BN forums finally dead?

[Cyclophiliac]

https://forums.bicyclenetwork.com.au/

The site just returns an error message now, and has done for many days. The BN web page still links to it, too. I'm not surprised: BN has shown over the last several years how little they care for maintaining that site.

[Mike Ayling]

https://forums.bicyclenetwork.com.au/

The site just returns an error message now, and has done for many days. The BN web page still links to it, too. I'm not surprised: BN has shown over the last several years how little they care for maintaining that site.

No, it is back again but almost no activity there, no surprise if it was finally closed.

Thanks Mohan

[brumby33]

What's the History of that forum? was it the forum before this one as it seemed there was a connection?

Bit before my time here I think although I think I'm a member of that one too and I remember some user names were the same.
Maybe I got the two forums mixed up?

brumby33

[Cyclophiliac]

What's the History of that forum? was it the forum before this one as it seemed there was a connection?

Bit before my time here I think although I think I'm a member of that one too and I remember some user names were the same.
Maybe I got the two forums mixed up?

brumby33

It used to be BV forums (back when Bicycle Network called themselves Bicycle Victoria, i.e. before they got power-hungry), then they briefly renamed it to Bicycle Network Victoria, and then for some years it's been Bicycle Network. I lost interest in them years ago (used to be a member), when they started acting like motorist apologists and supported mandatory helmet laws.

I checked the forum site again just now: the link is still the one from the Bicycle Network web page, I even cleared my site cookies, and it's still not loading.

[warthog1]

Forums appear to becoming less popular and less frequented generally.
This forum has a fraction of the traffic it had a decade or more ago.

[Mike Ayling]

And its gone again!

Mike

[Cyclophiliac]

It's pretty pathetic, really, that an organisation that tries to market itself as a national cycling advocacy organisation can't manage a very simple forum site (it really is very basic in its features). The site currently returns this to the user:

General Error
SQL ERROR [ mysqli ]

No such file or directory [2002]

An sql error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact an administrator if this problem persists.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited

This is a forum site that is still linked from the Bicycle Network main page.

[trailgumby]

It's pretty pathetic, really, that an organisation that tries to market itself as a national cycling advocacy organisation can't manage a very simple forum site (it really is very basic in its features). The site currently returns this to the user:

General Error
SQL ERROR [ mysqli ]

No such file or directory [2002]

An sql error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact an administrator if this problem persists.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited

This is a forum site that is still linked from the Bicycle Network main page.

They tell us they've given up on that ambition. They closed their NSW operation a few years ago, resulting in Bastien Wallace subsequently joining BNSW.

However, I note they are still actively marketing their memberships with Google search ads to people hunting for BNSW memberships, despite doing no advocacy work in NSW at all for some years. It's a little-known fact they made no submissions at all in support of the Sydney Harbour Bridge northern access ramp - the highest-profile project we have.

With the non-renewal of Craig Richards' term as CEO and a refresh of the board they have been making noises about resetting the relationship with the other State-based bodies, but they clearly need to be doing more to align their behaviours with the rhetoric.

[Cyclophiliac]

It's pretty pathetic, really, that an organisation that tries to market itself as a national cycling advocacy organisation can't manage a very simple forum site (it really is very basic in its features). The site currently returns this to the user:

General Error
SQL ERROR [ mysqli ]

No such file or directory [2002]

An sql error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact an administrator if this problem persists.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited

This is a forum site that is still linked from the Bicycle Network main page.

They tell us they've given up on that ambition. They closed their NSW operation a few years ago, resulting in Bastien Wallace subsequently joining BNSW.

However, I note they are still actively marketing their memberships with Google search ads to people hunting for BNSW memberships, despite doing no advocacy work in NSW at all for some years. It's a little-known fact they made no submissions at all in support of the Sydney Harbour Bridge northern access ramp - the highest-profile project we have.

With the non-renewal of Craig Richards' term as CEO and a refresh of the board they have been making noises about resetting the relationship with the other State-based bodies, but they clearly need to be doing more to align their behaviours with the rhetoric.

None of that surprises me, it's partly why I cancelled my membership with them many years ago, they're not a very good cycling advocacy organisation, and their mass participation cycling events are ludicrously overpriced.

[Duck!]

Even in that forum's peak, BV/BN didn't really support it, even though they established and hosted it! Being a primarily Victorian-oriented forum, it always lacked the reach this one has, and in combination with the lack of BV/BN support has become another victim of the overall trend away from this format.