What is the PPA doing?

[Meezo]

Am I reading this correctly?

 

He joined the PPA specifically to boost the MTBing scene, when he was the founder of a MTB club?

 

 

"Robert Vogel

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

Robert joined the PPA Executive Committee in September 2013 to specifically focus on off-road cycling initiatives. He resigned from the committee in June 2015, and was appointed as PPA’s first CEO as of August 2015.

 

Robert is passionate about cycling and the safety of cyclists, both on-road and off-road. He started the Table Mountain Bikers group and is actively involved in the Table Mountain MTB Forum."

 

you see iCycling's case in point!

[Tubehunter]

I recall at the last AGM they mentioned the Hub in passing and got the impression they made a conscious decision not to engage on this forum.

 

The PPA has no desire to come on this site and take the time to build up a presence. They prefer using mediums where they have control over the content. They really like the idea of a forum and even had some attempts at getting one going on their own web presence, but this naturally did not gather the necessary traffic from exclusively members to actually become established. They appear to now use social media as their other channels of communication, but again these are sites where they can control the content. 

 

The bikehub presents a dilemma in that it has the greatest collection of the specific population that would take up their service, potential clients if you will, but the concerns for how things go south and the anonymity of the vast collective of the community here make it a dragon they can't seem to face slaying. 

[andydude]

How? That was the original question, that yet again nobody seems able to actually answer.

 

How are they taking up this fight?

 

This thread is NOT an attack on them, it's a plea for clarity.

I'm a bit out of the loop, but trying to catch up.

 

Did they not initiate the 1.5m passing distance awareness and actually got Western Cape to include 1m in their bylaws?

[Icycling]

Patchelicious, on 01 Feb 2017 - 5:19 PM, said:

Am I reading this correctly?

He joined the PPA specifically to boost the MTBing scene, when he was the founder of a MTB club?


"Robert Vogel

Chief Executive Officer

Robert joined the PPA Executive Committee in September 2013 to specifically focus on off-road cycling initiatives. He resigned from the committee in June 2015, and was appointed as PPA’s first CEO as of August 2015.

Robert is passionate about cycling and the safety of cyclists, both on-road and off-road. He started the Table Mountain Bikers group and is actively involved in the Table Mountain MTB Forum."

 

you see iCycling's case in point!

 

I am sorry to have let the cat out the bag in one sentence. 

 

But PPA ant what is was when it comes to road cycling - it's just takes from the road events (those that are left) and re-invests towards MTB cycling. I been going on about this for a number of years. The truth is not what most people want to hear.

[City Cycling Athletic Club]

you guys really want reform on the roads, then the government is the only real institution that can make things happen, and enforce these regulation.

 

PPA is taking up this fight, so best wishes to them..........where is Cycling SA when it is time to get their hands dirty RE safer cycling ????

in CTown and surrounding area - CSA organised over 50 road races , track events and mountain bike events - making cycling not safe BUT as you put it 'safer'. its affiliated clubs organise 'safer' club rides every weekend of the year. i am not CSA but i am involved with a CSA affiliated club. CSA cant be responsible for motorists behaviour. every year more people die on our roads and every year the 'traffic authorities' are going to impose tougher / stricter measures. like hell.

[andydude]

 

 

Patchelicious, on 01 Feb 2017 - 5:19 PM, said:

 

 

I am sorry to have let the cat out the bag in one sentence.

 

But PPA ant what is was when it comes to road cycling - it's just takes from the road events (those that are left) and re-invests towards MTB cycling. I been going on about this for a number of years. The truth is not what most people want to hear.

Your first part seems to be correct, but looking at their financials the second part about only investing in MTB seems wrong? I know you have much more inside information than I, but are ypu saying their financials are wrong? See my post & picture on the first page to see their projects financed.

[Hairy]

in CTown and surrounding area - CSA organised over 50 road races , track events and mountain bike events - making cycling not safe BUT as you put it 'safer'. its affiliated clubs organise 'safer' club rides every weekend of the year. i am not CSA but i am involved with a CSA affiliated club. CSA cant be responsible for motorists behaviour. every year more people die on our roads and every year the 'traffic authorities' are going to impose tougher / stricter measures. like hell.

Thank you for the CSA info ... as a rider and daily commuter on the roads I never see anything from them, but the PPA have made impacts on my cycling safety.

 

End of the day, the ball really lies with the authorities RE enforcing laws

[eddy]

Umm the one day all the roads are closed and then the cyclists aren't going to use it? Also I highly doubt your could get more than 50 people to buy into the protest at the CTCT

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50 cyclists chaining themselves together across the road just before Simonstown or up Chapmans can make the point very well.

 

But then again, it may not endear themselves to the rest of the cyclists ....

[Hairy]

50 cyclists chaining themselves together across the road just before Simonstown or up Chapmans can make the point very well.

 

But then again, it may not endear themselves to the rest of the cyclists ....

50 roadies in disco dancing shoes, chained together whilst on tar ..... a 14 year old could pull them all off the road at once .... please note this is a joke

[Icycling]

Your first part seems to be correct, but looking at their financials the second part about only investing in MTB seems wrong? I know you have much more inside information than I, but are ypu saying their financials are wrong? See my post & picture on the first page to see their projects financed.

When you apply the majority of the PPA staff salaries / and operating cost to MTB - as this is now the majority of event they facilitate - along with the time spent on building MTB tails where the CEO is directly involved - then the picture may become more clear. Just look at timing cost (which PPA covers) for event and then look at the number of rider on results for MTB event - each event is subsidized a lot by PPA coffers! What MTB event brings in money into PPA coffers? I can assure you the Cape Town Cycle Tour MTB Challenge does not bring in enough funds if any as I SUSPECT even this event runs at a loss.

 

http://www.pedalpower.org.za/where-does-the-money-go/

 

Point 2

[Icycling]

PPA seems so UN-appreciative of the Cape Town Cycle tour (road and MTB) - I maybe wrong - but on the PPA web site I don't even see this event listed on their calendar! 99er falls under all events and other. They use this event to try and get more member - we all know how - yet the don't list it. I hope its just my eyes that have failed me and its on the PPA web page somewhere.

 

http://www.pedalpower.org.za/Events/

[Hairy]

I stopped being a ppa member many manY years ago when they did not give a damned about mtb.

Late notice of races after they happened

Packing up finish and timing well before cut off times

Etc

 

So if you are telling me the ppa is now supporting mtb properly I should give them a spin again!

[Wannabe]

I'm a bit out of the loop, but trying to catch up.

 

Did they not initiate the 1.5m passing distance awareness and actually got Western Cape to include 1m in their bylaws?

 

Correct, kudos to them for that. 

 

BUT......

 

Nothing is being done to make this law known to the biggest culprits, the MOTORISTS....

A sign like I posted a page or two back, erected with intervals on the major training routes, will be a good start, though.

[Tatt]

As a mountain biker, I happily pay my subs to PPA every year.

 

With regards to my safety, amazing work has been done on the trails, and opening up of the Greenbelt which has got me off the road, whereas in the past I would have peddled a lot of tar to get to Tokai, Table Mountain, etc. 

 

I have never attended an AGM or been involved, but having read previous threads on here, so I understand there are opportunities to get elected to the committee of the PPA ,and in doing so, give input to its operations. So I have to assume that the current committee is heavily weighted towards mountain bikers.

 

In short, if you don't like what they are doing, stop complaining on the Hub and get yourself elected to the committee, and if you aren't a paid up member, I don't really feel you have room to act like a snowflake on here....

 

Tom

[Patchelicious]

As a mountain biker, I happily pay my subs to PPA every year.

 

With regards to my safety, amazing work has been done on the trails, and opening up of the Greenbelt which has got me off the road, whereas in the past I would have peddled a lot of tar to get to Tokai, Table Mountain, etc.

 

I have never attended an AGM or been involved, but having read previous threads on here, so I understand there are opportunities to get elected to the committee of the PPA ,and in doing so, give input to its operations. So I have to assume that the current committee is heavily weighted towards mountain bikers.

 

In short, if you don't like what they are doing, stop complaining on the Hub and get yourself elected to the committee, and if you aren't a paid up member, I don't really feel you have room to act like a snowflake on here....

 

Tom

Thank you for your positive contribution to the thread.

[Skubarra]

I have never attended an AGM or been involved, but having read previous threads on here, so I understand there are opportunities to get elected to the committee of the PPA ,and in doing so, give input to its operations. So I have to assume that the current committee is heavily weighted towards mountain bikers.

 

 

I attended the last AGM and the mtb bias is something that came up. That perception is not entirely without merit but I think the truth is far more complicated. In fact on the AGM most of the new Exco members that were voted in were openly pro "road cycling".