Cheesecutter campaign

[MSTRS:Me]

The people who organised the first runs have been TOO QUIET. Where are they? And if they don't want to do it again, then why the hell don't they say so and/or pass the required info on to someone/s who will organise the next.
Don't get me wrong - I'm happy to work with anyone to assist, but short of doing one around Napier/Hastings...I can't be the prime mover for Auck/Welly/Chch.
And is someone going to answer the calls for where/when collection of signed petition forms????
Dammit - there has been enough of us asking.

[sunhuntin]

ill take the reins up for naki and south, encompassing palmy/levin etc and anyone else that wants to tag along. someone else will need to take up wellington and arrange a meeting place once we hit the area. right now, ive got an idea:

naki riders to meet at the bp just outside wangas [on the northern side]. ride to sanson and meet up with riders from palmy and surrounding, then on to levin or foxton and on to wellington/meeting point. any riders from inbetween places who want to slip in are more than welcome [ie, anyone from waikanae etc]
if riders from taupo/napier want to come, thats fine, of course. maybe napier could arrange with palmy to meet there and then ride to sanson, and taupo could either come down through wangas or waiouru.

times and dates are still up in the air until a decision has been made that will get the most participation.

again, due to lack of bike power, im not up to being lead rider, and would really prefer to be towards the back.

[MSTRS:Me]

Organising getting there is not the issue tho...someone/s needs to organise the protest ride itself. That takes quite a bit of work, but also requires some liaising with local authorities etc, not to mention who is to be 'confronted' along the way and at the end. Those that did this before need to do it again or pass the info as to how etc on to someone else who wants to. It needs to be local - I can't arrange from Napier, for instance

[sunhuntin]

gotcha. ok... any takers?

[henry]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...05226&t=h&z=18

Ride this route from 4pm to 6pm on a Thursday evening. Ideally you would want enough bikes to block all four intersections simultaneously.

[yungatart]

My thoughts....
The ride needs to be really well co-ordinated, in that it needs to be at the same time in all locations (Akl, Welly, Chch). Would be better still if we could all turn up in one city, at a site where they are installing these things, maybe??
For maximum impact, provided we could get enough apathetic riders on board, it should happen on a week day at peak time.
Media must be on board..we need the publicity, so maybe civil disobedience to ensure media attention! We all know that bad news sell, right?
MPs should only be involved if we are using the ride to present the petition. (in other wordds, no ride to Parliament)
I think its a good idea to involve fire fighters, ambos and police if we could get their support. Also truckies, who, I understand, hate the bloody things too.

[Mom]

Im In, nothing like civil disruption to get things working

Cool! I am a starter too! Want to join forces and get a ride organised from up this way as has been suggested? You've been there, I could need some help.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

I wrote a long reply to this thread then deleted it. We need to organise something like Sunhuntin / Tart / MSTRS have commented on.


No more emotive stuff but hard hitting action. As MSTRS said we can’t do it from here. We can motivate riders from here. We have before but it is hard to do that when people here have never ridden between the WRB.

I am in full support but I will not go to Wellington with 10 bikes from here to see 25 bikes from around the lower North Island and ride in nice order at 95 kmh and not impact other people. Quiet equals no result. We need results.

It is dark early and cold and wet so we need to plan with that in mind. Bikes and civil disobedience in the dark on a wet night might hot work in our favour.

Thanks for the PM W/Wizard

[El Dopa]

No specific minimum speed on motorways.....maximum safe speed ......unwise and even illegal to ride faster. Ride to the conditions. When they change slow down. Right ?

When frog farmers want to protest, they get a bunch of tractors, lorries or similar, and drive at 10kmh in a rolling block across all the lanes of the motorways. traffic backs up behind them for miles.

A slow-rolling block of bikes along stretches of WRB highway, such as Auckland city going north (possibly backed up by cars to stop arseholes ramming us off the road) might focus attention.

Hey, we're just riding at a speed we consider to be safe for the conditions, right?

[WelshWizard]

Well I can understand what has happened to Gremlin
see his last post today on another thread, seems he is only on a work licence only
But maybe he can still post some advice

Well, having gone through the process myself now (ie, today) and coming out the other side still able to work, I guess I should note down my experience to help others.

First, meet your bible: Guide to applying for a limited licence. Now, instead of thanking me, thank Grahameeboy, as he was the one that provided it, not me.

Second, I've attached some template files (mmm can't upload .dot files, so they are .doc, you can change it back if you wish), mostly based on the pdf above, but hell, saves you typing it again - obviously you may need to alter it to your requirements, but its a starting point.

Third, my experiences (assuming all tips from document):

• Do your best to gain the approval of the local prosecution services. Do this by asking the local plod shop for prosecution in your city/town. Find out how best to communicate (voice/in person can work wonders, if you can work your charm). They generally like post/drop off to main cop shop, fax for quick stuff, and may not check email much.
• If you can come to an agreement with the cops, it turns court into pretty much a formality, as the police do not oppose your application. If they oppose your application, you're at the mercy of the judge, mine seemed a really good bloke, but it was rather entertaining to watch him rip into various people as he saw fit, and people be fantastically nice back
• Be nice to the desk people, they aren't making decisions, but they can make your life hell or a pleasure depending on how you behave to them. Its a stressful time (understatement) but they shouldn't be blamed. Niceties go a long way
• My judge was quite amazed by my application, calling it comprehensive, and whether I had paid for the documentation, and where I had got it from. So, put in the hard yards, provide as much support documentation as possible. Also, you either speak for yourself, or have a lawyer... my dad seemed unable to speak on my behalf, with the judge saying something like, he didn't have a voice.
• I was applying on the basis of "undue hardship" to my employer. I travel around the city 7 days a week, with long hours sorting issues. On this example, the police received copies of letters from some clients, stating their position on their requirements from us, my calendar from the last 6 weeks, affidavits from my boss and I (affidavit means he didn't have to show in court, and his statement had to be affirmed over a bible etc) and a map detailing the area I needed, with all locations I had to go to marked on it
• They completely dislike 24 hour licenses, as then its not limiting, I was pushing shit up hill to get prosecution to consider 15 hour days, and cut it to 6 days a week, with two specific sundays (specific work)
• Remember... they always look from the angle of you needing to be punished, while not punishing others... the limited license isn't a game
• Do it right, and if you don't use a lawyer, you'll walk out with your order for LTNZ (ie, you take it to an LTNZ agent to get a limited license) and the whole process inc. app for limited license at AA will cost you less than $200 (court filing fee of $150 and $46.50 for AA)
• Don't forget your damn proof of identity and address when you go to AA. You don't have a license to flash... nasty catch 22 that got me.

On the whole tho... I have an obvious statement... don't lose it in the first place... The time and stress trying to juggle it with work really got to me for a couple of weeks, and I still have to carry a log book of every trip, but on the bright side, I can do my work

edit: If you have questions, ask away, its always in your best interest to know exactly how things work, to do things effectively.

[Ixion]

When frog farmers want to protest, they get a bunch of tractors, lorries or similar, and drive at 10kmh in a rolling block across all the lanes of the motorways. traffic backs up behind them for miles.

A slow-rolling block of bikes along stretches of WRB highway, such as Auckland city going north (possibly backed up by cars to stop arseholes ramming us off the road) might focus attention.

Hey, we're just riding at a speed we consider to be safe for the conditions, right?

Thing is, we don't really want to do something that pisses off Joe Public. Cos then he just thinks "Bloody bikie gangs, holding me up, causing trouble".

We need to piss off Transit, without pissing off the public.

Since Transit are a bunch of dudes at desks , getting in their face directly might not be easy.

But, Transit rely on contractors to build their roads and stuff. So if a bunch of bikers identified a site where work was taking place for Transit, and rolled up and basically brought things to a halt (if it was a project that was going to have WRBs that would be even cooler), that might grab press attention, and also, indirectly get to Transit (contractor says "Jobs stopped cos of all these bikes complaining about cheesecutters, do something about it").

Dunno if Transit would care or not about their contractors being stuffed up. I don't think (dunno for sure though) that Transit have any direct operational staff.

Not an awful lot they could do to you, call the cops who would tell you to bugger off, and could serve you with a trepass notice. But so long as it's peaceful and non aggro, I doubt the plod would want to get involved any further.

And of course, when commanded by the constabulary to disperse (with or without bluey) we do. And then another lot of bikes roll up to the next site . And disperse. Rinse lather repeat.

If Transit don't give a stuff about contractors being buggered around (and , yeah, I grant it's a shit thing to do to the contractor guys, not their fight, but y' can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Collateral damage, sort of), then maybe an assembly ON the median area. There's some places where the median is wide and grassed . You could get quite a few bikes in there . Have a karakia (spelling ? a Maori prayer thing). That's cultural safety n all so the cops would be hesitant to barge in. And once again, when commanded to begone we do. And the next lot set up at the next suitable point.

Just thoughts these off the top of my head, someone care to add to them ?

[Katman]

At the risk of being battered senseless for entering this thread, I agree with Ixion that you don't want to get the public offside. It would do more harm for Motorcycling than good.

[Ixion]

Just had a thought. If anonymous and unknown persons , in dark of night, stuck up 50kph speed limit signs at the beginning of selected cheesecutter sections, then notifed the press about them (with explanation that they are just being concerned citizens because those WRBs are unsafe for anybody at over 50kph, and provide publicity material ) . But don't tell the press WHERE they are , just that they're out there. ?

Cheeky sort of thing that gets in the papers, no harm done to anyone , cheap and easy to do, put a Down with Cheescutters sign on the reverse of the 50kph round thing. Or perhaps a round 50kph bit at the top (like the real ones) and a stylised depiction of a cheesecutter on a separte board underneath. Like they do for other hazards.

Everyone wondering which ones are real and which ones anti cheesecutters. Joe Public isnt really upset (cos he probably ignores them anyway). Except Mrs Grundy and shes against us anyway.

Transit would have to organise to go round and inspect all the 50kph signs on motorways etc (yes there are 50kph signs. But we could make it other speeds to confuse a bit more) . That would irk them.

And as soon as the pull the fakes down, next night the mystery rabbit strikes again. And if it happened across the country, Transit would definately take notice.

EDIT And then to really confuse things, the anonymous rabbit could sneak out and fasten some of those stylised graphic cheescutter symbols underneath REAL 50kph signs.

Sends out the message "Cheesecutters are unsafe at anything more than 50kph." (Maybe 70kph instead of 50 ? Or mix them ? )

[Gixxer 4 ever]

At the risk of being battered senseless for entering this thread, I agree with Ixion that you don't want to get the public offside. It would do more harm for Motorcycling than good.

You think?

We did not interfered with the public at the last 3 rides and nothing happened. What do you recon we do Katman? I know other feel like this and if that is where this thread is going back to, we are going around in small circles. If that happens we may as well give up and get on with life.

So how do you think the last 3 rides went Katman? Was it worth the work to put them on?

[Kittyhawk]

Cheers for the link WelshWizard...

I think that something destructive needs to be done...A more serious protest...Maybe get the headhunters, or mungrel mob involved....

how about bikers slowing down traffic where wire ropes are? I know the main route from Akl to Hamilton they are all along there, and whats worse at a T intersection they are on both sides of the lane heading north! (cant remember which intersection) its not even a sharp corner, nor cliff drop.

Maybe block off queen st with bikes sitting at the lights not moving protesting...it needs to be more out there, or park on the foot paths and just let bikes idle...show people graphical images of accidents which happen with the barriers..

Have bikes at every intersection - down queen st holding up signs...

Or maybe get someone who knows someone to make a doco on cheese cutters and the dangers...

No matter what we do seems like nothing is working...Maybe we should look at holding town meetings and educate people that way, go into schools, and educate...