A story on motorcycles & scooters will be published in at least a
couple of Leader publications in Victoria next week, as well as online.
The proposal to extend the zero BAC period for novice riders from
one year to three still needs to be approved by the Legislative
Council (Upper House). The other changes under the GRADED
LICENCE SYSTEM (the Hi Viz vest law and the lights-on law)
are being introduced through regulations, so they do not need to
pass through Parliament.
Our elected representatives are cut out of the system by the abuse of
public service regulatory powers. Why waste tax payer dollars on
parliamentary inquiries when VICROADS/TAC can save us from ourselves?
VICROADS will expand state hi viz and protective clothing regulations
to cover ALL riders when they think they can do it quietly. The same
will happen with bike boots, gloves, jackets and pants. VICROADS wrote
to me saying the bike boots regulation was already being drafted.
These rules will spread across Australia. Riders choice of gear will be
reduced and costs greatly increased.
The Independent Riders Group has no problem with better rider training
at reasonable cost but an added $300 to get a bike licence is way too much.
That money would be better spent on safety gear.
We strongly oppose COMPULSORY protective clothing (helmets excepted)
and conspicuity laws. We strongly oppose laws and regulations that are
based on bureaucrats opinions not on real science.
There was uproar at the Mortorcycle Advisory Group on May 29, 2014
over the bad information on traffic filtering given to Minister Mulder
for the media, the conspicuity laws, the way MAG is dominated by
VICROADS and the "cleansing" of the MAG minutes.
Roads Minister Mulder only gets advice from car-driving bureaucrats
and academics who cherry pick data to suit their agenda. Their
agenda is to make it harder, if not impossible, to get a licence to
ride a motorcycle or scooter and keep it.
 |
| In Opposition Terry Mulder MP was all smiles and reasonable attitudes to riders. Minister Mulder has broken the promises he made. Victoria's 326,000 bike licence holders can no longer afford the ill-informed, weak minister. L to R: Damien Codognotto OAM, IRG; Terry Mulder Liberal MP; Michael Czajka MRA Road Safety & Research Officer. |
If your local paper does not run a motorcycle story next week, go and ask them why. The Herald Sun, The Age and Leader have all written bike stories in the last week. Channels 7, 9 & 10 ran news stories on traffic filtering and the IRG protest on May 26. And. there were bike rider interviews and talk-back on several programs on ABC radio city and country, 3AW and Gold FM.
Now is the time to see your MPs.
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members
Riders have no right to complain later if they do NOTHING now. The
next Victorian election is November 2014.
Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
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