National Ride to Work Day, Monday 18th June 2012

carsQhere

National Ride to Work Day is next Monday, 18th June. Nice opportunity to get as many bikes out on the road as possible.

See: http://www.magireland.org/2012/events/national-ride-to-work-day-monday-18th-june-2012/

Del2005

Shame I'm off Monday.

From reading an article in MCN a few weeks ago MAG should be doing drive your car to work days to show how much of a difference bikes actually make to reducing congestion

A Belgian study found that if 10% car drivers switched to bikes it would reduce congestion be 40%.

If all the people who currently ride to work drove on a given day congestion would increase. Then the next day if everyone rides to work and congestion is reduced it would make a bigger impression on the public, and maybe politicians, once it was publicised and the press took notice .

carsQhere

That Belgian study got a mention on the MAG site. There were plans for a "ride to rule" protest a few years ago in relation to the bus lane fiasco. The idea was every rider would behave like a car taking up the fullest possible space on the road, not filtering, not using bus lanes etc. but it got shot down.

Anyway, saw a few extra bikes on my usual run in this morning, and traffic was lighter than usual too

SaoriseBiker

Del2005 wrote: »

Shame I'm off Monday.

From reading an article in MCN a few weeks ago MAG should be doing drive your car to work days to show how much of a difference bikes actually make to reducing congestion

A Belgian study found that if 10% car drivers switched to bikes it would reduce congestion be 40%.

If all the people who currently ride to work drove on a given day congestion would increase. Then the next day if everyone rides to work and congestion is reduced it would make a bigger impression on the public, and maybe politicians, once it was publicised and the press took notice .

A Guard I once had a chat with here in Dublin told me that bus lanes should be open to bikes and scooters as it is (a) Safer (b) would encourage more cagers to use a bike or scooter.

carsQhere

Most Gardai you'd meet take a sensible approach to bikes in bus lanes which is all well and good. The problem will only come to a head when automated enforcement comes in. Belfast bikers were recently granted extended access to bus lanes there, as were riders in London.

The transport authorities here (in general) are vehemently opposed to motor cycles and will do nothing whatsoever to encourage or support their use. Quite the opposite in fact.

Our own National Transport Authority refuses to recognise that a motorcycle is not a car, while section 3.2.4.4. of the penalty points review floated the idea that riders be treated as novices - i.e. subject to double penalty points.

Combined with the proposal to increase speeding points from 2 to 3, that would mean your second speeding offence on your bike would see you banned.

How does that make you feel?

SaoriseBiker

carsQhere wrote: »

Most Gardai you'd meet take a sensible approach to bikes in bus lanes which is all well and good. The problem will only come to a head when automated enforcement comes in. Belfast bikers were recently granted extended access to bus lanes there, as were riders in London.

The transport authorities here (in general) are vehemently opposed to motor cycles and will do nothing whatsoever to encourage or support their use. Quite the opposite in fact.

Our own National Transport Authority refuses to recognise that a motorcycle is not a car, while section 3.2.4.4. of the penalty points review floated the idea that riders be treated as novices - i.e. subject to double penalty points.

Combined with the proposal to increase speeding points from 2 to 3, that would mean your second speeding offence on your bike would see you banned.

How does that make you feel?

Hats off to the Govt and the public ' service ' yet again :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Please Kill Me

carsQhere wrote: »

Our own National Transport Authority refuses to recognise that a motorcycle is not a car, while section 3.2.4.4. of the penalty points review floated the idea that riders be treated as novices - i.e. subject to double penalty points.

Combined with the proposal to increase speeding points from 2 to 3, that would mean your second speeding offence on your bike would see you banned.

How does that make you feel?

How does it make me feel?? Put me in a room with the clown who came up with the idea and I'll show you!! I wrote to my local TD about it for what it's worth. This is his reply....

Dear Mr. *******

Thank you very much for your email. I agree with you completely that elements of the review are indeed positive and I along with my colleagues totally support any measures that can be put in place to enhance road safety. However I also do agree that this appears to be a direct attack on motorcyclists and today I submitted a parliamentary question to the minister for Transport Leo Varadkar TD calling on him to recall this aspect of the review.

I will revert back to you when I receive a reply,

Kind Regards

Robert Troy TD

unclebill98

Pkm. How long ago was it since getting that response?

Please Kill Me

unclebill98 wrote: »

Pkm. How long ago was it since getting that response?

I sent the email on Thursday, I got the reply Friday evening.

RosieJoe

I've sent a similar mail to the 5 sitting Wicklow TDs and have only gotten one proper response back and 2 responses from the one office promoting the mail up the chain. The other 3 must be on an early holiday!