PRO WRB LOBBYIST

Sean Lennard’s words on wire rope barrier (WRB) and motorcycle crashes sound credible but they are based on opinion. See the article in Motorbike Writer. The link is below.

Australian crash data is simply not reliable enough to say "there have only been a handful" of casualty crashes involving motorcyclists hitting WRB. 

Studying the injuries caused by collisions with various roadside objects and the three most common barrier types is close to impossible, at least in Victoria in 2017.

Apparently Mr Lennard is again Chairman of the Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC)?

It does nothing for bike safety when a well-known motorcycle lobbyist speaks out in favour of a barrier that so many riders are afraid of and that common sense tells us is a threat.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/road-safety-barriers-leave-no-margin-for-error-country-fire-captains-warn-20171226-h0a434.html?promote_channel=edmail&mbnr=MTM2NjQwMjc&eid=email%3Annn-13omn654-ret_newsl-membereng%3Annn-04%2F11%2F2013-news_am-dom-news-nnn-age-u&campaign_code=13INO008&et_bid=29109961&list_name=44_age_newsalert&instance=2017-12-26--20-33--UTC

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5141241/wire-barriers-limit-access-to-calder-fires-crashes/?cs=80

http://news.benallaensign.com.au/2017/12/27/4626/stop-wire-rope-barriers-says-ryan

https://motorbikewriter.com/wire-rope-barriers-criticised/#comment-367488

COMMENT ON SEAN LENNARD’S QUOTE IN MOTORBIKE WRITER

There is no evidence of the number of motorcycle, scooter or bicycle riders killed or injured in collisions with wire rope barriers (WRB) in Victoria because police do not routinely collect data on the type of barrier or roadside object a rider collided with. 

This fact has been documented in three Victorian Parliamentary Inquiries. That's with fatals as well as serious injury crashes. Cross referencing injuries from casualty bike crashes seems all but impossible. If it is done, it is kept very quiet. 

The 2012 Inquiry into motorcycle safety stressed the lack of reliable road safety data and recommended that a crash data research authority be set up independent of VicRoads/VicPol/TAC. That is a fact. 

We may know how many casualty crashes there are in this state each year but we do not know how many fatal and serious injury crashes involving a rider hitting a type of barrier, tree or fixed object happen because the data is not collected from crash sites. Mr Lennard's assertion that "there have only been a handful" of fatal bike crashes involving WRB has to be based on opinion and road authoritiies' spin.

Road authorities have a huge investment to protect. 

Riders are being killed and horribly injured on our roads. There is a lack of reliable information about the crashes. The Independent Riders Group leans towards safety and assumes the worst case scenario. We fight for the removal of WRB because there is no evidence to show it is safer than other types, or safer than no barrier in most situations. 

Certainly more run off areas would be preferable to WRB right next to the road for riders, drivers with a break down and our emergency services.

DAMIEN CODOGNOTTO OAM

INDEPENDENT RIDERS GROUP

MELBOURNE

MOBILE:  0419 846 855.

TRAVEL WARNING 2017/18

MAINLANDERS travelling to Tasmania on two and three wheelers should note, some 60% of the island state's road casualties are tourists. "... interstate motorcycle riders make up nearly half of all visitors seriously injured or killed on Tasmanian roads.".

Tassie is probably the best place in Australia to ride a motorcycle or scooter.

If you are riding in Tassie this summer, be aware that:

1.  the roads are subtly different to mainland roads. Take time to adjust.
2. The weather can change quickly, particularly on the west coast.
3. The car drivers behave slightly differently, often because they are international tourists with low skills, rubber necks and conditioning to be on the wrong side of the road.
4. Beware road kill. There's wildlife on the roads as well as in the pubs.

This excellent map/leaflet is available free on the ferry. Use it.

Ride safe and enjoy this very special Australian state.

Damien

IRG

 

MRA 40 YEAR LUNCH - MAY 5 2018

https://www.facebook.com/events/272064936622344/?active_tab=discussion

PARKING PROBLEM

Life would be a lot easier for all, especially Victorian riders visiting Tassie, if the island state simply adopted the same bike parking rules as Victoria. Victoria's free, unlimited footpath bike parking (provided you don't block pedestrians etc) has worked brilliantly for around 30 years.

Damien
IRG

VICROADS AWARD?!?

This award does not tell me that VicRoads is doing good things for the motorcycle & scooter community, it tells me VicRoads expensive spin doctors are doing good things for VicRoads.

Damien
IRG

The Melbourne Herald Sun. December 14, 2017.

THE FATHER BOB TOY RUN VIDEO

PORT MELBOURNE

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2017.

https://youtu.be/Z15Xtt5Ha9M

Damien
IRG

BEWARE OF BIKE BIGOTS

AS A MOTORCYCLE LOBBYIST FOR FOUR DECADES I've seen plenty of examples of prejudice and bigotry against the motorcycle & scooter community.

Some bigotry is in decisions made by road authorities.

The decision VicRoads made to spend $4 billion on wire rope barriers between 2015 and 2020 while country roads are dangerously neglected is an indirect example.

The ignorant and arrogant lights-on law (2015 GLS) requiring novice riders to have their headlights on at all times is a more direct example. The author did not know that most motorcycles & scooters on Australian roads are hard wired, probably 99% of bikes used by novice riders have their headlights permanently on. One phone call to a bike shop would have saved Dr Douglas the embarrassment.

The most direct and dangerous bike bigotry is on-road in decisions made by car drivers conditioned to say "I did not see the bike" after a collision. Road rage against motorcycle & scooter riders is real and it can be deadly.

In recent months three large "patch" clubs toured Tasmania in groups of 300 to 400. Two were 1% clubs. One was a Christian bike club.

Police spent up big on road blocks and overtime and flying officers in from Victoria and NSW. With over 1000 "bikies" riding and partying round the Island State, the papers said there were a few minor charges laid and one minor prang involving locals following one national run. I was staying in a hotel in Devonport when hundreds of bikies rolled in. I reckon it was the best behaved pub in Tassie and not a cop in sight.

Before any of you start, I know there are some very bad bastards that ride motorcycles & scooters. But not all who are called bikies are bad. Just as not all pushbike riders or car drivers or pedestrians are bad, some but not all by a long shot.

The media had plenty of police quotes on how unwelcome the bikies were in Tassie. But The Advocate surprised even me with quotes from a retired god botherer calling on people to "pray for God's destruction of these evil groups".

WHAT!?!

So when you're out there over the Christmas break, beware the bike bigots behind the wheel. They are as dangerous behind the wheel as drunks and texters and incompetents.

Ride Safe into the New Year.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
Australia

DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF. GO SEE YOUR MP!

DAVID HODGETT
OPPOSITION MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE

November 2017.

Dear Mr Hodgett.

What are your plans for motorcyclists if you become Roads Minister after the coming Victorian Elections?

Rod Brown

From: David Hodgett <David.Hodgett@parliament.vic.gov.au>
Date: 4 December 2017 at 12:08:15 pm AEDT
To: "'rod.brown72@gmail.com'" <rod.brown72@gmail.com>
Subject: FW: What is your future list plans for motorcylists, if you are elected Roads Minister in the upcoming state elections?

Dear Rodney,

Thank you for your correspondence concerning the Coalition’s support for motorcyclists.

As a holder of a full motorcycle license myself, I am firmly aware of the positive aspects and benefits that come with owning your own motorcycle as well as the benefits to the public, as you have outlined.

The Coalition believes that more can and should be done to support all motorists, including motorcyclists. Indeed, given we all pay registration fees, the government has a duty to maintain and improve our road infrastructure as well as respecting those who choose to utilise non-car modes of travel by not unfairly penalising or disadvantaging them. As an example, we have just released our policy to remove 55 of Melbourne and Geelong’s worst intersections which will result in widespread benefits for all road users across our metropolitan areas (more information can be found at http://www.getvictoriamoving.com.au/ ).

The Coalition also remains fully committed to promoting and supporting any initiatives which facilitate a reduction in our road toll, which we believe remains far too high. That being said, I concur with your assessment that we should not be unfairly singling out one particular type of road user as being responsible for the majority of road accidents. Road safety is indeed a shared responsibility between government, relevant authorities and all road users.

Regarding your specific concerns with the Motorcycle Safety Levy, I have noted these and I am happy to consider your feedback on this matter as we continue to develop our policies towards next year’s State election.

Thank you once again for your correspondence.

Yours sincerely,

David Hodgett MP

State Member for Croydon
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
Shadow Minister for Roads and Infrastructure
Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight

GO SEE YOUR OR WRITE TO YOUR MP!

www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members

Damien Codognotto OAM

AN OLD STORY - NOTHING'S CHANGED

It took over 3 months for the road authority to repair this wire rope barrier crash site. It was on a 110 kph stretch of the Hume Highway near Holbrook in southern NSW. Obviously road user safety was not a priority.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/2748721/wire-barriers-can-be-killers/?cs=11

Damien
IRG

TAC TAX SURVEY - VIC 2017

The Melbourne HERALD SUN.  November 17, 2017.

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3345137/Motorcycle-Safety-Levy-Survey

The 2012 Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety recommended the Transport Accident Commission's (TASC) Motorcycle Safety Levy (MSL), better known to riders as the TAC antibike tax, should be abolished. The TAC tax is discourages low-income riders from buying safety gear and is unfair and discriminatory.

TOY RUN FOR FATHER BOB 2017

https://youtu.be/_dQxXAD9eU0

BUS LANES IN VICTORIA

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

The Hoddle Street Bus Lane Trial in Melbourne will be allowed to continue “over the coming years”. 

This effectively puts off any decision permitting motorcycle & scooter riders to use bus lanes in Victoria for literally years. 

The trial which should have concluded in under a year has now been running more than five years. 

Bicycles were permitted to use various bus lanes without a trial of any sort.

I understand that bike crashes in or near the Hoddle Street bus lane are mostly the fault of car/truck/van drivers turning left off Hoddle Street and failing to give way. 

No blitz on drivers who fail to give way hurting riders on their way to work. No education campaign. Just bung up signs in a street so infested with signs that hardly anyone reads any of them. 

Whether or not bicycle riders were also being hit by cars/trucks/vans is not made clear in the letter. Nor was the number of serious injury crashes or fatals involving two-wheelers was not included.

Some of these crashes were when the bus lane was not operating. 

Damien

IRG

TOY RUN FOR FATHER BOB 2017

DO NOT DRINK THEN RIDE/DRIVE

BEFORE ANYONE ARCS UP, I and the IRG know drink driving/riding is wrong and dangerous. This is a question. Has Victoria gone too far with this proposed drink driving/riding law?

Will it cause more Victorians to behave illegally?

Consider this. You rely on your car/bike for work. You hold a clean licence. You have a mortgage and kids at school. Your boss offers you a beer or wine for Christmas. Just one.

On the way home you are pulled up and blow .06. That's three months without a car/bike and a heavy fine. Plus the cost of the alcohol interlock for six months, a minimum $880.

If you are going to comment please don't come up with the "if it saves one life" argument. What if one of the kids, suddenly living in poverty, gets into drugs and overdoses?

I think this law has the potential to do a lot of social damage.

Regardless, do not drink and drive/ride. If you have a drink, even if it is just one, take public transport home.

Damien

IRG

HOW CAN YOU BE APATHETIC ABOUT STOPPING CHILD ABUSE???

Bikers Against Child Abuse did have an official Chapter in Victoria but it was shut down in 2016. (Primarily due to member/supporter attrition).

There a few of the group remaining but the numbers currently do not make up the minimum required to form a temporary Chapter.

We would like to extend in invitation to any interested persons male & female who want to become part of B.A.C.A. This may be in the form of a Full Member, Supporter or Long Term Supporter. Full Membership in B.A.C.A may not be for everyone but supporters are just as much a part of the organisation and make very valued contribution. Any bike type welcome. (minimum of 650cc). 

Interested persons are invited to join us for an informal gathering to find out more about B.A.C.A, the Mission and the organisation itself.

http://australia.bacaworld.org/

TAC ANTIBIKE TAX IN VICTORIA

THE TRANSPORT ACCIDENT COMMISSION has a monopoly on compulsory third party insurance in Victoria. Hidden in the premium is a tax that TAC calls a safety levy. It's $70.40 a year on the first bike.

TAC/VicRoads don't tell you that on the bill (registration form). Getting a refund has proven difficult for riders who pay the tax on more than one bike.

The TAC tax is largely unspent, earning a return for the Government. What is spent, is often spent on projects that benefit all road users.

Here's some information from the Independent Riders Group facebook page.

TAC states: "The levy is incorporated into the TAC Charge for motorcycles with an engine capacity of 126cc or above, and is passed onto VicRoads to administer the project funding. Currently the levy is $70.40 as it is automatically indexed by inflation (CPI) on 1 July each year.
The levy is paid just once by each motorcycle owner, any additional motorcycles you own will be exempt from the levy."

To apply for a refund, go to VicRoads here & download .pdf Refund Form.

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/.../cancel-registration...

The refund cheque will be mailed to the address that you have recorded with VicRoads within 4 weeks.

The 2012 Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle safety recommended this discriminatory tax be abolished but TAC/VicRoads continues with this hidden rip off.

Damien
IRG

HELMET CAMERAS IN VICTORIA???

WHATEVER HAPPENED to the helmet camera issue in Victoria?

Max was riding to act as a volunteer marshal when he was pulled up by VicPol. Everything OK. He's a safe rider with a good record. But he had a camera on his helmet. The officer decided this made his helmet non standard and booked him for not wearing an approved hat.

This is one of the ways statistics get distorted and riders get to resent police.

Max decided to fight this injustice and Maurice Blackburn took the case.

Instead of withdrawing the ticket, VicPol Command prosecuted this heinous crime with vigour.

The Magistrate saw the cops' point of view.

The issue was raised at the Motorcycle Expert Advisory Panel (MEAP) at VicRoads, or VMAC as it was known previously, then we heard no more.

An Independent Riders Group member asked what had happened with the helmet camera law so I wrote to the Victorian Police Minister to find out.

I'll let you know when I get a reply.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne

COURT CASES CAN MAKE ROADS SAFER

IN THE EARLY 1980s, the Victorian RTA (now VicRoads) put yellow concrete bricks along tram trackS to stop cars from delaying trams. They were dangerous. Tripping pedestrians, unseating riders and coming loose in traffic. The RTA later used a plastic version which was almost as bad.

The long campaign against the bricks included demonstrating on TV how the bricks came loose. I was charged with interfering with a traffic control device. The cops raided Channel 9 for the footage of me interfering with the bricks. I appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court. The prosecution failed miserably. 

So the MRA took the RTA to court on behalf of Victorian motorcyclists. We lost on a technicality. There were no class actions in those days so the MRA did not have ”standing”, BUT, we proved the bricks were dangerous.

If a person was injured in a crash involving yellow bricks they might win a case for damages against road authorities. Councils across the State pulled the bricks out or stopped replacing them. The RTA did likewise.

The case, though lost, had a big effect. It was positive for the motorcycle community. The high-profile case contributed to many gains for riders over the next 15 years. The RTA policy against rider training was defeated and Honda introduced HART. We got free unlimited footpath parking. Riders were exempt from road tolls. We got an agreement to keep compulsory third party insurance below that for cars. We wrote the terms of reference for the Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle safety in the early 1990s. The Motorcycle Safety Forum was established. It would become VMAC then MAG then MEAP.

There was more but it was whittled away by quislings who thought motorcycling had outgrown confrontation. Confronting people who mean you harm is the right thing to do.

In 2017 transport/infrastructure bureaucrats have been locked up for 6 years each for taking bribes. Between 2015 and 2020 VicRoads will spend $4 billion on wire rope barrier. Someone is making a lot of money.

We know WRB is dangerous for ALL road users. We need another court case. The quislings who say fighting WRB is a lost cause or they wouldn’t use it if it was dangerous or it’s safe for the majority are wrong.

They told us leaded petrol was good because it made engines run smooth. People selling lead made heaps. When the damage lead did to young brains was discovered the salesmen tried to discredit the science. Cigarettes were good. Plastic bags were good. Asbestos was good. Even air bags in cars were there to save you not kill you. These things and more were promoted by people making money out of them until the shit hit the very public fan. 

WRB is not good. We need a court case.

Damien

IRG

THE COST OF RIDING A MOTORCYCLE OR SCOOTER IN TOWN

PETER RYAN says the cost of registering and insuring a motorcycle or scooter for commuting is too high. I agree but it's still a lot cheaper for a family than running two cars.

Box Hill is a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria. I registered and insured (TAC) a GS 500 Suzuki twin worth $5000 in Box Hill in 2016.

My V7 Guzzi cost more but that bike was for pleasure, not for commuting.

The costs for the Suzuki were:

VicRoads registration fee - $56.90. Transport Accident Commission compulsory third party insurance - $402.00. The CPT premium is misleading. It includes $36.55 GST (???) and hidden in the small print, "a charge for motorcycle safety initiatives" which we are told is $70 a year (???), in 2016. I can't make the sums work but the total cost to stay legal was $499.10.

It's all a bit confusing. Some say there's a tax on a tax in there. The Victorian Government all-party Road Safety Committee recommended the $70 TAC tax be abolished in 2012 which would have made the total $429.50. But that recommendation has been ignored so far.

I had comprehensive insurance too. The premium was $264.00. The insurer gave me the full no claim bonus (NCB) something TAC with its' monopoly on a compulsory product does not do. I get the irrits with that. Why should I pay the same premium, after nearly 50 years of no claim riding & driving, as a 25 year old who has had a major claim?

Anyway, the Suzuki was both reliable and cheap to run. It was light on tyres and I could get up to 300 kilometres from a full tank. Then there was parking. Parking a car for a day in Melbourne can cost up to $100. Most park & ride facilities in the suburbs are full of cars by 7 am. Parking the bike was free in almost all situations and usually close to my destination.

So I reckon the right motorcycle or scooter instead of a second car makes very good sense. The bonus for most people is, riding is fun.

Damien
IRG

CONGESTION TAX FOR SYDNEY & MELBOURNE 2

http://www.beginnerbiker.com/2017/02/bike-affected-london-emissions-charges/#.WdWz-1uCyUk

CONGESTION TAX FOR SYDNEY & MELBOURNE?

WIRE ROPE BARRIER CRASHES ON U TUBE

This is Dash Cam Owners Fb page

https://www.facebook.com/pg/DashCamOwnersAustralia/videos/?ref=page_internal

This is their website 

http://www.dashcamownersaus.com.au/blog/videos/

These are wire rope barrier related YouTube clips 

https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=CAISAhABUBQ%253D&q=wire+rope+barriers

DAMIEN
IRG

TWO CROOKED BUREAUCRATS

TWO CROOKED BUREAUCRATS got six years each in the slammer for pocketing more than $3,500,000.

This tax payer funded pair worked a con so selected companies got big buck contracts from the Transport and Infrastructure departments in Victoria. The selected companies paid the slimy pair kickbacks for the contracts. These two got caught but this scam raises some very serious questions.

Of the hundreds of thousands of public servants across Australia, how many more are on the game?

How much of our money is spent on inferior, even dangerous product, because some overpaid public servants are corrupt? We have dangerously neglected rural roads in Victoria but VicRoads will spend $4 billion over five years on wire rope barriers.

How do illegal kickbacks effect the decision making process when it comes to road building and road maintenance?

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne

INVITATION TO RIDE TO THE NEWCASTLE TOY RUN 2017

BIG JOHN'S NEWCASTLE TOY RUN NUMBER 40!

That makes this TOY RUN the oldest and the biggest TOY RUN in OZ. Big John OAM organised his first TOY RUN in 1978. The same year the Melbourne Motorcycle Riders Association TOY RUN began. The organisers of the two events did not know about each other back then.

TOY RUN spread across the country. In 2017 there are only three big, traditional TOY RUNS left - Hobart, Adelaide and Newcastle. In 2016, 5000 bikes attended the Hobart event, 6000 bikes went on the Adelaide TOY RUN and a monumental 12,000 machines turned out in Newcastle.

Riders from all over OZ are invited to the 40th NEWCASTLE TOY RUN. Southerners are invited to experience/enjoy some of the best motorcycle roads on the planet by heading north on a feeder run to Newcastle.

VIC-TAS-NSW FEEDER RUN TO THE OLDEST & LARGEST TOY RUN IN AUSTRALIA

4 day weekend option: Friday, December 1 - Monday, December 4.

7 day-fun riding week:  Friday, December 1 - Thursday, December 8.

OR join the run where ever/when ever suits!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – Make your own way to Wodonga/Albury for overnight stay*

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1. 

BP North Albury – From M31 Hume Highway take Thurgoona Drive exit towards Jindera/Thurgoona, then 1st right to enter rear of service centre car park. 8.00am Arrive. 8.15am ride briefing. 8.30am depart.

Caltex Tarcutta – 10.15am depart.

BP Cootamundra – 11.30am depart.

BP Cowra – Lunch stop - 2pm depart.

BP Bathurst – 3.15 arrive – overnight stay*.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2. 

BP Raglan (A32 Great Western Hwy) . 8.00am arrive. 8.15am ride briefing. 8.30am depart.

Bikes & Buds Kandos – Museum - 11.15am depart.

Bylong General Store – Lunch – 1.00pm depart.

Shell Denman – 2.15pm depart.

Caltex Greta – 3.00pm arrive – overnight stay**.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3. 

Caltex Rutherford (138 New England Hwy) 7.45am arrive. 8.00am ride briefing. 8.15am depart for Ballast Park Stockton. 

40th Anniversary Newcastle 'Bikers for Kids' Toy Run

*Overnight accommodation: details on request or make your own arrangements.
**2 nights accommodation for riders continuing on via Putty Rd, Windsor, Bowral to Nowra, Bombala, Eden, Cann River, Cooma, Khancoban, Tumbarumba, Jingellic, Tallangatta and Wodonga. 

Depart Monday, December 4.  Arrive Wodonga Thursday, Decemebr 7 night.

- MUST be comfortable with extended touring ie 335 to 470km days on some excellent twisty roads!
- MUST have fuel range to 250km; 98 fuel not available at all stops some routes; carry 5lt container if in doubt.
- Support vehicle towing motorcycle trailer for breakdowns only; must be able to carry own personal gear including tent &/or swag/bedding, as vehicle will be carrying camp kitchen, esky's, food & toy run stuff.
- Please advise preference for accommodation and/or camping asap; Maitland-Newcastle area limited already.
# One able bodied passenger needed with own gear for option to ride pillion into TOY RUN on Sunday (1 hour return trip & 1/2 hour on Run); need to be available for whole week, to assist loading break downs on to trailer if required.
- All ride at own risk; observe road rules, ride safely and courteously within group.  There will be a tail rider each stage; will be shared if no volunteers.
 
Info: 0412 049 504 or email: independentridersgroup@iinet.net.au

https://www.facebook.com/events/1526337230756496/?acontext=%7B"source"%3A5%2C"page_id_source"%3A1755287724699749%2C"action_history"%3A[%7B"surface"%3A"page"%2C"mechanism"%3A"main_list"%2C"extra_data"%3A"%7B%5C"page_id%5C"%3A1755287724699749%2C%5C"tour_id%5C"%3Anull%7D"%7D]%2C"has_source"%3Atrue%7D

TOY RUN FOR FATHER BOB

THE TOY RUN FOR FATHER BOB IS ON AGAIN IN MELBOURNE IN 2017.

TOY RUN for FATHER BOB AM 

Sunday, December 10, 2017.

11am - 2pm
1-11 Wharf Road, Port Melbourne

The Father Bob Maguire Foundation feeds & supports many homeless people and families facing financial hardship. 

Donations of NEW non fluffy toys, non-perishable food (cans with ring pulls), long life milk, toiletries, NEW clothes, clean blankets (New or 2nd hand) and cash are needed. 

Outer Melbourne ride assembly points are needed so regional riders to join the fun - please advise if you are able to lead a group on the TOY RUN and nominate an appropriate meeting place. 

ToyRun4FrBob@iinet.net.au
Prizes awarded for best decorated motorcycle, sidecar, scooter & trike; and to best dressed male & female riders. 
Everybody welcome.
We have rides coming in from Healesville-Yarra Valley, and Tallarook-Epping. 


* Need riders to bring other feeder runs in from south, south east, south west & west.

* Cranbourne riders - if anyone can help out - 2 pillions needing ride into Toy Run this year.
Please advise if you can assist - ToyRun4FrBob@iinet.net.au or 0412 049 504.

* Volunteer Marshals needed on day; any licensed Traffic Controllers most welcome!

* A medium rigid truck, preferably with roof/curtains, needed for stage.

* Expressions of interest from bands welcome.

* Toy Run for Fr Bob t-shirts available $30 for S, M, L, XL & $35 for 2XL, 3XL, 4XL & 5XL

Contact: 

ToyRun4FrBob@iinet.net.au  

Mobile: 0412 049 504.

https://www.facebook.com/events/114530219259711/?acontext=%7B"source"%3A5%2C"page_id_source"%3A1755287724699749%2C"action_history"%3A[%7B"surface"%3A"page"%2C"mechanism"%3A"main_list"%2C"extra_data"%3A"%7B%5C"page_id%5C"%3A1755287724699749%2C%5C"tour_id%5C"%3Anull%7D"%7D]%2C"has_source"%3Atrue%7D

RIDER AT FAULT???

VALE BARBARA MAGGS OAM

BARBARA MAGGS OAM and Tony Jenner ran the Cranbourne TOY RUN for decades. They were a formidable team in the Victorian Motorcycle Community.

Barbara was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her work in motorcycling. She also earned an Honourary Life Membership in the original Motorcycle Riders Association.

BARBARA MAGGS OAM front and centre with Santa May. Standing (L to R) Tony Jenner, Fr Bob McGuire and Rod Brown.  October 2014.

Barbara's son Dale just rang me. It makes me very sad to have to inform you that Barbara Maggs passed away last night. Her going is a terrible loss to our community.

Sincere sympathy to Tony, Dale and all Barabar's loved ones.

Damien Codognotto OAM

BEWARE THE GOR

https://www.facebook.com/groups/808459792533247/permalink/1520959781283241/

MANY HAPPY RETURNS TO FATHER BOB.

MUCH LOVED MELBOURNE PRIEST FATHER BOB McGUIRE TURNS 83 TODAY!

September 14, 2017.

Send Father Bob a birthday greeting.

info@fatherbobsfoundation.com.au or info@fatherbobs.com

Father Bob at the 2016 TOY RUN in Melbourne.

Damien
IRG

IS VICROADS IN ID?

MOTORCYCLES NOT INCLUDED ... AGAIN!

MELBOURNE WILL HAVE ANOTHER MEGA-BUCK TRANSPORT EXPERIMENT.

Melbourne Uni's Professor Sarvi said.

"This will enable us to see the whole picture - trams, buses, cars, freight, cyclists and infrastructure."

If this is as it appears to be in the newspaper, motorcycle & scooter riders are outside the "whole picture" yet again.

Damien
IRG

CAMERAS = REVENUE + ?

54% OF RESPONDENTS TO THIS VIC SURVEY THINK ROAD CAMERAS DO MORE THAN JUST MAKE MONEY. BUT WHAT?

In our system, road cameras and road repairs are in two different cash flows. One works. One does not. 

Cameras certainly generate revenue and that revenue is used for stuff. What stuff is a bit fuzzy but we can be fairly sure it does not go to road repairs. More cameras maybe.

Our taxes from sources other than speed cameras, go to keeping our roads in tip top condition. But they don't. If you look when driving, a new concept for some drivers, you can see that a lot of money is being spent on a few show roads while way too many roads are neglected and dangerous.

When someone crashes on a neglected road, authorities immediatel-y blame the victim and call for changes to driver/rider behaviour. This diverts attention from the road authorities neglect and creates a plausible excuse for more cameras and show roads. 

Police crash investigations are often inadequate and police opinions too often taken as fact by Coroners and Courts. Loved ones are often too shattered to fight for justice and hold the road authority to account. Speed and drugs do contribute to crashes but so do neglected roads.

If the two cash flows were not different and these huge amounts of money used efficiently to keep Victorian roads in safe condition and justice was done for crash victims, fewer people would die or be horribly injured on our neglected roads.

Speed and drugs do contribute to our road toll but so do pot holes, broken edges, road debris, damaged/inappropriate signage and barriers of the wrong type, in the wrong place.

Australian roads would be a safer place for our families if more road authorities were held to account in front of objective Judges with impartial, expert advisors.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders Group 
Melbourne

FREEWAY WHAT?

WHAT DO YOU CALL A MOCK UP OF AN IMPROBABLE ROCK IN AN IMPOSSIBLE COLLISION WITH AN UN LIKELY POWER PYLON?

Art? Doubtful. The artistic value of "freeway art" is generally less than the value of good graffiti.

If I was an accountant, which I'm not, I'd say this "art" was a way to wash off corporate profit so to pay less tax in Australia. These multi-national companies have not demonstrated to me that they are remotely interested in real art.

Nor are they concerned with road safety. You need only look at the box steel posts they used in the wire rope barriers on Melbourne's Eastlink to know that.

And "freeway art" can only be distraction to drivers on toll roads. Driver distraction was identified and documented in the 2006 Victorian Parliamenary Inquiry into road safety. Of course the data on distracted driver crashes on toll roads is simply not collected so they can safely say there is no evidence to suggest "freeway art" may distract drivers and cause crashes.

And, they do not appear to be interested in giving their customers a fair deal by ensuring good traffic flow. They toll motorcycles & scooters which they shouldn't.

And, they care little for Victorians paying higher prices for goods and services. They charge tradies and commercial vehicles tolls that would make Mad Dog Morgan sigh with pleasure.

Toll companies' reason for being is to make profit. They sell trips on their roads making money out of Australian drivers who pay for a quicker trip but often get a bumper to bumper crawl. But, the toll company won't refund drivers for a slow trip let alone pay the repairs after a nose to tail smash which their overcrowded toll roads contribute to.

Profit is what it's about. A bit goes to local shareholders but most goes overseas. None is used to keep other Victorian roads safe.

If Victorians owned the toll roads then drivers' money that goes overseas could be used to keep all Victorian road users safer. But we don't own the toll roads and our money will continue to leave our country ensuring corporate profits continue.

You can tell the system is working well in their favour every time you spot a new dollop of corporate crap like Iconoclast next to our toll roads.

Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne