Sundays Age

[ProfTournesol]

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 08 Aug 2005 19:51:55 +1000
dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> If we push a message like ¨See we do pay rego and by using the bike
> instead we are freeing up more space for YOU ¨ It could work and counter
> one of the average schmucks most dearly held (and stupid) beliefs.

So.. is beach rd the place?

When should the protest happen, and how will you get people out there?

Do commuters *have* bike racks? Or are the bods who have bike racks the
ones who drive their bikes to the recreational grounds?

Perhaps start by talking to commuters. Everyone make it a point to talk
to commuters you haven't talked to before. WOuld they take part? Can
they - do they have a bike rack? Would they be willing to stuff the
bike in the car with the wheel hanging out?

What will they get? Are you wanting more government funding, if so for
what? Or is this to get to drivers "look, more room for you if we are
on bikes"? If so, how will that message get through,and what's a good
soundbite to put on stickers? "If I was on my bicycle, you'd be home
sooner"?

Zebee

hey Zebee
keep it up. You're on a roll here

 

[flyingdutch]

One thing I've learned with motorcycle advocacy is that if you are
planning a protest, you need to plan it.

Who are you trying to talk to, and what is the message? What do you
want from it? Think hard about that message. Is this about beach rd?
About commuters? About bicycle safety? get that message nailed down
and focus on communicating it.

How many do you think you can get? People will only do something if it
doesn't inconvenience them. Sad but true... most riders aren't
interested in advocacy and protest, they just want to get on with their
lives. So you have to make it sound fun and that it will actually do
something. No one wants to be associated with failure, so what it's
about has to be clear, and it has to sound like it will work and have
results.

Get your publicity worked out. Who will be your front, who will be
speaking to the reporters? They will grab someone to talk to, make sure
it's the one you want them to grab. Have a contact for them. Have a
press release for them that describes what is going on and why, has a
bunch of useful facts they can use - numbers, money spent, and so on.
The more work you do for them so they don't have to hunt this stuff up
themselves, the more likely they are to use that work and print what you
give them. Think about how to give them good TV, that's what makes or
breaks one of these things. Good pics will give you coverage on all
channels.

have a blurb for your protestors. It should give them the soundbytes
for the ride so if a reporter asks them, the reporter gets the party
line back. The protesters need to know in advance the start point and
how to get there, the route, the end point and what to do at the end -
do they park, do they go back, do they disperse, is there a party
afterwards, do they take the bikes off the car and return on bikes?
(that could help the commuter message, but the parking could be a right
*******)

What is the message you want people to take away? is it that all these
people would be in cars if they weren't hooning on Beach Rd? is it that
they do pay rego? Is it that cars take up a lot of room? Pick a main
message and push that, have other ones if you want, but don't try and do
too many things at once.

Do you want to link this to commuters, if so how will you do it?

How many people will you get? how many will you need to make good TV?
How many will you need to impress reporters with numbers? What numbers
do you give them?

How will people who aren't part of the protest know what you are on
about? A banner? Printed flyers handed out?

Get together and brainstorm. Start with the message you want to get
across, get a good soundbyte for that, plan the format the protest will
take, think about how you are going to get those cars in and out, and
think of all the things that could go wrong so you can deal with them
before they happen.

Otherwise you get a damp squib of a protest, the way some of the
motorcycle protests have embarassed their organisers.

Zebee

ZeeBee, Zee-man! (or wo-man. apologies cant distinguish and wanting to conform to the PC world we live in...)

great points. you a melb-bod?
Goat, 6+pm this Friday...

 

[rooman]

Goat, 6+pm this Friday...

'll make sure the work is suppessed and be there with thirst and constructive destructs....

possible brainstorm outline... ( feel free to modify, add, delete, toss...but its a start)

Date: hmmmmm open on that , what is significant coming up...think about it and lets look at the most likely day/date, garnered to impact , probably a Sat am but could be a week day or afternoon/morining too, providing sufficient numbers get aboard..( even pre a CM...not a suggestion, but a discussion point...

Assembly Point: suggest somewhere in Albert Park, to roll onto Esplanade Beach Road, cars can mass with bikes on roof, and signs and posters assembled safely and for max organisational effect.

Route: hmmmm should include CBD, Parlt, Beach Road, To say Black Rock Tower, or even Mordy and loop the Roundabout and return up Beach to Ackland St, Chapel Street, and Smith Streets...(take about three hours at 20 kph (approx 60k +-)

Groups to Invite... all BUGs, all peak Bodies must know, all bike shops be visited and given quantity of brochures, as many BRs around get personally visited several times and TOLD in their interests to forgoe one ride to be involved ( North Road, Brumbies, BP Rides, BR, Hellish, CMassers,SSers, BMXers, MTB groups, coaching squads, Track riders, schools and parents groups with strong riding focus...IT IS FOR EVERY ONE....PLUS all the COMMUTERS on the road every day...I'll stand at lights and crossings giving them leaflets leading up to it.....who else, anyone...anyone...
All the ride to work groups and Corp groups...BV has this data...lets see how supportive they can really be it they put their minds to it)


Media and Press: this can be the best ally or the worst enemy...so special planning in closed session (I Dr..k , I G..t)

.....and more things that can be thought of 'tween now and then.....

woo hoo bring it on!

 

[cfsmtb]

Groups to Invite... all BUGs, all peak Bodies must know, all bike shops be visited and given quantity of brochures, as many BRs around get personally visited several times and TOLD in their interests to forgoe one ride to be involved ( North Road, Brumbies, BP Rides, BR, Hellish, CMassers,SSers, BMXers, MTB groups, coaching squads, Track riders, schools and parents groups with strong riding focus...IT IS FOR EVERY ONE....PLUS all the COMMUTERS on the road every day...I'll stand at lights and crossings giving them leaflets leading up to it.....who else, anyone...anyone...
All the ride to work groups and Corp groups...BV has this data...lets see how supportive they can really be it they put their minds to it)


Media and Press: this can be the best ally or the worst enemy...so special planning in closed session (I Dr..k , I G..t)

.....and more things that can be thought of 'tween now and then.....

woo hoo bring it on!

Also refer to comment here:
http://cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?p=2145178#post2145178

(the Liberty can possibly fit 4, or 6 with a BMX or Brompton)

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 8 Aug 2005 22:18:11 +1000
flyingdutch <[email protected]> wrote:
> ZeeBee, Zee-man! (or wo-man. apologies cant distinguish and wanting to
> conform to the PC world we live in...)
>
> great points. you a melb-bod?

Nope, I am currently domiciled in Sydney. (Can't call it living...)

Zebee

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 08 Aug 2005 21:49:44 +1000
dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> DaveB wrote:
>> I've thought about attaching the bike to the back of my FJ when I've
>> needed to get to triathlons. The weight wouldn't be a problem but I'm a
>> bit concerned about what would happen if I tried to lane split.
>
> If you figure a solution lemme know.

Remove both wheels, frame sits upright behind you, strapped to the
gearsack rack, wheels strapped the otherside of the rack.

It can take some wiggling to get the handlebars seating right so nothing
sticks out too far, and you don't damage the deraillieurs, but it can be
done!

Else you make a rack that hangs off the left side of the bike, so the
pushbike frame is along the left side, handlebars in the air behind your
head. a few bits of ally strap rivetted together to make the rack and
hang it off the pannier rack should do.

Of course if you have one of those modern type motorcycles with too much
plastic it might be more difficult....

Zebee

 

[flyingdutch]

Nope, I am currently domiciled in Sydney. (Can't call it living...)

Zebee

my condolenses(sp?)

 

[dave]

flyingdutch wrote:
> Zebee Johnstone Wrote:
>
>>Nope, I am currently domiciled in Sydney. (Can't call it living...)
>>
>>Zebee
>
>
> my condolenses(sp?)
>
>

Closer than lismore. But my mate Helen tells me the cycling is good in
lismore.

So will you be coming down for this then?

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Tue, 09 Aug 2005 07:38:32 +1000
dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> Closer than lismore. But my mate Helen tells me the cycling is good in
> lismore.

Something has to be...

>
> So will you be coming down for this then?

No, I am not enough of a cyclist to want to protest in another city and
state with different problems. I'd not even go down to Melbourne for a
motorcycling protest, and I am a much more committed motorcyclist than I
am a cyclist.

I haven't been able to commute to work for some years, and I don't cycle
for recreation, I ride my motorcycle for that. When work moves house at
the end of next year I might get back on a pushbike, probably a
recumbent, it will depend on whether the follow through with the
facilities.

Zebee

--
Zebee Johnstone ([email protected]), proud holder of
aus.motorcycles Poser Permit #1.
"Motorcycles are like peanuts... who can stop at just one?"

 

[dave]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Tue, 09 Aug 2005 07:38:32 +1000
> dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Closer than lismore. But my mate Helen tells me the cycling is good in
>>lismore.
>
>
> Something has to be...
>
>
>>So will you be coming down for this then?
>
>
> No, I am not enough of a cyclist to want to protest in another city and
> state with different problems.
I think most of the problems are the same.

I'd not even go down to Melbourne for a
> motorcycling protest, and I am a much more committed motorcyclist than I
> am a cyclist.
Thanks for the tips on carying pushy tho. I had actually got that far
in the past. Was hoping for a stroke of genius. BUt yeah that all
works.

Not nearly as commited a motorcyclist these days. Love me old kat tho.

>
> I haven't been able to commute to work for some years, and I don't cycle
> for recreation, I ride my motorcycle for that. When work moves house at
> the end of next year I might get back on a pushbike, probably a
> recumbent, it will depend on whether the follow through with the
> facilities.
the? They? who?

Good luck with it.

>
> Zebee
>

 

[dave]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Tue, 09 Aug 2005 07:38:32 +1000
> dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Closer than lismore. But my mate Helen tells me the cycling is good in
>>lismore.
>
>
> Something has to be...
>
>
>>So will you be coming down for this then?
>
>
> No, I am not enough of a cyclist to want to protest in another city and
> state with different problems.
I think most of the problems are the same.

I'd not even go down to Melbourne for a
> motorcycling protest, and I am a much more committed motorcyclist than I
> am a cyclist.
Thanks for the tips on carying pushy tho. I had actually got that far
in the past. Was hoping for a stroke of genius. BUt yeah that all
works.

Not nearly as commited a motorcyclist these days. Love me old kat tho.

>
> I haven't been able to commute to work for some years, and I don't cycle
> for recreation, I ride my motorcycle for that. When work moves house at
> the end of next year I might get back on a pushbike, probably a
> recumbent, it will depend on whether the follow through with the
> facilities.
the? They? who?

Good luck with it.

>
> Zebee
>

 

[Shane Stanley]

In article <[email protected]>,
dave <[email protected]> wrote:

> People have beaten obstucting traffic charges before. In one instance
> for doing 69 kph in the right hand lane of the freeway if I recollect
> corectly.
>
> Pretty sure that anytime I am in the right hand lane I am not doing 40
> kph less than the posted limit.
>
> Hard for the magistrate to go past the (I was going as fast as I deemed
> safe for the conditions.) safety arguament

I dunno. If two friends in cars were to travel side-by-side at the same
slow speed for a distance, for example, I suspect the case might be
different.

Could a magistrate conclude that cyclists in a bunch, knowing that they
travel more slowly, are "unreasonably" obstructing traffic if they
deliberately occupy multiple lanes, knowing this makes it impossible for
other vehicles to pass?

--
Shane Stanley

 

[Random Data]

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 20:45:07 +1000, dave wrote:

> Pretty sure that anytime I am in the right hand lane I am not doing 40
> kph less than the posted limit.

There is a rule that I can't be stuffed hunting up ATM, but that states
that it is an offense to travel in the RH lane of a multi-lane road with a
speed limit of 80km/h or more, unless you are overtaking.

Dave - who sent this last night, but hit "R" not "F" so it bounced off a
non existent address

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
There are some things so serious you have to laugh at them. - Niels Bohr

 

[dave]

Random Data wrote:
> On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 20:45:07 +1000, dave wrote:
>
>
>>Pretty sure that anytime I am in the right hand lane I am not doing 40
>>kph less than the posted limit.
>
>
> There is a rule that I can't be stuffed hunting up ATM, but that states
> that it is an offense to travel in the RH lane of a multi-lane road with a
> speed limit of 80km/h or more, unless you are overtaking.
>
> Dave - who sent this last night, but hit "R" not "F" so it bounced off a
> non existent address
>

Yeah but you can spend a long time overtaking.