Bicycle Politics

[mikesbytes]

Having not found the thread that Stuart put up, I've put this thread up for some healthy debate.

Respect the views of others and discuss the points.

BNSW request for info from the parties. They have responses from the greens and the coalition
http://community.bicyclensw.org.au/foru ... respond-to

Apparently Family First have a poster denouncing bike paths as impacting local business, I had a look on their NSW and national web sites and can't find any policies on bicycles
1. NSW -> http://www.nsw-familyfirst.org.au/policies.htm. There is a policy on rail in the southwest and that's it for transport
2. National -> http://www.familyfirst.org.au/Policies.htm. The only transport policy I can see is a reduction of fuel tax. It's directly above the policy for the enviornment.

Labour has described its transport policy
http://www.nswalp.com/policies/transport/
Quote: The NSW BikePlan builds on our Metropolitan Transport Plan’s $158 million commitment to deliver cycling infrastructure

[timyone]

does it really matter around here? In marrickville its Labour, and eventually Greens at the moment. Think what you like about which ever party being the best, but its a bit of a two horse race.

[mikesbytes]

Yeh it becomes a bit of a no contest in safe seats. Some have suggested that if your in a safe seat you should vote for whoever isn't going to get in, so to marginalise the seat, as the polies take more notice of marginal areas and pump $$$ into them

[Eleri]

It matters who you vote for in the upper house because it is the house of review. And it's not clear who will have the majority there and whether anyone will hold the balance of power. With a likely conservative government, then a Legislative Council where they don't have the majority could place an important restraint on power and provide a genuine place of review.

Also - your vote in the lower house matters because: a) who you choose first sends an important message to all parties - you can register a very effective protest and use your preference for who you hope will win; and b) your first vote has an economic impact on the party you vote for because they get election funding and this doesn't transfer to your second choice.

[Stuart]

Marrickville IS marginal already. In 2007 first preference votes the ALP got 19,683, Greens 13,735 and The Tories 5,305. After final preference distribution it was ALP 21,073 (57.48%) and Greens 15,588 (42.52%) but it will be much closer than that this time, you can be assured. Remember that NSW State elections are optional preferential, so you can just vote 1 if you want - in 2007 5,539 votes from a total of 42,000 were "exhausted" meaning that they didn't flow to a different candidate - this is a large amount.

Also, EMT has some very good points re voting and sending a message.

[mikesbytes]

How do I vote if I'm in Goulburn on the day?

How to Vote against mandatory helmet laws
The author uses the following page as justification from the Product Safety Australia web site
Bicycle helmet injuries

[mikesbytes]

Checking out thePolicies of the Shooters and Fishers Party (NSW) there is no reference to cycling, the only reference is to the use of 4WD and horses in public parks.

I even searched the forum, but no reference to bicycles anywhere, so I guess there will be no changes to existing policies on the carrying of guns and fishing rods on bicycles.

[Eleri]

[quote="mikesbytes"]How do I vote if I'm in Goulburn on the day?

Either vote before hand http://votensw.info/early_voting/pre-poll or turn up at a booth in Goulburn and do an absentee vote.

[jimmy]

Mike, you should be able to absentee vote at any booth in the state. If you are going to be out of the state, you will need to do a postal vote before the day.

Also, at the State Level, it isn't mandatory to mark all of the boxes on the Legislative Assembly, you only have to provide an initial preference.

Also, watch out for this little gem from the CDP (Christian Democratic Party of Australia), one of their policies in relation to the "Islamification of Australia"

• Where there are security reasons all face-coverings banned in public places (eg - full burqas, cycle helmets, etc)

So yet another reason not to give Fred Nile your vote.

James

[mikesbytes]

So no wearing my aero helmet when I walk into banks I guess

[Karzie]

Maybe the girls could get a dispensation from wearing helmets if they wear a hijab. They look pretty cool as cycle wear.

[mikesbytes]

You'll never get them wearing horizontal strips

[Karzie]

New York police confiscated bicycles along Barack Obama’s motorcade route out of fear that pipe bombs might be placed inside the bikes.
hahaha... It was Earth Day.

[mikesbytes]

No Parking Meters Party

You would think with a name like that, they would have an integrated transport policy, but they don't even have policy's on their web page.

They are putting forward 18 candidates, so they could end up holding the balance of power

[weiyun]

No Parking Meters Party
You would think with a name like that, they would have an integrated transport policy, but they don't even have policy's on their web page.

Nay, it's dead obvious what they stand for, no separate policy speech required.

Parking meters take up value room and is a standing danger to iPod listening pedestrians and kerb jumping cyclists. Must get rid of them!

[christian]

I hate paying for parking, I'll vote for them.

[mikesbytes]

The fishing fans will have to choose between the Shooters & Fishing Party and the Fishing Party

http://www.thefishingparty.info

Reading their pages they are seriously concerned about the Greens. However they are deeply concerned about damage to the marine environment, not too dissimilar to how the Greens think.

There is even a reference to cycling, though no reference to how to ride with a fishing pole.

http://www.thefishingparty.info/uploads ... __2005.doc

[timyone]

did every one in Marrickville get that letter from the lady that was in the history department of Marrickville for 40 years, but left because the new greens members (well some one green) had made life so bad for the workers, and gotten rid of what had been built up as a nice history department or what ever?

[Stuart]

did every one in Marrickville get that letter from the lady that was in the history department of Marrickville for 40 years, but left because the new greens members (well some one green) had made life so bad for the workers, and gotten rid of what had been built up as a nice history department or what ever?

I'd say that this could be interpreted as slanderous crap, but you never know. Was she in the library or at Council? I'd be interested in what she says and especially who she is ...

[Karzie]

Stuart,

Hahaha, sounds like a stunt to me. Those Greens will stop at nothing to prevent trees being turned into decent library books for our children's children!

Hand delivered to all of Marrickville? That's one resourceful old lady!

[utopia]

fyi
Labor has also since replied to the BNSW survey.
http://www.bicyclensw.org.au/content/election-special

In addition, probably as a BNSW initiative, local BUGs have also been sending questionnaires to candidates
For the Bankstown/Canterbury area. 3 replies out of 18 were received.
2 replies were from the Greens and one from an ALP candidate.

It's probably fair to summarise that both the Green Candidates are aware of cycling and the need to invest (significantly) more funds to cycling infrastructure. Both candidates also answered no to the question of registration of cyclists

The ALP candidate has tempered replies that cycling infrastructure yes, but not at the expense of 'road rage' or any inconvenience to motorists. In this reply; registration of cyclist was also supported.

edit: if you want the full questionnaires, pm me an email address.

[timyone]

well that was an informative first post Utopia
Do you ride a bike in a bugg group?

[utopia]

Thanks timyone.
Actually, no. I joined my BUG in my area (Bike South West inc) specifically for advocacy purposes.

[mikesbytes]

Thanks timyone.
Actually, no. I joined my BUG in my area (Bike South West inc) specifically for advocacy purposes.

I take that to mean you are a cyclist and joined BSW to assist the council with advice on improving the suitability of cycling in your area

http://www.bikesouthwest.org.au/advocacy.htm

I have cycled thru the Bankstown, Bass Hill area perhaps 20 times;
Chatswood -> Bass Hill
Marrickville -> Bass Hill
I've never seen a local cyclist on any of those journeys in the Bankstown area.

[utopia]

I assume your journeys would be to get to Dunc Gray Velodrome. Personally I've not been out that way myself, the odd driving along Canterbury Road / Hume Highway tells me these are not the best places to risk a ride.
The lack of riders, to me, shows that there is lack of safe cycling infrastructure and also a "safety in numbers" issues. All more more reason why investment in cycling infrastructure is sorely required. "build it and they will come"
fyi , there is a Bike Around Bankstown event on 7th May Mirambeena Regional Park off Henry Lawson Drive http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Bike-ar ... fault.aspx.

I got 200+ signatures (timed during the Gear Up Girl ride) to petition for the widening of that horrible underpass under the Canterbury Road that forms part of the Cooks River cycleway, but it's a hard , slow slog to get council engaged, things done.
You would think with 2 velodromes between Bankstown and Canterbury, and the Cooks River cycleway running through it, there would be more cycling activists in the area.

[timyone]

we race on the veldrome, most of our focus is on getting faster and drinking coffee, not much time for activism the riders i know that are more active in that way are more likely to be commuting through newtown (coincidental, but true)

[Miguel]

we race on the veldrome, most of our focus is on getting faster and drinking coffee, not much time for activism the riders i know that are more active in that way are more likely to be commuting through newtown (coincidental, but true)

Good on you Tim that is the good old way, "if it doesn't afect me, is not my problem" with that view cycling is got a long way to go

[timyone]

im just saying im not a member of mass bugg etc, do you attend all the rally's Miguel? I do the online voting etc, but dont attend every thing in person, as i already race 2-3 times a week, and train 6-12 times a week, going to rally's instead of training makes it harder to train, and i think ive had training on at all the times that there has been things on etc. But good work with all the stuff that your doing Miguel that im not, towards cycling Miguel, i take my hat off to you. (i'm more active in other things non cycling though, that i feel are more important in the long run)

[timyone]

Stuart,

Hahaha, sounds like a stunt to me. Those Greens will stop at nothing to prevent trees being turned into decent library books for our children's children!

Hand delivered to all of Marrickville? That's one resourceful old lady!

yeah i was wondering the same.. nah it was on the side of the labour party!

umm id have to scan the letter for you Stuart, Im not that resourceful!


ok i filled in all 301 boxes (if there was more than that than im guessing most of my numbers if not all are invallid?) focussing on the names of people that i liked, with no pre thought out plan for who i would vote for any more than putting the people i dont like last I meant to put Pauline last but missed a section, so she was only in the 280's

[utopia]

we race on the veldrome, most of our focus is on getting faster and drinking coffee,

Good coffee sounds good to me too.

But back to bike politics, even an odd email or so focusing on cycling , infrastructure will jolt your MP / future candidates in your area.
As far as I know the Greens have committed to fighting for a 5% of the road budget to cycling.

Anyway the voting is all done - may the best party win... and hopefully improvements to cycling safety.

[weiyun]

As far as I know the Greens have committed to fighting for a 5% of the road budget to cycling.

If the Greens can hold the balance of power in the upper house, then it'd be interesting to see if they can leverage the govt on these promises. It'll be interesting to see how much of it are practical executables.

[mikesbytes]

I assume your journeys would be to get to Dunc Gray Velodrome. Personally I've not been out that way myself, the odd driving along Canterbury Road / Hume Highway tells me these are not the best places to risk a ride.
The lack of riders, to me, shows that there is lack of safe cycling infrastructure and also a "safety in numbers" issues. All more more reason why investment in cycling infrastructure is sorely required. "build it and they will come"
fyi , there is a Bike Around Bankstown event on 7th May Mirambeena Regional Park off Henry Lawson Drive http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/Bike-ar ... fault.aspx.

I got 200+ signatures (timed during the Gear Up Girl ride) to petition for the widening of that horrible underpass under the Canterbury Road that forms part of the Cooks River cycleway, but it's a hard , slow slog to get council engaged, things done.
You would think with 2 velodromes between Bankstown and Canterbury, and the Cooks River cycleway running through it, there would be more cycling activists in the area.

There's some excellent back roads running north to south in and around Bass Hill, I'm sure you have built the advisory bike maps in your area. I wish the roads that I rode in Bass Hill (Chatswood to Dunc Grey) also existed on the lower north shore.

[timyone]

ok.. so the greens didnt make it in in Marrickville? im surprised about that. So theres a seat of Heffron! cool.
Umm is all that blue a good thing for any thing on the state map?

[mikesbytes]

So when do the bike paths get ripped up?

[weiyun]

All cyclists will now ride on regular road lanes!

[T-Bone]

All cyclists will now ride on regular road lanes!

I already do.

[Toff]

I already do.

Yep. Mee too. The only way to ride fast!

This morning I recalled an incident that happened to me riding through Chatswood about 15 years ago. A car full of kids sped past. The driver must have just passed his driving test and been given his Ps. As the kids drove past one of them shouted out "Get a car!" in a derisive tone implying that I was somehow too poor to afford one, or too young to get a licence, or perhaps too stupid to pass the licence test. I remember the air of superiority in his voice as he sped off with his car full of mates, and I chuckled to myself that I owned two prestige European cars as well as four bicycles. I hoped to catch up to the car at the lights to explain that I rode a bike out of choice not out of necessity, but the P-platers were long gone, as is often the case with young drivers when first given access to a car.

As cyclists, we still face a number of hurdles when dealing with non cyclists, but one thing has changed. We cannot be ignored or dismissed like we were once. Some motorists may still have distain for cyclists, but it's not because cyclists are insignificant anymore. Now the argument from motorists is that we break the road rules, or we don't pay to use the roads, or we interfere with perceived traffic flow. All of these arguments recognise that there are cyclists on the road. Whether you think it's for good or bad, everyone has noticed that we are there!

These day's I actually wonder whether cyclists are now the ones with the air of superiority. Who hasn't taken the moral high ground when arguing with those "polluting, anti-social, toxic gas producing, resource burning, planet destroying" motorists? I often think how easy it would be as I pedal past carloads of stationary commuters trapped in their gridlocked steel cages to whisper into each open window... "Get a bike!" before riding away into the sunset on my way home.

[Karzie]

I often think how easy it would be as I pedal past carloads of stationary commuters trapped in their gridlocked steel cages to whisper into each open window... "Get a bike!" before riding away into the sunset on my way home.

I'll make a point of doing this on a regular basis I think, Toff. Smashing idea!

[williamd]

Karzie said
I'll make a point of doing this on a regular basis.
Lets do it , do it .
If any one is interested in buying a good road bike I saw a near new cannondale 56cm with campagnolo record groupset and mavic kysrium wheels with computer and pedals going for only $1,500.