OFF THE WIRE
BY JOHN DEL SANTO
Safety Officer
ABATE of California
The Motorcycle Awareness messages on the highway Electric Message Signs have been Great considering the millions of drivers who have seen them. One problem with this project is that Cal Trans says that the messages are expensive to post because of maintenance, labor, etc, and so we are going to expect reluctance from Cal Trans to keep posting these messages. I feel that it is absolutely necessary to post these Motorcycle Awareness Messages at least once or twice each month to keep the auto & truck driving public aware of the fact that they are sharing the road with motorcycles.
Fees and charges to Californias Motorcyclists have built up more than six million dollars in our Motorcyclist Safety Fund ($ 6,000,000,000). It is OUR money. and by law that money is in a trust, and cannot be used for ANY reason whatsoever including enforcement, except for motorcycle safety and training (CVC 2932, 2933, 2934). If anyone wanted to use part of it for MC safety or training, the request would have to go through the legislature and be approved.
An acquaintance of mine has a list from Cal Trans showing how much money it would cost to post Motorcycle Awareness Messages on the major highway signs for one day. We need a motorcycle friendly politician who would be willing to write and carry a bill that would allow us to use enough money from the Motorcycle Safety Fund to show a safety message on the Electronic Message Signs for one or two days each month. Possibly we could approach some legislator who we helped in the primary. Does anyone have any suggestions on this project ?
John
I think they're full of BS by saying how expensive it would be, because they are counting fixed costs that are always there ... regardless of what the message is. I can't imagine it costs them anything, since it's just a matter of typing a message, and perhaps selecting a few options from a computer screen. And everyone involved is already on the payroll, so it's not like they have to hire contractors or pay overtime. Heck, they're just doing their daily jobs.
Regarding the idea of approaching a candidate about safety funds, let's keep one thing in mind. When bikers serve as campaign volunteers for a candidate, the candidate asks bikers what he can do to help us. And it's the campaign worker himself (or herself) that gets to answer. So if anyone wants to approach a candidate about the subject, do a little campaign work first. Then you've earned the right to ask for something in return.
I've already worked in one campaign, spending the better part of last weekend up in LA to deliver signs. The candidate, Mike Gatto, is endorsed by ABATE and running for State Assembly in Burbank and Glendale. But I'll be out of town from next weekend until the primary election on June 8, so I can't help anymore. Please ask anyone you know in or near LA to help this guy win. He's got a slight lead over his opponent, so all we have to do is simply show up and lend a hand. Then we get one district closer to the biker-friendly majority we all want and need.
(Mike's campaign coordinator Roz has asked for any possible help this coming weekend. Make her day by calling
Douglas...by calling Roz at 310-963-5280. (sorry - left that off the tail end of my reply message.)
RIDE2REPEAL.COM
Not to belabor the point. But I believe that Douglas is correct; the IT personnel who manage the system, manage it anyway.
As for the subject of cost which was raised a few months ago, I commented then that the message is just a few hundred kbs of bandwidth anyway. If it's about hardware (lightbulbs wearing out faster because of an additional message lighting them up). Well... six million dollars will buy a lot of f*ckin light bulbs.
I like the message and having thousands of drivers seeing it has to be helping. It's a very positive thing.
