NSW: Sydney City motorcycle strategy passes

From the MCC list. Now write to your local council and ask when they
will be adopting it...
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The Sydney City Motorcycle and Scooter Strategy was passed by Council
last night

Well done to all riders who have assisted this proces

This has been a long process for the MCC of NSW, with initial efforts
dating back to 2003. In late 2004, after lobbying by the MCC of NSW,
the City of Sydney hired Liz DeRome to conduct consultation with riders
in an effort to deal with issues under the "Road Safety" heading. At a
public consultation meeting in 2005, arranged by Delegates of the MCC,
issues such as parking and security were raised. (Thanks here to John
Littler of Ausmoto) (in fact, the issues raised are remarkably similar
to the Strategy passed last night)

With no provision for motorcycles as a separate class of road user,
the "road safety" focus was too narrow and the "road user amenity"
issues failed to proceed, although road safety initiatives did.

Continued lobbying by the MCC of NSW attempted to raise the parking
issues to the level of "Transport Policy". This was a difficult period,
requiring a considerable amount of contact time with both political
and administration arms of the City of Sydney ( Particular thanks here
to Simon Disney of Hawkesbury-Nepean and Clinton Hayes of BAPMUG for
tireless and high quality work)

To their credit, administration management of the SCC saw the failure
to include motorcycles as a "gap" in their overall Transport Policy and
started the arduous process of creating a transport policy that actively
included motorcycles . This was clearly at odds with NSW State Transport
planning, which regards motorcycles as "vehicles", where motorcycles
are treated simply as "small cars", with no provision for the specific
safety or amenity needs of this class of transport. Pressures against
this process usually come from administrative inertia, resisting ANY
change, but also from bicycle and pedestrian lobbies who tend to be
narrow in their view and see motorcycles and scooters as "competitors"
for road space.

The SCC saw the need to provide Transport Planning that was inclusive
and could regulate a balance between all modes of Transport.

The Sydney City Council hired Peter Thoeming, a well known motorcycle
magazine editor to compile issues and prepare a draft motorcycle and
scooter policy.

The City of Sydney has shown independent thinking, rather than caving-in
to big political party dogma or noisy pressure groups. This process of
reason is to be applauded.

The City of Sydney is the FIRST jurisdiction in Australia to create a
Transport Policy that specifically includes motorcycles and scooters.
In debate, some councillors used the interesting terminology of "active
positive discrimination" to counter what they saw as "traditional negative
discrimination" in relation to motorcycles.

The Policy has become more useful as a result of the public consultation
process. Sure, it ain't perfect, but it will vastly improve life for
motorcycle riders and provides a base or foundation upon which future
improvements may be built.

The Policy passed unanimously

We congratulate the City of Sydney on this initiative.

On this page,
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/MeetingsAndCommittees/2008/default.asp

see the link to the Planning Development and Transport Committee at
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Council/MeetingsAndCommittees/2008/Committees/201008/planning.asp
OR http://tinyurl.com/5rrkmg

On this page is the "post exhibition report" and attachments detailing
the consultation comments

Riders, we have reached the first step in equity. Celebrate.

We are all road users and we all share the road.

State governments have yet to wake up to this, but the biggest local
Council in Australia has done so.

Guy Stanford Chairman Motorcycle Council of NSW 0417 661 827

Zebee

 

Great news!!

Though realistically, how long till we see the changes?

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:22:20 GMT

I believe they will start to be rolled out in Nov.

They'll be announced in various places, when I hear I'll post to
aus.moto.

Zebee