Bicycle Victoria
Encyclopedia
Bicycle Network Victoria (BNV) is a community-based not-for-profit organisation, one of the largest cycling membership organisations in the world (43,000 members, 2009), whose mission is to get More People Cycling More Often. The name was changed from Bicycle Victoria (BV) to Bicycle Network Victoria in July 2011. This coincided with a campaign - opposed by the Australian Taxation Office
- to become a Health Promotion Charity. This campaign succeeded in getting BNV registered as charity, although not as a "health promotion charity" and so without the right to Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
Bicycle Network 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, although this is debated by critics (see below).
Currently BNV employs about 60 permanent staff and has a number of additional staff on contract for events and special projects, as well as using the services of volunteers for events. Harry Barber has been the CEO since 1996. Bicycle Network Victoria has two offices located in the CBD of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. The organisation also has a workshop in Sunshine, Victoria
.
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 including Keith 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 through VicRoads
only occurred circa 1990.
When Bicycle Victoria was founded in 1975 the renaissance of cycling in Australia was gathering momentum. Bikes were becoming popular again for recreation and cyclists were becoming accepted on the road. Founding president, Keith Dunstan, records in his memoir Confessions of a Bicycle Nut: “By the late 70s I was called a ‘—–– idiot’ only once a month instead of every day”.
The first edition of the newsletter Pedal Power (Apr 1976) announced that the fledgling Bicycle Institute of Victoria aimed to cater “for the need of the majority of cyclists who urgently need safe, convenient and pleasant places to ride”. The chief campaigners were Dunstan and Alan Parker, who immediately began pressuring State and local government on everything from lanes on roads to citywide planning.
In 1978 the Victorian government approved a $1.6 million, five-year Geelong Bikeplan as a test case for bike planning in Victoria. The plan proposed programs of education, enforcement and encouragement as well as engineering for cycling. Ted Wilson of the Geelong police was key in the plan’s implementation. He worked on getting cyclists to comply with the road rules and encouraged police to look out for cyclists on the road. By way of education and encouragement, he taught the newly developed Bike Ed program in schools around Victoria, a program he loves and is still involved with.
Wilson also suggested re-establishing Police Bicycle Patrols in Victoria. The idea was written into the Melbourne Bikeplan in the late 70s and subsequent plans developed for centres around Victoria but didn’t come to fruition until 1990. Once again Geelong was the site for the trial and Wilson was charged with training police in bike skills. Now all police areas across Victoria are equipped to run Bicycle Patrols when they fit the bill.
With conditions for cyclists steadily improving, cycling clubs began popping up all over Victoria. One of the oldest and largest was the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club (MBTC). Founded in 1973 as "Action Unlimited" and changing to MBTC in about 1976, it soon became affiliated with Bicycle Victoria. One of the early members of MBTC was Ian Christie, who went on to run the renowned shop Christie Cycles for 22 years.
Christie sees the 80s as the period when cycling really began to take off. He credits this to cycling gaining a name as a great health pursuit at this time and the newly invented mountain bike. It wasn’t an innovation he had much faith in at the time. As a project manager for Bicycle Industries Australia, Christie was often asked about current trends in the cycling industry. He laughs, “I’m still making forecasts but I remind people that I was the one who said mountain bikes would never take off.”
Past president of Bicycle Victoria Charlie Farren concurs that the 80s saw a tremendous boost in recreational cycling in the state. Her involvement with the organisation coincided with the development of the Great Victorian Bike Ride from the 1984 first ride when over 2000 people rode from Wodonga to Melbourne.
That first Great Ride was meant to be a one-off celebration of the 150th anniversary of European settlement of Victoria but it was such a hit that cyclists demanded another event the following year. Farren sees the Great Rides as one of the most significant tools in the development of cycling in Victoria. “The events that Bicycle Victoria have nurtured have put enormous numbers of Victorians on bikes and they have ended up as sympathetic car drivers,” she points out. “I’m proud to have been a part of that.”
Membership of Bicycle Network 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.
Ride On (formerly BVnews) is Bicycle Network Victoria's bi-monthly member magazine. Ride On provides all bike riders with bike related information.
continues to be improved by the campaigns and advocacy of Bicycle Network Victoria, including the development of many on road bike lanes and shared use Melbourne cycle trails, such as the Federation Trail
following the route of the disused sewer between Footscray and Werribee.
, saw the total 2004 attendance (including volunteers and staff) exceed 8500. In 2008 for the first time the cycling route was a loop starting and finishing in Ballarat.
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 stop
s 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".
, but discontinued its affiliation during 1998.[why?]
On 7 August 2007 the Australian cycling sector which included the Cycling Promotion Fund, Bicycle Industries Australia, Cycling Australia, Retail Cycle Traders Australia and the Bicycle Federation of Australia
launched its key asks in Canberra for the upcoming 2008 federal election. Bicycle Victoria was one of the peak organisations included in these key requests. but did not participate in the cycling sector's federal election campaign.
In September 2007, Bicycle Victoria, Bicycle NSW, Bicycle Queensland and Bicycle South Australia announced the formation of the Bicycle Coalition; an agreement to work together on several projects such as National Ride to Work Day.
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.
The bikes were also subject to a safety recall, which required a replacement front quick-release skewer.
" saw a prolonged media backlash against perceived bad behaviour committed by Melbourne cyclists. Some considerate and law-abiding cyclists felt the media backlash was unfair and were critical about public statements made by Bicycle Victoria CEO Harry Barber.
Some criticise this promotion, 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.
These and other issues have led critics to conclude that BV is a mainstream health promotion organisation, with ties to government and major sponsors, and that it is wary of linking itself to any environmental protest or justice campaigns (like Critical Mass or local protests) in which cycling forms a part. In mid 2011, Bicycle Victoria formally announced that it had altered its mission statement and name to become Bicycle Network Victoria, a health promotion organisation with charitable status.
Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office is an Australian Government statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system and superannuation legislation...
- to become a Health Promotion Charity. This campaign succeeded in getting BNV registered as charity, although not as a "health promotion charity" and so without the right to Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
Bicycle Network 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, although this is debated by critics (see below).
Currently BNV employs about 60 permanent staff and has a number of additional staff on contract for events and special projects, as well as using the services of volunteers for events. Harry Barber has been the CEO since 1996. Bicycle Network Victoria has two offices located in the CBD of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The organisation also has a workshop in Sunshine, Victoria
Sunshine, Victoria
Sunshine is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia lying 11 to 13 km west of the CBD. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank. At the 2006 Census, Sunshine had a population of 8,070.-History:...
.
History
The organisation was established in 1975 as the Bicycle Institute of Victoria. It became an incorporated association in 1986 with a new constitution passed on 7 November 2005 and incorporation and formal renaming of the organisation to Bicycle Victoria occurring on 5 December 2005.The formation of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria in 1974 was instigated by Brian Dixon
Brian Dixon
Brian Dixon is a former Australian rules footballer and Victorian Politician.Dixon played 252 VFL games for Melbourne between 1954 and 1968, playing mostly on the wing...
MP, Victorian State Government Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation. Dixon bought together a group of bicycle advocates including Keith Dunstan
Keith Dunstan
Keith Dunstan OAM is an Australian journalist and author born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of William Dunstan VC and Marjorie Dunstan. He attended Geelong Grammar School and was a Flight Lieutenant in 1943-46 with the Royal Australian Air Force, stationed at Labuan in the Pacific...
to help form the BIV. Dunstan went on to become the founding president of the Bicycle Institute of Victoria. Rupert Hamer
Rupert Hamer
Sir Rupert James Hamer, AC, KCMG, ED , generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, Australian Liberal Party politician, was the 39th Premier of Victoria, serving from 1972 to 1981.-Early years:...
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 through VicRoads
VicRoads
VicRoads or the Roads Corporation of Victoria is a statutory corporation which is the state road and traffic authority in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is responsible for maintenance and construction of the state arterial road network, as well as driver licensing and vehicle registration. ...
only occurred circa 1990.
When Bicycle Victoria was founded in 1975 the renaissance of cycling in Australia was gathering momentum. Bikes were becoming popular again for recreation and cyclists were becoming accepted on the road. Founding president, Keith Dunstan, records in his memoir Confessions of a Bicycle Nut: “By the late 70s I was called a ‘—–– idiot’ only once a month instead of every day”.
The first edition of the newsletter Pedal Power (Apr 1976) announced that the fledgling Bicycle Institute of Victoria aimed to cater “for the need of the majority of cyclists who urgently need safe, convenient and pleasant places to ride”. The chief campaigners were Dunstan and Alan Parker, who immediately began pressuring State and local government on everything from lanes on roads to citywide planning.
In 1978 the Victorian government approved a $1.6 million, five-year Geelong Bikeplan as a test case for bike planning in Victoria. The plan proposed programs of education, enforcement and encouragement as well as engineering for cycling. Ted Wilson of the Geelong police was key in the plan’s implementation. He worked on getting cyclists to comply with the road rules and encouraged police to look out for cyclists on the road. By way of education and encouragement, he taught the newly developed Bike Ed program in schools around Victoria, a program he loves and is still involved with.
Wilson also suggested re-establishing Police Bicycle Patrols in Victoria. The idea was written into the Melbourne Bikeplan in the late 70s and subsequent plans developed for centres around Victoria but didn’t come to fruition until 1990. Once again Geelong was the site for the trial and Wilson was charged with training police in bike skills. Now all police areas across Victoria are equipped to run Bicycle Patrols when they fit the bill.
With conditions for cyclists steadily improving, cycling clubs began popping up all over Victoria. One of the oldest and largest was the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club (MBTC). Founded in 1973 as "Action Unlimited" and changing to MBTC in about 1976, it soon became affiliated with Bicycle Victoria. One of the early members of MBTC was Ian Christie, who went on to run the renowned shop Christie Cycles for 22 years.
Christie sees the 80s as the period when cycling really began to take off. He credits this to cycling gaining a name as a great health pursuit at this time and the newly invented mountain bike. It wasn’t an innovation he had much faith in at the time. As a project manager for Bicycle Industries Australia, Christie was often asked about current trends in the cycling industry. He laughs, “I’m still making forecasts but I remind people that I was the one who said mountain bikes would never take off.”
Past president of Bicycle Victoria Charlie Farren concurs that the 80s saw a tremendous boost in recreational cycling in the state. Her involvement with the organisation coincided with the development of the Great Victorian Bike Ride from the 1984 first ride when over 2000 people rode from Wodonga to Melbourne.
That first Great Ride was meant to be a one-off celebration of the 150th anniversary of European settlement of Victoria but it was such a hit that cyclists demanded another event the following year. Farren sees the Great Rides as one of the most significant tools in the development of cycling in Victoria. “The events that Bicycle Victoria have nurtured have put enormous numbers of Victorians on bikes and they have ended up as sympathetic car drivers,” she points out. “I’m proud to have been a part of that.”
Membership
Bicycle Network Victoria Membership provides bike riders with support through benefits including insurance and enables them to contribute to improving conditions for bike riders.Membership of Bicycle Network 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.
Ride On (formerly BVnews) is Bicycle Network Victoria's bi-monthly member magazine. Ride On provides all bike riders with bike related information.
Campaigns for Cycling
Infrastructure for Cycling in MelbourneCycling in Melbourne
Cycling in Melbourne, Victoria is common on the roads and paths for recreation, commuting and as a sport. However it is not one of the popular modes of transportation despite an extensive network of bicycle paths and some designated bicycle lanes on roads...
continues to be improved by the campaigns and advocacy of Bicycle Network Victoria, including the development of many on road bike lanes and shared use Melbourne cycle trails, such as the Federation Trail
Federation Trail
The Federation Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which mainly follows the old "Outfall Sewer" through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
following the route of the disused sewer between Footscray and Werribee.
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 is a nine day long (including one rest day) annual bicycle ride which takes various routes around the Victorian country side. The 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 the Great Ocean RoadGreat Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world's largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I...
, saw the total 2004 attendance (including volunteers and staff) exceed 8500. In 2008 for the first time the cycling route was a loop starting and finishing in Ballarat.
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 stop
Water stop (sports)
A water stop is a break and a place to break for drinking water in sports events for some types of sports, such as various long distance types of running , cycling, etc. Similarly, a water break is a break to drink water in some sports events held in one place.Water stops and breaks have become...
s 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".
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. Around the Bay in a Day enables all bike riders to participate in Australia's largest single day bike ride and meet the challenge of riding around a physical landmark. In October 2008 more than 16,000 riders participated in this ride.Great Escapade
The Great Escapade is an inter-state (or occasionally overseas) cycling holiday now run by Bicycle Victoria 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.National Ride to Work Day
National Ride to Work Day program is a behaviour change program that encourages workers to feel good and have fun by commuting to work by bike and experiencing the health, financial and environmental benefits. 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 Victoria.Other events
Several other events have been run in the past, including:- Great Melbourne Bike Ride: in March 2003, 14,000 people participated in this event including the premier Steve BracksSteve BracksStephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
, eclipsing the previous Australian record for a mass bike ride of 11,000 riders in 1992.
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 AustraliaBicycle Federation of Australia
The Bicycle Federation of Australia was the peak Australian body representing non-competitive cyclists, and directly represented over 20,000 cyclists who belonged to its affiliated groups in all states of Australia...
, but discontinued its affiliation during 1998.[why?]
On 7 August 2007 the Australian cycling sector which included the Cycling Promotion Fund, Bicycle Industries Australia, Cycling Australia, Retail Cycle Traders Australia and the Bicycle Federation of Australia
Bicycle Federation of Australia
The Bicycle Federation of Australia was the peak Australian body representing non-competitive cyclists, and directly represented over 20,000 cyclists who belonged to its affiliated groups in all states of Australia...
launched its key asks in Canberra for the upcoming 2008 federal election. Bicycle Victoria was one of the peak organisations included in these key requests. but did not participate in the cycling sector's federal election campaign.
In September 2007, Bicycle Victoria, Bicycle NSW, Bicycle Queensland and Bicycle South Australia announced the formation of the Bicycle Coalition; 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 Network Victoria sometimes works with these groups on projects like the "Super Tuesday" bike count. Relationships with BUGs have been uneven. Bicycle Victoria's support of the Grand Prix at Albert Park (1993) led to resignations of many key BUG members across Victoria (see below).
- Bicycle Victoria's website states that they are not involved in and do not support the Critical MassCritical MassCritical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and...
bike rides.
Controversies
Some cycling advocates criticise Bicycle Victoria because they feel that the organisation is failing to represent the best interests of cyclists.Albert Park Grand Prix
Bicycle Victoria's support of the Grand Prix at Albert Park (1993) was controversial. BV even ran the Great Melbourne Bike Ride around the circuit in 1996, before the first Grand Prix, thus granting the circuit a legitimacy it did not have in the cycling community. This period also saw the loss of resourcing of local BUGs by BV.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.
The bikes were also subject to a safety recall, which required a replacement front quick-release skewer.
"Hell Ride" controversy
In August 2006 the death of pedestrian James Gould as a result of a collision with a cyclist riding in the weekly "Hell RideHell Ride, Melbourne
The Hell Ride is an informal training ride that follows the coastline of Port Phillip Bay through the south–eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
" saw a prolonged media backlash against perceived bad behaviour committed by Melbourne cyclists. Some considerate and law-abiding cyclists felt the media backlash was unfair and were critical about public statements made by Bicycle Victoria CEO Harry Barber.
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, 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).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. It is assumed the Bicycle Victoria receives advertising revenue from the promotion.Some criticise this promotion, 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.
Helmet laws and fines
Bicycle Victoria have supported Australia's strict bike helmet laws, which begain in 1990 and are unusual in the western world. They have also actively supported the increase in fines in 2010 for failing to wear a helmet and other road traffic offences on a bike in Victoria, claiming cyclists should be subjected to the same laws and other road users.These and other issues have led critics to conclude that BV is a mainstream health promotion organisation, with ties to government and major sponsors, and that it is wary of linking itself to any environmental protest or justice campaigns (like Critical Mass or local protests) in which cycling forms a part. In mid 2011, Bicycle Victoria formally announced that it had altered its mission statement and name to become Bicycle Network Victoria, a health promotion organisation with charitable status.