Please list any other organisations you have collaborated with on this submission.
Who you have consulted with
Members of the BMW Motorcycle Club of Victoria
What is your submission about?
Please provide a brief summary of your submission
Topic name
Ensure census results to enumerate motorcycle (or road registered powered two wheeled vehicles) numbers and frequency of use of these vehicles. Road congestion is a common problem in all parts of Australia, particularly for those travelling to and from work. Promoting use of motorcycles in place of cars would alleviate problems but motorcycle use is currently "invisible" and planners too frequently overlook advantages of two wheeled powered vehicles.
Choose your area of interest
Please select one item
(Required)
Population
Sex and gender
Households and families
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Income and work
Unpaid work and care
Education and training
Disability and carers
Housing
Location
Ticked
Transport
Cultural diversity
Religion
Other topic
Topics on Transport
Choose one or more of the following topics that relates to your submission
Please select all that apply
Ticked
Mode of travel to work
Name and address of workplace attended
Ticked
Number of motor vehicles
Other/unknown
Assessment Criteria 1
1.
This topic is of current national importance.
National Importance
Road congestion and pollution created by cars with few passengers are problems faced by those travelling to and from work, especially in urban or city areas but also in regional centres where public transport options are frequently limited or non-existent.
While there are many advocates proposing for use of bicycles or public transport in place of cars for such travel, too little emphasis is given to the use of motorcycles (or motor scooters) in place of cars. Although modern powered two wheeled vehicles offer excellent mobility, efficient use of fuels, are affordable and occupy only a small road area, they are frequently overlooked as a legitimate transport option. Attitudes to motorcycles and those who ride them are frequently portrayed in a negative light by the media, law and order and road transport authorities and these influences have the effect of steering younger travellers away from serious consideration of motorcycles as a transport option. Better data on motorcycle numbers and their use would help improve transport policies and transport planning. Improved data would assist those researchers seeking solutions to congested roads and city centres.
Assessment Criteria 2
2.
There is a need for data from a Census of the whole population.
For whole population
Currently, census transport data favours those who travel by car, train/tram, bus or bicycle or who walk. The value of motorcycle use, particularly for longer journeys to/from work in place of car travel, has the potential to improve journey times for all road users (including those in buses) by reducing road congestion caused by both moving and parked cars. The benefit of travel by motorcycle in place of cars has the potential to benefit smaller population groups (ie: those travelling to and from regional centres such as Bendigo or Ballarat or even Darwin), smaller geographic areas (ie: those postcodes through which pass main road corridors). Less time spent travelling or caught in traffic congestion has the potential to improve quality of life for both the traveller and nearby residents.
Assessment Criteria 3
3.
The topic can be accurately collected in a form which the household completes themselves.
Easy to answer
Data about motorcycle ownership and motorcycle use or about intentions regarding ownership or use is best collected at the household level. These data would be no more difficult to collect than data about other transport options.
Assessment Criteria 4
4.
The topic would be acceptable to Census respondents.
Acceptable
The topic of motorcycle ownership or use or intentions with regard to these matters is not inherently intrusive, offensive or controversial.
What is not "acceptable" or not to Census respondents is that an obvious transport option that has potential to make a positive difference to road utilisation is ignored by the national census.
Assessment Criteria 5
5.
The topic can be collected efficiently.
Collected efficiently
Collecting data on motorcycle ownership or use or intentions with regard to these topics would be simple. The concept of two wheeled powered vehicles is universally understood.
Assessment Criteria 6
6.
There is likely to be a continuing need for data on this topic in the following Census.
Continuing need
As our major cities continue to expand and patterns of work involving journeys to and from dwelling to work also continue, there will be a greater emphasis on how to improve the efficiency of existing road and vehicle parking infrastructure while at the same time limiting high levels of reinvestment in infrastructure expansion.
To slow the population growth (and housing demand) in our major cities, most state governments are promoting regional "growth" centres as places to live and work. This trend will increasingly bring road (and parking) congestion to regional centres.
Motorcycles offer a way to improve the utilisation of existing road transport resources and improve the quality of life.
These topics are important today and will remain so well into the future.
Assessment Criteria 7
7.
There are no other alternative data sources or solutions that could meet the topic need.
No alternatives
It is not possible to overlook the headline impact of the national census. While demographic commentators (ie: Bernard Salt) are able to highlight key issues in the between census period, big media are rarely interested in ABS data outside the census results. The impact of authoritative data at census time cannot be overlooked.
The ability to be able to enumerate motorcycle ownership and use and the frequency of motorcycle use for work related journeys will assist decision making.