Love them, hate them or simply love to hate them, you can’t deny the ever growing presence of Scooters on Melbourne’s streets – and we’re about to get a double dose with more than 400 riders expected to participate in the VACC ‘Safe Routes’ Scooter Rally 2008.

Meeting at Luna Park, St Kilda, from 10.00am on Sunday 26th October, the cavalcade will leave at 10.30am and ride, en masse, to Waterfront City Piazza, Docklands. As well as sharing the camaraderie that seems to go hand in hand with scooter ownership, the occasion also provides scooter owners with an opportunity to press the State Government for changes to road design and traffic management to make scooter riding safer for scooter commuters.

“VACC is recommending the implementation of signed ‘Safe Routes’, safety boxes, access by scooter riders to certain designated bicycle lanes and allowing boxed turns at certain busy intersections,” VACC General Manager, Communications and Marketing, Tim O’Brien said. “Scooter sales are booming. Some brands are up nearly 60 percent on last year. They are a cheap alternative to cars, they benefit the environment because they leave a tiny carbon footprint, they reduce congestion on roads and they reduce pressure on city parking spaces. It is time for the Government to take them seriously and to accommodate scooters in our road planning and traffic management systems”

The Rally forms part of this year’s Community Safety Day of which some 50,000 people are expected to attend. There will be helicopters, fire trucks, boats and other vehicles used in rescues and emergencies on show at Docklands facility as well as Victoria Police and Ambulance historic vehicles, and displays by the Coast Guard and Defence Forces.

“VACC and Scooter riders are very much looking forward to being part of Community Safety Day. We are also keen to work with VicRoads and the Government for creative solutions to make scooter riding safer for all,” Mr O’Brien said.