Monash University has been thinkin' again.....

[Clockwork]

Reported in "The Age" today (Melbourne Newspaper)

They're advising "motorcycle licences should be regarded as seperate and higher class qualifications than car licences and that they be made more expensive to obtain"

In short they feel people should not be allowed to get a motorcycle licence without first having a drivers licence.

Now of course, this is a recommendation to Australian/Victorian authorities but you know how LTNZ's safety policies are sourced from Monash......

[Waylander]

good thing I'm getting mine changed over on monday...

Though if this goes and I have to pay to get it again I'm just gonna say fuck it and they can piss off. It's exphensive enough as it is.

[parsley]

In short they feel people should not be allowed to get a motorcycle licence without first having a drivers licence.

I'd love to see some statistics here about how many people are killed every year by cage drivers versus how many are killed by bikers. Even if you account for the fact that there are far more cage drivers I think you'd find that cages are far worse.

[Dadpole]

Facts don't interest the powers that be. They generally regard motorcycles as "dangerous" and should be phased out "for your own good".

"Truely, we are helping you!! now bend over"

[myvice]

Lets go back to 5mph speed limits! For our own good!
Then we should ban sharp objects! Life imprisonment for running with scissors!
Fence all puddles more than 20mm deep.
Every thing to be made out of foam rubber, buildings, cars, your cat...

[Lou Girardin]

If it's from Monash, the LTNZ will adopt it tomorrow.

[placidfemme]

What happens to the people who already have a motorcycle license (whether it be Learners, Restricted or Full) who only have a motorcycle license (like me). Will that still affect us?

[steved]

Learning to drive first isn't the worst idea. All they are saying is that you need a car license before you can get a motorbike license. How many of us don't have a cage license? Is this a big deal?

[placidfemme]

I don't have a cage license...

[vifferman]

That's back to front - it would be more helpful if everyone had to serve an apprenticeship on a scooter or bike before moving on to a car. If nothing else, it would give car drivers an awareness of bikers, and thin the gene pool.

[parsley]

Learning to drive first isn't the worst idea. All they are saying is that you need a car license before you can get a motorbike license. How many of us don't have a cage license? Is this a big deal?

I have a cage license now, but when I first learned to drive it was on a bike. I couldn't afford a cage, I couldn't afford the lessons. I could afford a cheap 125 and a half day training course which at least got me mobile.

[Coyote]

I don't have a cage license...

I got my learners, but that was it

It's bloody annoying (to say politely) how they can get away with extra costs on us bikers as we are a minority and can't really fight back

[phaedrus]

Learning to drive first isn't the worst idea. All they are saying is that you need a car license before you can get a motorbike license. How many of us don't have a cage license? Is this a big deal?

no cage license here

[placidfemme]

I got my learners, but that was it

It's bloody annoying (to say politely) how they can get away with extra costs on us bikers as we are a minority and can't really fight back

We can fight back... there are a LOT of bikers in NZ. IT would just take a LOT of organization to get all the bikers together, would require all the groups (and maybe even gangs) getting together, running ad's in papers and on the TV/Radio for the bikers that arn't in any groups... would be a huge mission... but think about it...

100's of bikes protesting something... I reckon we could block Queen St from top to bottom packed full with bikes... it's just getting around to organise it...

lol any volunteers?

[pritch]

That's back to front - it would be more helpful if everyone had to serve an apprenticeship on a scooter or bike before moving on to a car. If nothing else, it would give car drivers an awareness of bikers, and thin the gene pool.

I'm with you on that. The mortality rate would be a bit high but at least they wouldn't be disposing of four (or six) at a time as in Hastings recently.

As an aside, I am slightly perplexed at the importance the Police gave as to whether the six were wearing seat belts. The wreck as shown on TV gave the impression that would only have been of some arcane statistical interest.