a Pedal Update April - May 1999

Issue 130, April - May 1999

BISA's mission is to promote cycling for transport and to represent all cyclists at the local state and national levels by working collaboratively with other interest groups and governments.

In this issue

  • velozity - the spirit lives on
  • joining forces for cycling
  • ministerial congratulations
  • the tour & velozity
  • annual general meeting
  • financial statements
  • software for sale
  • bug in the adelaide hills
  • australia cycling
  • hazards by phone
  • canning stock route
  • encycleopedia and bicycle culture quarterly
  • last word
  • thanks to velozity hosts
  • VelOZity Program Gone - Spirit Lives On

    After 7 Key-note-speakers, 232 participants from 5 countries, 60 workshops, 5 program launches, and 15 media interviews, the most frequent disappointment stated by participants in the closing session was, "couldn't get to enough workshops, - couldn't choose between them". Topics ranged between David Iggleston's "Doctor Fix-its' solutions for your stalled projects", Alistair Cummings and Harry Barber's highly practical approaches to some of the most common on street engineering problems, Robert Crocker's "Tea and Sympathy - Pedestrians in SA", Cormac McCarthy's Bicycle Organisations beyond 2000, Les Lumsden's Marketing Cycling Tourism, and many, many other diverse topics.

    VelOZity was about connections and mainstreaming - impacting Health, Transport, Tourism, Environment, Economy, Industry and Planning. It was about the value of listening to each other, about building new collaborative working relationships across sectors and about being open to challenges.

    VelOZity, the "conference" is in the past, but the goodwill, new working relationships, visions and hopes for cycling's contribution to the building of sustainable communities has been taken back to cities and towns across South Australia, Australia, New Zealand and the world.

    Its success will be judged by what happens there, not by the conference alone.

    So....what's next?.... That's up to you!

    Lindsay Holmes

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    Joining forces for cycling

    On Friday 19th February a landmark event occurred. BISA and Bicycle SA joined forces along with the Cycling for Pleasure Group to present a stall at the VelOZity Expo in Victoria Square.

    During the day volunteers engaged passers-by in conversation about cycling and our respective organisation's involvement and activities. We gave away about 100 sample bags filled with local cycling information from each organisation to mostly local people but some to interested conference participants as well. We enjoyed each other's company during the quiet periods and got to see bits of a great 1950's British movie "A boy, a girl and a bicycle" on video.

    As 'tent organiser' and BISA volunteer I'd like to extend a huge thanks to:

    Thanks to everyone's good humour and cooperation, a fun day was had by all!

    Peter Good

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    Ministerial Congratulations

    I congratulate and thank the Bicycle Institute of South Australia for 25 years of bicycle advocacy.

    BISA was the first such group to be established in Australia - and ever since, all members can be proud of the effectiveness of their efforts to promote safer cycling in South Australia.

    As a keen cyclist I have been particularly pleased to work with BISA to increase cycle use by increasing funds to invest in a safe cycling network, "Bike Direct" maps, "Bike Ed", "Share the Road" campaign - and now free carriage for bikes on trains at interpeak periods.

    Yours sincerely

    Diana Laidlaw MLC
    Minister for Transport
    and Urban Planning

    January 1999

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    The Tour

    It's over! Well it's over for this year at least! I hope The Tour returns to Adelaide for years to come because it clearly brought so much pleasure to so many and I felt so pleased to be on the winning teams - Stuart O'Grady's as well as Major Events. I am an Adelaidian, a South Australian and a cyclist after all! And we won!

    I have a better understanding also of road racing, and while there was all that elite sports hype there was also a mass of community participation. The race is free, there are only happy human noises - no screeching motors, and the riders and the public enjoy an intimate proximity. You can hear riders talk tactics as they round the bends while racing. After the races on Tuesday and Sunday they rode `home' from their equivalent of a day `at the office', through throngs of people. Riders enjoyed pats on the back and brief conversations, with the people in the crowd.

    I feel pretty confident The Tour in Adelaide will (or has already) increased cycling numbers. The City seemed full of cyclists on Sunday at least. To accommodate our recent converts though The City will need to lift its game.

    Adelaide, despite the award winning 1995 Bicycle Strategy has no continuous cross-city arterials. The years drift by and the big decisions do not get made (or they get unmade). Pulteney Street and North Terrace have nothing for cyclists, despite being the busiest cycling routes in South Australia, and despite high injury rates. Franklin and Flinders have no signs of resolving confusion in favour of a coherent cycling arterial. Adelaide is a brilliant street racing circuit, but it is way behind its suburban neighbours in cycling arterial provision. Adelaide can knock up world class elite cycling event in quick-time, and that's no easy task. It can't though get in a fair average quality, continuous commuting arterial in a decade.

    But if we had one, we could call it O'Grady's!

    velOZity

    It's true. There were not masses of grass roots cycling advocates at VelOZity. Most VelOZity participants were employees of Local governments from around Australia and New Zealand. However, State and Commonwealth workers were also well represented in the 300 or so participants. There was probably a preponderance of traffic planners or traffic engineers, but there were also road safety experts, public health professionals, town planners, cycling industry representatives, tourism planners, and urban developers. Local Government and State politicians attended in significant numbers and the Commonwealth Minister for Transport, the Hon John Anderson came to launch the National Cycling Strategy.

    What are advocates to make of all this?

    From my point of view, the Conference was strongly inclusive. The Conference organisers worked hard and effectively and with the skills of Peter Couchman to get a great diversity of people with a great diversity of interests and levels of expertise to come and work together. Conferences I go to usually are places where people talk at each other. In this conference people talked openly and frequently with great enthusiasm with each other. They talked about grand visions at times and at other times they problem solved very particular on road problems. Professional territories weren't defended. Rather people developed a common sense of purpose which frequently incorporated others ideas.

    One assumption was fundamentally unquestioned at VelOZity. Cycling is a potential major contributor to solving many contemporary social problems. Cycling advocates have now established this assumption most clearly with people who have responsibilities for implementing cycling activities. The issue that participants dealt with in many general and in many particular ways, was how to realise the potential contributions of cycling. This is a practical task and one that requires cross-disciplinary work. At VelOZity that work was being done - all day and every day.

    So was this conference worth while? Undoubtedly! It energised people who often feel isolated in their work places when they try to claim space for cyclists and pedestrians. People with a vision for improved mobility, better health and environments, more congenial towns and cities, greater tourism options and so on, have a network of people with whom they can problem solve.

    The consensus is that The Tour was a success. At the end of VelOZity the delegates proclaimed VelOZity a success when at 5.30pm on day three, many stood and gave the organisers a prolonged ovation. Now that is a successful conference in anyone's language.

    Peter Lumb
    President

    Adelaide's sister city Christchurch, New Zealand sent six delegates to VelOZity. Shoalhaven on the South Coast of NSW, sent three, Adelaide, two.

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    Annual General Meeting

    Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, 22 April 1999 at 7:15pm. The venue is the Box Factory at 59 Regent Street, Adelaide. We will have a number of Mayors forming a panel talking about their vision for sustainable transport in their cities. They will be talking about the transport policies that they would like to see implemented over the next five years to improve safety, community health, amenity and air quality. Also we will be continuing our practice of having a bike display. The theme this year is competition. If you have a bike that is designed for competition (road, track, downhill or BMX) that is state of the art, of historic significance or unusual in some respect, then we would like to hear from you. Please contact Terry Leach on telephone 8380 5497 or 0414 980 448.

    All members are encouraged to nominate for the management committee. If you have time and energy to contribute, please give consideration to stepping forward. At the time of writing we do not have a nomination for treasurer. If you have experience in bookkeeping and some time to spare, then we'd love to hear from you.

    Terry Leach

    agm agenda

    • Welcome and opening Apologies
    • Minutes of the AGM held on 23 April 1998
    • Reports President Treasurer
    • Election of officers
    • Appointment of auditor
    • Minor constitutional change
    • Other business
    • Panel of Mayors

    minor constitutional change

    A recent examination of the constitution shows that BISA is not properly constituted as a non-profit association although this is how we have been operating since inception. Constitution as a non-profit organisation protects BISA's assets from any misuse by members and clarifies our taxation status.

    The following changes would easily correct this oversight:

    Insert a new clause in section 20

    20.2 The assets and income of the organisation shall be applied exclusively to the promotion of its objects and no portion shall be paid or distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the organisation except as bona fide remuneration for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the organisation.

    Amend clause 22.1 to read

    22.1 If, after the winding up of the Association, there remain 'surplus assets' as defined in the Act, such surplus assets shall be appropriated in accordance with this rule. The surplus assets shall be paid and applied by the organisation in accordance with its powers to any organisation which has similar objects and which has rules prohibiting the distribution of its assets and income to its members.

    The wording of these changes is acceptable to the Australian Taxation Office. A recommendation to accept these changes will be put to the AGM.

    Financial Statements

    Statement of Receipts and Payments for the 12 months ending 28 February 1999 (Unaudited)

    Receipts Payments
    Sales of Maps/Books/Posters/T-Shirts $1,359.50 Purchase of Maps/Books/Posters/Tshirts $7.30
    BikeSouth contracts $2,762.95 BikeSouth contracts $1,555.35
    Membership Fees $15,561.00 Membership Services and Administration $13680.37
    Interest/Advertising Income $2689.38 Advertising Expenses $30.00
    Donations/Grants $201.00 Advocacy $3185.95
    Sale of Assets $0.00 Purchase of Assets $170.00
    Sundry Receipts (detailed below) $338.00 Sundry Expenses (detailed below) $338.00
    Cash Book Balance 28 February 1998 $34,446.98 Cash Book Balance 28 February 1999 $38,391.84
    Total $57,358.81 Total $57,358.81
    Sundry Receipts Sundry Payments
    Money received on behalf of BFA $320.00 Money received on behalf of BFA sent to BFA $320.00
    Dishonoured cheque fee May 1998 $9.00 Recovered dishonoured cheque fee May 1998 $9.00
    Dishonoured cheque fee September 1998 $9.00 Recovered dishonoured cheque September 1998 $9.00
    Total $338.00 Total $338.00

    Bank reconciliation Statement 28 February 1998 28 February 1999
    Balance as per Bank Statement (S1 account) $3,354.28 $5,498.93
    Balance as per Bank Statement (S15 account) $31,179.70 $35,350.86
    Deposits not yet banked $0.00 $144.00
    Less Cheques not yet presented $87.00 $2,601.95
    Balance as per Cash Book $34,446.98 $38,391.84

    Statement of Assets and Liabilities 28 February 1998 28 February 1999
    Balance as per Cash Book $34,446.98 $38,391.84
    Stock for Sale in hand $1,595.26 $634.00
    Assets as per Asset register $1,404.42 $1,082.66
    Less Accounts received but not paid $0.00 $36.00
    Less Memberships paid in advance $6,619.00 $9,963.17
    Net Accumulated Funds $30,827.66 $30,108.67

    Notes

    Comments

    The most important financial change that occurred in the last 12 months is the introduction of accrual based accounting instead of accounting on a cash basis. Now not only cash but assets, stock and the memberships paid in advance are accounted for. This should remove qualifications to the financial statements that the auditor has been placing on BISA's accounts at each audit.

    At the January committee meeting a number of significant changes were agreed:

    I must record my thanks to those who have contributed to BISA's financial success:

    To my successor I wish all the best in coping with new challenges in particular BISA accepting payments via credit card and the possible introduction of a GST.

    Alex Sims, Treasurer 1998-1999.

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    Software for Sale

    For sale by tender (BISA reserves the right not to accept any nor the highest offer tendered): "Claris for Windows FileMaker Pro version 2.1" (bought in 1996), complete with manuals and 3.5 inch disks, requires Windows 3.0 or higher. Send offers by April 30th to:

    BISA
    Attn: FileMaker Tender
    GPO Box 792
    Adelaide SA 5001

    Alex Sims

    everyday japanese bicycle
    The standard Japanese bicycle, ideal for everyday use with basket, mudguards and chain guard.

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    BUG in the Adelaide Hills

    Following the formation of an ad hoc Bicycle User Group during the development of the Stirling Bike Plan and a working group that assisted with the East Torrens Bike Plan in 1997, it is appropriate to attempt to expand the community focus to reflect the new amalgamated Council district. The old districts of East Torrens, Gumeracha, Onkaparinga and Stirling are now part of the Adelaide Hills Council. The Bike Plan for the Adelaide Hills Council district was completed last year, but the emphasis on activities to date has been in the old Stirling and East Torrens area.

    It is essential to receive ongoing local input to effectively respond to the community's cycling needs and as Hills cycling conditions are so challenging it is imperative to establish safe local links and routes that will encourage communities to get on their bike. So if you reside in the district please consider being involved in this new and expanded BUG. Contact Jackie Crampton on 8408 0400 or e-mail jcrampto@ahc.sa.gov.au.

    Jackie Crampton

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    Australia Cycling

    On Friday 19 February the Commonwealth Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the Hon. John Anderson, launched the revised national bicycle strategy - Australia Cycling The National Strategy 1999-2004

    Not only did the Minister launch the five year strategy, he also released a joint media statement with the Hon Michael Wooldridge Minister for Health. This is a world first! Never before has Health and Transport come together to promote cycling. You can view the Minister's speech here.

    You might want to email Mr Anderson. It is vital that we show our support for Australia Cycling and point out the need for Federal funding to help the strategy become a reality. The Strategy is also available on the internet.

    Bronwyn Laing
    Secretary BFA

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    Report hazards by phone

    Hazard Report cards have assisted cyclist to report hazards for a number of years. The information was sent to BISA who in turn contacted the appropriate state or local government department.

    BikeSouth have published a freecall phone number which can be used to report cycling hazards.
    1800 018 313

    This means that BISA will no longer issue hazard report cards.

    Before you call make sure that you get all the location details such as street name, nearest building number or the name of intersecting roads so that the hazard can be found.

    Maintenance problems such as road surface defects and overgrown vegetation can be fixed as part of on-going maintenance programs. Design problems usually take longer (and lobbying) to address.

    Hans Penning

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    Cycling the red heart

    BISA member Bob Mills will cycle the Canning Stock Route (almost 2,000 km of unmaintained 4WD track through desert) in WA to raise funds for the Heart Foundation.

    Bob has a web site which provides more information about his fund raising bike ride.

    Encylopedia and Bike Culture

    These excellent annual and quarterly magazines have been unavailable in Adelaide for well over a year (if not two) since Exeter Cycles closed it's doors. So I am very pleased to advise that BISA member Kevin Clark of Clark Cycles at 354 Magill Road, Kensington Park has taken up the mantle and will have limited numbers in stock as from the end of March. If you would like to reserve one you can telephone Kevin on 8332 3083.

    Clive Palfrey

    BISA Celebrating 25 years of bicycle advocacy 1974 - 1999

    The last word

    This will be my final issue as editor of PU.

    To those who provided stories and encouragement over the past two and a bit years - many thanks. Thanks as well to Kevin at Graphity! printers. PU could not have appeared without you.

    Articles for the next issue can be sent to editor@bisa.asn.au or to GPO Box 792 Adelaide 5001.

    Ruth Sims

    Thanks to VelOzity hosts

    Many thanks to the following BISA members who offered accommodation for VelOZity bicycle advocates who came from other parts of the country to participate in the conference.

    Your hospitality was appreciated very much.

    Margaret Day

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