Face time with the Federal Infrastructure Minister July10...

[The 2nd Womble]

I have been invited (along with around 5,000 chain smoking single Mums with families) to attend the Federal Community Cabinet in Redbank next month. I will be requesting some time with the Fed. Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, so if you can think of anuthing you'd like asked please let me know. More than happy to oblige.

[Kenzo]

If your mate Ron is there, ask the minister to have Ron ejected from the forum.

[The 2nd Womble]

Hell no! Me and Ron (hoik/groin scratch/nose pick-flick) go way back.

[newbikeorupgrade]

ask him for the fastest and widest (36 lane) segregated bicycle lane in the world direct into town.
It may include tunnels and land acquisitions.

[Mulger bill]

Seeing as it's a fed thing...

Ask him to lean on Toorak Ted about his myopic slashing of the infrastructure budget to zero in Vic.

An occasional streetsweep of approved freeway shoulders nationwide'd be nice too...

[The 2nd Womble]

Sounds fair

[greyhoundtom]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

[gururug]

Ask him for green tax offsets for bicycle commuters/couriers. Better yet, give us some infrastructure and we'll pay for it with out carbon credits.

[Ozkaban]

Ask him for green tax offsets for bicycle commuters/couriers. Better yet, give us some infrastructure and we'll pay for it with out carbon credits.

+100

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[trailgumby]

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

Oh, yes.

Two metre minimum width bike lanes in addition to 2.5m car width so we can avoid the door zone without straying off the "road-related area" into the path of trucks or SUVs should a door suddenly open.

If that means binning a whole bunch of badly placed door zone bike lanes and painting bike symbols in the middle of suburban roads, well that'd be a shame wouldn' it?

[il padrone]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

All these road design standards already exist, under Austroads.

State roads authorities (eg. Vicroads) know all too well what is required under the Austroads Guidelines, it's their bible however sometimes it's the will-power to follow it that is wanting. Unfortunately the implementation of Austroads rules is the grey area - States and local governments are not compelled to adhere to them at all times, they are guidelines to work towards rather than mandatory standards. I'd guess that the Feds do not have the power to compel state adherence, and it is often put into the 'too hard' basket by cash-strapped state governments.

[The 2nd Womble]

Pete just highlighted the Federal/State problem right there. Australian politics and legal systems are diabolical at the best of times.
The previous Queensland Labor Government said they would have been happy to introduce new Vulnerable Road User legislation late last year, but that they were severely hamstrung by this bureaucratic red tape courtesy of other State/ Federal laws and guidelines.

[greyhoundtom]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

All these road design standards already exist, under Austroads.

State roads authorities (eg. Vicroads) know all too well what is required under the Austroads Guidelines, it's their bible however sometimes it's the will-power to follow it that is wanting. Unfortunately the implementation of Austroads rules is the grey area - States and local governments are not compelled to adhere to them at all times, they are guidelines to work towards rather than mandatory standards. I'd guess that the Feds do not have the power to compel state adherence, and it is often put into the 'too hard' basket by cash-strapped state governments.

My bad.

Due to hotchpotch of cycling on road provisions, and more importantly the lack of provisions in far too many instances, including the regular occurrence where cycling facilities stop in the most dangerous situations and simply spill cyclists into dangerous intersections without any thought to their safety, made me believe that no overriding Federal guidelines existed.

But then if they are ignored because there is no real requirement to comply with them what good are they?

[foo on patrol]

^^ Well from my point of view GHT, these are no different to the Australian Standards requirement for motor vehicles and if you don't meet these basic standards, then you're in the crap, so should apply to these Government departments and their responsibility to safety standards and chain of responsibility!

Foo

[il padrone]

Yep, 100% agree that's the way it should be. But I'm just pointing out 'what is'. No point going to the Federal Minister and demanding they install standards that already exist.... or insisting they apply compulsion that they have not got the power to compel

Much of this comes down to our good old Constitution and the maintenance of state's powers. It really is the state governments that we have to work on to get change - hotch-potch as it will be.

[high_tea]

Yep, 100% agree that's the way it should be. But I'm just pointing out 'what is'. No point going to the Federal Minister and demanding they install standards that already exist.... or insisting they apply compulsion that they have not got the power to compel

Much of this comes down to our good old Constitution and the maintenance of state's powers. It really is the state governments that we have to work on to get change - hotch-potch as it will be.

Oh, they have the power to compel: tied grants. Whether they want to get into that level of details is another matter, but the states depend on federal money in a big way. This money can, and does, come with strings attached.

[g-boaf]

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

Oh, yes.

Two metre minimum width bike lanes in addition to 2.5m car width so we can avoid the door zone without straying off the "road-related area" into the path of trucks or SUVs should a door suddenly open.

If that means binning a whole bunch of badly placed door zone bike lanes and painting bike symbols in the middle of suburban roads, well that'd be a shame wouldn' it?

Oh what a shame it would be. Some land-acquisitions and some nice new bicycle "highways" if you want to call them that would be just great.

[longshanks]

I ran into AA at the local Pizza shop in Dulwich Hill last Saturday night but didn't get into a policy debate. Just general chit chat (weather, family, carbon tax etc etc). True story but for the carbon tax part. Anyway, i digress. Ask him if the government has considered issuing long term Infrastructure Bonds to help fund projects. There are some natural holders of these securities (Insurance co's and Super Funds spring to mind) so there would in theory be a ready market for the bonds. We need to think long term.

[stanevelyn]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

Agree: But we have politicians and government beauracrats that still live in their ideal world of the 1940's. Who refuse to acknowledge that they are at least 50 years behind the civilised world in road building, traffic management, and infrastructure planning. About time they were voted out, and replaced by forward thinking individuals with the qualifications and experience to make change happen. Until then they, will always portray this country as backward in view of other cycle friendly nations who obviously can only see us as a laughing stock of road building incompetance.

[il padrone]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

Agree: But we have politicians and government beauracrats that still live in their ideal world of the 1940's. Who refuse to acknowledge that they are at least 50 years behind the civilised world in road building, traffic management, and infrastructure planning. About time they were voted out.

That's our Ted Faillyou...... but everybody loves him and seems to think the sun shines out of his orifice

[The 2nd Womble]

They realise alright. They don't want to be the government that sends their State into 100 years worth of excessibe debit and lose their respective elections for doing it. It's not ignorance. It's a waiting game. They've seen Queensland lose its AAA credit rating and look what happened at the polls.

[The 2nd Womble]

Got the email from the PM's office today. No meeting to discuss anything involving dead people. That'll be left to an equally ignorant Abbot Government as well.

[Aushiker]

It certainly would be nice if there was a Federal design and minimal safety standards of on road bicycle facilities.

Unfortunately far too many local and State Authorities have no idea as to what is required.

It should include such items as minimum width of bike lanes, minimal standards in surface requirements, minimum distance away from signed parking areas to avoid dooring, bicycle lane signs and markings, etc. etc.

Ausroads

Andrew

[greyhoundtom]

Thanks Andrew,

So it does exist.........now how to get local authorities to comply with it

Time to go and see my local counselor for the Casey shire.