Northern Gateway Toll Road.

[cruiserboy]

Hi Everyone .
Had this thought over the weekend when I saw an advertisment in one of my local papers that from the 1 June 2010 motorcyclists travelling on the toll road ( though the tunnels ) will pay $ 2 each way .
I thought it would be great if there was an organised ride ( maybe a charity ride for say the Westpac Helicopter or St Johns ) on the last sunday of the month May 30th .
Ride would need a start point and say go to Puhoi.

If there is not something being organised already I guess it just needs someone or a club to start the ball rollling.

Be interested to see what others think.

[R6_kid:Me]

Apart from raising some money for a charity I don't really see the point?

To use the road one last time before they start charging us? I've been through there three times on the bike now and there isn't really anything special about it - if I'm going that way I usually take SH16 or the 'interesting' old SH1 route anyway.

[Mom]

Hi Everyone .
Had this thought over the weekend when I saw an advertisment in one of my local papers that from the 1 June 2010 motorcyclists travelling on the toll road ( though the tunnels ) will pay $ 2 each way .
I thought it would be great if there was an organised ride ( maybe a charity ride for say the Westpac Helicopter or St Johns ) on the last sunday of the month May 30th .
Ride would need a start point and say go to Puhoi.

If there is not something being organised already I guess it just needs someone or a club to start the ball rollling.

Be interested to see what others think.

I like this idea Interestingly enough we have an ACC protest ride planned for May 29th, maybe we could swing past the toll road and instead of pay $2 to the man we give the proceeds to Westpac Helicopter. it is their appeal month this month anyway. Our last protest ride raised $290 for Rape Crisis we should be able to get close to that. Hmmmmmmm, will pass this idea along to the Auckland Action Group for consideration.

[firefighter]

Maybe dragging chains behind our bikes to somehow contribute a bit of damage to the road that a car does. After all, we are going to be charged at the same rate. I think a good protest on this would be to get all of us lined up at the machines, one bike parked behind the other , gear off, pay, move forward, next person. Do'nt let any cager push in unless they're over 60. (respect your elders) And go round and around clogging up the whole road. Maybe on a public holiday, that'll really fuck things up. The whole time we ride in such a way that we are taking up the same space as a car.....we'd have bikes lined up down the road it would be nuts.......(and a public holiday is congested anyway so the traffic will hardly be moving)

I know it's a shit road for bikes anyway, I ride around the area often and know that the alternate ways are far more fun. But it's the principle of it.

[Ixion]

Why foff around. One bike, plate obscured, rider anoymous in black leather and face shield. Credit card in slot. Oh bugger, machine won't recognise it. Fact that it's actually an expired phone card covered in super glue is irrelevant. Damn machine, Return to bike, ride off. Best done at the Waiwera booth, other one is inside , prolly more cameras.

If questions be asked ,and they DO find the rider - easy enough, No, it genuinely didn't work when I tried it, I gues it must ahve already been bolloxed. Disgusting, issn't .

[Sis]

Wouldn't it be best to do this on the Saturday of Queens Birthday weekend, when everyone is trying to get out of town?
It will be the first weekend, since the toll came into effect.

[Mom]

Why foff around. One bike, plate obscured, rider anoymous in black leather and face shield. Credit card in slot. Oh bugger, machine won't recognise it. Fact that it's actually an expired phone card covered in super glue is irrelevant. Damn machine, Return to bike, ride off. Best done at the Waiwera booth, other one is inside , prolly more cameras.

If questions be asked ,and they DO find the rider - easy enough, No, it genuinely didn't work when I tried it, I gues it must ahve already been bolloxed. Disgusting, issn't .

I completely disassociate myself from this suggested action. In fact on behalf of the AAG I distance us from it as well.

[davereid]

I completely disassociate myself from this suggested action. In fact on behalf of the AAG I distance us from it as well.

I think Ix is joking... he is thinking of the good old days when bikers actually DID do bad shit, instead of now-a-days when the average biker is nicer than my mum. Who actually was a biker in the old days. If that helps.

[cruiserboy]

Hey I in NO WAY would condon any illegall action as some posts have suggested. I just had in mind a sort of silent protest with a large group of like minded people. Surely a large group of bikes just before the road is tolled for motorcycllists must say something to the powers that be. If only it P....s them off with all the revenue they just missed out on.

The idea of a charity ride for the likes of the Rescue Helicopter or St Johns was because , and i hope for everyone that they never need them but if it all turns to CUSTARD one day you may just need these people in a big hurry.

Keep the positive thoughts coming.

[Ferkletastic]

We've got way more important issues to protest than a $2 toll. New cheesecutters going up all the time, ACC being slowly (actually pretty quickly really) dismantled and driver education problems seeing more and more of us getting squashed, but no, lets whinge about a $2 toll for a road that there are two much more fun alternatives to anyway.

Seriously, somebody explain exactly why just because I ride a motorcycle I shouldn't have to pay the same cost to receive the exact same benefit as a car?

Or is this just the latest thing to bitch about for five minutes?

[RiderInBlack]

Could have this thread merged with " Northern Gateway - motorbikes to pay $2 like a car "

[breakaway]

Just make sure to pay by phone every time you use the toll road. It costs them $2.70 to process it apparently as per a document released by them. Kiosks cost 64 cents, and internet payments cost them 13 cents.

[buellbabe]

I actually received a letter from Land Transport informing about the motorcycle toll as apparently I am "a frequent user"...in other words I use it when I'm in my car and I have an account. I calculate that I have used it a total of 10 times...gee that makes me a frequent user? LOL
Oh well never mind, as far as being charged $2 to take my bike on that stretch of road my response is this ...big whoopdy shit! I don't use it when I'm on my bike so it makes no difference to me anyway! I prefer the more interesting scenic route...

[Ixion]

Like most, I seldom use it, so don't personally much care.

But it is worth noting that someone who DOES use it (eg someone who commutes every day by bike - is there anyone such left but me?) might care. Because the extra cost actually makes the ACC levy hike seem small biscuits.

$2 each way , 5 days a wekk, equals $20 a week, over $1000 a year. Much more than the increase in ACC levies. And for a commuter the "go the long way round , it's more fun" is not so good an argument. he just wants to get to work as quickly as possible
,br/> So it is not really that the decision is less significant than ACC, it's just it doesn't hit as many bikers.

[buellbabe]

There are heaps of bike commuters (I'm one of them!) but seriously are there ANY that commute daily on the toll road?

I'm curious...

Really its just another backlash directed towards bikers, somehow we seemed to have lost some of that public sympathy that we had... through our loud protest actions we really put ourselves in the public eye and so now we are being scrutinised and joe bloggs who probably never paid any attention to bikes/bikers before is now very much aware and saying "hey! why should those arrogant law breaking motorcyclists(some pretty public incidents recently) get something for free?"

And when I say arrogant law breaking motorcyclists its because thats how a lot of the public see us...unfortunately.

Freedom, be it of choice or of spirit (the latter is what riding a bike does for me!) always has a price...sigh...