: 03 9598 2688
murray.thompson@parliament.vic.gov.au

Bill Tilley MP
Liberal
Benambra (Wodonga)
Tel: 02 6024 4488
bill.tilley@parliament.vic.gov.au

Telmo Languiller MP
Labor
Derrimut (Sunshine West)
Tel: 03 9311 7886
telmo.languiller@parliament.vic.gov.au

Andrew Elsbury MP
Liberal
Western Metro (Keilor)
Tel: 03 9331 7644
andrew.elsbury@parliament.vic.gov.au

Jude Perera MP
Labor
Cranbourne
Tel: 03 5996 2901
jude.perera@parliament.vic.gov.au

It's  up  to  riders and those who make a living out of riders to stop
the  over-regulation and lost safety opportunities affecting our right
to  ride  and our lifestyle.

Make an appointment to see one of the MPs
on the Victorian Road Safety Committee now.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621

Thursday, January 5, 2012, 5:20:13 AM, you wrote:

Hey ho.

The usual exclusion policy from MUARC and VicRoads.

No I didn't get an invitation either.

Name supplied.

Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 20:31:19 +1100
From: d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com
To: James.Holgate@roads.vic.gov.au
Subject: Re: INFORMATION SESSION - JANUARY 9, 2012.

Thanks James,

You  did  NOT  mention  that  the MUARC motorcycle & scooter study was
"invitation  only".  There is no mention of invitations in your letter
to  Tony  Ellis  or  mention  of any form of confidentiality. There is
mention  of communications with riders though. I left the phone with a
positive  feeling  about  the meeting and stakeholder involvement in a
tax payer funded project that directly effects our lives.

It  turned  out to be a similar response to our request to be involved
in  the  meeting  prior  to the launch of the bus lanes trial. The bus
lanes  trial  has  serious safety problems. Input from various experts
was  rejected  by  VicRoads.  The Independent Riders' Group was banned
from that meeting too.

Be  that as it may, at your suggestion, I have spoken to your PA about
a seperate meeting for the Independent Riders' Group with VicRoads and
MUARC and we will be available. It seems like duplication to us.

Since  the information about the meeting and study is public, concerns
of some that the outcomes of the project not be biased by factors that
might influence participants' behaviours such as their prior knowledge
of  the trial, seem illogical, but, the IRG isn't allowed to attend so
we won't be shown where our logic is flawed.

We wait for details of our meeting.

Thank you.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621

Tuesday, January 3, 2012, 3:37:32 PM, you wrote:

Damien,

Thanks  for  the  call  yesterday.  As I thought I indicated then, the
meeting  next  week is by invitation only. The reason for this is that
it has been specifically designed to help Monash University to develop
communication  strategies  that  ensure that participants in the study
understand  the reason and process for their participation. Obviously,
one of the concerns of researchers is that the outcomes of the project
not   be   biased   by  factors  that  might  influence  participants'
behaviours,  such  as  their  prior  knowledge  of  the trial. So this
session   is   not  intended  to  be  a  broad  communication  to  the
motorcycling public generally.

As such, I believe that more value can be achieved for you by having a
separate  briefing  that  will  allow us to discuss a broader range of
issues, should you wish to do so.

If  you  would like to do this, please contact my PA, who will be able
to set up a meeting here.

I  have  taken  the  liberty of copying my reply to Monash University.
They  are leading the project and I should emphasise that this project
is  Monash's, with VicRoads being one of a number of partners. In this
instance,  we  are running this session as part of our contribution to
the project.
regards

James Holgate
Acting Executive Director, Road Safety & Network Access
VicRoads

From:   Damien   Cognotto   OAM   <d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com>
Date:  03/01/2012  03:18  PM  Subject:
INFORMATION SESSION - JANUARY 9, 2012.
Mr James Holgate
Director
Road User Safety
VicRoads
60 Denmark Street,
Kew,  Vic.   3101.

Dear Sir,

Thank  you  for  talking  to  me yesterday about the Monash University
Accident  Research  Centre  study  to  better  understand  the factors
contributing to motorcycle crashes.

You  are  right, this research is of great interest to the majority of
motorcycle & scooter riders.

The  Independent  Riders Group has three members wanting to attend the
information session in January 9, 2012.

Can you please send us details of the time and venue and an agenda. In
order  to  make  a better contribution we would appreciate information
onthe  study itself, terms of reference, sample sizes, methodology and
so on.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders'Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621

http://www.damiencodognottooam.blogspot.com/
  

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