Motorcycle Council: VicRoads CEO's glaring omission
He failed to mention motorcycles as a congestion beater in a recent interview — but suggested people move house as a potential panacea…Bikesales picked up the glaring omission in our Twitter feed the other day (twitter.com/bikesales), and now the Victorian Motorcycle Council has also raised its eyebrows.
We speak of VicRoads CEO John Merritt, who spectacularly overlooked motorcycles as a potential congestion beating solution in a recent Herald-Sun interview (HERE), recommending instead moving house, public transport, walking or cycling.
"This is a significant oversight given the intrinsic advantages offered by powered two-wheeled vehicles and VicRoads currently working towards implementing motorcycle traffic filtering, a Labor Government policy," a media release from the VMC said. "Some of the advantages powered two-wheelers enjoy over the listed transport modes include a greater range than walking, more flexibility and practicality than cycling, and arguably more flexibility and a better frame of mind than public transport.
"Whilst Bicycle Network Victoria states that cyclists are happy to commute up to 45 minutes or about a 10-15km range, the same time on a powered two wheeler would more than double that distance. This brings the outer suburbs into the realm of a practical and efficient motorcycle commute without taxing the road system.
Mr Merritt said in the article: “Anyone who is walking or cycling takes a two-tonne car off the road.”
According to the VMC: "Clearly so does anyone riding a powered two-wheeler, plus they form part of the solution, not part of the problem.
"The oversight by CEO Merritt is also at odds with recent research and position statements, such as that detailed in the UK’s National Council of Police Chiefs recent "Motorcycling Framework" report. It clearly recommended and encouraged increased usage of motorcycles to both reduce congestion and pollution.
"Similarly, in their report “Commuting by Motorcycle: Impact Analysis”, Belgium's TM Leuven found that “If 10 percent of all private cars are replaced by motorcycles, the total time loss for all vehicles decreases by 40 percent."
Motorcycle lane filtering is due to be introduced in Victoria by September 1, 2015, with VicRoads now seeking community input on the proposed new laws.
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