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

A VISIT TO A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

On 5 Sep 2017, at 8:03 pm, Heather Ellis <h.ellis@bigpond.com> wrote:

CINDY McLEISH MP
MEMBER FOR EILDON
VICTORIA

Hi Cindy,

As members of the IRG, which advocates for motorcycle road safety and riders' rights in Victoria, Cate Hughes and myself would like to meet with you to discuss the following important issues concerning motorcycle safety in Victoria. Some of these issues also directly affect motorcyclists in the Eildon electorate. 

If you are available, we would like to meet with you around 4:30pm on Thursday, 14 Sept. If this does not suit then we are available on 19/10 and 20/10 anytime after 11am. 

1. EDGE FILTERING & KERB FILTERING: Edge filtering as outlined in the National Transport Commission amendments to the Australian Road Rules.The IRG submission proposes that motorcyclists can safely filter on the left side of a highway or road, where the speed limit is 80km/h or higher, when the traffic is stationary or slow moving and it is safe to filter. This is particularly important when there is traffic congestion on freeways and motorcyclists are forced to filter in congested traffic and especially between trucks, while the edge or the road or emergency lane remains free of traffic. If emergency vehicles were using this lane, the motorcyclist will not hinder movement as they can easily move aside.

The IRG proposal is consistent with the principles of vulnerable road user traffic separation. An example where filtering on the left of a road works very well is on Phillip Island in Victoria after motor sport activities. In Queensland, riders are allowed to “edge filter” on roads marked at 90km/h or more. It is currently the only state to allow edge filtering.

The IRG also proposes that motorcyclists be allowed to filter between traffic and the kerb like cyclists do already. It also proposes that fines for lane filtering that don't meet the present road rules should be lowered and no demerit points.

2. RECYCLED PLASTIC POSTS FOR ROAD SIDE SIGNS AND WIRE ROPE BARRIERS: The use of recycled plastic sign posts to replace presently used metal posts particularly on directional signs on winding roads. Recently, many more of these directional signs have appeared on mountain roads throughout the Yarra Ranges. These are very large signs attached to metal posts on a bend. There are four to six of these signs per bend and pose a hazard to motorcyclist if a crash was to occur. A plastic post is softer, reduces impact forces flexible and thus would not cause as serious an injury on impact. The posts will also be better for the environment... and cheaper.

Originally RMIT proposed replacing WRB posts with recycled polymer posts... which would have addressed one of the major criticisms of WRB... by reducing the impact forces experienced when hitting the posts. VicRoads also decided to try replacing the more common roadside posts with a recycled polymer version, but this does not appear to be happening as with the recent installation of directional signs in  the Yarra Ranges (Myers Creek Road and Chum Creek Road).

We believe the RMIT research department for these polymer posts is in a stalemate with VicRoads. The guidelines for expenditure of the TAC motorcycle safety levy require that 1/3 of funds to be spent on research, but it appears this is being ignored. Currently a high proportion of the funds are being spent exclusively on road projects...(roads that benefit all road users), which is not addressing the identified deficit in motorcycling research despite complaints.

3. WIRE ROPE BARRIERS ON POPULAR MOTORCYCLE ROADS: IRG member Heather Ellis is an advisor on the MEAP (Motorcycle Expert Advisory Panel), which reports to the Transport Minister. Heather has raised the issue of VicRoads installing Wire Rope Barriers on the Elthan-Yarra Glen Road when VicRoads has a specific policy not to do this. 

The VicRoads policy is not to install WRBs on winding roads and on popular motorcycle roads. In this instance they failed to follow their own policy. VicRoads have advised they will review their procedures to ensure this does not happen again. 

4. MOTORCYCLE STOP LINES AT TRAFFIC LIGHT INTERSECTIONS IN METROPOLITAN AREAS: The IRG proposes that Victoria metro areas install special motorcycle forward stop lines at traffic lights so riders can filter to the front of the traffic as used in Europe. The IRG, as a member of the Motorcycles In Melbourne Committee, has proposed a stop line trial in the Melbourne CBD and this is now being rolled out at six CBD intersections as an action item in the five year Motorcycles In Melbourne plan. The contact at the City of Melbourne is Haig Poulson in Engineering. Tel: 9658 9423.

Best regards,
Heather Ellis
0425 720 193
*******************************************************************************************************
Dear Motorcycle & Scooter Riders.

Heather and Cate live in Cindy McLeish's electorate in Victoria. 

They will follow this letter up with a face-to-face meeting with Cindy to emphasise the issues facing Victorian motorcycle & scooter riders. They won't try to cover every issue in a single meeting, just those most important to them and theirs.

If two riders see their MP, it has an effect. If 200 riders see their MPs, it has 100 times the effect.

There are plenty of riders out there who bitch about this issue or that, but, they don't do anything about their issues. Do not leave it all to others. Have your say, in your words. Increase the effect. Go see your MP.

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/results

Damien
IRG