Scooter News Two Wheel Study Growing number of two-wheels not a fad
Motorcycle Council of NSW A Newspoll survey* has found 72 per cent of people in New South Wales believe motorcycles and scooters will become more popular in the future and a further 30 per cent would consider switching to a motorcycle or scooter to save on their petrol bill.
The state-wide study, part of NSW Motorcycle Awareness Week (October 25 – November 2) also found that 7-in-10 people in NSW believe that motorcyclists should pay lower tolls than cars.
Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman, Guy Stanford said,” People are serious about using scooters and motorcycles as their preferred choice of transport. National sales hit an all-time high of 129,966 last year and in this state alone, there’s 6,200 scooter on the road.
“Switching from a family sedan to a scooter for daily activities would reduce the petrol bill by about a third, so it’s no coincidence that the petrol hike and traffic congestion in Sydney have increased demand for two-wheels,” Guy said.
The City of Sydney is the first jurisdiction in Australia to create a transport policy that specially relates to motorcycles and scooters.
Their draft Motorcycle and Scooter Strategy which exempts riders from paying for timed parking on City streets and advocates cheaper and easier tolling options was endorsed wholeheartedly by Sydney's motorcycle community,
“The City of Sydney is creating a transport policy that actively includes motorcycles and scooters and we congratulate them on this initiative.
If Governments are serious about reducing greenhouse emissions then encourage motorcycle and scooter usage through lowering road tolls." Guy said.
"Motorcyclists are happy to pay a toll as long as the price is fair," Mr Stanford said. “A car driver does not pay the truck rate for tolls”.
From a safety perspective, in the past five years motorcycle casualties have only increased by around 3 per cent while motorcycle registrations have grown by over 30 per cent in twelve months.
Former Olympic Swimmer and motorcycle enthusiast, Kieren Perkins an ambassador of Motorcycle Awareness Week added,” Look in your blind spots for us and remember that we’re all sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers out there.”
Motorcycle Awareness Week aims to raise the awareness of the benefits of motorcycle use, as a fun, fuel-efficient and convenient way to travel, along with encouraging other road-users to keep an eye out for motorcycles and scooters.
On Sunday, October 26 The NSW Motorcycle Council will host their annual Breakfast Talk at Loftus Oval, Loftus. Between 8am – 11am riders can receive a free breakfast with riding demonstrations and a safety gear fashion parade.
* This Newspoll study was conducted by telephone in October 2008 among a representative sample of n=333 adults aged 18+ in NSW.
For news grabs or interviews with Guy Stanford or Kieren Perkins, please call
Cameron Donovan, Espresso Communications on 0408 662 007
published 28/10/2008 |