Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

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AUbicycles
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Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby AUbicycles » Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:58 am

In light of recent tragedy and a previous media request to both the NSW Government - Department for Transport and the NSW Police, I am interested in opinions and even facts about the best use of cyclists time and energy to help make a positive change.

The two hurdles are the Government and Law Enforcement.

The Government (primarily state) will praise its efforts, even when non-existent. They publish selected information to support their agenda, they are hard to reach and even harder to get meaningful dialogue. They ignore or block requests for information (when will it happen or how exactly was the money spent). And the ministers change so the agenda changes and it is like starting again.

Law Enforcement appear to have other priorities, cycling safety is rarely important enough to focus any energy until there is injury or a death. There is massive inconsistency in approaches between different stations and if the duty officer is aware of the law and options, a clear procedure can hinder progress.


In a recent article on BNA - focussed on NSW - the Department for Transport referred all questions except one to the NSW Police.
https://www.bicycles.net.au/2018/10/aus ... ng-safety/

In summary, the NSW government saw they make the laws, do marketing but the rest is up to the police.

I enquired about enforcement of the Minimum Passing Distance Law
Christopher wrote:In May 2018, the new “Minimum Passing Distance” transitioned from a trial to a permanent law. How does the NSW police enforce this law and are there plans increase enforcement?
NSW Police Spokesperson wrote:police continue to enforce Minimum Passing Distance provisions by way of enforcement activities, or taking reports from those persons that wish to report such an issue.
Christopher wrote:Are there plans to improve the process for reporting violations, both for bike riders and for police officers processing the report?
NSW Police Spokesperson wrote:police continue to take such reports and investigate such incidents.

'police continue', suggests a status quo and although the responses don't provide any detail or direction, it is still an official response from the Police Force which indicated no priority or improvement.

From an individual cyclists perspective - reporting to a single police station will have mixed reactions and not lead to a broader change. Should or can individual cyclists be directing their energy towards commanders instead? Should this be the role of bicycle advocacy groups or if they are not getting traction, it is about getting enough voices of individuals to draw focus on cycling safety?

In NSW there is an organisation structure and it is interesting to look down into it - the Traffic and Highway patrol (and sections) may appear obvious, enforcement on the road makes sense but for reports to the duty officer, the connection and procedures may not necessarily filter through.

Perhaps the short answer question is, what do you this are the best ways to drive real change when it comes to enforcement for improved cyclist safety?
Last edited by AUbicycles on Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: correction
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Calvin27
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Re: Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby Calvin27 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:47 am

AUbicycles wrote: Perhaps the short answer is, what do you this are the best ways to drive real change when it comes to enforcement for improved cyclist safety?
Firstly a single cycling safety advocacy body, not more than 10 that I can count. Cyclists have really struggled for unity and hence the message is a little wobbly.

Solving the first bit will make everything easier - you have dedicated agents to lobby governments et al, support research pieces, collate data etc. This is how a lot of the stronger lobby groups are set up. This stuff exists already but once again all groups have a different version of events.

Given the history ofYarra boulevard tacks - I don't have confidence in the local reporting system. I have a mate who rekons best way to go about it is crimestoppers because then it logs but nonetheless the problem in that the data is obscured and vague. Organisations (like a peak association) might be able to collate data, but the converse problem is data quality - there is always going to be some level of bias or perceived bias of the data produced.

I don't have a solid solution, but encouraging people to use cameras and collating them into event logs would be a start. First though we need to decide which advocacy group!
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Re: Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby Cycleops70 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 11:47 am

I'm in WA and there is very little in the way of organised advocacy.

We have WestCycle, which is government funded. They are very 'softly soflty' with their dealings with government, & on the surface are no more than 'yes men' to any initiative the government bring. Very unlikely to bite the hand that feeds.

Bicycle West Australia, which are also very quiet on the advocacy front.

In short, we have event organisers, not advocacy.

I feel very much on my own, with no backing when I'm on the road.
I have written to police commissioners & ministers regarding police reports & cyclist safety.
Most recently I wrote to Michelle Roberts following the death of Cameron Frewer with my own experiences of reporting dangerous passing to police, and the varied excuses given for not taking action.

I've not yet had a reply.

I'm also considering submitting a FOI to police (if that is the right place) to find out how many fines for MPD have been issued.
We have only had MPD law in WA for 12 months.
It is a 2 year "trial", so I'm not sure if now is the right time.
I am only aware of 1 fine being issued, & that was in the first few days of the law being introduced. A driver intentionally swerved into a cyclist, & was witnessed by police.

So I am also interested in the best use of time & effort.
As in individual, I feel I am too easily brushed off by ministers or police as a nuisance.

I feel there are 2 big hurdles to getting action.
Getting police to take dangerous driving around cyclists seriously. This will need to come from government, as each station will deal with this differently.

And then getting driving offences taken seriously by courts.
This will be very difficult, when everyone in the court room drives & can see themselves in the drivers position. Cyclists are the 'other'.

It seems all I can do for now is keep recording my rides & evidence. And the subsequent lack of police response. Documenting these & following up with the police minister.
Hopefully I will change from vexatious nuisance, to keeping the police honest.

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Re: Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby fat and old » Tue Nov 20, 2018 12:22 pm

Calvin27 wrote: Given the history ofYarra boulevard tacks - I don't have confidence in the local reporting system.
Funny you mention the boulie. My first thought when I read El Jefe's post was that scenario
AU Bicycles wrote:Should this be the role of bicycle advocacy groups or if they are not getting traction, it is about getting enough voices of individuals to draw focus on cycling safety?
If nothing else, George and his mates have co-ordinated a groundswell of cyclists and reached a lot of people through their efforts. Multiple media spots etc. A local councillor who was on the ball for a fair while. They even had their own pet police officer early days. Who can forget the constant "SSStandish! I saw a hoon! SSStandish, I saw a tack! SSStandish, he was riding with long socks!!" and so on. They've even had a publicly funded magnetic sweeper for a few years now. I'd say they've achieved a fair bit down there. Of course, they fell for their own opinions on how important they are, and over reached badly going after vic roads and the police on the hoon issue but that's not a real big deal.

Point is, with a dedicated leadership group you can get attention. I guess the trouble is getting that leadership in the first instance, and having them stay the distance in the second. I could see myself happily starting out, but chucking it in pretty quicly. Thus, I have to respect the stayers, whether I agree with them or not.

With regards to enforcing the law, I'm still not sure why any advocay groups haven't partnered with a law firm (hereafter known as "the ambulance chasers") to pursue things like MPD issues etc. Maybe there's no benefit? I don't know, but like to know why?

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Re: Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby g-boaf » Tue Nov 20, 2018 1:32 pm

fat and old wrote:With regards to enforcing the law, I'm still not sure why any advocay groups haven't partnered with a law firm (hereafter known as "the ambulance chasers") to pursue things like MPD issues etc. Maybe there's no benefit? I don't know, but like to know why?
I thought one of them did partner with a law firm. I haven't had any dealings with any of the advocacy groups so they aren't my area of expertise.

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Re: Should cyclists be promoting safety to the governments or law enforcement

Postby opik_bidin » Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:21 am

Bicycle NSW is doing it

https://bicyclensw.org.au/getting-in-to ... Eg8JvP8bFc

If you want things to change for bike riding where you live, we recommend you contact your local member of the NSW State Parliament, or candidates seeking election. They actually like hearing what is important to you.

You can find your MP and their contact details here, or look out locally for other candidates seeking election.

To raise your issues ahead of the election on March 23rd you can ask for an appointment, send a letter or get in touch via social media. Why not ask for a commitment to deliver what’s most important to you?

To help you we have:

Hashtags for your social media
1. An infographic of the policy priorities of Bicycle NSW that you can use or share to open a conversation
2. A template letter for you to use and tailor to the issues most important to you and your community
3. A resource focussed on the needs of under 16’s
4. Promises from MP’s are bike-riding gold. If you receive a promise to deliver things for bike riding, and the member or candidate is successfully elected, there are funds put aside to deliver - be sure to share it with us.

Live Briefing
Bicycle NSW is offering a briefing to help you get a meeting and make sure it goes smoothly.

You are invited to join us:
Live online from anywhere that suits you on January 24 at 6:15pm - we will stream the seminar via Facebook Live. Be sure to follow our Facebook Page.
Anytime, anywhere after the event – the recording will be available for you to watch from our website whenever it suits you
We will cover:
  • 1. how to get a meeting if your MP or candidates are shy
    2.the resources we have developed to help you
    3. how to prepare your ‘ask’ related to local issues
    4. what getting a promise from an MP or candidate can mean for you if they are successful
    5.how to use social media and hashtags to highlight local issues
    6.why sharing meeting outcomes can help you get even more of what you need
    7.making sure promises become reality
If you have any questions you would like answered in this session, please email (info@bicyclensw.org.au) them to Bicycle NSW before by 5pm on 22nd of January.

Social Media
MP’s and candidates usually have Facebook and Twitter accounts to help you get in touch with them and voice your concerns. Searching for their name on Twitter or Facebook will give you their handle.
Why not share a picture of the place you want a bike path, crossing or a solution to dangerous infrastructure for bike riding?
Or even draw them a picture of the cycling route you want to your school or local sporting field? Ask them to promise to get it done.
Please tag us in by using @BicycleNSW and #FixMyBikePath2019 #VoteBike2019

Infographic
Please feel free to use our infographic in meetings, to post or share it.
Image

Template Letter
To make this letter your own, add or subtract in order to:

Ask for what you need that an MP or candidate can deliver
  • 1.Share what concerns you most. Is it infrastructure? Getting bikes on trains? More police enforcement of road safety? Driver education? Lower speeds in your town or suburb?
    2.Ask the questions you want answered
    3.Share an image of the problem if you have one
    4.Ask your candidate to promise to deliver what you need if they get elected
https://bicyclensw.org.au/wp-content/up ... To-MP.docx

Under 16’s
The issues for under 16’s and their parents can be a bit different. Under 16’s are able to ride on footpaths instead of the road but for many children and families there are still a lot of barriers to being able to ride safely to school, the park, friend's places and all the places you want to go.

Children can’t vote, but their issues matter to everyone – from traffic congestion and safe school zones to pollution and inactivity. We encourage families to highlight issues that matter to your children.

Why not use their photos and drawings to make a point about safer paths, being active or riding to reduce traffic and pollution? A social media message with a great drawing can cut through in a world full of words.

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