More Transit discrimination against bikes. FIGHT BACK

[Lou Girardin]

I emailed Transhit and cc'ed the local MP. It sounds like some pressure will make Transhit fold on this one.

[Ixion]

I spy a glimpse of Victory frolicking in the wings. But she is a flirty and capricious wench, and we must be careful not to snatch defeat from her arms.

Mr McCombs referred me to LTNZ, who have the power to set the rulez. I called LTNZ Auckland and spoke to Alec Sweeny who referred me to Bob Gibson in Wellington (04 931 8766). He passed my message to Andrew Edgar. (Also LTNZ wellington).

And Mr Edgar hinted at a tactical withdrawal.

He says that the priority lanes will be something called a T2 . There are two types. One signed for "Trucks Only" . The other for High Occupancy Vehicles (or some equivalent name). Mr Edgar intimated that normally the latter (a "normal" T2 lane) would INCLUDE motorcycles as far as they were concerned, and that unless Transit objected they would assume this was the case as far as the signal ramp T2 lanes went.

So, PROVIDING Transit don't deliberately demand we be excluded, then any priority lanes that allow non-truck traffic (and Transit's blurb so far indicates that will be all of them ) will also allow us!

So we just have do is persuade Transit (ie Mr McCombs) to go with the flow.

Which we can ALL do our bit toward by turning up at

6:30 pm Dec 14th (Thursday) Danish House , 6 Rockridge Rd Penrose.

Repairing after the meeting to the premises of a suitable licensed victualler for Christmas cheer and good fellowship

Anyone an idea for a suitable licensed hostellery ?

[Big Dave]

The Cock and Bull in Ellerslie would not present a difficult sojourn post gathering. P'haps even apt.

[klingon]

I'll have to modify my Volty to carry a rooster and a large male bovine, but I'm sure I can manage.

[WarlockNZ]

I unfortunately will not be able to manage ... work commitments, laid on me at the last minute, mean i will not be able to attend.

Give em hell for me!

[Ixion]

The Cock and Bull in Ellerslie would not present a difficult sojourn post gathering. P'haps even apt.

Sounds good. Unless folk want a run down the line to meet up with the SATNR crew at the Clevedon pub ?

[Big Dave]

Sounds good. Unless folk want a run down the line to meet up with the SATNR crew at the Clevedon pub ?

hmmm = decide apré meet.

[sunhuntin]

I spy a glimpse of Victory frolicking in the wings. But she is a flirty and capricious wench, and we must be careful not to snatch defeat from her arms.

Mr McCombs referred me to LTNZ, who have the power to set the rulez. I called LTNZ Auckland and spoke to Alec Sweeny who referred me to Bob Gibson in Wellington (04 931 8766). He passed my message to Andrew Edgar. (Also LTNZ wellington).

And Mr Edgar hinted at a tactical withdrawal.

He says that the priority lanes will be something called a T2 . There are two types. One signed for "Trucks Only" . The other for High Occupancy Vehicles (or some equivalent name). Mr Edgar intimated that normally the latter (a "normal" T2 lane) would INCLUDE motorcycles as far as they were concerned, and that unless Transit objected they would assume this was the case as far as the signal ramp T2 lanes went.

So, PROVIDING Transit don't deliberately demand we be excluded, then any priority lanes that allow non-truck traffic (and Transit's blurb so far indicates that will be all of them ) will also allow us!

So we just have do is persuade Transit (ie Mr McCombs) to go with the flow.

Which we can ALL do our bit toward by turning up at

6:30 pm Dec 14th (Thursday) Danish House , 6 Rockridge Rd Penrose.

Repairing after the meeting to the premises of a suitable licensed victualler for Christmas cheer and good fellowship

Anyone an idea for a suitable licensed hostellery ?

bit like the t2 transit lanes heading into and out of wellington....sign posted to allow motorbikes between specific times. i tried to use it once, but was forced to remerge dangerously when my way was blocked by parked cars... so long as theres no car parks alongside, it could work quite well.
[these lanes only permit multi-personed cars and bikes, no trucks or buses etc]

[jetboy]

Also - they are implementing this on southbound onramps at Papakura and Takanini for starters. I am stuck in traffic all afternoon on the way home and these two onramps are never ever busy.

Would be good to see how it all pans out. Waste of time in my opinion though.

[duncan_bayne]

A better approach than ramp signals would be to have the cops ticket people for bad motorway driving, including:

• travelling slowly in the right-most lanes (known as fast lanes for a reason in almost every civilised country)
• tailgating
• not allowing traffic to merge

Anyhoo, I sent an email to Transit, & got the following response:

Thank you for your recent email.

The issue you raise of whether or not motorcycles might also be added to the classes of vehicles in the priority lanes is a matter we will consider, and will also take the opportunity to raise when we next discuss the planned operation and signing of these proposed priority lanes with the Police and with staff at Land Transport NZ.

Thank you for writing to Transit.

So I don't think it's a done deal yet ... by the sounds of it, the answer is going to be "no" unless they decide otherwise. I asked whether I could write a submission to be read at the aforementioned discussion, but received this response:

No, but while such meetings and discussions are not public in that sense, the many written submissions received from motorcyclists with regard to having particular priority within the motorway corridors have been well conveyed to all involved.

I guess the more people making (polite, reasoned) written submissions, the better.

[davereid]

Yep, start off with intelligent well reasoned arguement. And if that doesnt work, scatter Z nails down the motorway.

[rainman]

So, who can turn up at Penrose on the 14th ?

I should be able to make it, although I'm a Shore Boy and my navigational knowledge of The Land Down South is pretty crappy... so I'll be the one who's either late or very early. Be good to meet some of you in person.

[Ixion]

Good oh. See the very clear and simple directions below

[jetboy]

A better approach than ramp signals would be to have the cops ticket people for bad motorway driving, including:
travelling slowly in the right-most lanes (known as fast lanes for a reason in almost every civilised country)
tailgating
not allowing traffic to merge

right on man. its these clowns that cause most of the accidents anyways

[WRT]

Bump . . .

Ok, everybody still on for this? It's looking like I will be able to make it myself, not sure I will be much use but happy to provide numbers and moral support.

(Woot woot, go Ixion, go Dave, who's hotter than Madonna in a pointy bra - you are!)