CITY OF MELBOURNE ELECTION 4

Tuesday, October 9, 2012, 4:27:08 PM, you wrote:

Hi Damien,

Good to hear from you.

I have discussed your questions with the team and have provided our
responses below.

As usual, not all are straightforward answers.

As  a  Councillor for the last 3 years and 10 months, sometimes, it is
not  easy  to  get  everything  done  as there are so many groups with
cross-interests.

Best regards
Ken Ong
Councillor candidate
Gary Singer-John So - Melbourne Living

From: Damien Cognotto OAM [mailto:d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com]
Sent: Sunday, 7 October 2012 11:55 AM
To: ken@futurekidschildcare.com.au
Subject: CoM ELECTIONS 2012

GARY SINGER - JOHN SO MELBOURNE LIVING

Dear Candidates.

My family votes in the City of Melbourne elections.

Motorcycle & scooter (PTW) riders who own city businesses and property
vote in these elections.

Tens  of  thousands  of  people  commute  by  PTW to the CBD and inner
suburbs   each   working   day.  Many  more  visit  to  shop  and  for
entertainment.  This  number has doubled in a decade and will continue
to  grow as people seek to avoid the problems generated by Melbourne's
chronic traffic congestion.

If elected, will you:

1.   seek to establish & promote more centre-of-the-road PTW parking?

                  - Yes in suitable locations

2.  seek  to  establish  &  promote  more  off-street PTW parking with
lockers for protective clothing as a road safety measure?

                  - As above

3. lobby park & ride facility operators to provide secure, lit parking
for PTWs as a link to public transport, particularly in outer suburbs?
You can park 6 to 10 PTWs in a single car space.

                  - Yes, will advocate and lobby for this

4.  lobby  the  Ambulance  Service  and  MFB to use more PTWs to lower
response  times,  reduce traffic disruption and cut costs? A full-size
ambulance  or fire truck responding to a false alarm or minor incident
in  the  city  disrupts  traffic.  The  majority of emergency calls in
Melbourne are false alarms or minor incidents.

                  - Ambulance and MFB decision - they may have their
                    own OH&S regulations.

5.  lobby  for  more  and  continuing  enforcement of in-car offences,
particularly mobile phone offences. This would benefit pedestrians and
bicyclists too.

                  - Yes

6.  support  and  promote the 110 anniversary celebration of the world
famous PTW precinct in Elizabeth Street? The first motorcycle shop was
opened near the GPO by the Milledge Brothers in 1903.

                   - Yes

7.   support PTW safety promotion like a RIDE TO WORK DAY for PTWs?

                   - Yes

8.  lobby for PTWs to be permitted to use bus lanes as done interstate
and overseas? A trial in Hoddle Street was due to end in June 2012 but
seems to have slipped into limbo.

                   - If VicRoads can agree.

9. lobby VicRoads to permit and encourage traffic filtering by PTWs as
they do with bicyclists.

                   - Yes if no safety issues

The  Independent Riders' Group would very much appreciate your answers to
these  9  questions so we can inform riders who vote in the coming CoM
elections.

Attached is some background information.

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

d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com