Tuesday 8 November 2011

MC INQUIRY IN REGIONAL CENTRES

This is the latest information on the inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety regional hearings on the Parliamentary Road Safety Committee website. Last updated November 2, appeared November 9, 2011.


Heather Ellis www.heather-ellis.com (no relation to Tony) makes her submission on expanding the recreational registration system to the Victorian Road Safety Committee (RSC) inquiry on October 19, 2011. The RSC from left to right: Bill Tilley MP, Telmo Languiller MP, Murray Thompson MP, Andrew Elsbury MP and Jude Perera MP.

"The Committee will also be holding hearings in regional areas, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Bairnesdale, during November and December. Details will be available shortly."

My information is that the first regional hearing is next Tuesday, November 15 in Geelong and then Bendigo on Wednesday, November 16. That is not confirmed. I have no details on times or venues.

However, I can tell you that members of the public are invited to attand.


Government Departments that did not seem to want to be construed as doing anything to encourage motorcycling made their submissions on October 17. You can read their submissions and get details on the regional hearings at:


I've said it before, I say it again, Big Brother is alive and well and has his headquarters in the nanny state.


EMAIL TO VICTORIAN MOTORCYCLE CLUBS, MAGAZINES AND WEBSITES:

The Victorian Parliamentary Road Safety Committee (RSC)Inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety has great potential for good for the motorcycle & scooter community and benefits for society as a whole. Benefits to car drivers from increased motorcycle & scooter use include less pollution, fewer traffic jams, more car parking, less costly damage to infrastructure and more.

The Victorian Auditor General's report released in February 2011 showed that the number of road registered bikes in this state had increased steadily over the last decade to 165,000 machines. Off road bike sales more than double that figure. Some 325,000 Victorians have road bike licences. Many of them are active, borrowing bikes or hiring them.

Motorcycling contributes to our economy in more ways than just paying registration fees and CTP premiums equal to an urban four-wheel drive. The industry employs Victorians and pays taxes, rents, rates and so on.  And, motorcycle & scooter riders spend money when travelling. That's not just for major events like the Phillip Island Motorcycle Grand Prix, that's every weekend. Motorcycling is less seasonal than bicycling because, among other things, of the quality of protective gear we wear.

Tourism Victoria's Bicycle Tourism Action Plan 2011 - 2015 states: 

"... The total estimated expenditure for the year ending December 2010 ... in Victoria is $362 million."

The Independent Riders' Group (IRG) ran an informal survey of riders on day trips east of Melbourne that indicates motorcycle & scooter riders taking part in recreational activities spend a lot more than $362 million a year, so motorcycle & scooter tourers and off-roaders are a significant market for regional Victoria. Tourism Victoria is developing a motorcycle & scooter action plan and the IRG has contributed to that work.

Details on the IRG informal survey are in an earlier blog.

The point is that this RSC Inquiry has real potential. Motorcycling is growing steadily and is safer than it has ever been.


This graph was part of the Victorian Motorcycle Council submission to the RSC inquiry. It was prepared by Bronwyn Sorenson and Rob Salvatore.

It's a pity that VicRoads, TAC and Police were so negative in their approach to motorcycling in Victoria. VicRoads policy not to do anything that might be construed as encouraging motorcycling seemsto be as real now as it was when it was documented in the last RSC Inquiry nearly 20 years ago.

TAC's justification for spending tens of millions on shock horror ads, discriminatory taxes and premiums is based on small-sample market research, not good science. TAC spin does not reflect real costs of bike safety safety or the value of bikes to the environment. Market research is what you do when you want to sell a biscuit in a new market.


The Police call for compulsory electronic ID devices to be fitted to all bikes for intelligence gathering and fines (and tolls) sent shock waves through the motorcycle community. See above press clipping. It's not just riders who are being targeted for "intelligence gathering". The Herald Sun, November 7 reports that police are even using public transport ticketing system to gather personal information on Victorian citizens.


It is also a pity that in spite of the interest in the RSC Inquiry in the motorcycle community and industry few stakeholders will be able to attend the public hearings in regional centres. With just a short time to go the dates, times and venues for hearings are not on the website. How do stakeholders plan for a day off work with such a short notice?

Last updated on Thursday, 06 October 2011."

The next update was on November 2. It took till November 8 to appear with no new details.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com


"Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings. ... The Committee will also be holding public hearings in regional areas, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Bairnesdale, during November and December. Details will be available shortly.

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