Safer Journeys for Motorcycling

[riffer]

There's a freedom of informed choice argument that needs to be made here. It's an argument I am currently crafting. It's an argument that will go nowhere at all in this debate but it's one that I need to advance. No other contrary view is going to go anywhere either but that's no reason not to make a point ... Let's enjoy our remaining days of freedom while we can.

Good luck with that one Brett. It hasn't worked anywhere else.

And sadly, I agree with you on the final statement. I'm a third generation motorcyclist. While my children are pillioning, and learning to ride themselves, I definitely don't think their children (a good 10 years away at best) will struggle to be motorcyclists. Cars are going the same way too, along with many of our previously enjoyed freedoms.

[dmc]

Maybe if the motorcycle manufacturers backed motorcyclist like the arms manufactures back the NRA in the US we wouldn't get walked all over like we do. It amazes me that the companies that need us to buy their bikes aren't putting more pressure on Governments as ultimately they need us to bike their bikes.

[Katman]

Maybe if the motorcycle manufacturers backed motorcyclist like the arms manufactures back the NRA in the US we wouldn't get walked all over like we do. It amazes me that the companies that need us to buy their bikes aren't putting more pressure on Governments as ultimately they need us to bike their bikes.

New Zealand barely even registers on the manufacturers sales sheets.

[Hitcher]

Maybe if the motorcycle manufacturers backed motorcyclist like the arms manufactures back the NRA in the US we wouldn't get walked all over like we do. It amazes me that the companies that need us to buy their bikes aren't putting more pressure on Governments as ultimately they need us to bike their bikes.

Firstly New Zealand hasn't got a Constitution. Or a Constitution with an ambiguously worded amendment about the right to bear arms. Kiwis can't pronounce the word properly anyway, and probably already think they've got a right to bare arms.

Secondly, on a global basis, motorcycle sales in New Zealand are a rounding error. Yamaha doesn't care about the New Zealand market, neither does Aprilia. They don't need us to buy their bikes.

[dmc]

Yes yes I know where we sit in the scheme of things and being in the automotive industry before I know how small a percentage we make up, but saying that these companies still give a shit about any country they are in or they wouldn't be here so its in their best interest to support the people they buy their bikes.
Its not like its limited to just NZ so you would still think that they would use their influence to support their customers so the dealer networks return as much profit as they can.

[rustic101]

Can someone remind me of the MOTONZ purpose again?

Sam

[dmc]

Can someone remind me of the MOTONZ purpose again?

Sam

Wasn't it something to do with poop?

[riffer]

Not relevant.

Safer Journeys is not a MOTONZ initiative. It's NZTA.

[Berries]

40-50km/hr?

They've stated quite specifically in the report that the country cannot afford the hit on productivity.

Yes, I have read it. That is why I said "closer to".

The problem with Safer Journeys is that Safe Users requires education and law changes to alter the mentality, so is years away. As a small country we can't do a lot regarding Safe Vehicles and we aren't going to ban all vehicles over five years old. Providing Safe Roads and Roadsides would be such a monumental cost across our network, and there is so little money available, that route improvements will take many years which leaves Safe Speeds.

For the price of a few signs you can bang up an 80km/h speed limit where it is currently 100km/h and sit back with your feet up. If you got any kind of compliance over a large enough network then you would likely see a reduction in trauma. If you don't get compliance, and I don't think you will by slapping up a couple of signs or two, the solution is easy - you send the Police in to enforce the shit out of it. The only downside to this is the millions of dollars of extra revenue that the government will receive and have to deal with.

So that won't happen.

[oneofsix]

Yes, I have read it. That is why I said "closer to".

The problem with Safer Journeys is that Safe Users requires education and law changes to alter the mentality, so is years away. As a small country we can't do a lot regarding Safe Vehicles and we aren't going to ban all vehicles over five years old. Providing Safe Roads and Roadsides would be such a monumental cost across our network, and there is so little money available, that route improvements will take many years which leaves Safe Speeds.

For the price of a few signs you can bang up an 80km/h speed limit where it is currently 100km/h and sit back with your feet up. If you got any kind of compliance over a large enough network then you would likely see a reduction in trauma. If you don't get compliance, and I don't think you will by slapping up a couple of signs or two, the solution is easy - you send the Police in to enforce the shit out of it. The only downside to this is the millions of dollars of extra revenue that the government will receive and have to deal with.

So that won't happen.

You missed a real down side. An 80k road doesn't have to be maintained to the same standard as an 100k road therefore you save money on maintenance, but because the road condition then deteriorates to match the speed limit it ends up being no safer. You have however cut costs for this term and achieved your departmental KPI for now.

[riffer]

You missed a real down side. An 80k road doesn't have to be maintained to the same standard as an 100k road therefore you save money on maintenance, but because the road condition then deteriorates to match the speed limit it ends up being no safer. You have however cut costs for this term and achieved your departmental KPI for now.

Have you read the report?

[Berries]

You have however cut costs for this term and achieved your departmental KPI for now.

I love it when a plan comes together.

[oneofsix]

Have you read the report?

What?! and post an informed opinion on KB

BTW the first paragraph screams propaganda. Judge them by their action not their words. And int he past waht do you get? lower speed limits and worse maintained roads

[Bald Eagle]

They may also have their work cut out for them around the goals they have on road surface in Canterbury, I can drive 5kms in any direction and find every issue they list and thats a good road

My daily commute from Kapiti to Welly ( on a Road of National significance) encounters all road engineering issues multiple times. Case in point the observation about vegetation and unrestricted sight lines through intersections had me rolling about laughing. The Mana roundabout on SH 1 is full of lovely plants. When this was raised with NZTA as a hazard the response was that it is "a deliberate traffic calming method" .

[riffer]

Then there would be a lot of people in New Zealand, and a number of people in motorcycling, who will be well pissed off if that's all that comes out of this report, because I believe that it's one of the better ones to come out in the last twenty years.

Sure, there's stuff in there we don't want to hear, and don't want to happen.

But I genuinely don't think that's the aim of this report.