Australian Cyclists Party

[Dismount]

You need to broaden the manifesto.

 

[classic33]

You need to broaden the manifesto.

Open to suggestions.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

@Marmion, have you thought of standing yourself as an independent, as oppossed to not voting. If not can I ask why, after all you have little to lose.

I can't think why I would.

 

[steveindenmark]

By starting a single focus party you are excluding a lot of voters to begin with. take the Raving Monster Loonie Party. Apart from a handful of Raving Monster Loonies, who voted for them.

You need to have a Lets have a picnic Party or Bring back hanging party, which involves everyone.

We cant even agree with each other on here. How do you expect to form a political party?

Steve

 

[classic33]

By starting a single focus party you are excluding a lot of voters to begin with. take the Raving Monster Loonie Party. Apart from a handful of Raving Monster Loonies, who voted for them.

You need to have a Lets have a picnic Party or Bring back hanging party, which involves everyone.

We cant even agree with each other on here. How do you expect to form a political party?

Steve

He actually "lost" when he got elected.
Out of curiosity, whats your weight & height?

 

[Dismount]

Open to suggestions.

To focused on one particular subject improving safety of cycling and so on... Based on the core focus of the party the percentage of cyclist is below:-

10% cycle once a week
3% cycle 5 times per week
2% travel to work by bicycle

While these figures fluctuate by region overall the percentage of people who cycle are low. To put it simply not enough people who care about cycling in the UK. To be successful you would need some cloak and dagger tactics, focus on the items people presently are concerned with:-

Economy
Jobs
Welfare
So on....

Once elected do what every other party does, ignore the core of the manifesto and do whatever you want

 

[classic33]

Like the last piece, sell out once in.
But if a larger country, Australia in this case, can manage it, why shouldn't the same be done here?
I've said how improving the roads can benefit all who use them. Now I'll give an example of how such an improvement, done wrong, can make things worse for everyone who uses the roads, whilst saving the worst for cyclists.
The TDF comes through near me, next year, £500,000 has been set aside to repair the roads that will be used, for about an hour in total, to the detriment of every other road that needs repairing. Some of these other roads see heavy traffic use every day & one half mile stretch of road has generated 13+ claims for damage caused to vehicles & injury to individuals because the local council refuse to repair/maintain to a reasonable standard. Any chance it had of being repaired has now been put back by at least two years, because the money will not be there. Its been set to one side for a minority road user, who'll be gone within the hour.
Those other roads serve schools as well as industrial estates, but they are not classed as high priority. So companies are relocating, outside of the area, taking their employment elsewhere but taking money that would have been spent in the areas around their factories/warehouses with them as well.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

The TDF comes through near me, next year, £500,000 has been set aside to repair the roads that will be used, for about an hour in total...

There you go, you should be campaigning for more of the roads to be used in Grand Tours - get thyself onto the boss men of the Tour, Vuelta and Giro.

 

[Dismount]

£500,000 has been set aside to repair the roads that will be used, for about an hour in total,

Part and parcel of politics, speculate to accumulate. The TDF coming to the UK/Yorkshire hopefully will be a income generator and leave a net positive after spending on infrastructure etc.. Small business will also prosper during this period, more income for the Gov via taxes both direct and indirect.

Need to look at large scale projects £500,000 is small change compared to the HS2 last estimate if my memory serves me correct is 40bn. This money could be better spent by donating to local councils to improve on, road, cycling infrastructure, rail (not to be doomsday philosopher, but fuel will only get more expensive). It is really that important to shave 20 minutes of a journey!

 

[classic33]

Why don't more people cycle though?
Generally because they deem it unsafe in heavy traffic on badly maintained roads.
Want more people on bikes, improve the right roads for all that use them. Not one or two roads for a minority. Britains longest continuous hill climb is one road that is being fully repaired, for one hours expected use next year. Every other day it is & will be a quiet back road, seldom used by the majority.
The thin end of the wedge being driven in further to help alienate cyclists from every other road user!

 

[Dismount]

Why don't more people cycle though?
Generally because they deem it unsafe in heavy traffic on badly maintained roads.
Want more people on bikes, improve the right roads for all that use them. Not one or two roads for a minority. Britains longest continuous hill climb is one road that is being fully repaired, for one hours expected use next year. Every other day it is & will be a quiet back road, seldom used by the majority.
The thin end of the wedge being driven in further to help alienate cyclists from every other road user!

My personal opinion, many disagree but I don't think cars and cycles should share the same road. We need a separate cycle network that is designed by cyclists, this would in turn bring the return of local shops, bring back some sense of community. You would cycle for you daily groceries and other smaller items have a fully integrated society/community. We need to look across to Europe and take note of what they done.. Our Gov need to remember London is not the UK other places exist beyond the north of Watford But I can dream.

 

[steveindenmark]

I visit the UK quite often and wouldnt like to cycle there. I lived there until my early 20s and always had a bike.

Possibly it is because I have been spoilt by cycling in Denmark for 10 years. Traffic in the UK seems to have increased massively since I left.

Steve

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

The thin end of the wedge being driven in further to help alienate cyclists from every other road user!

How did you come to that conclusion?

 

[classic33]

Not widely publicised is if the HS2 does get built as far as Leeds, it will be to a seperate station, as yet unbuilt, roughly a mile away from Leeds station at present.
No rail link planned between the two stations, so any saving made timewise, with the HS2 will be wiped out by the journey into the City centre, presumably by bus or taxi, thus adding to the traffic.
Ten years ago it was estimated that the population of Leeds declined by just under a million people between the hours of 4-7pm on a daily basis. I was one of those.

 

[classic33]

How did you come to that conclusion?

Council plan on announcing the cost of the improvements after the next local election, as well as saying that its to the benefit of all who cycle within the area. That hill climb I've done about two dozen times in over 30 years.
When major improvement works are being put back because of what is seen as a minority activity, it will generate friction.