The Yangon Solution

Unlike other politically isolated nations, there is a surprising about of freedom with regard to conversing with the locals of Myanmar (Burma), many of whom speak good English and are happy to talk about the problems facing the country. This makes Myanmar a fascinating place to visit. The traffic in Myanmar's former capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) has an interesting feature. There are no two-wheeled vehicles of any kind other than police vehicles, which is unique for a populous South-East Asian city.

Suppose 500 soldiers go into battle and 5 are fatally wounded. That's 5 fatalities, with a fatality rate of 1 fatality per 100 soldiers. The total number of soldiers is a measure of exposure: 500 soldiers are exposed to risk. If the battle is smaller, with only 200 soldiers, but at the same level of risk, we might expect only 2 fatalities. So reducing exposure reduces fatalities. If the battle is less intense, but of the same size, then 500 soldiers would again go into battle but the risk (as measured by the fatality rate) would be smaller; perhaps 1 fatality per 250 soldiers, and the number of fatalities again reduces to 2.

Road fatalities work in the same way. There are only two ways to reduce the number of fatalities: you reduce the risk or reduce the exposure to that risk, and most traffic policies affect both to some degree. Increased driver training seeks to reduce risk, but may also deter people from obtaining a licence which reduces exposure. Exposure is typically measured using either the total number of registered vehicles, the total distance traveled by all registered vehicles (which unfortunately is often inaccurate), or the total number of licence holders. If the risk remains constant, a large increase in these will lead to an increase in road fatalities.

Reducing the number of road fatalities to zero is easy: ban all motor vehicles. This reduces exposure to zero. Reducing exposure is easy to do, but while it may reduce fatalities, it inevitably impinges on the freedom of the individual. There is a trade-off, and so policies that reduce exposure are applied to circumstances where the risk is deemed to be high, such as with night-time curfews for young drivers and the setting of minimum driving ages. The policy in Yangon is an example of this approach. Even the safest motorcyclist acknowledges the increased risk that is present compared to driving a car. Yangon has reduced the exposure to zero for motorbikes which, relatively speaking, are a high-risk vehicle.

MUARC (Monash University Accident Research Centre) is perhaps the highest profile research group for road safety in Victoria. They have a publicly available series of reports. Some of these focus on cycling (here here here here) including a number on the use on bicycle helmets which I haven't included in the links. Other focus on motorcycling: on younger, older and high-risk riders (here here here), on crash information and countermeasures (here here here here), on training, licensing and hazard perception (here here here here).

Of particular interest is this report which reviewed motorcycle licensing and suggested an 'optimal model' for its implementation. The primary recommendation was that car licences should be a pre-requisite for bike licences (not implemented). Other recommendations included restrictions for L/P plate riders (zero alcohol, no pillion, power-to-weight) and an increase in the teaching of cognitive skills such as road-craft and hazard perception (all implemented to some degree). The reasoning behind these recommendations was clearly stated. Quoting from two sections of the report:

Another general principle of the optimal model is that, given the high crash risks associated with motorcycling, the model should not encourage increased exposure (...). For this reason, the total costs of obtaining a motorcycle licence (...) should not be cheaper than for a car licence.

The research suggests that any safety benefits of motorcycle licensing and training probably result more from exposure reduction (a reduction in the total amount of riding) than from crash risk reduction.

The aim of the proposed 'optimal model' is to contain exposure (i.e. to discourage the use of motorbikes) rather than to reduce risk. Surely then, it is the policy of Yangon that is the true optimum. But is it a bad one: should bikes be banned? Or perhaps we should ask the opposite question: should the use of bikes be encouraged, even if the increasing exposure leads to additional fatalities? What do you think?

I think motorcycling should be made freely available to all those who desire it. The freedom of the individual to take his or her own risk is a right that should not be taken away by the state in the pursuit of lowering the road toll. In Melbourne, banning motorbikes would rightly lead to protests. In Yangon protests are met with force, and as demonstrated in 2007, dead protesters are soon forgotten. Yangon is not an example that should be followed.

The iPod Nano Bike Camera

I bought the new fifth generation iPod nano last month. My old Creative player and my current mobile phone are black-and-white displays; I don't update my gadgets very often. I was impressed. The main development of the fifth generation nano is the video camera. I had been looking for a bike video camera to video every second I'm on the motorbike while commuting and touring. The latest cameras from companies such as GoPro record in high definition. Technological advancement is focused on recording quality, while my focus is on battery life and storage capacity, and these often disappoint. The iPod nano was the solution.

I bought myself an iPod nano strap that joggers use for strapping their iPod to the upper arm. It also protects the iPod from the elements, as getting it wet is a bad idea. I attach it around the instrument cluster of the motorbike (top picture), and use some tape for additional waterproofing. It gives me sturdy mount that keeps the camera in place, and the iPod can easily be removed from the pocket on the strap. The strap can only be removed by disassembling the instrument cluster.

The video files are a little over 50 minutes for each 1GB. However the camera will automatically shut off when the file size reaches 2GB, at about 105 minutes. So at minimum you want 2GB of free space before starting the recording. The iPod comes in 8GB or 16GB versions; you can use either, but the 16GB is more suitable, as you don't have to keep deleting the 2GB video files before recording the next one. The 80 albums on my 16GB iPod take up about 6.4GB of space, so I have space remaining for 4 2GB video files before I need to start deleting older files. You can't delete parts of a file, so if you catch something that you want to keep, you'll have to keep the entire 2GB file until you reach a computer to upload it.

Battery life for video recording runs at slightly under two hours. If you record from a full charge, the camera will shut off at about 105 minutes, by which time your battery will be nearly empty. The good news is that the iPod can be recharged while it's recording. There are many battery extender solutions, both those made for the iPod and those made for any device with a USB cable. Some use AA or AAA batteries and others are charged by USB. I use a Duracell recharger which is charged by USB and has an on/off switch. I zip-tie the charger to the frame down-tube, with the iPod recharging cable connecting the iPod to the charger. When I start the video I also turn on the charger, which keeps the iPod fully charged as the charging rate is above what is needed for use. No more battery problems, and the iPod is ready for me to listen to some top-notch late nineties brit-pop once I reach my motel.

Using the iPod nano as a bike video camera is a surprising good solution. Video quality is 640x480 pixels at 30fps, which is good enough for my purposes (example six second video below, reduced to 320x240). The problem with portable video cameras for touring is always battery life, but the wide availability of battery extender solutions and the fact that you can recharge while recording means that you can get around this problem for the iPod. There are some disadvantages though. The auto 2GB shut off means stopping every 105 minutes to re-start the camera. Extensive use may lead to reduced battery performance over time. And you are taking the risk that the iPod will get wet and be ruined; while the jogging strap offers some protection, it is not waterproof. But overall, it works very well. It's worth a try if you already own one.

Day 3/3: The Prom

When you're on a bicycle or on foot, fellow hostel dwellers wish you a good trip. When you're on a motorbike, they wish you a safe trip. Having been wished a safe trip by a Scandinavian family, a friendly Irish lesbian couple, and a European of a non-identifiable nationality, I set off to complete the South Gippsland Highway. The South Gippsland Highway lies on the coastal plain South of the Strzelecki Ranges and finishes at Sale, where it connects with The Princes Highway.

Yarram, the only town of any size on the remote Eastern half of The South Gippsland Highway, was the first stop. Between Foster and Yarram, a side-road to Port Welshpool gives a view of the Southern coastline. It also has a small museum (top picture). At Yarram I accidentally filled up with premium fuel and was having breakfast at the bakery when a group of fifteen or so motorbikes parked next to my machine. Large bikes with lots of gadgets and hard lockable luggage; my GS500 with its soft panniers felt inferior.

About 20kms before Sale, around Longford, there are two turnoffs: the first goes to Seaspray while the second goes to Loch Sport, and I took the latter. The 50km road to Loch Sport runs along the strip of land surrounded by Lake Reeve and Lake Victoria, behind ninety-mile beach. It's a picturesque place to visit, but the pay-off didn't quite justify the 100km detour. Just outside of Loch Sport I had to slow down to avoid a group of large birds, Emus I think, running across the road. Unfortunately I was riding into the sun and they were a fair distance ahead of me, so my video camera (i.e. my iPod nano) didn't pick-up a usable image. Past Loch Sport, I tackled 9kms of compacted but rutted dirt within The Lakes National Park; a record for me as I rarely take the bike off the asphalt. I was happy to keep to the 30km/h speed limit.

After visiting the historic swing bridge just South of Sale (bottom picture), I finally completed The South Gippsland Highway. The bridge no longer swings (it is currently under repair), and no vehicles are allowed on it other than bicycles. Now through the back-roads above The Princes Highway; North to Maffra, then West through Heyfield, Toongabbie, Glengarry, Yallourn North and re-connecting with The Princes Highway at Moe. I must get myself a 'my bike is parked because I am watering a tree and I am perfectly fine' sign.

A trip North to Walhalla would have been a good ride but I wanted to get back early to avoid the returning long weekend traffic. So I took the slab back to Melbourne, with a rare trip on Eastlink to make the journey a little easier and a little dearer.

Riding Distance: 510 kms
Total Distance: 165 + 170 + 510 = 845 kms

Day 2/3: The Prom

A 10am start and I headed out on an indirect route to The Prom via the junction just before Meeniyan to ride the whole of Meeniyan Promontory Road (C444), which passes through the small towns of Fish Creek and Yanakie. The roads were still drying from heavy rain overnight. Yanakie is literally just a general store ($6 for a coffee and bacon roll if you've missed breakfast) and a petrol station (no petrol in The Prom now, so fill up here).

On from Yanakie to The Prom entrance ($2.70 for bikes), and then down to Tidal River, the main centre for activities in The Prom. The C444 up to the entrance consists mainly of straight isolated roads. Once past the entrance, the C444 becomes a superb tree-lined biking road; but the trees hold an abundance of wildlife, so I relaxed and enjoyed the most awe-inspiring scenery that Victoria has to offer. The peaks and bushland eventually give way to stunning coastal views. Tourists go to The Great Ocean Road, locals go to The Prom.

A change of clothes at Tidal River and I was off for a long walk, exploring the area around Tidal River and The Loo-Errn Track. A couple of hours exercise was enough for me, so I got in the long queue at the cafe, grabbed some lunch, and rode back while taking some of the side roads to beaches and scenic look-outs on the Western side of The Prom.

Alighting at Fish Creek for a quick look around, it began to rain heavily, so I had a coffee while it cleared. With the sun and the mercury dropping I went back to Foster, stopping to visit Foster Cemetery, established in 1872 in a pretty location just before the town centre. "Born Sleeping" read one of the plaques.

I was intending to tackle The Grand Ridge Road tomorrow, but some of it is dirt; with all the recent rain I'll leave it for another day. I'll complete the South Gippsland Highway instead.

Riding Distance: 170 kms

Day 1/3: The Prom

A very late start due to a combination of being lazy and bad weather that I was hoping would clear: I didn't get out the house until around midday, and I passed far more brown signs than I would have liked on the way from Melbourne to Foster, the gateway to Wilsons Promontory National Park.

The South Gippsland Highway goes through Korumburra and Leongatha before Foster. I hadn't been to Korumburra before so I stopped off there for a great beef burger lunch at The Green Door Cafe, serving local and organic food. Korumburra has an old train station, now used for The South Gippsland Tourist Railway: v/line trains to here were replaced with buses some time ago. It also has, oddly, a boutique menswear store.

Just past the centre of Korumburra is the main tourist attraction around these parts: Coal Creek (entrance in top picture). It's an outdoor museum focusing on the former coal fields. It's Sovereign Hill's little brother, but unlike Sovereign Hill, it's free, it doesn't have that many tourists, and the focus is on the museum rather than entertaining the kids with actors in period costume. It is very interesting, but feels a little empty. Looking at the old photos of the school kids from just after 1900, I wondered how many had lived full lives, and how many had lost their life in The Great War soon after. Tomorrow is 25th April: ANZAC day. The museum in Hiroshima and the impossibly gigantic Taukkyan War Cemetery outside of Yangon are my vivid memories of the consequences of war. Lest we forget.

Coal creek closed at 4:30pm, so it was on to Foster, arriving at about 5pm as the weather deteriorated, and staying at pre-booked (advisable during long weekends) dorm accommodation at the excellent Prom Coast Backpackers, which is akin to staying at your mate's place.

Riding Distance: 165 kms