BICYCLES IN MELBOURNE

SCAMWATCH

SCAMMERS have been a hazard since man put a value on anything. They lurk on the internet as well as in real life. If you want to do something to reduce the number of scams online, report them to Scamwatch.

www.scamwatch.gov.au

Damien
IRG

RIPPON LEA BIKE SHOW

https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/rippon-lea-house-and-gardens/

COMPULSORY THIRD PART INSURANCE

https://motorbikewriter.com/rider-ctp-premiums-may-drop/

DUCATI DOWN - PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN

TAC TAX FoI REQUEST CONFIRMED (VIC)

THE RACV & BICYCLES

ST KILDA MOTORBIKE BAN

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/st-kilda-motorcycle-footpath-parking-ban-put-in-place-by-port-phillip-council/news-story/ed39ec4e47731946896cc70810045b15

“This is the thin edge of the wedge. Since the state government quietly changed the motorcycle footpath parking law some time ago bans have been showing up here and there. St Kilda is a high profile suburb so other municipalities will take note. It says to me, when there is an anti motorbike culture in a government department riders have to strongly oppose it or they will be discriminated against. Softly, softly only works with your friends.”

Damien

IRG

Melbourne

ST KILDA MC FOOTPATH PARKING

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/Forms/Question_to_council.asp

Item 8.3 Motorcycle Parking Trial in St Kilda

URGENT MESSAGE. Please pass this on, share it, twitter it whatever. Sorry about the short notice.

I just had word from John Eacott at the Victorian Motorcycle Council about the motorcycle & scooter footpath parking bans in St Kilda (Vic). There is an important meeting tonight, Wednesday, May 17.

I'm told a City of Port Phillip survey on footpath parking had 188 responses. 144 of them did not support the bans.

The CoPP engineer Stefan Mitrik will disregard the survey and speak to make the bike bans permanent.

The Independent Riders Group asks any rider who can make it, to go and sit in the public gallery. John Eacott VMC will speak against the bans.

If this move succeeds not only will more CoPP bike bans come in, it will encourage other city councils to introduce bans.

If you don't want unnecessary footpath parking bans in St Kilda and elsewhere, do something about it. Don't get angry after it's all over. Get there tonight and support John Eacott TONIGHT from 6.30 pm at the St Kilda Town Hall.

https://motorbikewriter.com/call-footpath-parking-support/

DAMIEN

IRG

TAC FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Yesterday afternoon, May 16, I had a call from at Transport Accident Commission rep to let me know they had the FoI request for information on the TAC antibike tax they call a safety levy. This FoI request is limited to the 2014/15 financial year.

The call was unnecessary. We knew the FoI request was made. The information requested is readily available, or should be. It should be a simple accounting task to find and print the figures. These are public figures or should be. There are no privacy or commercial in confidence concerns.

The TAC is a Victorian Government owned, taxpayer funded organisation with a monopoly on a compulsory product - compulsory third party insurance.

The rep was very nice about it. She tried to tell me That the numbers were on the TAC & VicRoads websites. I said we wanted the FoI request data on paper.

I pointed out that we had been asking for information on the TAC tax for years. She said they would get onto it and deliver within 45 days. She said 45 days several times which I think may have been playing for time.

I said 2016 had been a horrible year for motorcycle & scooter riders with a terrible, abnormal spike in deaths and injuries. When the bike toll was lower in the first part of 2017 TAC told the media that the improvement was because its’ policies were working. An outrageous claim on a couple of months data.

If TAC/VicRoads/VicPol policies were working the 2016 spike would not have happened.

I said that the claim of policy success was the last straw and there were formal complaints to the ACCC and the Financial Services Ombudsman, about the way TAC/VicRoads bills riders for the tax, the lack of information/education about the tax and the difficulty riders had getting refunds for overpayments.

The 2012 Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety recommended the TAC anti bike tax be abolished. The TAC tax is a disincentive for riders on low incomes to buy quality safety gear.

Damien
IRG

Melbourne

COPS ON DIRT BIKES IN VIC

DRIVERS' ATTITUDE TO BICYCLES IN MELBOURNE

THE MELBOURNE HERALD SUN has surveyed car drivers on their attitudes to bicycle riders on our roads. As usual, motorcycle & scooter riders were not considered.

QUESTIONS ON THE ANTI BIKE TAX IN VICTORIA

FOR  MONTHS the Independent Riders Group (IRG) has been trying to get some answers to questions about the Transport Accident Commission's (TAC) anti bike tax or "safety levy". Last week we lodged a Freedom of Information request on the information we seek.

It turned out Minister Donnellan's office was wrong to send us to the Finance Minister Robin Scott so this letter went back to Mr Donnellan who is the Minister responsible for TAC. The Chairman of the TAC Board then hand balled the questions to the TAC CEO in March. Six to eight weeks later (May 14) still no answers to our legitimate questions.

This is public information and it should be a simple accounting matter. The information is there and it's not secret so why the delaying tactics?

Damien
IRG

BICYCLE RULES?

AN OVERTAKING RULE FOR MOTORCYCLES, SCOOTERS AND CARS when passing pushbikes is being considered by the parliament in Victoria. Leave a metre gap.

In Tasmania they make powered road users to leave a metre and a half gap.

On some country roads this obliges drivers to slow to bicycle speeds and wait or cross double lines onto the wrong side of the road setting up head-on crash situations.

If you have an opinion on this, text it to the Herald Sun.

Damien
IRG

ANOTHER RIDER HIT BY A CAR

Hi Damien.

This was a Freedom Rider.
 
Rick Dale tragically taken before his time. A top rider & great human. We rode around Tassie last month. 

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/motorbike-rider-dies-after-lilydale-crash/news-story/f93595f5816e830c26d1c8a2f93c3ba3

Dale Maggs
Freedom Riders

OUT OF CONTACT EXPLANATION

I CHANGED COMPUTERS and the blog locked me out for some reason. But it's sorted now so I will be writing the blog three or four times a week from now on. That's the plan anyway.

Here's something from 1976.

http://www.mcnews.com.au/1976-australian-tt-laverton/