[publictransport] Bendigo News + Meeting - Countering the V-Line Position ***

[Rob Eke]

For the V-Line commuters, examine V-Line's recent statements carefully and
dissect them to prepare counter argument.

Andrew Berry said

V/Line area service manager Andrew Berry said "the rally had been orderly
and provided no difficulty, but" he said "the company would be making a
submission to the Minister on the difficulty large numbers of bikes
created for passenger access".

He said "V/Line's major concern was with safety and the possibility of
multiple bicycles overflowing from storage areas and impeding people's
ability to get on and off trains".

So you know their attitude, they don't want (more/any)bikes on trains. They
tell the Minister they oppose anything that encourages them and
encouragement will mean more bikes, hence "large numbers of them".

So know that they will tell the Minister they don't want you...., so you
counter has to be , Minister
1. V-Line have blinkers on,
2. they are not looking to the future and the need to accommodate many many
more riders on their commutes, plus
3. the recreational and tourism riders that will grow and grow.
4. Is it not State Policy to encourage greater bicycle use.
5. The State of Victoria claims to align with sustainable transport policies
and thus integration of bicycles into Public Transport as a normal component
is vital to achieve that. ( See EEC , World health org and UN materials on
this, plus Vic Goverents own acceptance of the Sustainability charter (see
this press release-
http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca25
6c8c001a3d2d/087a19188bed6533ca2572f20005eac9!OpenDocument )

My starting points would be:-

1. V-Line still will not introduce a booking system, do you want one? ( will
it give you and the stations certainty that is missing now?)
2. V-Line is not looking to the future, can it cope when the train becomes
full of passengers who want to take their bikes with them, there may well be
a time when there will only be all bike riders on some V-Line trains.
3. operationally, V-Line has a "dwell time" need to keep to its timetable,
ie the time at stations to load/unload. It will blame bikes first, and does,
for delay. Dwell time is primarirly controlled by capability V-Lines own
staff to manage the young, elderly & infirm, plus those with luggage...but
bikes will be blamed first... so ensure your strategy covers these points
and offers solutions such as
* Booking system for regular commuters, easy to manage, reduces
disappointment, copes with loads, and allows monitoring as a simple KPI for
more growth.
* Priority system for casual users. If numbers grow too big for capacity,
then more carriages added for booked bikes.
* Better carriage layout with more hooks and bins for bikes on trains.
* Better door access on carriages, wider?, different opening system etc.
* Much much more  V-Line secure bike storage at stations, lockers are
preferred over cages in the weather and prying eyes.
* Better trained staff to deal with situations of change and need.
* Better priorities towards the customer and
* acceptance that bicycles are an integral part of inter-modal transport and
are here to stay.
* Better station & platform layouts and access points to ensure luggage and
bikes and less ambient people can be managed efficiently to reduce dwell
times....
* Move away from bans and move towards accommodation.
* Move away from rigidity on policy and interpretation towards co-operation
and commonsense.

Cheers

Rob


-----Original Message-----
From: publictransport-bounces at yarrabug.org
[mailto:publictransport-bounces at yarrabug.org]On Behalf Of cfsmtb
Sent: Thursday, 24 January 2008 9:53 AM
To: Public transport access for all users
Subject: [publictransport] Bendigo News + Meeting

Hi all,

Seconded for another meeting this week - CERES is good, another having
wireless for Skype would be good to hear what other groups around
Victoria are doing.

If you know of other meetings and actions, please contact Brianna & I so
they can be included on the website and also on the Events calendar:

http://modernthings.org/binthebikeban/events/

Elvira is back at the end of January (from memory), as she suggested her
place was a meeting place option in Fairfield.

Please find attached a precis of last BtBB's meeting on January 12th,
please read to get up to speed with what people mentioned and also to
reappaise our goals in the light of Koskys change in attitude this week.

There's also a transcript of the audio is people want points from that.

A important action from the last BtBB meeting was a contact email/letter
to BUG's/Clubs and stakeholders informing them of the peak hour changes
and what actions they could take.

Now apparently we have a two week opportunity until new guideslines are
announced for bicycle/train use. Well, according to the Channel Ten News
on Tuesday:

Link:
http://www.melbournecyclist.com/video/video/show?id=1684380%3AVideo%3A5287

Now should that proposed letter be re-edited to tell BUG's/Clubs and
stakeholders to get involved with DOI's new consultation process? Having
so many groups could potentially make the process slightly confusing for
DOI, but hey, they should be listening to the communitys concerns. As
they should of the first time around.

There is also the offer of a BtBB survey monkey - do have some questions
drafted, although more would be appreciated.

http://www.surveymonkey.com

So timelining our proposed protests - the actions at Geelong on 1/2 and
Melbourne 12/2 can now be seen as huge opportunities to make sure the
State Government stick to their words.

At the moment they're only words as both Brianna & I can't seen to find
any official media releases or government annoucements.

cheers,

Chris

***


Bendigo: Ban prompts action
http://bendigo.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/ban-prompts-action/116813
8.html

CENTRAL Victorian bike activists plan to take the success of a rethink
on train bike bans further and advocate for greater integration between
rail and bike use.

Up to fifty cyclists - many of them catching the morning service from
Castlemaine with cardboard replica bikes - gathered at Bendigo Station
yesterday to voice their protest at a State Government ban of bikes on
peak-hour trains.

This week Minister Lynne Kosky ordered a review of the ban and will not
impose the restrictions until it is complete.

Rally organiser Jill Gibson said this was an opportunity for the
government to completely reverse ban and look at new and better ways of
integrating bicycles into the public transport system.

''This is a chance to make it that much better and as a link in the
chain, so to speak, of an integrated system,'' she said.

The volunteer for Sustainability Victoria said like the need to address
climate change, the community had led the way on the bike issue,
particularly in central Victoria, where there were fewer public
transport options and people grasped the value of the need for alternatives.

''In Castlemaine we have a community that has really jelled, and issues
like this bring the community together,'' Ms Gibson said.

''People have moved here for deliberate life choices and are very
conscious of those choices.''

She said the bike train option allowed many people to do without the
expense of a second car.

City of Greater Bendigo councillor Keith Reynard, who led the council
move against the ban, said it was also vital to have public transport
systems that support bicycle travel because of the rise in commuter
travel and its potential to contribute to tourism.

''We want to promote cycling where people come up and ride around
central Victoria, and the public transport integration in this is all
part of the journey,'' he said.

Cr Reynard said bikes also posed an alternative solution to the ongoing
problem of car parking for rail commuters, where the 120 space site
filled early and overflowed into surrounding streets.

''I understand it won't suit everybody, but the more we can utilise
alternatives like bike travel, the less pressure there is on limited
spaces,'' he said.

''As fuel prices go up I think we are going to see more and more of this
(bicycle use).'' Bendigo Bicycle Users Group president Keith Longridge
said the review provided an opportunity for the government to encourage
more cycle commuting.

''I think the first reaction of Bendigo cyclist to this ban is they were
being marginalised,'' Mr Longridge said.

''We want the government to act in an encouraging, rather than a
discouraging, role and see bikes as a key to the efficiency of the whole
system.''

He said infrastructure details such as better bicycle storage stations
(Bendigo Station presently has 12 lockers) were part of the next step to
solving wider transport problems.

''We've got to get out of this 1950s and 60s thinking of just building a
freeway and filling it with cars.''

V/Line area service manager Andrew Berry said the rally had been orderly
and provided no difficulty, but he said the company would be making a
submission to the Minister on the difficulty large numbers of bikes
created for passenger access.

He said V/Line's major concern was with safety and the possibility of
multiple bicycles overflowing from storage areas and impeding people's
ability to get on and off trains


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