[publictransport] BV links finally updated

[Rob Eke]

Well put Alan, I agree and make no bones about my thoughts on what is going
on which I share again with everyone here....

Security, even at the manned stations  is something BV is not in the  least
bit interested in considering in the Eltham  trial as it will divert
attention from its agenda to get quick approval for the Perth Cages and
integrate that into a swipe card (read MYKI) subscription based system of
users, for operating the cages and collecting fees from them.
I am given to understand,  from what I have been told,  by DOI, it is BV who
want to operate the cage system in due course, not Connex and BV be the
middle operator and getting a cash flow take from the system as well as
Connex and the Govt.

If that is the case, they,  (BV) are pushing ( a hidden agenda) to get the
subscriptions  to cage use, over lockers,  in place when the new MYKI swipe
card can then be used to control fee collection. BV will be a supplier and
ongoing revenue sharer. Nice plan, meanwhile all integrity is lost whilst it
pursues its commercial aims.

There is no regard whatsoever to user concerns over vandalism and pilferage
from both subscribers in the proposed system to be trialled and rogue
vandals and thieves not in the system.

If the use of the cages is to be charged for, and the trial proceeds with
cages at all stations without security being address adequately, users will
not get value for money in comfort on security or safety of their bikes.
Unmanned stations will have cages destroyed in no time and commuters will
refuse to use the system. If there is no charge for the cages and users
"take the risk", that too will be uninviting and must prove fatal to
encouraging more commuters to ride to stations on bicycles, which is the
only reason for such anyway.

If this government is serious about integrating bicycles into mainstream
sustainable transport policies it is certainly short on sensible assessment
of the needs of commuters, short on planning for near and long term success
and  merely long on rhetoric.

I drew the need for secure storage that encourages use to the Minister's
attention in my direct submission to her in January, such as was implemented
in Brisbane , it can be funded and at much less cost than car spaces which
are now running at close to $18,000 per space according to the Governments
own budget from 2007 of $90M for 5,000 spaces in Melbourne alone.
Secure storage must be part of the BtBB submission in the process of the
review and solution to "getting more people riding more often". The BV
rhetoric on its slogan is certainly not being walked, still !

Rob Eke






-----Original Message-----
From: publictransport-bounces at yarrabug.org
[mailto:publictransport-bounces at yarrabug.org]On Behalf Of Labyrinth
Sent: Friday, 1 February 2008 12:39 PM
To: Public transport access for all users
Subject: Re: [publictransport] BV links finally updated
Importance: High

Hi all.
the most recent BV statement of policy regarding bicycles and trains
contains an apology for past mistakes and some new policy initiatives
not so far discussed such as the carriage of fold up bicycles on all
buses and trams. That is most welcome but it still has a very major
deficiency.

What concerns me is that most rail stations are not staffed from the
first to the last train every day.  In the last 20 years  thousands
of bicycles have been stolen from stations or vandalised at stations
and the value of these stolen bikes each year on average is greater
than what the Victorian government spends on bicycle facilities.
I know this because as a sub-consultant I  surveyed bicycle storage
provided on every rail station on  the metropolitan rail  system in
1985 and in 2003 and surveyed the  additional bicycle lockers
provided since then.

There no trial being conducted of how to provide theft and vandal
resistant  bicycle storage facilities at the unstaffed stations. That
is half the stations on the system. (around 110 stations) The so-
called  trial of a lockup cage is  at a station that  is staffed from
the first to the last train every day and their is  no is no mention
of combatting bicycle theft and vandalism at unmanned stations.

Past experience shows that the  use of bicycle lockers at unmanned
stations was
never managed competently and even on many of the staffed stations
rail staff
never managed the lockers properly and line managers turned a blind
eye to what was going on. Even members of the police checking for
people without tickets and troublesome rail patrons where not
interested in stole bicycles.

Before going along with BVs improved but still deficient policies I
suggest that BV find out how many bicycles are stolen or vandalized
at staffed and unmanned stations and have the minister set in place a
system for monitoring such petty crimes because.

Data  on reported bicycle thefts at stations are available on the
police computer and that data is obtainable and can factored up by BV
surveying its own members to see what proportion of them who have had
a bicycle stolen and reported to the police or not.

Each year the State Bicycle Advisory Committee should have been
monitoring the bicycle theft problem generally and at stations in
particularly but it has failed to do so because of piss weak advocacy
by its cyclist members. The Minister for Transport needs to request
the Minister for Roads who hosts the SBAC to issue a ministerial
objective for this data to be  obtained .

Bye Alan






On 31/01/2008, at 5:14 PM, telstar at cfsmtb.net wrote:
> Public transport and bikes
> http://www.bv.com.au/bikes-and-riding/41105/
> -

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