It would appear that many states are liking the co authored law of two young California teenagers. Connecticut and Oregon have both implemented new - mandatory rider training for all potential motorcyclists. In the case of Connecticut though they have taken it to a new level. If you are 30 or under and never had a motorcycle license you will be required to take the basic safety course.
On top of that the NTSB is calling for a mandatory helmet law for all states.
Now I am a proponent for choice but the mandatory rider training is something that I personally think is a good thing for a number of reasons. Firstly, too many young people
(I remember being young once) tend to think they are invincible and take chances they really shouldn't based on their skill levels. (If they are allowed to grow to old age, they realize that certain chances they took were not really the best ideas they had ever had.
I too can look back with that kind of perfect 20/20 vision called hindsight and say, yup that chance I took back then, was pretty dumb.)
Secondly, with so many people on the roadways that do NOT know the rules of the road it is just plain smart to get trained and I don't mean just motorcyclists - I think ALL car drivers should have to take a mandatory course.
Thirdly - there are millions more people using the roadways that are not paying attention to the job of driving. Texting, calling on cell phones, scolding kids - they are so busy inside their vehicles that what is going on outside of their vehicles doesn't appear to register.
With the higher number of vehicles on the road and the increased dangers - training can and will save your life. (I remember a time on Canadian roads when you could go for hours and scarcely see another vehicle. Try that today - and yes, I realize I am dating myself.)
There are those who feel another law is not a good thing. I disagree - I think a SMART law that has the potential of increasing your enjoyment of your motorcycle is a good thing.
Mandatory training will, (if implemented consistently - and I am talking the quality of the training here) increase the persons ability, will make them a better car driver, (at least one that is more aware of their surroundings - I know it has made me a more aware driver)
I think we have too many laws on our books that are dumb, out dated and in many cases knee jerk reaction laws and not well thought out - off the top of my head, the pay before you fuel law in BC that came about because a young person was killed in a robbery because he wasn't taught properly to let the robbers go, is a knee jerk reaction law that was poorly thought out.
This one however, born by two teenagers has HUGE merit, it took two years to come about and they had input from a rather large number of people. I think however law makers need to take it one step farther and make it mandatory to take driver training for ALL vehicle drivers. The only reason I feel ANY apprehension about this law at all - it's discriminatory - it's holding motorcyclists to a different standard than the rest of the road users.
The young men who co authored this law were directly impacted by the motorcycle accident that caused them to write it, had it been that the brother who died had been driving a car untrained perhaps they would have targeted teen driving. I get that, but the law makers themselves should be more cognizant and should see the value in training all people instead of punishing them.
I watch shows like Canada's WORST Driver and all I want is the license of the driver examiner who gave these people their license. We see through that show the absolute inconsistency of driver examiners - to me THEY are one of the weakest links in the system.
I feel that they are in some ways personally responsible for some of the very dangerous drivers that are on our roadways.
There are dumb laws that make hard working, decent people into criminals. There are dumb laws that inconvenience people unnecessarily, all because common sense was not used to write them. There are further dumb laws that are put it place that are simply there to increase the coffers of the jurisdictions they are implemented in.
Then there are laws that make sense.
Mandatory driver/rider training is smart economics in my humble opinion.
Any time you empower people through training two things happen.
The more knowledgeable some one is, in any discipline or any job, the less of a drain they are on resources.
The less the drain on resources, the more productivity goes up.
With the implementation of mandatory Driver & Rider training, the benefits should be that jurisdictions are spending less resources in hospitals, policing resources would be allocated to different and more effective uses of their time, insurance would go down, fewer people would be mourning and our community would be bigger.
The helmet thing - well, I am still a conflicted person on that one. At some point, if we are trained and have knowledge, I think that our degree of risk should be a decision left up to us. In Florida, you can ride without a helmet as long as you can prove you have $10K minimum in health care insurance so that you are not a drain on the medical system and do not infringe upon the rights of other taxpayers. Since riding like driving is a privilege,
I think paying extra for that privilege of riding without a helmet is a fair trade off. (Provided you have a sticker on your plate so the police have no reason to stop you unnecessarily.)
As I said, I am conflicted on the helmet law - part of me understands that the governments are trying to find ways to reduce deaths and long hospital stays that are a burden on the system - at the same time I the old rebel in me says quit telling me what to do.
I do feel that if the governments put money in to training people, if they made the mandatory training either free or subsidized it, it would not take very long for them to see a huge reduction in other resources that would allow them to use those resources in a wiser and more efficient manner.
Am I a dreamer? Probably, but for once, there is a law I believe in. I just wished that it was mandatory for all beginner drivers, no matter their weapon, I mean vehicle of choice.
I wished the governments would subsidize it and I wished that the training offered was more consistent - as shows like Canada's Worst Driver show - we also need FAR better driver examiners and THEY need to be held more accountable for the job they do and the people they give licenses to.
That's my two bits worth on this topic - I WOULD LOVE to hear yours!
Join me in the forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, on Facebook or right here in my blog!
There is a whack of other stuff in the news but I have a ton of work to accomplish in the next 5 days so every minute counts...go check out the news of the day at www.beltdrivebetty.com where we scour the news feeds so you don't have to.
There is one thing I do want to draw your attention to - a Survey request from the Department of Transportation and Safety in Alberta...if you ride here, please fill it out.
You have a chance to impact riding styles and behaviours through awareness commercials and signage.
Please if you are attending New Year's parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving- please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
In August, 2007, Jarrad Cole, was heading to college and wanted a bike. He got his motorcycle permit and bought a used Suzuki GSX-R. Twenty minutes later, practicing in front of his dad's house, he was thrown into a retaining wall and died instantly from chest injuries.
His brother and a friend decided the laws governing young people and motorcycle training needed to be changed in California and change it they did.
The new law will see teens have to take a 15 hour motorcycle safety course BEFORE they are allowed to get a learners permit to ride.
The permit allows the teen to ride on streets, but not at night, not on freeways and not with passengers. After six months, the teen qualifies for a motorcycle license. Teens under age 18, though, still cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and can't have passengers under age 20.
My personal opinion is that this law is a GREAT first step but I think it needs to be taken one step farther. I feel that everyone who wants to get on a motorcycle - that does not already have a motorcycle endorsement should be required to take training.
Here in Canada our training programs are far more costly than in the US - none the less, being trained can save your life and give you the skills and knowledge necessary for surviving the mean streets of urban riding and the rigors and perils of road riding.
I commend the young men who decided to impact the world in a positive way.
What are your thoughts on mandatory rider training? I would love to know.
Join the discussion here in my blog, on Facebook or in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com
In the New Today:
In Jerusalem: Avi Cohen is buried and remembered
In Japan - we finally know why the 2011 Kawasaki ZX 10R production is being held up
In the US we are saying good by to Guitarist 'Mean' Gene Kelton
Also in the US the courts have reopened the defective motorcycle helmet claim against Fulmer Helmets
Please if you are attending New Year's parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving- please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
As I look through the news feeds again today - everyone and I do mean everyone is producing a top ten list from 2010.
I do not wish to look back other than a quick glance over my shoulder.
Nope, I prefer to look ahead...
2011 - I am looking forward - to the RIDE. Yes, right now I am dreaming of motorcycles, bugs, sunshine, rain, wind and hail, the smells of fresh cut grass in the ditches, the sweet clover, heck allergy or no I am even looking forward to smelling canola and seeing those wild yellow/phosphorescence flowers it produces. I am looking forward to the motorcycle shows, the rallies, the mountains the twisties and the friends I will see again this coming year.
I am looking forward to the rivers, the lakes, the waterfalls, the wildlife, (as long as they stay out of my path).
I am looking forward because if I look back...nope not going there...ahead - looking to where I want to go.
I want - in 2011, to surround myself with people of integrity, people who do what they say they are going to. I am looking forward to a year filled with possibility.
I am looking forward to love, laughter and joy and yes I even embrace the challenges and sorrow that are bound to come along.
Here's my top ten list for 2011 - I'll let everyone else look back...
10) Riding - just riding
9) Riding to the rallies and runs
8) Riding to create awareness of motorcyclists and sharing the road
7) Riding across Canada
6) Riding to the Yukon and I hope the Northwest Territories
5) Riding by rivers and lakes
4) Riding in the mountains
3) Riding by myself
2) Riding with my friends
1) Riding with my husband
What's on your list for 2011?
In 2011 - what are looking forward to?
What is it that excites you, makes your imagination dance?
I'd love to know! Join me on Facebook - here in my blog or in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com
In the news today:
In Isreal Soccer great Avi Cohen dies from his injuries
In California a new law targets motorcycle thieves
Also in California the new Motorcycle Noise Law is cranking people up
In BC the Milkman goes racing again
In the UK a motorcycle racer goes to jail for sexual abuse
In Texas - "Kokomo" - the founder of the Motorcycle Fatality Awareness Program is in critical condition after an 18 year old drive cut a left hand turn in front of him.
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties and positively impacting others who ride in a not so positive way to protect our privileges.
Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
When it comes to bikers rights and how we are treated here in North America, I have heard many people say we are lucky, we have it better than anywhere else in the world - we should be thankful instead of fighting. They want to take away our right to choose helmets or not...no biggie. They want to take away our pipes and make all our machines as quiet as e-bikes...no problem. We don't put up much of a fight - hell for a bunch of freedom lovers we too often wait for someone else to fight what we deem tyranny. We are a complacent lot for the most part these days, we pay a lot of lip service to the notion of fighting for our rights, but that is all it is for the most part, lip service. I wonder what our fore fathers would think of what we have become...
I want you all to consider something...Imagine owning a motorcycle repair shop or a parts shop and being told that you have to move it because your shop is an eyesore to our down town core and your patrons are hooligans that we don't want down town. They are reckless and endanger people's lives - get out, move to the suburbs and while you are moving your business, we are going to also fine you.
That is the lot of a number of motorcycle repair shops in Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabia.
Reportedly they, the public officials, want to prevent the city from looking like a "maintenance garage".
Motorcyclists are also going to be restricted to using the right hand lanes - "The use of these designated lanes will allow motorcyclists to ensure their own safety as well as those of other motorists, Al Mazroui said."
Now comparing a regime like Saudi Arabia to Canada or the US might seem ludicrous to some but I want you to look at the mind set of the officials there and here...
With more and more restrictions on us here in North America - with more and more people complaining about noise, about reckless riders, the officials in our countries are attempting to curb our freedoms and privileges because of the actions of some. The same is happening in places like Saudi Arabia, Manila, China, Korea, India - we riders are being painted into corners because of the actions of a few.
How many people are there that would like to see motorcycles legislated right out of existence? There was an article in a Florida newspaper where in the writer wanted to see motorcycles banned as unsafe...folks - this is not a joke any more. This is serious stuff here and I am not sure we can live with our heads in the sand too much longer cause when we do finally lift them it will be to discover a very different world of riding. The point of my little diatribe this morning is that we need to know what is coming down the pipes and we learn that by reading what is going on around the world - to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Knowledge used well is power. The key is we HAVE TO DO SOMETHING with the knowledge we have about the police and the municipal officials and their mind set. If we look at the mind set of police officials around the world you will see one common thread...the few ruin things for the many and we ALL get tarred.
Knowing that - what can WE DO?
I want you to consider something...what if we riders started to push back? What if we started reporting every driver we saw who has a cell phone to their ear while driving?
What if we started reporting the cars with boom boxes so loud the windows in your house rattle or the trucks and cars with no or after market mufflers that are way too loud?
What if we started shunning the stunters and the persons who show off doing burn outs at stop signs and street lights and reporting them? What if we wrestled the keys from an impaired rider instead of shaking our heads in the parking lot as we see them fumbling around? What if we reported the guy with the straight pipes who purposely is setting of car alarms for blocks instead of encouraging them? (We know that you can ride a loud motorcycle with respect so that it is not obnoxious and don't upset the neighbors and business people).
It is long past time where we realize that the actions of one person can tar the rest of us.
And it is time we quit encouraging the few and start shunning them as UN COOL.
The single biggest need for those who like to stunt on the roadways is for attention and they don't care if it is negative or positive attention - but if we gave them none - turned our back on them, refuse to talk to them, could we change the tides? What if we reported them when we saw them? I don't know, but nothing else seems to be working - so my questions is what do we have to loose by trying?
Appealing to them one at a time - trying to change their minds, pointing out that they are selfish and ruining it for the rest of us doesn't seem to work in any broad way. I have had some positive results by talking to people but...
What is the answer to protecting our community and the privilege of riding?
I really don't know - but I think we need to find an answer that works more often than not...we can't prevent or stop all of the selfish or thoughtless people but we can take a stand within our own communities - we can make sure that we are not fueling their need for attention.
If we riders in Canada and the US united our voices we would be almost 12 Million strong.
I know that the likelihood of 12 million people who are for the most part independent thinkers; "A" type personalities uniting their voices is a stretch, but imagine if you will 12 million people acting in a similar fashion...what would the chances be that we could POSITIVELY Impact the behaviors and mindsets of the thoughtless and selfish?
I welcome your thoughts on this topic - like everyday - I invite you to jump into the conversation...who knows what ideas will come from the sharing and discussions...
Join us in the forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com, on my personal Face Book Page: Belt Drive Betty or our fan page: Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles or here in this blog.
In other news:
In Arizona 7 alleged members of the Vagos are indited on felony counts of aggravated assault and one count each of riot and assisting in a criminal street gang.
In Santa Clara California a police officer has been charged with providing a member of the Hells Angels with DMV information on people.
In France a clothing designer who happens to ride set out on a mission after a spill on his motorcycle. He wanted to find a fibre that could beat Kevlar, (Kevlar has some major flaws when it comes to apparel. It doesn't 'breathe', in the woven form it is uncomfortable to wear and starts to disintegrate when it's exposed to the ultraviolet in sunlight.) Pierre-Henry, after extensive research, lit upon a fibre known as 'ultra high molecular weight polyethylene' (UHMWPE). It is a form of polyethylene, the world's most common plastic, but the fibres are twice as strong as Kevlar, and 10-100 times stronger than steel.
In the UK, the Hairy Bikers are helping launch a special charity cookbook.
Porsche becomes the newest company with a tribute motorcycle.
There are a number of sports articles for you motor sports fans and a few others on different gadgets for your bike. Visit www.beltdrivebetty.com to read up on the happenings in Canada and around the world.
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties and positively impacting others who ride in a not so positive way to protect our privileges.
Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
The day of celebration we call Christmas is over for another year. The mobs of people shopping the boxing day sales have hopefully found what they were looking for - the things they didn't get as presents but I am hoping you found something else.
Presents, gadgets - they are all just things. They wear out, the get broken.
I am hoping you found the spirit of Christmas in your heart.
There are some heart warming stories that came out over Christmas - like the gang of people in Kelowna BC giving away free hugs in memory of their friend, Wayne Cobb, who died last year in a motorcycle accident.
And the story out of the States where in a young Utah man who had not been able to go to his parents home because of a life altering collision on his motorcycle that sees him wheelchair bound, and was helped out by Santa's Subcontractors....he can now visit his mom and dad!
The biggest, the BEST gift that anyone can give or receive is LOVE.
I have friends who have very little in the way of possessions but they are wealthier than many because they have each other and know that no matter what, Love will see then through.
I hope you found it...
On the personal front, I spent some time with my motorcycle.
No - with all of the snow on the ground I did not get to ride.
I got out a heater with a good fan, put on some shades, threw my feet up on the highway pegs, turned on the stereo, leaned back against the back rest and relived the miles of riding I put on this summer. I remembered the rain, the sun, the smells (its amazing when you use your imagination and power of recall just how vivid those memories are.)
I remembered the faces and smiles of the people I met, the sorrow of loosing my brother to Cancer, the magnificence of the ocean, the rock faces, the trees, the wildlife I saw and as sad as I was, I found that freedom, that happiness again. It is amazing the power of your imagination - for a brief moment I was transported back to simpler days where it was just me and my machine and the elements...that is until my husband walked in and caught me pretending again!
I have it bad...PMS that is - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome and I am truly looking forward to our Beat the PMS Blues On Line Show 'n' Shine that kicks off on Saturday.
I can not wait to see everyone's rides, the modifications and personalizations.
We have some incredible prizes too.
Everything from leather goods and meals to event tickets and hotel stays.
Our two really big prizes this year are:
A Doran 360M Tire Pressure Monitoring System for the Best Touring Machine be it a Metric or American Touring bike and for the people's choice - the bike with the Over all most votes - a Drift High Definition Video Camera from Drift Camera Canada.
All of the prizes we are offer are transferable so if you win something you can't use you can ask that it be shipped or transferred to a friend or family member.
I hope you have your pictures chosen!
Well folks, I have a busy day ahead. Time to get after it and git er done!
Have a day filled with thoughts of motorcycles and freedom, open roads and twisties - I know mine will be...Please if you are attending parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home from Christmas feasts and visits please take care on the roads and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
We riders have a need... to feel the wind on our faces, take in the smells, to see the world from an unfettered view that can only be supplied by our motorcycles.
The rush of riding through a tight set of twisties, the feeling of peace, just cruising down a stretch of highway, riding alone or with friends....
Our souls are called by the road, our spirits soar in the sunshine and our determination is challenged by the rain, hail, wind and sometimes snow...and we welcome that challenge as much as we welcome the serenity.
For those who truly have that bike hole in their heart nothing satisfies quite so much as that feeling, that soul satisfying experience that makes our smiles light up the world around us.
My Christmas wish for everyone of you who reads this blog, who ride a motorcycle for no other reason than your motorcycle is an extension of who you are....
May your 2011 riding season be filled with the challenge of twisties, the camaraderie of fellow riders, the peace of riding by yourself, the joy of the sunshine on your face.
May you explore this world and all it has to offer with a passion and zest and may you always be safe from road debris and careless drivers. May you always have the sharp skills you need to face the challenges provided by Mother Nature and the road ahead.
Ride strong, free and proud.
With much love and respect to all who share this love, this burning need to ride....
Merry Christmas...
Have a day filled with thoughts of love and peace, motorcycles and freedom - I know mine will be...Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
If you are driving home for Christmas please take care and cherish those you love the way you cherish your motorcycle.
Yesterday another Canadian soldier was brought home. Cpl. Steve Martin - he is one of 154 who have been taken from us in the Afghanistan conflict.
Just 2 days shy of his 25th birthday he was killed in the line of duty.
My heart goes out to his parents and all who love him.
As we here in this country get ready to celebrate Christmas I ask you to reflect on something else... as hard as this may be to wrap your head around, I want you to consider the families of the "other side".
War is messy business. It is hard to see the "other side" as human, as having families, wives, kids, parents when they are "responsible" for the death of our own - but guess what, they do.
During the second world war, a young soon to be Queen named Elizabeth, fought in the trenches with her troops running an ambulance with her princess sister Margaret and together they witnessed the horrors first hand. Princess Elizabeth began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
Her quote on that horrible time in history is as appropriate today as it was back then...
In remembering the appalling suffering of war on both sides, we recognize how precious is the peace we have built in Europe since 1945. Queen Elizabeth II
Even she understood that the soldiers of the other side - much as we do not agree with their politics or way of life, have families, people who love them.
I can't begin to understand the pain the Cpl Martin's parents feel, loosing a son, not being able to celebrate his 25th birthday or Christmas with him. That pain has to be unbearable.
It is, I suspect no less unbearable for mothers in Afghanistan.
I think - I hope - that is one thing everyone can understand - a mother's love and a mothers pain.
Peace - as long as there are human beings with differing agendas and beliefs, I am not sure we will ever achieve global peace and yet we must try and strive for it.
This Christmas as you eat dinner with your family, unwrap presents and share the common bond of family, friendship and love - I ask you all to remember those who are no longer with us. Say a prayer for every soldier who is doing their country's bidding no matter the side they are on, for their families cry tears that are just as real and born of the exact same pain that we here feel for our soldiers who are gone.
I support my troops. My government is a totally separate issue.
I really don't know what the answer is to finding peace but I support the children who through no fault of their own other than they were born to a parent who felt the calling to protect and defend their country and beliefs - no matter their religious or political view - I feel for, pray for and support those children who now find themselves without a parent.
My single biggest fear is that these children are the ones who will grow up angry, wanting to lash out and perpetuate the war against those who took their parent away spurred on by those who have hatred in their hearts - those with political agendas that have nothing to with peace and everything to do with oppression.
This - in my heart of hearts - is why I believe so many of the Middle Eastern conflicts never get resolved and have in fact lasted thousands of years. Revenge. The children grow up wanting revenge, wanting to lash out for the torment and pain they have felt.
As sad as I am for Cpl Martin's parents and family I am equally saddened by what the children experience here and over there.
The only important question here is HOW do we stop this vicious and unrelenting cycle of revenge and vengeance? How do we love and support these children of war and help them to learn a different way of life when in reality they have never know peace? It is a foreign concept for them - they have never known it.
I guess I ask these questions because I am a mom. Perhaps if more of us around the world asked ourselves these questions we'd find the answer...
The law of attraction says that if we can dream it it exists...today I dream of peace.
If we as a collective dreamed of peace, empathy and love we would all find he answers we seek.
Like everyday, I welcome your feedback and opinions as it is through sharing & talking that we become stronger and more empathetic.
In the News today:
Writer William Perry - a former priest and police officer wants to bust some myths
Paul Jr wins in court against Paul Sr
There are many new motorcycle reviews in our Lifestyles - Motorcycle News & Reviews section as well as some new technology for your motorcycles in the Health & Technology for your bike section.
Have a day filled with thoughts of love and peace - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
Last year I did my first Conga across Canada to raise awareness about the need to have motorists share the road with us.
I am doing the same again this year.
The TENTATIVE route will see me leave Grande Prairie, head for Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory and kick the Conga off from up there.
I will ride from there to Merritt BC for the Great Canadian Bike Rally, then in to Salmon Arm BC for the Sturgis North & Summer Stomp Events and from there I will head to Cape Breton NS and the Cape Breton Bike Fest - The Thunder In the Highlands.
I would love to have riders join me be it for an hour, a day, a week or the whole 43-45 days I intend to be on the road! Tentatively leaving from Grande Prairie July 4th and getting back home in the middle of August...
I am in the planning stages and making application to sponsors for support.
One of the reasons I want to meet so many riders is we are going to be creating Rider Awareness Videos.
The videos will feature riders from across the country with their families asking motorists to share the road. Like last year the message is:
My name is Renee "Belt Drive Betty" Charbonneau, I am a wife, I am a mother, I am an auntie, a sister, a friend and a volunteer for Toys for Tots and the Motorcycle Ride for Dad, I am the editor of a community newspaper and my family and friends would appreciate you sharing the road with me.
This time that message is going on video and once home in GP, we will be editing the video and creating motorcycle awareness campaigns for across the country that will air hopefully on every TV station across the country in 2012!
I am enthused and excited and a wee bit nervous cause this time - I am riding solo...hubby can not come with me this year as he does not get his holidays until the end of August (that's his anniversary date at work)
So - if anyone is game to come along or be videoed for a commercial...let me know!
Cabot Trail Here I COME!!!!!
In the news today:
In Oxnard California Aztec Racings Tony Gutierrez 1932-2010 passed away.
When I lived in Oxnard CA in my 20's - Tony was a big part of my life - his shop was in the same block of shops as our race car shop - RIP Tony - you will be missed.
Eric Buell is thinking about getting back in to production street bikes again
More jurisdictions are calling for helmet and other laws targeted at motorcyclists:
Zamboanga
Jerusalem
And in Dubai they are targeting stunters and those who don't follow the rules of the road when on motorcycles - they call it a traffic campaign.
BMW announced Canadian pricing on their machines
I hope you will join the discussions on Facebook, in our forums over on www.beltdrivebetty.com or right here in my blog!
Have a wonderful day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
Sometimes I get inspired by the strangest things...
yesterday I found inspiration in anger of all things!
Charities - be they motorcycle events or not are the back bone of our social safety nets.
Many charities are being put in a position where they are being forced to pay for police overtime to host parades and awareness events as city and town budgets are stretched to the max.
After the article out of Olympia and having had my own experiences with police services as an event coordinator and as a member of the local toys for tots group - I was very, deeply angry. (My daughter and I - 22 years ago, were benefactors of a toy run and it's generosity - without them her 4th Christmas would have been - bleak to say the least)
I have been learning to focus on the outcomes I want.
So after a good cry, I asked myself the ONLY important question: HOW do we change this?
After all kinds of phone calls, research on the computer and letter writing I hit on something that if we can get community support for, I believe we can make work!
The idea is to train a bunch of riders in every community to become Professional Traffic Control people using their motorcycles for blocking traffic just like most of us do right now but we'd be certified by the province's transportation and safety departments. Just like crossing guards we would have CPR & First Aide training, we'd be taught the Highway Traffic Act as it pertains to controlling traffic and we'd then - after a practical training session and a small written exam be certified.
I have been talking to various Safety Council's across the country and there is great interest from them so we shall see what we can do to put together a pilot project and if successful, we'd be able to reduce the costs of keeping people safe. This would free up the police services, reduce costs to everyone and there would be no more hassles. I have also put out inquiries about the cost for insurance and how we could deal with that.
You can help by going to your local charities, presenting them with the idea and getting letters of support from them. The more support we can garner the more likely we are to be successful in getting this project of the ground. We also want letters of support from the riding clubs and the more riding clubs that we can get to support this initiative the better!
The letters of support can be sent to the CMTA (Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association)
They can be sent to my office here in Grande Prairie and I will make sure they get to the right people!
CMTA
10908-102 St
Grande Prairie AB T8V 2X3
The news is kind of flat again today - it is that time of year!
One story of note is about a group called CALM - Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles
Read the article folks - this noise stuff has become a cancer.
The only question we need to ask ourselves is HOW do we change the tide of anti motorcyclist sentiment. When we ask HOW can we do something the answers will come and we will be successful - the challenge is we need every motorcyclist possible asking themselves that question so that we can find the creative solutions.
One group in the states has signs made that are posted a few blocks before you enter hospital and nursing home areas . They also have them in their business and eating districts...
The signs ask motorcyclists to use respect with their throttle hand as people are sick, infirm or doing business. If we used that principal here - if we simply reminded people that we need to live with others and share this world perhaps we could impact some of the wrong doers and or show offs. Like I said folks we need creative ideas! Put your thinking caps on and email me your ideas for a more peaceful and less contentious way of policing our own and stemming this flow of anger towards our community!
As always I welcome your feedback and differing opinions and ideas becasue it is through the sharing of ideas and discussion that we grow, evolve and become stronger as a community.
Join me on Face Book, in our forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com and/or right here in my blog - talk to me people!
Have a wonderful, creative thinking kind of day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
The news feeds are really quiet this morning. There is a Story on the celebutante Paris Hilton and her new 125 team...I can't believe that - I really can't - Paris Hilton and motorcycles...oh well.
The other story of note is about the passing of the legendary Tony Kirby.
He was the editor of Dirt Bike and the founder of Side Track and a hell of a story writer. The Australian and world wide dirt community is going to miss this mas talented way with a pen.
On the weekend there was a story that got my ire up.
In Olympia Washington it appears that they do not understand dollars and cents nor do they have any more common sense than some of the other jurisdictions out there...
The headline? Toy Run hits bumpy road.
The city wants to change the parade route AND charge the committee for police overtime.
So - I have a question for the BEAN Counters in every city hall around the world and for the chiefs of police or staff sergeants around the world....
Let's say it costs $3-4 thousand dollars in over time and in the bigger cities $10K to police a toy run parade - let's look at the toys and money flowing in to charitable organizations to help the KIDS of our communities as opposed to the costs.
Let's take a case study of this situation - right here in a small centre like here in Grande Prairie Alberta - it would probably take 2 police motorcycles at $100 per hour for the officer and machine and about another 10 officers at about $75 per hour to stop traffic for the parade to go through and if the city put up barricades another 10 hours of set up and tear down for city staff on over time at lets say another $100 per hour.
You'd be looking at roughly $2,500 for the parade to come out of city coffers. (Why? because the police bill the city for their time) The toy run here generates about $20K and a ton of toys. If the Salvation Army here didn't get that shot in the arm there would be a lot of kids doing with out. Take $2,500 - $3,000 out of the budget and there is the entire 4-6 year old category that would have to do without toys.
Imagine your own 4 year old and their abject disappointment that they had no toy - no gift at Christmas...what would that look like? How would YOU FEEL as a parent?
Our toy run always had it's own blockers - the police will NOT after 31 years allow us to block traffic ourselves - it's unsafe don't you know. Yet in other jurisdictions like Vancouver - professional crossing guards are used to block traffic - it is after all a rolling parade and only blocks intersections for what- even on a big run of 7-15K riders a half hour...
Why can't our people take the professional crossing guard course and be licensed to provide this service to the city for other parades besides the toy run...would that not help with costs - everywhere? Would that not make sense? I'll tell you why. Because the police sergeants want the over time being billed - it's about budgets and if they can show a lot of over time then they have more leverage when asking for budgets to be upped.
(That appears to be the case here in GP unlike Vancouver where some creative thinking has taken place.)
In Olympia Washington they raise over $200K dollars plus toys - who is going to fill that void? Is the city going to? NO. What about the average citizen - will they fill that void with out an organized effort? Unlikely...
You smart people in city halls and police detachments everywhere - you make my heart heavy that you can not see beyond the end of your noses...take the blinders off, get your heads out of your a$$es and look at what you are doing to the children of our communities - you who live in big warm houses and probably have never known a night of hunger need to learn some empathy and use some creative thinking - OUR CHILDREN deserve so much better than your narrow minded political agendas.
They deserve a toy at Christmas and a meal that says - celebration - we care - you are important...
What you bean counters, police officers and bureaucrats are sending for a message is: you kids - you who have so little - you aren't worth spending a few hours of our day away from our families. You aren't worth me giving up $100 or $200 in pay - you aren't worth a few man hours - you don't count.
And when you go home and you hug your children and share a great meal with them after opening a bazillion presents on Christmas day... I doubt any of you even think of those who have nothing.
I have been there. I know first hand what a box of food and a bag of toys means to a family that has nothing but each other.
EMPATHY - the lack of it is what is wrong with this society and most importantly with our police services (and I am referring to those who make the decisions).
If you people can't get out and park that shiny car that I and every tax payer provides you - at an intersection for an hour...if you can't see your way clear to be generous of spirit - why do you feel the need to kill the spirit of generosity in others?
Just remember - the kid that you don't help today - the one who lives in poverty, that lives in fear, with hunger...that child has two potential paths to follow - the one we show them as a way out through kindness, love and empathy or the hard route that takes them straight to jail...these kids are our future and to not reach out a caring hand to give them hope and joy - well it's more than morally wrong.
And remember - these kids - the ones YOU are hurting - they are our future teachers, doctors and lawyers or the cons and drug dealers you are going to deal with in the system - and that weight needs to be put on YOUR shoulders. You have the opportunity to change a life and a life path...question is - which path are going to show them?
I would love to hear your opinion on this topic....join the conversation in our forum, here in my blog or on Face Book...
Have a wonderful, love filled day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
We here in North America are a pretty fortunate lot. We do face discrimination, we do face harsh laws and penalties but we also enjoy a certain level of freedom and peace not found elsewhere in the world.
I am highlighting a story about everyday riders who are being penalized for riding two up due to marshal law being implemented to keep holiday processions and celebrations safe.
According to Wikipedia: Muharram (Arabic: محرم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.
On December 2nd, the police in Lahore Pakistan asked for a total ban on pillion/two up riding because motorcycles are often used by terrorists and criminals.
So 3,800 people who use their motorcycle for transportation lost them - were fined AND had their bikes confiscated - because they defied the ban and were lumped in the category of criminal.
I feel so sorry for these people. When I look at what is happening around the world to motorcyclists, I see this unfriendly madness and I see it creeping in to the North American way of thinking and it is terrifying.
We need to start being far more proactive in policing our own and looking after, defending and protecting our freedoms in this country and the US because if we don't get with the program soon we will be as oppressed as bikers in other country's are. We are becoming more oppressed more babysat than ever before by a police service that is so alarmist that it is indeed scary.(I know we need to be vigilant but some of the measures that are being implemented in the name of security and safety are to my way of thinking OVERKILL and others are so poorly implemented as to be laughable.)
We need to start looking after our community - acting like a family again and start having each others back...like we used to. It is time to truly start working together, to talk, share and unite...can we do it? That remains to be seen...I'd like to think we could.
In Edmonton they are bracing for the first round of noise violation tickets to start going through court - but they are not the only ones, riders across Canada are holding their collective breaths to see what is going to happen here...if these riders can beat their tickets it will be a victory for the little guy - the motorcyclists who is becoming an oppressed citizen in this country and south of the border. I am so proud of whoever the 50 so riders are who are fighting their ticket and carrying the torch. Way to go people!
The stand most riders take on the Noise Bylaw issue is one of "ticket everyone fairly - we have no problem with that - just quit targeting ONLY us."
If you think that we are not being oppressed: look at the NHTSA in the states and it's MOTORCYCLE ONLY Check stops..helmet laws are being looked at for all of the US and have come into effect in BC already - Canada's last bastion for the beanie.
How do we change this tide of anti biker mentality? We start by focusing on the things we want, the things we enjoy as a collective. We conduct ourselves with respect and courtesy and when we see others who are not - we take some kind of affirmative action to either educate or turn your back on the offenders - shun them from your circles, walk away from the one who has to do a wheelie on main street for his perceived audience, if you don't give him/her the audience and attention he/she seeks they will eventually tire of their stupidity or move on to a different way of expressing their need to be noticed.
Folks - I love my community, culture and way of life and I for one do not want to see it get to that point here it is in country, like it is in countries like Pakistan or cities like Manila... and it could - with the threat of terrorism constantly looming - it really could happen here - we, the tax payer - the people - are the keepers of freedom and common sense...WE need to step up and look after what our soldiers have preserved for us - the concept and notion of Freedom of oppression - if WE do not defend our rights and freedoms as citizens - well as the old adage goes - USE IT OR LOOSE IT...
As always I welcome your feedback and input on the days news topics.
Get in on the discussion in our forums, on Face Book and right here in my blog - I love it when you talk to me!
In Other News:
From Motorcycle -USA's Bryan Harley is a write up on Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers
From Westlaw News & Insights is an expose on the Tuetul's feuds in court.
JD Power is slamming the motorcycle industry over quality control issues.They explicitely tell dealers that riders who are happy with their dealer experience will spend almost $1000 more in a year at a shop than if they are unhappy with their dealer experience.
So guess what folks GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE REALLY DOES PAY OFF!!!!!
There are some great motorcycle reviews to read in the lifestyles section and other news stories to peruse under the What's New & Hot section so...join us at www.beltdrivebetty.com - we sift through the world wide motorcycle news so you don't have to.
Have an wickedly great day - I know mine will be...
Please if you are attending Christmas Parties, plan your way home in advance!
