Cycling in Melbourne Australia
Whats the deal with Bike Victoria?
Hello from Sydney,
Sorry about this but i'm a bit of an outsider looking in.
Up here we get a fair bit of publicity on behalf of Bike Victoria, i occasionally read and hear about them saying a lot of stuff, often even speaking on behalf of NSW advocates.
They cop a fair bit of criticism up here, mainly about their support of vulnerable road users (cyclists) getting penalised as much as motorists (non vulnerable road users) for flirting with the road rules. I often get the feeling that the general cycling public up here percieves Bicycle Victoria as a non pro cycling institution.
Somebody on Sydney Cyclist made a comment that got me wondering...
"Bicycle Victoria is partly funded by the Victorian govt and has become a govt mouthpiece.
What is the point of having a cyclist organisation then?"
Thought i'd hear it straight from the horses mouth.
Is what this person said true?
What do the cyclists of Victoria think about this?
Sorry about this but i'm a bit of an outsider looking in.
Up here we get a fair bit of publicity on behalf of Bike Victoria, i occasionally read and hear about them saying a lot of stuff, often even speaking on behalf of NSW advocates.
They cop a fair bit of criticism up here, mainly about their support of vulnerable road users (cyclists) getting penalised as much as motorists (non vulnerable road users) for flirting with the road rules. I often get the feeling that the general cycling public up here percieves Bicycle Victoria as a non pro cycling institution.
Somebody on Sydney Cyclist made a comment that got me wondering...
"Bicycle Victoria is partly funded by the Victorian govt and has become a govt mouthpiece.
What is the point of having a cyclist organisation then?"
Thought i'd hear it straight from the horses mouth.
Is what this person said true?
What do the cyclists of Victoria think about this?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on -
More people cycling more often is good if it's pursued in the spirit of replacing car journeys. Much of what I've seen lately is about cycling as a recreational activity (not in the sport sense, but in the sense of something to do on the weekend) rather than a valid transport mode, and the expression of ideas that cyclists wearing a certain type of clothing are less than those wearing normal clothing.
There is no point getting more people cycling for the Saturday papers and a latte if the infrastructure built for this impacts on those trying to cycle to work every day. Things like cycle lanes between footpath and parked cars, and public statements in favour of one type of cyclist over another, might bring new people to cycling, but it leaves the long-term stalwarts, the cyclists who built the movement, feeling abandonned and devalued.
A pro-cycling peak body should be campaigning for better policing (in the form of taking action when witnessing aggression against vulnerable road users by armoured road users), for laws which fit cycling rather than forcing cycling to fit laws designed for motoring and for better road maintenance.
Supporting the devehicularisation of cycling is the death of cycling as the future of a better city.
If you're ever worried about your safety in traffic, remember this. No matter how much a motorist may dislike you being on the road, and provided you're riding sensibly, fear of punishment and love of their car will keep you safer than any cycleway. I know this from 35 years of experience of cycling in traffic and on cycleways in Launceston, Hobart and Melbourne - and Melbourne is safer than either Tasmanian city, simply because most roads are wider and drivers are more driver tolerant.
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Permalink Reply by irideredthebike on -
I too am particularly concerned by the 'people who wear cycling specific clothing are marginalising cycling' nonsense. Building on your theme, it disappointingly reflects an attitude that getting lots of new people cycling is the best way to achieve the 'more people cycling, more often goal'. I don't believe this is the case if the new cyclists are put off every time it rains or is cold or dark - 'normal' clothing isn't very good in these situations. I also don't want to be regarded as an oddity because I choose to put on a pair of knicks, pull out the road bike and take the long way to work.
An attitude of 'I will never wear lycra or hi-vis' is likely to curtail an individuals uptake of cycling in the long run rather than foster it. Criticising keen and enthusiastic cyclists based on what they wear, as opposed to how the behave/ride, is alos likely to curtail their involvement in cycling.
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Permalink Reply by rich14 on
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"If you're ever worried about your safety in traffic, remember this. No matter how much a motorist may dislike you being on the road, and provided you're riding sensibly, fear of punishment and love of their car will keep you safer than any cycleway."
Absolutely agree with this. I have been very lucky, 99% of motorists have not only been law abiding, but also coutious on the roads to me. :)
On the previous comment - I guess I straddle both the cafe latte and the commuter - BV got me into cycling on ride to work day, now I aim to do 3 days a week (but also weekend rides).
I'd ike to tour Tassie - looks like I'll need to be extra cafeful if it ever happens
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Permalink Reply by Steve Jay on
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Touring Tassy extra caution? Only around Hobart's northern suburbs (a bit like Dandenong on steroids) and narrow main strips in and around the CBD. Touring out on the open road tends to be much more accepted, but the roads are a bit narrow and the log trucks are frequent, however, they tend to use their CBs to let other truckies know to watch out.
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Permalink Reply by Neil on -
Not too much traffic to worry about at all, out in Tassie's beautiful backblocks...
but there's always another long, relentless hill.
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Permalink Reply by harrowagenda21 on -
The London Cycling Campaign supports and nurtures its Borough Groups effectively. BV in VIC does not. I wait in anticipation to see if the new Chair can at least bring him or herself to admit a major constituency, the commuters and the inner city types battling bogan motorists and bad transport infrastructure every day, are largely unloved by BV and need support.
http://www.melbournecyclist.com/forum/topics/news-harry-barber-resi...?
The protest they did about the loss of the State cycling budget in mid '12 is a start. When is the last time they ever organised a protest against the government before that?
Coming from London I find it a truly extraordinary state of affairs. LCC have been organising massive protests (eg over deaths on Waterloo Bridge and The Elephant), intervening effectively in the metropolitan authority planning process, and keeping commuters and leisure cyclists onside. It is not difficult. Drop "health promotion", which is ridiculous and came in in early 2012 as the entire rationale of the organisation, and actually represent the people who buy membership and are on the streets every day.
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Permalink Reply by LongLoad on -
I hadn't read the "measurably grow the bike riding world" bit before. I believe this has become their main focus, the count memberships, and participation in "their" events.
In my opinion BV have become focused on running rides for a select group of riders while excluding others. Rather than encouraging other groups, they set up events in direct competition with them. Their advocacy is limited to what they perceive to be politically advantageous and hapily take credit for others' work.
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Permalink Reply by irideredthebike on
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I have been thinking a fair bit about 'What is the deal with Bicycle Victoria?". So much so, that I nominated for their 2010 Board Election. If any of you still have a BV membership, I would be keen to here what you see the deal as being.
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Permalink Reply by Cory on -
Well done Sam!
So... what's yr deal? What would you like to see BV doing?
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Permalink Reply by irideredthebike on
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My interest in and views about cycling are numerous, but I think there are two areas that I potentially differ from other candidates:
1/ The role of Bicycle Victoria as the peak representative organisation: It has been noted and elsewhere that BV's role as a representative organisation can be less than stellar. However, this may not be because it is doing a bad job. BV very clearly articulates that it is a cycling promotion organisation - 'more people cycling, more often' - and not primarily a cyclist representation organisation. While its aspiration may be to be the former, it does occupy the place of the latter in a de facto way be that through media perception, government engagement or otherwise. I think there is a good argument for Bicylce Victoria to accept the role of being a cyclist representative organisation or making a very deliberate effort to vacate that space - by making it clear to VicRoads and the media that they should not be consulted as a cyclist representative organisation - to make way for another organisation to fill that role. I am somewhat agnostic about which option would be preferable.
2/ The role of Bicycle Victoria as event organiser: BV organises many great events, but so do many other organisations (Audax, SuperSprint, CycleSport Victoria). The question that I would like to test with BV as a board member is whether BV should run these events on a perpetual basis or simply develop them to a point where they can be taken over by somebody else on a commercial basis or to support a particular charity. This is particularly important if BV is seen to be in competition with these other organisers, more so if it enjoys an advantage by being a cyclists represenative organisation.
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Permalink Reply by weg on -
Very interesting to hear from a candidate Sam.
Some organisations spend a lot of communications time becoming the go-to people for media comment, so it would be a shame to see BV vacate that place without an alternative in place. I'd prefer to see BV visibly advocating for us, rather than articulating a moderate view to a conservative government due to a moderate board capable of imagining only moderate change. The cosy relationship with government may fill the coffers and massage some egos but it doesn't put cycling issues on the public radar.
I doubt you'll see BV relinquish the big events; they account for a big proportion of its funds. Also, it ceased to be a cycling promotion organisation at last year's AGM. It is now a health promotion organisation.
BV has some good people and bucketloads of money. It just seems a shame that with those resources, we don't get a stronger voice.
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Permalink Reply by irideredthebike on
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Thanks Weg
It seems that there is a reasonably strong expectation/demand that BV do more as a cycling promotion organisation.
I agree that they are unlikely to relinquish the big events, but I would like to think that they are at least very concious of their impact on other events in planning them, particularly new events.
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