VACC seeks improved road sharing schemes
July 14, 2009 by Matt Brogan
The VACC has reiterated its call for improved road sharing schemes include the development of infrastructure that allows motorised scooters to share bicycle lanes.
It has also been suggested that scooters be allowed to share transit and bus lanes as well as allowing boxed turns on busy intersections.
“The global economic slowdown has forced many Australians to re-consider their personal transport options,” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said. “Many commuters have cut costs by leaving the car at home but some do not like the idea of having to cram onto an already over burdened public transport system. Therefore, Powered Two-Wheeled (PTW) vehicles have become an attractive alternative.
“Scooters are a cheap, efficient and accessible mode of transport. But they deserve the same status and respect as other vehicles on the roads. In the VACC’s opinion, the Victorian Government has failed to recognise this. VACC believes the Government and the infrastructure plans should make provision for scooters through an integrated transport policy.
“The community and environmental benefits of scooters are clear. Scooters use smaller parking spaces than cars and leave a tiny carbon footprint. However, some people are put off from using them because they feel vulnerable riding on the roads.
“VACC repeats its call for scooter riders to be allowed to share bicycle lanes. VACC is calling for designated and signed “Safe Routes”, safety boxes, access by scooter riders to certain designated bicycle, transit and bus lanes and allowing boxed turns on certain busy intersections.
“It is a call echoed by the Motorcycle Riders Association (Victoria) which is today calling on the Minister for Ports and Roads, Mr Tim Pallas, to consider allowing all vulnerable road users, including PTWs to share the on-road lanes that are now the exclusive domain of bicycles.
“VACC will be highlighting this issue through the fifth annual Scooter Rally in Melbourne. Hundreds of scooter riders will take to the City’s streets to emphasis the fact that while scooter riding is social and fun, it is an important mode of transport. It is about time the Government took Powered Two-Wheeled vehicles seriously and made an effort to appreciate their value in reducing congestion and demand for parking spaces.”
Print it: 
*****PRIMO!*****
The FIRST thing they need to do in Vic. is allow you to ride a under 60cc scooter on a car license [no need to get a motorcycle license]like in S/Aust., QLD. and other.
I am still scared to ride my scooter for the simple FACT:
“Your 16 times more likely to have a accident”
So it can sit in the shed and rust away…..
Frankly, “Not worth the risk”
If it was MY fault ok, BUT i am NOT interested in “oh i didnt see you” being injured or killed because of some other fools driving….PASS
Cheers
F-0
Yeah ok, all well and good but when are they going campaign to make full face helmets and proper motorcycle riding gear compulsory?
The photo on this article is a perfect example of the kind of behaviour that makes a minor tumble a major accident.
fine with me, but i hope our roads don’t get all crazy like in asia with motorbikes evrywhere.
i saw a dude on a moped a few days ago on the highway, he was driving on the side, i don’t think his bike could reach 100kmh
That photo shows perfectly the stupid attitude many scooter riders have. I mean there are motorcyclists as well that wear less protection than is ideal, particularly in summer, but the majority of scooter riders simply wear work clothes. Just because you don’t have a clutch lever doesn’t make you suddenly invulnerable to spilled oil, or a wet manhole cover, or someone pulling out infront of you or merging into you.
And I’m sorry F-0 but 60 cc is still enough to kill yourself, it just means it takes a while to get enough speed for that to happen. A 60cc scooter can still hit 70kmh, so motorcycle training is still invaluable. I strongly disagree with the notion than their limited power means no motorcycle training is needed. They still have two wheels and handle completely differently to a car. By that token I should be able to fly microlite aircraft without a pilot license because they are so slow and small.
As for the article, overall I agree with the VACC, however i still think they should leave bike lanes for pushbikes. The top speeds of a pushbike and a scooter are very different, doesn’t make sense pushbikes should be having to dodge wayward scooters ridden by people with no motorcycle training.
TAKE/2
“And I’m sorry F-0 but 60 cc is still enough to kill yourself”
I never said it was/nt. just questioning the bizzare and different state laws we have in Oz!
Cheers
F-0
JIMBO/TOM^^^^
Both spot on, no gloves, no leg protection, open face helmet, moist likely low kays experience.
If she falls she is going to be very sore, damaged or worse totally dead
Cheers
F-0
Leave the bike lanes to pushbikes, but definatley encourage more city commuters to use scooters. How many cars do you see with only 1 person in them? If they were to change over to scooters then
A/ other users would become more aware of them as their numbers increased.(increased safety)
B/ you would get more room on the roads (again increased safety) and faster flowing traffic during peak hour.
C/ less parking congestion, 4 scooters = 1 car.
D/ lower emmisions and more opportunity for alternative (read EV) scooters.
E/ lower running costs for the average family. In Brisbane the cost of using public transport from home to the office and back every day would pay for the scooter, insurance and fuel and even the entertainment that I would find to fill in the extra hours I would have each week.
It is for these reasons that scooters are so popular in Europe and such.
As an EX motorbike rider of 5 years i would like to say that in that time i was hit twice and both those times i got the line…” oops sorry i didnt see you ”
YES well did they also not see the STOP sign?? OMG i broke so many bones and spend so many hours waiting for x-rays i will never ride a motorbike on Sydney City Roads ever again!
Ohh and i also found the older drivers to be the most likey to hit bike riders over my 5 years…The two people to hit me were both over 50! Any new laws to help the rider is welcome.
“FrugalOne”
Wearing protection does very little, i had $2000 worth of body armour, Keavalare reinforcing, spine protector, hard plastic shields with padding…I had on the pinnacle of body armour protection, but when a car going 30kmph hit me ( i was also going 30kmph ) The fall broke 13 bones in my body my bike was also written off…
Bikes are great its a shame so many bad drivers make them a deadly form of transport.
Share bicycle lanes,thats a lame idea,are they going to put lane lines and keep left slow vehicle signs on hills,i’m sure bicycle riders would love that.
Sorry to hear about your bad experiences VG, riding in Sydney would be another order of magnitude more insane than riding in Newcastle. It is true most gear is to prevent grazing and scraped off fingers, most gear doesn’t adequately cushion the actual impact from your bones. But if I had the choice between getting a leg cast for three months and being in hospital for 3 months getting skin graphs put on and maggots to clean out the graze wound, on top of a broken leg, I’d just choice the broken leg. Protective gear is worth it, but you’re right, there is no superman suit that guarantees injury free stacks.
In the contrary – I would rather see all car licence holders to be required to get a motorcycle licence aswell. This will ensure that everyone on the road is aware of other vehicles and how they behave in a certain situations.
On the topic of protective clothing – well, it would be the same as saying that all car occupants need to wear flame proof suits and helmets – seriously people, its a free country, and if I want to ride in my shorts and a T down to the beach then its my decision. Forum members – Stop acting like bloody pollies and cops and telling everyone else how to lead their lives FFS
Every second scooter rider is almost wearing that exact inproper apparel. How f**king stupid can you be a pair of heels? have see that too many times.
I dont think that scooters need to use the bicycle lane they are perfectly capable of keeping up with city traffic. If anything i think those bicycle lanes are dangerous. I almost hit a huge crowd of cyclists the other day because at the last minute they decided they had to turn at the lights so they all just pulled out in front of me and then decided to look for traffic.
I dont have the patience to put up with ignorance and i hate the fact that cyclists ride in the middle of a lane in peak hour traffic which holds up all the traffic or they start riding through the traffic which is very dangerous.
I don’t care what people wear on bikes (although seeing pluggers being worn make me cringe). But I do laugh when the Govco do a push for motorcycle safety trying to get everyone to wear protective clothig yet their very own “Chips” officers wear short sleave cotton shirts and have their helmet covers up (bmw helmets in QLD). Do as I say not as I do>>>>
Scooters have an enormous potential to free up our roads for people who need to drive a car, and provide a convenient form of personal mobility for the rest of us as cheap as public transport and probably with a carbon footprint nearly as small.
I’ll start with some suggestions. Make bicycle lanes and bus lanes available (bus lanes already available in the ACT). Give scooters free parking in city areas. Permit parking on footpaths by scooters so long as they don’t block them for pedestrians. Let people drive the smaller ones if they hold a full car license (already in WA).
I guarantee this will make the world a better place in our towns and cities. There will be more accidents from scooters, but this will be offset by less car accidents and less people getting mugged on the train or while waiting for the bus etc. And there will be other benefits like less congestion, less damage to roads and cheaper transport costs for lots of people.