Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Mate,

Just recieved the text of the e-mail you sent me yesterday - the points about the tolls - from someone else with a header about sending this on to everyone you know.

This will not help your cause. I will probably recieve many of these and Chris' e-mail address will recieve more of them. Members will just delete these and the Minister's you are trying to see will recognise you guys as the ones blocking their inboxes.

Spamming Ministers and MPs in the hope that one will listen is not going to work. It's a desperate tactic which you should only use once everything else has failed just to annoy them.

Strongly suggest you get your mates to stop this and move in a more diplomatic direction. I can help you organise meetings with the Ministers and petitions. Meeting with Costa shouldn't be too hard, Della will be harder but not impossible.

Just so you know, we get about 50-60 spam e-mails per day from interest groups, nutters, extremists and companies trying to sell us stuff. They are all deleted. Yours is an important issue and I wouldn't like to see it simply dismissed.

Sorry to sound harsh but it's better to stop it before it starts that do damage.

Cheers,

Tim

cowprint wrote:whoever it was that said dont do the roadblock thing I agree with, its pretty much a waste of time in sydney, we have the highest road rage in the country why antagonise sydney drivers they are agro enough as it is, does anyone seriously think that doing this silly roadblock thing will make drivers think yeah look at those bikers they have so much to go thru paying tolls, its a silly idea as they or most would just think bloody bikers shouldnt be on the road, and we are at enough risk as it is with both our roads condition and the tunnel visioned drivers,I could mention a few examples that I personally know of of cage rage against a biker that would support this.
I drive and ride most days and even i get annoyed in the traffic seeing bikes do what Id like to be doing, lane splitting, we have enough of a bad image already without making it worse. there has got to be a better way of showing that bikes are more friendlier to roads, maybe and I hate to suggest this an approach should maybe be made to an environmental group as we all know, its those annoying flag waving lobby groups with minimal members that get the most publicity and get things done, look what the anti smoking lobby has accomplished.
we should be looking more to the positives then the negatives, sure I get pissed off that I have to pay the same toll for my bike as I do for my work ute but pissing people off isnt going to change anything.
and if Ive offended anyone saying its a stupid idea look at what happened in vic, what was it 40 bikes showed up, is it really going to do anything? had i have not saw something about it on this forum i wouldntve know about it.
rant over
back to our normal program.....

Steve
ZZR250 & Cage

Motorcycles and Toll Roads

The short story is below.


Motorcycles in Sydney are charged the same rate of toll as a car.

Brisbane is the only city where motorcycles are tolled at a lower rate
than cars. (40% and 50%)

Sydney riders lost their toll rate of 25% of the car rate on August 31
1992. Tolls rose for cars from 20 cents to $2 and there was lots of
shouting. The motorcyclists' plea got lost in the shouting. But its
back again now!

Why give over govt. roads to private contractors?
Here is the Federal govt view
http://www.dotars.gov.au/transprog/govt_links/ppp.aspx
Yes, there are good reasons to do this and the way in which it is done
is slowly changing. However, we have the present situation and for
motorcyclists, it stinks!

Lack of a separate classification for motorcycles at Federal and State
levels means that motorcycles have been invisible to transport
planning. Contracts for toll roads have failed to include a provision
for motorcycles.

We can argue that the failure to include motorcycles is a simple
oversight that needs correction. Simplistically, this means getting
the toll level corrected. Then we have the additional problem of
motorcycle specific cashless tolling technology that allows riders to
enjoy use of the toll roads with the same facility as other vehicles.
Car type E-tags simply don't work on most motorcycles.

Neither issue has been addressed from a government policy perspective.
It is always an afterthought.

This oversight makes motorcycle riders feel they are being ignored.
There is ample evidence to show that is true. Motorcycles receive very
little in terms of road safety. The poor safety record for motorcycles
in Australia reflects lack of inclusion in planning and expenditure.
Motorcycle parking is very limited, again from a failure to include
motorcycles in transport planning.

It is infuriating to riders to find themselves being blamed for the
problems and being asked to pay "administrative fees" because a
motorcycle does not fit their planning model.

These problems were not made by the motorcyclists.
They all emerge from a failure of public policy to include motorcycles.

In Victoria, the problem was recognised after representation by
motorcycle activists through the MRA and it was agreed to allow riders
to go free, as the appropriate technology did not exist to toll riders.

Now we have toll road operators claiming to have appropriate
technology, yet it is to cost riders extra in "administration fees".
This is gouging, to charge riders for failing to use inappropriate and
unsafe technology. Riders did not create this problem and should not
pay toll road administration fees. It is the toll road operators
problem or a government policy problem.

Below is a list of Australian toll roads and the websites of the
operators.

Cross City Tunnel http://www.crosscitymotorway.com.au/

M2 Northwest http://www.hillsmotorway.com.au/

M4 West http://www.m4motorway.com.au/

M5 South West http://www.m5motorway.com.au/home/

Harbour Bridge & Tunnel
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/trafficinform ... index.html

Eastern Disributor http://www.easterndistributor.com/

M7 Orbital http://www.westlinkm7.com.au/

Queensland Logan and Gateway http://www.qldmotorways.com.au/

Melbourne Citilink http://www.citylink.com.au/

In NSW, a bicycle is a vehicle for the purposes of the Motor Traffic
Act and should be charged a toll. But bicycles are not tolled at all.
Also, a bicycle should pay for parking, as again, it is defined as a
vehicle. The vehicle classification is very broad and inconsistently
applied. Good heavens above, more failures in transport planning.

THE SHORT STORY.............................

We want the NSW government policy to ensure:-

(1) RETURN MOTORCYCLE TOLL RATE TO 25% OF CAR TOLL RATE
(2) NO "ADMINISTRATION" FEES FOR MOTORCYCLISTS

Should reason fail the RTA and Transport Minister, a protest will be
required, to spoil the opening with bad press directed to government
failures in transport planning.

This would be supported by a mass media campaign from MCC of NSW.

We would need masses of bikes to do this properly, or not do it at
all. Keep Sunday June 12 clear, advise your club. It would be a "slow
ride"

Decision to be taken on Monday night at next MCC meeting
http://www.mccofnsw.org.au/


Guy
MCC of NSW

gray_rm wrote:Folk,
I think it's too late to arrange any sort of protest:
----------------------------------excerpt-------------------
Taking a toll: e-tag armbands for motorcyclists
By Malcolm Brown
June 4, 2005

frozzie wrote:What time zone is this guy in? We're only the 3rd of June.

mike-s wrote:Sounds like time to relocate my rego sticker.

Honestly i dont like the chances though, as the goverment seems pretty heads-up-arse-n-fuck-the-lot-of-ya on a lot of issues, not just this one.

gray_rm wrote:

frozzie wrote:What time zone is this guy in? We're only the 3rd of June.

A friend of a friend forwarded some advance press copy... will verify as soon as I can.