Media Release Scooter riders saddle-up for ‘Safe Routes’ rally Scooter riders will be asked to turn out in force on Sunday 22 October 2006, to raise awareness for riders on Melbourne streets as part of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce’s (VACC) Safe Routes Scooter Rally.
VACC VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said it was time the Government took notice of the growing numbers of scooter riders sharing the roads and took steps to ensure their safety.
He said cars and poor road-sharing practises in the city posed the greatest risk to scooter riders.
“Scooter riders need safer travel routes; better sharing initiatives, better education for riders and drivers, better traffic management, better licensing and training laws as well as better infrastructure.
“On Sunday 22nd October, we want to see scooter riders making their presence felt so the Transport Minister takes notice,” he said.
He said that scooters, as a convenient and inexpensive form of personal transport, were here to stay.
“Compared to driving a car, a scooter-commuter can save hundreds of dollars a year annually on petrol and parking. A scooter is even cheaper than public transport,” Mr Purchase said.
“Government policy-makers and road planners are failing powered two-wheeled transport users. We need a system of designated ‘safe routes’ and better traffic management features to make road-sharing safer for scooter and motorcycle riders.
“It is time the growing army of scooter riders was heard and their concerns addressed,” Mr Purchase said.
The VACC Safe Routes Rally will kick off at Lunar Park on Sunday 22 October at 10am, travel through the coffee strips of St Kilda, the Esplanade, South Melbourne, the Victoria Markets, and Fitzroy, and finish at Lygon Street’s Argyle Square.
“We invite all interested scooter riders to join us for the rally from Luna Park to Lygon Street. Having an enjoyable ride, then coffee and breakfast at Lygon Street will be a wonderful start to a Sunday,” he said.
As part of the rally’s celebrations, VACC will be donating a new scooter to the Lighthouse Foundation in a formal hand-over at Lygon Street.
published 4/09/2006 |