The Independent Riders Group made a submission on amendments to the Australian Road Rules in August 2017. Motorbike writer published an article on it.
https://motorbikewriter.com/call-kerb-filtering-lower-fines/?mc_cid=8692efdf53&mc_eid=8af2e873d3
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
MEETING AT MINH MINH
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| AUGUST 30, 2017. Independent Riders Group Members met for lunch at Minh Minh in Melbourne. 94 Victoria Street, Richmond. Tel: 03 9427 7891. L to R: Michael, me, Heather, Cate and Bernie. |
LUNCH AT CATERINA'S
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| Another great lunch at Caterina's. www.caterinas.com.au 221 Queen Street, Melbourne. L to R: Steve, Caterina, me and Elizabeth. August 29, 2017. |
Friday, 18 August 2017
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP
IF ONE PERSON DOES IT. IT HAS AN EFFECT. IF ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE DO IT. THE EFFECT IS ONE THOUSAND TIMES GREATER.
Don't sit there waiting for someone else to do it! Don't put it off till tomorrow! Contact your local MP now.
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members
Change the vic to your state or territory for your local members. Remember, they work for you.
John will contact his MP about a face to face meeting.
Damien
IRG
Don't sit there waiting for someone else to do it! Don't put it off till tomorrow! Contact your local MP now.
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members
Change the vic to your state or territory for your local members. Remember, they work for you.
Sent: Tuesday, 15 August 2017 4:34 PMDear residentRe: Victoria’s Road and Freeway System – have your sayI have spoken to many residents throughout Knox who have raised concerns about Victoria’s road and freeway system.It is essential that Victorians have access to an efficient road and freeway system that meets the needs of our community.With Victoria’s population growing at over 100,000 residents every year, it is important that the State Government is building the necessary road and freeway infrastructure that will meet the needs of our community.Unfortunately, Daniel Andrews spent over $1 Billion of taxpayers money to not build a road when he cancelled the East West Link contract.I would welcome your feedback by return email on how Victoria’s road and freeway network can be improved.As your local State MP, I will raise these concerns directly with the Andrews Government in State Parliament.RegardsNick Wakeling MPState Member for Ferntree Gully
To: Nick Wakeling
Subject: Re: Victoria’s Road and Freeway System – have your sayG'day NickFirstly I welcome your efforts to make Victorian roads accessible. But sadly they are full of unskilled drivers who make unnecessary trips in mostly large SUVs.Vicroads has an unspoken policy of NOT ENCOURAGING MOTORCYCLES and we are being swept under the carpet to be out of sight and out of mind.The TAC has placed a tax in the form of a so called safety levy. No other road user group is subjected to such a tax. It makes a mid size motorcycle as expensive to register as a large car.I have years of experience in lobbying for a fair go and safety for motorcyclists. Current and past governments have allowed Vicroads to be belligerent and ignorant towards us Yet motorcycles are a part of the solution to the traffic and congestion problems facing us today.I'd like to meet with you to discuss the government negative attitude to motorcycles.Kind regardsJohn Nelson
From: Nick Wakeling <Nick.Wakeling@parliament.vic.gov.au>
Date: 18 August 2017 at 17:00:21 AEST
To: 'John Nelson'
Subject: RE: Victoria’s Road and Freeway System – have your say
Good afternoon John,Thank you for taking the time to make me aware of your views and concerns.I have received a number of responses from the community regarding concerns about Victoria’s Road and Freeway System. I will raise these concerns in Parliament.If you have any further issue please feel free to contact me.Regards,Nick Wakeling MPState Member for Ferntree Gully
John will contact his MP about a face to face meeting.
Damien
IRG
Thursday, 17 August 2017
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
TOY RUNS
THE LAST THREE BIG, OLD SCHOOL TOY RUNS LEFT IN OZ.
NEWCASTLE
ADELAIDE
HOBART (whole state event)
Damien
IRG
Friday, 11 August 2017
TAC MEDIA BLUNDER REPEAT
The Transport Accident Commission in Victoria has been caught, again, producing an expensive media campaign that is just plain wrong.
It seems like only yesterday when TAC made that terrible TV ad on motorcycles & scooters. They got that wrong too. Consultation with users was token. The motorbike ad was withdrawn. The latest bicycle ad was too.
How could a corporation like TAC get it so wrong ... twice???
Well, these campaigns are taxpayer funded so there is little incentive to get it right there. TAC CTP insurance is a compulsory product and TAC has a monopoly.
Then there's the TAC Board. It has never, to my knowledge, filled all 9 seats. It has a high turnover so the part time board members are mostly not very experienced in TAC operations. And, the board members that attend meetings are administrators and financiers skilled at balancing books and keen on corporate image.
There's little or no road safety or transport expertise on the TAC Board.
It is time to review the way the TAC works and let the Auditor General study what TAC does with our taxes and premiums.
In my opinion TAC should concentrate more on helping crash victims and their families and less on expensive media campaigns, sponsorships and corporate image. If they must make TV ads etc., at least get it right. Victorians pay a lot of money for the TAC. They and TAC front line staff deserve a lot better.
Damien
IRG
It seems like only yesterday when TAC made that terrible TV ad on motorcycles & scooters. They got that wrong too. Consultation with users was token. The motorbike ad was withdrawn. The latest bicycle ad was too.
How could a corporation like TAC get it so wrong ... twice???
Well, these campaigns are taxpayer funded so there is little incentive to get it right there. TAC CTP insurance is a compulsory product and TAC has a monopoly.
Then there's the TAC Board. It has never, to my knowledge, filled all 9 seats. It has a high turnover so the part time board members are mostly not very experienced in TAC operations. And, the board members that attend meetings are administrators and financiers skilled at balancing books and keen on corporate image.
There's little or no road safety or transport expertise on the TAC Board.
It is time to review the way the TAC works and let the Auditor General study what TAC does with our taxes and premiums.
In my opinion TAC should concentrate more on helping crash victims and their families and less on expensive media campaigns, sponsorships and corporate image. If they must make TV ads etc., at least get it right. Victorians pay a lot of money for the TAC. They and TAC front line staff deserve a lot better.
Damien
IRG
BICYCLISTS BLAME CAR DRIVERS FOR CRASHES
BICYCLE RIDERS BLAME CAR DRIVERS for the majority of pushbike crashes.
Motorcycle & scooter riders also blame car drivers for the majority of casualty crashes. The science supports both motorcyclists and bicyclists claims about the cause of most road crashes being due to car driver error.
The difference between pushbike and motorbike riders safety claims is close to nil in on-road situations. But when Victorian motorcycle or scooter riders complain about car driver negligence or aggression we get VicPol telling the media that riders are to blame for 86% of bike crashes and the TAC putting about that motorbike riders are 34 or 36 or 41% more likely to get hurt on their bikes than drivers are in their cars.
Motorcycle & scooter riders also blame car drivers for the majority of casualty crashes. The science supports both motorcyclists and bicyclists claims about the cause of most road crashes being due to car driver error.
The difference between pushbike and motorbike riders safety claims is close to nil in on-road situations. But when Victorian motorcycle or scooter riders complain about car driver negligence or aggression we get VicPol telling the media that riders are to blame for 86% of bike crashes and the TAC putting about that motorbike riders are 34 or 36 or 41% more likely to get hurt on their bikes than drivers are in their cars.
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
DRIVING TO BE ILLEGAL?
LATELINE - ABC TV - AUGUST 9, 2017.
I admit it was late but I think I heard a Monash University Professor (first name Rob?) say that when robot cars came in driving should become illegal!
This bloke was an "ethisist". I gather that's an academic with a licence to pontificate about everything even if he/she is totally ignorant of the subject being discussed.
Personally, I resent automatic gear boxes because they remove control of the vehicle from the operator. Don't get me started on cruise control and sat nav and all the rest of the reduce-human-involvement product they want to sell us. Blokes like Rob are social engineers for hire.
His call to ban human involvement in the driving (and presumably riding) task is based on opinion and what will get on TV, NOT science. This is an opportunity to pontificate on possible gizmology, probably for a fee, that Monash, and other, academics are not shy of leaping to. Like the conclusions they leap to when telling us that wire rope barriers are good for us.
I won't be getting into a driverless car.
Anyone got a link to this segment on Lateline???
Damien
IRG
Melbourne
IRG
Melbourne
Thursday, 3 August 2017
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Not printed to August 4 2017.
CAR CRAZY is right. (H/S 28/7/2017) Melbourne is one giant smelly traffic jam.
Good on the Herald Sun for printing the ABS figures showing 500,000 more vehicles on our roads in five years. Too many cars are bad for productivity and bad for health.
The ABS figures do not show that more than half the cars on our streets are oversized 4WDs/SUVs. They don’t show that three quarters of all private cars carry just one person. They don’t show that many trips are unnecessary. This car boom is as nonsensical as the “yank tank” madness in the 1960s.
Solutions include more people walking, bicycling, riding motorcycles & scooters and travelling by tram, train or bus.
Part of these solutions must be a reform of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance premiums don't reflect the efficiency of privately owned vehicles or the space they take up. So bicycles no premium, motorbikes & scooters 20% of the current rate and cars according to size, efficiency the largest and dirtiest paying a lot more than they do now.
Damien Codognotto
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
www.facebook.com/independentridersgroup
Just an after thought. If they can find stats on which houses, where, have 4 or more cars, why can't they find out how many motorcycle & scooter riders have paid the unfair TAC tax more than once?
Damien
IRG
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