- Bicycle Victoria
infobox Organization
name = Bicycle Victoria
size = 108x54
caption = Bicycle Victoria logo
motto = "More People Cycling More Often"
formation = 1975
type = Self-funded Community Organisation
location = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
main_organ = Board of Directors
num_staff = approx. 45
num_volunteers = varies during year, estimated 50–500
membership = 40,000
website = http://www.bv.com.auBicycle Victoria is a self-funded Australian bicycle advocacy organisation whose mission is to get "More People Cycling More Often".
Bicycle Victoria works to promote cycling in several ways, including campaigns and partnerships with government to improve cycling facilities, programs to encourage riding to school and to work, design and installation of bicycle parking facilities and large cycling events.
Bicycle Victoria is financially self-supporting and independent. It is primarily funded by its major events and membership subscriptions. Some events and programs receive specific government and commercial sponsorship, though Bicycle Victoria maintains financial independence as an organisation. This independence allows the organisation to lobby in the interests of bicycle riders without perceived external financial pressure.
Currently the organisation employs 45 permanent staff and has a number of additional staff on contract for events and special projects, as well as using the services of volunteers to events. Harry Barber has been the CEO since 1995.
Bicycle Victoria has two offices located in the CBD of
Melbourne , Victoria,Australia . The organisation also has a workshop in Sunshine, Melbourne.History
The organisation was established in
1975 [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/about-us/130/ |title=Bicycle Victoria at a glance |accessdate=2008-04-21 |work=Bicycle Victoria Website] as the "Bicycle Institute of Victoria". It became an incorporated association in1986 [cite web |url=http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/cav/br-search-criteria?mode=iaextr |title=Incorporated Associations Register |accessdate=2008-04-21 |work=Consumer Affairs Victoria Website] and in 2005, was renamed to "Bicycle Victoria"Fact|date=April 2008.The formation of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria in 1974 was instigated by
Brian Dixon MP, Victorian State Government Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation. Dixon bought together a group of bicycle advocates includingKeith Dunstan to help form the BIV. Dunstan went on to become the founding president of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria.Rupert Hamer s Government also formed the State Bicycle Committee (SBC) which was originally within the Ministry of Transport. Under Dixon, the SBC reported directly to the Minister. Its having to report throughVicRoads only occurred circa 1990.Membership
Membership of Bicycle Victoria is open to the public and is subscription-based. Membership is a source of income for the organisation. Benefits of being a member include discounts at bike shops, crash insurance, bi-monthly membership magazine, maps, advice services and other bike-riding resources.
By July 2004, membership had grown to 40,000, stimulated by bicycle sales out-stripping vehicle sales each year from 2000 to 2007, according to the Cycling Promotion Fund [" [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/australian-car-sales-slump-as-buyers-go-for-imports/2007/01/04/1167777218377.html?page=fullpage Australian car sales slump as buyers go for imports] " by Bridie Smith, The Age, January 5, 2007. Accessed May 4, 2007] .
"Ride On" (formerly "BVnews") is Bicycle Victoria's bi-monthly member magazine. It provides updates on cycling infrastructure & safety campaigns, product reviews, health & maintenance articles and suggestions for places to ride.
Campaigns for Cycling
Infrastructure for
Cycling in Melbourne has been greatly improved by the campaigns of Bicycle VictoriaFact|date=April 2008, including the development of many on road bike lanes and shared use Melbourne cycle trails, such as theFederation Trail following the route of the disused sewer between Footscray and Werribee [" [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/companies-fight-bike-path-plan/2005/10/16/1129401144953.html Companies fight bike path plan] " By Royce MillarCity Editor The Age, October 17, 2005. Accessed May 4, 2007] .Annual Cycling Events
A large portion of Bicycle Victoria's funding comes from an extensive calendar of fully supported bicycle rides and events. These events also encourage cycling.
Great Victorian Bike Ride
The "Great Victorian Bike Ride" was first organised in
1984 with 2,100 riders. It has become a regular event with several thousand people participating on the 20th anniversary ride in 2003. In 2004, a free new bike was given to each ride registrant. This sweetener, coupled with the attractive route following theGreat Ocean Road , saw the total 2004 attendance (including volunteers and staff) exceed 8500.Bicycle Victoria staff and volunteers have developed the facilities and the logistics plans for catering for the needs of several thousand cyclists and volunteers on the move each day. As well as toilets, showers, cooking and washing up facilities, and moving thousands of tents and luggage, an FM radio station broadcasts and a daily news sheet is produced. Hazard and direction signs, water stops and marshals are organised for the route each day.
It has been called by The Age as "Arguably the world's greatest one-week cycling holiday" [" [http://www.theage.com.au/news/adventure/on-yer-bike/2006/08/05/1154198342053.html On yer bike] " Paul Edwards, The Age August 6, 2006. Accessed May 4, 2007] .
Around the Bay in a Day
"Around the Bay in a Day" is a popular single-day cycling event around Port Phillip Bay in Victoria. In October 2006, more than 14,000 riders took part in this ride.
Great Escapade
The "Great Escapade" is an inter-state (or occasionally overseas) cycling holiday now run by Bicycle Victoria [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/great-rides/30589/ |title=Great Escapade |accessdate=2008-05-06 |work=Bicycle Victoria Website ] is similar in format to the "Great Victorian Bike Ride". The event is usually about nine days, but varies up to about two weeks if the location is further from Victoria. The 2008 Great Escapade was in New South Wales, through the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. In April 2008 the online publication "Pushon" reported that BNSW Board would support future Great Escapade rides instead of running their own multi-day event, the NSW Big Ride. This news has created discussion and criticism amongst NSW cyclists and past participants [cite web |url=http://www.pushon.com.au/news/news_Detail.asp?newsID=415 |title=News from the Board – April 2008. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=PushOn Website ] [cite web |url=http://www.sydneycyclist.com/forum/topic/show?id=1321712%3ATopic%3A17201 |title=Sydney Cyclist Demise of the Big Ride? – April 2008. |accessdate=2008-05-06 |work=Sydney Cyclist ] .
Bike Path Discovery Day
"Bike Path Discovery Day" is an informal event to encourage use and awareness of off-road cycle paths in Victoria. In particular, riders are introduced to Melbourne's extensive network of off-road paths.
National Ride to Work Day
"National Ride to Work Day" is an informal event to promote and celebrate cycling as a method of commuting to work. The event encourages individuals and also workplace teams to participate. Information is provided to help workplaces build facilities and develop policies to support employees who cycle to work. In October 2006, 10,000 first-time riders and regular commuters registered prior to the event. An estimated 30,000 took part on the day throughout the state [" [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/pedal-power-pulls-a-crowd/2005/10/05/1128191753788.html Pedal power pulls a crowd] " By Sasha Shtargot, The Age, October 5, 2005 Accessed May 4, 2007] [" [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/petrol-price-fuels-surge-in-bike-sales/2005/10/05/1128191786062.html Petrol price fuels surge in bike sales] " By Sasha Shtargot, The Age, October 6, 2005. Accessed May 4, 2007] .
Other events
Several other events have been run in the past, including:
* Great Melbourne Bike Ride: in March 2004, 14,000 people participatedFact|date=April 2008
Relationship with other cycling organisations
From 1979 the organisation was a member of the peak Australian body representing non-competitive cyclists, the
Bicycle Federation of Australia , but discontinued its affiliation during 1998Fact|date=April 2008.On August 7th 2007 the Australian cycling sector which included the Cycling Promotion Fund [cite web |url=http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au |title=Cycling Promotion Fund. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=Cycling Promotion Fund ] , Bicycle Industries Australia [cite web |url=http://www.bikeoz.com.au |title=Bicycle Industries Australia. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=Bicycle Industries Australia ] ,
Cycling Australia , Retail Cycle Traders Australia [cite web |url=http://www.rcta.org.au/ |title=Retail Cycle Traders Australia. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=Retail Cycle Traders Australia ] and theBicycle Federation of Australia launched its key asks in Canberra [cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Get-on-your-bike-says-Abbott/2007/08/09/1186530511856.html |title=Get on your bike, says Abbott. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=The Age ] .for the upcoming 2008 federal election. Bicycle Victoria was one of the peak organisations included in these key asks [cite web |url=http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/Vote4CyclingMovingFwd.pdf |title=Australia faces some significant challenges;climate change,the obesity epidemic,rising fuel costs and traffic congestion in our cities. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=Cycling Promotion Fund Website ] . but did not participate in the cycling sectors federal election campaign. [cite web |url=http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/76895|title=Cycling Promotion Fund - Vote for Cycling. |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=Vote4Cycling website ] .In September 2007, Bicycle Victoria, Bicycle NSW, Bicycle Queensland and Bicycle South Australia announced the formation of the Bicycle Coalition [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/about-us/40796/ |title=Announcement of the Bicycle Coalition |accessdate=2008-04-14 |work=Bicycle Victoria Website ] ; an agreement to work together on several projects such as National Ride to Work Day.
* Bicycle Victoria is not a partner of the Amy Gillet Foundation (http://www.amygillett.org.au)
* Local bicycle groups (known as Bicycle User Groups, or BUGs) campaign in local areas for improvements, organise rides, bike education and maintenance workshops and provide a grassroots basis for wider bicycle campaigns. Bicycle Victoria sometimes works with these groups on projects like the "Super Tuesday" bike count.
* Bicycle Victoria's website states that they are not involved in and do not support the
Critical Mass bike rides [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/bikes-and-riding/11187/ |title=Critical Mass rides. |accessdate=2008-04-17 |work=Bicycle Victoria Website ] .Controversies
Some cycling advocates criticise Bicycle Victoria because they feel that the organisation is failing to represent the best interests of cyclists.
Free bikes for ride entrants
Bicycle Victoria offered entrants of the 2004 Great Victorian Bike Ride a bike, free of charge, if they registered early for the event. The bikes were imported and distributed by Bicycle Victoria. The bikes were available fully assembled, or partially assembled in a box.
Retail Cycle Traders Australia and Bicycle Industries Australia did not approve, saying that the deal was harmful to retail business, the bikes were of low quality and cost the community and environment as waste disposal. [cite paper |author=Bicycle Industries Australia Ltd, Retail Cycle Traders Australia Inc|url=http://www.artful.net.au/~rct/images/stories/pdf_files/Annual_Reports/industry_report_2005w.pdf|title=Bicycle Industries Australia Annual Report 2005|pages=pp. 25|date=2005-10|accessdate=2008-05-03 ]
The bikes were also subject to a safety recall, which required a replacement front quick-release skewer. [cite web |url=http://www.recalls.gov.au/view_recall_detail.php?Recall_ID_Auto=7737|title=Product Recalls Australia: Bicycles Victoria 'Great Victorian' - All Sizes |accessdate=2008-05-03 |work=Product Recalls Australia 25/10/2004 ]
"Hell Ride" controversy
In August 2006 the death of pedestrian James Gould [cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/man-struck-by-cyclist-dies/2006/08/28/1156617253330.html|title=Man struck by cyclist dies |work=The Age 28/8/06] as a result of a collision with a cyclist riding in the weekly "Hell Ride" saw a prolonged media backlash against perceived bad behaviour committed by Melbourne cyclists. Some considerate and law-abiding cyclists felt the media backlash [cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20305642-5006029,00.html|title=Bike bullies ignore laws|work=Herald Sun 31/8/06] was unfair and were critical about public statements made by Bicycle Victoria CEO Harry Barber. [cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fast-furious-fatal-official-eye-falls-on-hell-ride/2006/08/29/1156816899914.html|title=Fast, furious, fatal: official eye falls on Hell Ride|accessdate=2008-05-06 |work=The Age 30/8/06] [cite web |url=http://treadly.net/2006/08/31/james-gould/|title=The death of a pedestrian makes hell for all riders |accessdate=2008-05-06 |work=Treadly.net 31/8/06] [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/file/file/AGM%20Members%20Q&%20A.pdf?phpMyAdmin=DhLMKS7n7oG8nIonGyRgo-K1uw6|title=Bicycle Victoria 2006 AGM Member Questions and Answers |accessdate=2008-05-06 |work=Bicycle Victoria 13/11/2006 ] .
Bikes on trains ban
From 1 January 2008, bicycles were banned from most Victorian train services during peak hour, including peak direction suburban trains. The statement on Bicycle Victoria's website said that the organisation supported the ban. An effective grassroots campaign against the ban quickly formed, and shortly thereafter Bicycle Victoria reversed its position and apologised [cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/minister-lifts-bicycle-ban-on-peakhour-trains/2008/02/14/1202760492789.html/ |title=Minister lifts bicycle ban on peak-hour trains |accessdate=2008-04-22 |work=The Age Website ] , stating that it had not actually supported the ban in the first place. (The ban was overturned 6 weeks after its introduction by the Transport Minister) [cite web |url=http://modernthings.org/binthebikeban/2008/02/02/bicycle-victoria-link-updates/ |title=Bin the bike ban! » Blog Archive » Bicycle Victoria link updates |accessdate=2008-04-17 |work=Bin the Bike Ban! Website ] .
Subaru promotion to members
In April 2008, Bicycle Victoria began a cross promotion with Subaru dealers in Melbourne. The deal offered free bike maps and bike pumps to Bicycle Victoria members who test rode Subaru 4WD's [cite web |url=http://www.bv.com.au/join-in/41211/ |title=BV Subaru 4WD Promotion |accessdate=2008-04-17 |work=Bicycle Victoria Website ] . It is assumed the Bicycle Victoria receives advertising revenue from the promotion.
Some criticise this promotion, [cite web |url=http://www.humanpowered.com.au/tiki/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=93 |title=BV's new ad encourages increased car ownership and usage |accessdate=2008-05-02 |work=Human Powered Cycles Website ] seeing it as pro-car and against the mission of the organisation. Others believe that the promotion is within the mission, as the majority of members also own and use a motor vehicle.
References
External links
* [http://www.bv.com.au Bicycle Victoria Website]
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