Kingston Bicycle Users Group

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Advocacy notes

On this page.

• How to get cycling issues addressed.

• Your local councillors and how to contact them. (As at December 2008).

• Get it fixed - Who to write to. This section is a reproduction of the Get It Fixed Page at the Bicycle Victoria website.

This method is great for potholes, rubbish on the road, overhanging branches and other small issues. For other issues a letter to your local councillors may be a better option.

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Your local councillors and how to contact them.

• Contact details for our councillors can be found at the Councillors page on City of Kingston website.
• A more detailed map of the wards can be found at Council wards pdf.

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Get it fixed - Who to write to

This section is a reproduction of the Bicycle Victoria Get It Fixed Page. You will find more information there. If that link becomes obsolete, try their home page and search under advocacy.

Got a pothole in your bike path or an overhanging tree?

• Need bike signals on a crossing?
• Need debris swept from a bike lane?
• Need improvements on a rail trail?

Individuals and groups can make the world a better place to ride by taking local action.

Letters and email work

The first step is to work out who is the responsible authority and then write to them. See below for sorting out who to write to. A phone call is usually not enough. You have to put your concerns in writing if you are to expect a result.

Bicycle Victoria can help back you up but we rely on Members and cyclists to pursue local problems so we can focus our efforts on our major campaigns. One of the great strengths of Bicycle Victoria is our active Membership.

Local action gets results. We have many examples of cyclists writing to the local council or other authority and getting things fixed.

Correspondence should be directed to the general email or postal address so that it is logged when received and redirected to the relevant person. Sometimes you may need to send a follow-up email or letter if you don't receive a response from your initial correspondence.

CC a copy of any correspondence to Bicycle Victoria at campaigns@bv.com.au or post a copy of the letter to: GPO Box 1961 Melbourne Vic 3001.

That way we know about the problem, and they know that we know. We keep a record of all correspondence to each authority and can then follow up on issues when we talk to these authorities.

Be as specific as possible when writing, give Melway/directory references, indicate if it's a safety hazard, suggest what they might do to fix it and send pictures if you can. Bicycle Victoria suggests you write in a tone that is clear, polite and firm. Abusive letters rarely get a response. They can, in fact, be counter-productive.

Who to write to

In most cases the people you need to speak to are at the relevant local council. Local councils are responsible for local roads (the brown and orange roads in the Melway or the thin black roads in the VicRoads country directory) and parks and also for maintenance of some main roads and arterial paths.

If it turns out they are not the responsible authority, they can direct you to the right one. To find out which council to contact look in the Melways or VicRoads country directory.

For metropolitan councils, the council borders are shown in Melway with yellow lines. The council names are in red. For regional councils, borders and council names are shown in the VicRoads country directory in green.

Work out which council you need to contact and then find their email address at the Department of Infrastructure local council list. Attention your email to the Chief Executive Officer of the council. A list of email addresses is at the bottom of this page.

Other bodies to speak to

As well as writing to the local council, you can also send a copy to the relevant state government department.

Main roads & traffic signal faults - If your problem is on a main road or freeway (the black and red and most red roads in the Melways or the red and thick black roads in the VicRoads country directory) or with traffic signals then you should also write to VicRoads.

Broken glass or hazards on road - Road managing authorities conduct cleaning on routine basis and occasionally as required. Any unsafe road conditions should be reported to the relevant local Council or via VicRoads Telephone Information Service 13 11 74. This could include glass or other hazards left on the road: VicRoads contact details, ph: 13 11 70 (or 13 11 74). For broken glass cleanup phone 13 11 74 and choose option 4 on the menu to speak with a VicRoads representative.

Rule 293 (3 penalty units) of Road Rules Victoria requires the driver to remove anything fallen onto, or put on, the road from a vehicle, if there is a possibility of injury, obstruction or damage resulting from its presence. Fallen things include accident debris, oil or grease.

The Transport Tow Truck Regulations 1994 at Section 13 / 1 require a tow truck driver removing a vehicle to remove all debris including glass ($165 fine). Tow trucks are required to carry a broom, shovel and rubbish receptacle.

Trails in National Parks or along major waterways - If your problem is in a state or national park or along a major waterway (eg: Yarra River), then you should also write to Parks Victoria:
Ph 13 1963 info@parks.vic.gov.au

Rail trails - If your problem is on crown land or with a rail trail then you should also write to the Department of Sustainability and Environment:
Ph 136 186 customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au

Many rail trails are managed by a volunteer Committee of Management.

Manhole covers on roads - If you have a problem with water services such as manhole or water main covers on roads then you should also write to Melbourne Water.
Ph: 131 722 inquiry@melbournewater.com.au

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