December 2015
IN THIS REPORT-Perth Motorcycle and Scooter ShowRide your motorcycle to work dayMRA Motorcycle Safety ForumReview of the actions from the Motorcycle Safety Forum and the Government Motorcycle Safety Review GroupWe held our Motorcycles Safety Week from October 30th till November 7th. Below are the details of the three main events during the week.Perth Motorcycle and Scooter ShowWe kicked of the week at the 2015 Perth Motorcycle and Scooter Show at Claremont Showgrounds with a breakfast launch of our latest publication Make Yourself Visible (a pdf copy is on our website) this was launched and given a brief presentation by Sean L’Estrange MLA Member for Churchlands representing the Minister for Road Safety. The police at the launch asked if they could have a couple of hundred copies to use during the week, we of course obliged.For the next three days we manned the MRA stand at the show, talking to people about road safety and other initiatives that we are working on. In total we estimate that about 2,600 people visited our stand over the three days and we had many people fill out the question form to enter the competition to win a Ipad mini.(the winner was Wayne Paris of Henderson) The result of the questions was that over 85% of people believe that their safety on the road is mainly their responsibility and not necessarily the Government or other road users.I would like to give a big thanks to all the MRA guys who volunteered their time.Ride Your Motorcycle to Work DayNovember 4thThis event did not go as well as expected. We did reserve a large area on Riverside Drive for free motorcycle parking and organised for a free breakfast for riders who chose to park there. This was provided by the City of Perth to us at a greatly reduced cost through a co-sponsorship deal.We used social media the Perth Motorcycle and Scooter Show and direct email to over 35 motorcycle clubs and forums as well as individuals to promote this event. However the turnout was very disappointing and we will not be using the same approach next year. We will promote the Ride your Motorcycle to Work day again, however we will instead encourage riders to approach their employers to provide parking space on the day.The purpose of this event is to show our Political leaders and the general public that we are using a legitimate from of transport and deserve some consideration, this will also will show people that motorcycle and scooter riders are just regular people who choose two wheels.Although the area that we reserved in Perth CBD was not a success, the reports that we received is that their where many more motorcycles and scooters on the road that day.MRA Motorcycle Safety ForumNovember 7thAfter the RAC decided to pull out of hosting this year’s forum at the last minute, the MRA still held a very successful Motorcycle Safety Forum thanks to some very much appreciated help form the City of Stirling for providing us with a marvellous venue that they paid for. The Road Safety Commission for providing the facilitator who did a great job and for putting on the catering.The day kicked off with a short presentation from Hon. Lisa Harvey MLA Minister for Road Safety, followed by a presentation from Kim Papalia the Commissioner for Road Safety on some of the findings that came out of the Government Motorcycle Safety Review Group. (Some very interesting statistics that I am sure surprised most people in attendance, such as 30% of motorcyclist fatalities occurred on borrowed motorcycles) The next presenter was Ken Beer who is a Road Engineer and Director of Safe Systems Solutions who are based in Victoria and have been designing Motorcycle Friendly Roads for many years. He paid for all his own expenses to attend this forum including airfares and accommodation for his stay here. I can’t thank Ken enough for his commitment to motorcycle safety. To say he impressed everyone at the forum with his presentation would be a huge understatement, his knowledge the solutions to the challenges we face as riders on the road environment is not seen in many road designers and I know he is trying hard to get the message to the road authorities in all States.We also had a presentation from Marianne Carey on actions from previous forums, so that we did not go over the same issues and had some new directions to work on.I also gave a short presentation on the current situation regarding motorcycle helmet regulation in Australia and the latest data on ABS and other technologies for motorcycles.After a short lunch break we sorted ourselves into small groups to workshop on but not limited to the issues raised during the presentations, the groups topics consisted of Rider Competency, Licencing and Training, Motorcycle Interaction with Other Road Users, Motorcycle Friendly Road Environments, Rider Responsibility and General Ideas for Safer Motorcycling. Many actions come from the workshop session and here are some of the more popular actions - the introduction of accepting international standard motorcycle helmets into Australia without the requirement to be retested. A trial of motorcycle lane filtering in W.A. similar to the regulations that are inforce in Qld, and Victoria and the promotion of road engineering solutions to motorcycle hazards and black spots and the regular safety auditing of popular motorcycle routes.The full lists of the discussions and proposed actions are on our website www.mrawa.orgReview of the actions from the Motorcycle Safety Forum and the Government Motorcycle Safety Review GroupNext week at the WA Motorcycle Safety Advisory Group Meeting we will discuss the discussions and proposed actions from the MRA Motorcycle Safety Forum and the 36 proposed actions from the Government Motorcycle Safety Review Group.I will keep you informed of the outcomes and actions once they have been agreed upon.Dave WrightEmail: davmar08@bigpond.comPh. 0418 954 424
RIDE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT