Motorcycles don't count as vehicles

**swbarnett** · 25th February 2013, 12:02

Originally Posted by imdying

God you are so close to 'getting it' it's not funny, why not just take that extra step?

Are you saying that you have inside information that it IS for calculating road wear?

**MSTRS:Me** · 25th February 2013, 12:12

Ware? Wear? Where?

**swbarnett** · 25th February 2013, 12:15

Originally Posted by MSTRS

Ware? Wear? Where?

The second one. I looked it up this time.

**Scuba_Steve** · 25th February 2013, 12:27

Originally Posted by swbarnett

Just as important as any car driver.

My wife and I both commute by motorcycle. We don't own any other form of transport and never use public transport (there's none available where we live anyway). Why do we not count?

What gets me is that they don't explain why they want to know. If it was for calculating road wear then I wouldn't mind. I just wish they'd explain it.

Well here's the info from the Census/Statistics NZ about the vehicle section (formatting lost in translation but everything's there)

Originally Posted by Census content report

Main means of travel to work
There will be no change to the main means of travel to work topic for the 2011 Census.
There were several submissions with an interest in broadening the means of 'travel to work' question to extend to means of 'travel to education'. Local authorities have a particular interest in this data to aid transportation planning.
The New Zealand Travel Survey is an existing source of data on travel to education. The survey is commissioned by the Ministry of Transport with a sample of 2,800 households from all over New Zealand.
Data for main means of travel to work gains its value from being combined with workplace address data, also collected in the census. Together, this data allows the analysis of travel patterns between home and work for those in paid employment. If this topic was extended to cover destinations other than paid employment, to gain value the address of the destination would also need to be collected. Address data is difficult and costly to process.
Therefore, it has been decided that the main means of travel to work question will not be altered to include the means of travel to education.

Main means of travel to work is the mode of transport used on census day by the respondent to cover the greatest distance on the journey to their workplace. Main means of travel to work data from the census is used:
in conjunction with workplace address content to measure traffic flows of the employed population
extensively by transport planners to plan and manage transport, particularly in large cities like Auckland and Wellington where congestion is a problem
to gauge the growing number of people working from home
to apportion urban transport levies between local authorities
by Statistics NZ to produce analytical reports on trends in travel to work patterns, such as Commuting Patterns in New Zealand: 1996–2006.

**Bald Eagle** · 25th February 2013, 12:44

Originally Posted by Jantar

The simple solution is to fill the form out correctly, but refuse to sign it. At the end of the form you have to sign that the information given is true and correct. By excluding the number of motorcycles from the vehicle count then obviously the information is not true and correct.

Nice thought. Must check wether the act requires the signature as well as the answers or just that you fill in the form.

BTW Emailed asking why m/bikes are excluded and got a response back so quickly it appears they already have a email rule/filter for this question. Here's the suspiciously generic no human intervention required reply.

"Thank you for contacting the census helpline.
Motorbikes and scooters are excluded from question 18 on the Dwelling Form, because these forms of transport have been seen as having some limitations in the use that can be made of them. For example, motorbikes and scooters are not suitable transport for small children, or for elderly people for purposes such as obtaining medical treatment.

We know there is interest in expanding this question to include other types of vehicles such as motorbikes, scooters and bicycles. Time constraints and a minimal change policy meant we could not do this for the 2013 Census. We will consider changing the question for the next census. "

Interesting they make a value judgment about suitability for transporting small children and elderly. Not sure how they justify that statement.

**Paul in NZ** · 25th February 2013, 12:51

Originally Posted by Bald Eagle

Interesting they make a value judgment about suitability for transporting small children and elderly. Not sure how they justify that statement.

Common sense I suspect.....

**bogan** · 25th February 2013, 13:01

Sounds like its for responding to emergencies then, makes sense to me.

**MSTRS:Me** · 25th February 2013, 13:06

I suppose I should actually have a read of the bloody form/s...but....the vehicle question seems fraught. Is it 'main means of transport' or 'main means of getting to work' ??

**Akzle** · 25th February 2013, 13:40

Originally Posted by imdying

You're a fucking idiot.

/edit: Actually, now I've read the whole thread, it's actually a thread full of fucking idiots.

...and now you're here! thread complete!

**Old Steve** · 25th February 2013, 14:12

Originally Posted by Sable

Do you mean altruistic?

Yeah, I really mean that my spelking is carp!!!

**imdying** · 25th February 2013, 14:16

Originally Posted by Akzle

...and now you're here! thread complete!

This is like some Catholic priest calling me out over child molestation

**Drew** · 25th February 2013, 16:36

Originally Posted by imdying

You're a fucking idiot.

/edit: Actually, now I've read the whole thread, it's actually a thread full of fucking idiots.

It's amazing how important some people think bikes are... I might start campaigning to have them banned just to fuck with the dick heads in this thread.

I can't remember if I'm normally at odds with what you say, or onbaord....But I like this post.

**kevie** · 25th February 2013, 20:57

Originally Posted by Bald Eagle

BTW Emailed asking why m/bikes are excluded and got a response back so quickly it appears they already have a email rule/filter for this question. Here's the suspiciously generic no human intervention required reply.

I received the same reply to my email ...... obviously no humans in the census department (or they all gone into hiding) , just dumbass computer generated replies that to me ... doesn't really answer the question. Surely ALL modes of transport are relevant to planning what is done in the area of roading ...

one plus tho .... they wont get the count of how many motorcycles are being used out there ..... compared to how many of them are registered