"New" CEO for BNSW

[CommuRider]

Still have 8 months left with mine. (and I renewed because of Omar!)

[Boognoss]

Still have 8 months left with mine. (and I renewed because of Omar!)

Hey who knows, someone else might (and will hopefully) be in the role by then

[hannos]

Still have 8 months left with mine. (and I renewed because of Omar!)

I have about 11 months

[Boognoss]

Actually Bicycles Qld is looking more attractive purely from an insurance and price point of view (waiting for confirmation of Australia-wide cover from them but guessing it does).

BQ is $90 p.a. and have the exact same cover (Starter policy)as BNSW ($20M public liability).

BNSW is $104 p.a (and have Alex Unwin).

BV is $109 p.a. but have a different policy with $5M public liability.

THere are of course other variations like loss of income cover that is slightly better with BV's insurance so it's a weigh up of risk as is any insurance policy.

[sblack]

BQ is $90 p.a. and have the exact same cover (Starter policy)as BNSW ($20M public liability).

BNSW is $104 p.a (and have Alex Unwin).

BV is $109 p.a. but have a different policy with $5M public liability.

How does the excess compare between the covers?

edit: answering my own question a quick look at the sites and found the following:

Third party, both have $1000 excess, BV has $5million cover and BNSW/BQ has $20million

Loss of income, both cover up to 80% of income, BV is capped at $1000 per week for 52 weeks and has a 14 day excess. BNSW/BQ is capped at $800 per week for 104 weeks and a 7 day excess.

Non-medicare medical expenses, both paid at 85%, BV is capped at $7500 with $150 excess, BNSW/BQ is capped at $5000 with an excess of $50.

[feral grasshopper]

have a look at Bicycle SA guys:

http://www.bikesa.asn.au/RiderInfo_Memb ... uranceFAQs

http://yooyahcloud.com/BICYCLESA/6XynJ/ ... _Final.pdf

[Boognoss]

have a look at Bicycle SA guys:

http://www.bikesa.asn.au/RiderInfo_Memb ... uranceFAQs

http://yooyahcloud.com/BICYCLESA/6XynJ/ ... _Final.pdf

Mmmmm, same insurance as BNSW and BQ for $80 p.a. Looks like the winner

[snortin]

Was checking these out as I wanted to ensure I am insured for the daily ride to work.
I found on the Cyclecover website that you could only go through the "partner" in the state you live in (if there is one). Thus, only people in Vic, Tas, WA and NT can choose the association they wish to join for insurance purposes. See link.....

http://www.cyclecover.com.au/ridesafe/distributors.html

[csy75]

snortin, you seem to say that you can only purchase a higher package in the relevant state...for that package....



why would someone pay a 20-30% higher premium on an insurance policy to a group that many people are not overly happy with ( BNSW in my case ), when i can buy the same policy from Bike SA and have coverage here in NSW?

I dont understand?

[snortin]

CSY, I was only quoting what the Cyclecover website said (they are the insurance providers for each of the State Associations I believe).

They have two statements on that page which informed my assumption:

These entities act under a distribution agreement with Cyclecover and are the sole distributor of the RideSafe product in their respective states and/or territories.

referring to the various bike associations.

And

If you reside in either SA, NSW, QLD or ACT you will need to contact the respective partner in your area to purchase a RideSafe package

So my interpretation (which I was hoping someone would say was incorrect) was that if you lived in either NSW, SA, QLD you had to go to your state distributor (BNSW for us) to "purchase" a Ridesafe Package. I had assumed that membership of an association is essentially purchasing a Ridesafe package? See also this link http://www.cyclecover.com.au/ridesafe/packages.html
which details coverage that most associations provide is "Starter"

Now if you were to join Bike SA simply to be covered by the personal bike crash insurance (ie the Cyclecover ridesafe package) then you would not be complying with the above requirements. The part that really had me worried was this quote on Bike SA website

* Please refer to http://www.cyclecover.com.au for a full description of insurance cover, conditions & exclusions.

Would this then not mean that they could deny any claim?

Of course all the above is just my reading of the Cyclecover website - but ultimately they are providing the coverage, and if they have written on their website that you need to purchase coverage only through an approved distributor (if available) then I would have thought they have grounds to reject any claim from somebody who is a member of Bike SA but resides in NSW?

I would really like to hear from someone who is a resident of NSW but a member of Bike SA - specifically whether they have in writing that they are covered by the Bike SA insurance?

[anonymous_]

I wish bicycle Victoria would become the national cycling peak body and take over bnsw. Bnsw is a joke no long ride even BSA and bqld can run one.

Bnsw could not organize a weekend ride.

The rail trail in the riverina was from bv lobbying the nsw government. Bv has forged an alliance with the racv, they sponsor the long ride and offer bikes roadside assistance. Bv have over 100 full-time staff.

Bnsw is af..... Joke.

Now we have the same loser that stuffed it up back in charge.

Guys what can we do to change this?

[CommuRider]

Elect one of us to the board.

Anyway, received this in the inbox. Nb the consultant speak

The Board of Bicycle NSW is pleased to announce the appointment of Alex Unwin as the new Chief Executive Officer of BNSW. Alex has unrivalled experience and understanding of the sector and his knowledge of BNSW is second to none, having previously served as CEO from 2005 to 2010. Alex will commence his term as CEO from February allowing BNSW to seamlessly move forward.

Puh-lease how comforting to read the organisation is not immune to cliches du jour, or trendoid phrases of the week to justify changes that smack of self-interest.

When a person/organisation states "move forward" , you know they are doing exactly the opposite. So for those not moving forward with them, does that mean they are accelerating beyond square one?

As for the board, get rid of the big4 cycling weekend warriors or it is looking like they have been placed there by the NRMA to destroy the BNSW from within.

[csy75]

i read that too but it actually do you notice that Bicycle Victoria is not mentioned there?

who do they buy it off? whomever they want!!

so obviously it is the same for anyone else in any state...buy membership through the state body you wish to support. they then offer you a policy which is valid anywhere in Australia.

I would also prefer to save $$$ on insurance and perhaps let bicycle NSW sort itself out before paying to support them in what seems to me as an outsider, pretty poor performance by the board.

[MREJ]

Does anyone know the real story about why Omar left? Like others, I am dismayed - I thought Omar was making headway in a way I'd rarely seen before in what I think should be BNSW primary role, which is boosting the profile of cycling and getting recognition in the public debate. Cycling will always struggle while so much of the public think cyclists should get off the roads, and getting cycling a fair hearing and building a positive image is the single best thing a cycling association can do. I had the impression Omar was onto this like no-one before.

There were also several good practical initiatives that arrived during his tenure.

The contrast with BV - with its 100 employees - is marked. I first got onto their mailing list about 3 years ago, and was struck by how much more capacity and initiative they seemed to have. They have annual revenue of $13.5m - when Omar arrived, BNSW annual revenue was less than $2m! I just looked at Omar's message in the most recent annual report, where he talks about rebuilding the organisation. I had a distinct impression that he was gaining traction in this.

Now we are back to the future, and all we get from Bicycle NSW to explain this significant change is a page of spin. This is really unacceptable. After all, the member pay the dues. BNSW needs to talk to its members or risk a backlash next time elections come up. I for one will be using my vote with a vengeance.

[grantw]

I got a reminder email that my membership had recently expired from the membership officer of BNSW t'other day, so I politely replied saying that now Omar had left I wasn't so sure that I wanted to renew my membership. A day or so later I had a voicemail from them wanting to discuss my reasons for not renewing and so they could explain the boards vision for the future.

We've been playing telephone tag since then, but when I actually talk to them, I will be more specific as to why. I'd be very happy to learn of the boards vision too.

cheers

grant

[trailgumby]

Email response from BV:

Hi xxxx

You are not alone with your questions -- the recent changes in NSW have triggered similar queries.

In short, yes, we do offer memberships nationally, and there are thousands of people who take it.

Because of the recent interest we have put a web page up which should answer your questions.

http://www.bv.com.au/general/join-in/93919/

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.

--
Regards
Garry

Seems like the linked webpage was crafted to answer each of my questions directly.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

I know some people at BNSW and since I have the media power of BNA behind me I might be able to get an interview with the new old CEO. If I do, I will be asking some serious no BS questions and expecting serious no BS answers. When I talked to Omar about an interview last year, he agreed immediately and gave me some very honest answers. I think doing the same with the new CEO would be a good idea.

Would people be interested? If so, what do you want to know?

Cheers,
David

[CommuRider]

If you do get that interview bfv, I would like information on the background of each board member and groups they do/n't represent. How they got elected, who elected them. At least with the NRMA, they still send me forms come voting time. It doesn't happen with BNSW.

If BNSW has some lofty ambition to demutualise ala NRMA and to be more commercial like, they require board members who treat their positions professionally and not because they were elected there because they are mates with whoever, and treat their board position as some trophy membership and actually don't care about executive decisions being made and just stamp their approval without even any consultation with their stakeholders!

Furthermore, lack of visibility and information regarding Omar's abrupt departure. Seems to be no transparency at all. If the CEO position was not publicly advertised, it shows the gross unaccountability and the contempt BNSW has displayed to its members. I am sure there are OTHERS who have the vision and transform the organisation into a proper cycling organisation and would have submitted their interest had the position been advertised. So why was not the position advertised? Who was on the selection committee to parachute in the old CEO? Can they disclose their conflicts of interest? Did the former CEO actually select the sitting board members? And where is the Chair in all of this?

At least they spared us 'Omar departed for personal reasons' bullcr@p.

It seems that currently my membership fees are going into a blackhole of an organisation that is unaccountable to its members.

Thanks for the link tg, I will keep it in mind 8 months' down the track. I like their welcome An organisation that looks after its members? Hmmmm....very tempting....

[sogood]

It's going to be challenging few years with the present Coalition government in place, one that holds a negative view on cycling. Omar left at a good time and Alex will have to meet the challenges.

[grantw]

Email response from BV:

Seems like the linked webpage was crafted to answer each of my questions directly.

Thanks for the link, joining was easy.

cheers

grant

[Sydguy]

Can anyone explain where BNSW and Cycling Australia fit together if at all?

Being a member of Cycling Australia, besides being able to race with a gold license, also covers you for insurance purposes?

Does Cycling Australia advocate for cyclists? Or is it more a racing focused organisation?

BNSE is BUG focused and Cycling Australia is Club focused?

So many layers, it really splits cyclists up into little easy to ignore groups.

JM

[gururug]

I believe Cycling Australia insurance only covers you for sanctioned club training and racing ( crashes ) not theft et al.

[sogood]

I understand that CA has been trying to move into the tradition turf of BNSW/BV in the last year or two. They now permit membership from traditional BUG/leisure riding groups. It's one of their strategies to grow the organization. As far as utility cycling advocacy is concerned, I haven't seen much of it to this point.

[trailgumby]

Email response from BV:

Seems like the linked webpage was crafted to answer each of my questions directly.

Thanks for the link, joining was easy.

cheers

grant

No problem. However, only $5mil of public liability and property damage cover seems a bit light compared to the $20mil that is usual on PL policies of this type.

I think I'll be looking a litte further before making a decision, as I have until August to do so.

[gururug]

Surely we could arrange some BNA buying power???

30-100 new members/customers should be able to sway some deals.