4WD Parking Bans

Perhaps the Anzac Day clean up is a good way to get the media on side?

Banners, placards, a spokesman?

Let's get going .

iMusty

.

Maybe you can get an action group up here, go for it. Personally, I'm in a couple of 4WD Clubs and I encourage and support their PR efforts. There is a 4WD Association which answers some of the negative publicity, but they don't seem to be active full time. Best trick is to join a club and encourage / help them to get active on these issues.

But don't foorget to use your own voice. One letter from a Group, no matter how many people it represents, is still only one letter. But, when a few hundred individuals write, that's weight of numbers.

Someone emaile me calling this all huff and puff. The anti 4WD campaign won't just go away unless we send it away. It is a real campaign being fed by a few individuals with a very real agenda. They won't get 4WD's banned from the roads, but they've just rescently brought about new legislation on Roobars. They're causing forrests and National Parks tracks to be closed to 4WD's. They're making it harder for 4WD'ers to enjoy our chosen lifestyles. And while they've got the numbers in the press and in the pollies mail bags, they will get the ear of the media and the law makers..

Hi Smudger

I did use the words huff and puff and personally I think that is the case in this instance. I certainly don’t want to see our rights diminished by minority groups. However, you can’t expect to win every battle, in fact it is often a waste of time and energy to even try and do so.

As a group (four-wheel drivers) we need to have our facts correct also before rushing off into action. For instance, there has not been any new legislation on roo bars. The legislation has been in place for sometime and there are indications that the police may become more active in enforcing it – that doesn’t mean we can’t have them either, it just means they need to be to a standard, nothing wrong with that.

I would like to see the four-wheel drive association take a more front foot approach to tackling the broad issues (and I don’t see the Coles car park issue in that league). I have seen effective campaigns were associations representing large groups of members can be very effective in ensuring that our law-makers are kept informed of interest groups, such as four-wheel driving.

The motor vehicle industry, with its billion dollar investment in car manufacturing plants, has far more clout then any of us could muster in here. Talk with them and tell them you won’t buy a four-wheel drive because of the negative press they get. These guys have tooled up large factories, at great expense, to pump out four-wheel drives, whether or not they find there way into the bush, or the local supermarket is irrelevant – they are still four-wheel drives. They don’t want to see their investment go down the drain because of minority groups influencing government policy on four-wheel drives. The motor vehicle industry, with its large workforce, is probably the strongest lobby group in the country. Politicians would not be game to introduce policy affecting them without at least consulting with them first.

On another note, last Saturday I witnessed an irresponsible four-wheel driver, and his mates driving along Silverwater Road Sydney, ducking and weaving through the traffic, causing a menace to all on the road. His passengers were yahooing out the window as this happened. Whilst it has no influence on what Coles is doing with their car-park, this single act, witnessed by many, just reinforced the arguments of our detractors – no wonder we find it so hard to convince the non-four wheel driving public that we are responsible!

It is the principle..........Get away with one thing then they think they can do more and more to try and restrict 4WD. Next you'll get petrol stations trying to stop us getting in, or some other rubbish.

It started with North Sydney Council placing heavier parking fees on 4WD and this is the follow-on.....

So be apathetic...........I agree with some of the comments and suggested strategies.....Get some good PR, etc and make them take notice.

I used to live in Darwin. If a supermarket or shopping centre tried this sort of stunt they may have well have closed their doors as well given the number of Fourbies in the NT. But they know what side their toast is buttered.

How much more of this 4WD bashing is going to take place?

Someone needs to spread the word on how much of the economy is dependant on 4WD and the whole RV market.

Wizard
Prado TD
Gold Coast

It's not a case of parking undercover. The uncovered spaces that will be the only ones we can use are VERY VERY limited in number. These are also the parking spaces at the front entrance to the complex, so are the first to fill.
I don't have a problem where I park, But if I am forces to park a few blocks away I will shop elsewhere. We live on top of a mountain not the flats aroun Peterborough. For those who have been to Katoomba will know that it is not possiable to push a loaded shopping trolly up Katoomba St.

Ahhh we four wheel drivers are so precious.

What probably transpired is that a 4x4 went in to the carpark with somthing on the roofrack and tore out some piping or electrical stuff.

Then the newspaper mentioned 4x4's and now you lot are all hot under the collar.

There must be lots of places to shop nearby.

Yeah Vince I live on the flat(smart move ,eh?) but if I had to shop somewhere and couldnt get into the shade it really wouldnt bother me.

Parking fees...life is User Pay these days...for most things. If you disagree with it don't go there.

Email to Kmart:

___________________________________________________________
A friend of mine has telephoned KMart complaining about the new regulations on the proposed undercover car park at Katoomba . He explained that he has a 4wd and is concerned not about parking in the sun, but the extremely limited car parks that are not undercover. He was treated very rudly by the customer service staff member on the telephone and basically told that it was tough luck.
I can tell you now that my family also own a 4wd (our only car) and will not be shopping at our local K-Mart store either if this is the attitude of the compnay.
___________________________________________________________
Be heard, be strong.