I know my reaction to this might be seen by some as being awkward, put to be quite truthful I see absolutely no reason why I, or any other motorcyclist or group of motorcyclists, should think it a required process to ask permission of the police force to actually ride a motorbike anywhere, at any time. This includes the concept of being required to actually tell the police force where I am going, or why, voluntarily or otherwise.
As long as I am riding a fully legal motorcycle on the road withing the legal requirements of speed and safety then it is absolutely none of their business where I am going, or why, or how many motorcyclists are going there too. Normal car drivers are not required to tell the police where they are going, so on what grounds do they think they can tell me that it has become a requirement for me to tell them what I want to do?
And if this form is not legally required, why does it exist? Exactly what is it supposed to achieve, other than to invade peoples freedom, and to record information about bike riders?
I could dissect the comments in Streaks message and pick holes in just about every part of the police viewpoint, but suffice it to ask, since when did it become a requirement for the cops to need to "identify those with a legitimate interest in motorcycling generally " ? Am I no longer allowed to move from one place to another without making sure the police know where I'm going and why. Just what sort of Nazi Occupation has Queensland become?
I know that most people might not agree, but please understand that I can see absolutely no justification for the police force, who we pay the wages of, telling a small group of road-users what they can and can't do whilst ignoring the vast majority of normal road users. Criminal bikers take up less than 1% of normal motorcyclists, yet every biker in Queensland has now been tarnished with the legal requirements to act like a criminal who might do something wrong at some point, so they have to report themselves now! Are these people insane????
We now have a situation where, if I drive my car from here to Brisbane I need to tell no-one, but if I ride a motorbike from here to Brisbane on the same road, I should fill in a form and give it to the police so they know who I am and where I'm going. This is so wrong that I am finding it difficult to define just how wrong it is.
Sorry guys, but this is driving me insane with anger at the total bulls**t that keeps adding itself to the entire situation.