It is getting quite hot....not the weather, though........Mullaloo, Melville, Scarb. It seems that the councils just had enough complains to get moving towards a ban or strong restrictions on kiting. Just one ban will be a good example for other councils to follow. I believe this is a crucial time to stop wasting energy arguing with each other. We need to unite and protect our beaches.
So what do Councils want to see in a negotiation? What do we need to prepare for?
1. Councils will not talk to individuals. They talk to representatives of organizations, clubs, organized groups etc. We need to make WAKSA strong. WAKSA needs to prove, that it represents a large number of tax / rate payer citizens. That means, anyone who cares need to join WAKSA. It would be great to have a lawyer amongst the WAKSA representatives when negotiating with councils.
2. Councils will have a number of complains against kiters. We need to be able to prove, that we are safe users of the beaches. We need to have some kind of statistics. Something like x number of kiters spend y number of hours on the water a year. We need to show the (low) number of accidents, the (low) number of times rescuers had to be called, and no (!! has to be NO !!) other beach and water users have been injured by kiters.
3. We need to show, that we have appropriate education programs for kiters that includes appropriate guidelines for safety, and respect of other water / beach users.
4. We need to show, that we are an organized group, and we have our own rules on kite boarding. (I rather see my freedom restricted, then being lost all together...if you see what I mean)
5. Local beach user groups need to be organized with authority to prevent dangerous practices. These local user groups may need to have representatives to keep a good relationship with clubs etc.
In summary, we need to prove that kite boarding, when done according to OUR rules, is a safe practice, and it is not dangerous for other beach and water users.
......I am sure there are lot more ideas out there, but I am not sure how much time we have.....
I wish you luck (and for once I'm not being sarcastic), because in some places they want to ban kiting AND windsurfing, just because they are both windsports and both involve a bit of speed. Nobody would've thought of banning windsurfing at all until kiting came along, now that's just not right...
BTW, no disrespect intended, and I'm not trolling, honestly, but please face up to the fact that kitesurfing is a nuisance and/or menace to the general public; takes up too much beach and water space, is dangerous in certain conditions, and that you can never really expect all kiters and would-be kiters to kite safely and with consideration at all times.
You are not fighting for your basic rights, you are actually asking a huge favour when you ask to be allowed to kite somewhere.
Please indicate your agreement by clicking on the green thumb above. Thank you and have a nice day.
I was very, very dazed and frankly could have been seriously hurt for all he knew.
Meanwhile, he furks orf while I am still in the water in uber-pain holding my head in my hands and looking for blood (there was a minor gash but a massive 'egg' immediately).
The more you negotiate with councils the more problems you create. I'm so sick of reading about potential bans etc. We will only get banned if we keep pissing people off. Eg: rigging up next to beach goers and footpaths. Common sense prevails. Like others have said its the tossers and inconsiderate people who will cause bans. No matter how much you talk to councils there are always going to be tossers ruining it for everyone. So instead of approaching councils deal with the tossers. In summer at scarborough there are many more incidents involving surfers and swimmers, do you think they go up to the lifeguards and councils! no they don't. Are they facing bans? nope! I've chosen to go kite surfing and to be considerate. I'm having fun and doing my bit and giving no one a reason to ban the sport. So please stop posting re bans its boring me to tears.
By approaching councils you are admitting you are a nuisance. If a council approaches us then we will deal with it.
Good stuff.
I would have to agree with you Harry about almost everything except the bit about if they approach you..............then you better dam well be ready and to be ready is to be organized and have a plan like Andrash and Funkyman say....or maybe someone has another plan.
There is a lot to be said for the European system where kite areas are clearly marked. If defined areas are laid out, then anyone outside the areas is just told by the lifeguards to deflate their kite and walk back. As one French lifeguard said to me "You absolutely must take the air out of your kite and walk back" (This was after the wind dropped out and I had to self rescue back to shore) He wouldn't even let me carry it by the leading edge upside-down.
OK, sounds anal, but some collapsable flags that the lifeguards can put out to define an access lane/rigging area would do wonders. Also, by defining a kite zone people who walk through it past the signs can be warned of the dangers... so it works both ways. If WAKSA was to pay for these flags, then the SLSC wouldn't be out of pocket, and the lifeguards can define the zones. As long as they understad the needs of kiters, and say, were able to ban kiting in direct onshore wind.
I think the banners should define where kiters CAN kite... like an access lane to and from the beach. Why is it that WA only seems to have big issues about this? In Victoria they are defining the kite areas using a map overlay!
good luck in your possible ban situation. On my local beach in the UK we have regular meetings with our local council. We have been warned a few times that someone has complained, normaly a sour puss local who never goes to the beach, we police the beach ourselves and politly inform non regulars to rig in the correct area and not to kite near bathing platforms etc. Its normaly non regulars to the beach that spoil it for regulars. We have found that to meet council members and discuss any problems before they clampdown works better, at least you get a chance to put you point or solve a problem before it comes to a head. Try and get the council to put up signs to inform other beach users of kitesurfing and or windsurfing launch areas. It shows you are being responsable and will go a long way with kiter/ windsurfer relationship with council. Its better to talk to them than bury you head in the sand and hope for the best.
I believe time is crucial right now. If councils have meetings regarding the safety issues of kite boarding, we need to know it, and we need to be represented. It is the time for WAKSA to show it's strength and the kiteboarding community to give full support to WAKSA.
I also see an urgent need for organized(!!) local groups (it's already happening in Scarb) to represent kiters on the local beaches. They have to have the authority to talk with LSC's and to be able to prevent dangerous practices.
We need to provide evidences, that we have a structured education program for kite boarders that has a significant part on safety and respect for other users. Most beginners are out there after one or two lessons trying their luck in sometime tough conditions not being aware of the danger they impose on others.
The problem with creating dedicated kite boarding areas is that if we allocate a few areas now, we will be stuck with them, making all other beaches "not a kite boarding beach". I approximate, that the number of kite boarders in Perth is growing exponentially.
Hi lads we're new to the seabreeze forums but this council thing is an issue at our lake. if ya check out our vids on you tube under kiteburra you'll see the lake we're talking about. since shooting the video two weeks ago the council has erected a fence about 1 m from the waters edge, talk about kite launch issue now, an i pity the first kid (as we have a few new lads 10-14 learning) that stuffs up his/her turn and gets dragged through it fully powered up. the fence was erected to protect a little tern that nests on the spit, mind you the only nest so far is at least 20m from the waters edge. the fence is going to be electrified soon. there is no need for such a fence as we give total respect to the little terns and have actively avoided there nests for years now without a it. the new appointed council member being only 65 years old has a hate for all watersports mainly kite boarding that us "young hoodlum's" do.
That would be annoying, considering that we kite boarders are basically the only ones using the beach. we don't have people to avoid here. there is just about a dozen of us kiteing and never more than 3-4 out at the same time. our issue is this little tern protection officer that only retired to the area recently from sydney. we grew up here and have been using the lake as our playground since mid 80's with the windsurfing club and in the last 9 years with the kites. if we posed any danger to these 8cm high birds ya think the last 30 years would have scared them off. i recently rang the office responsible for the fence and inquired about there personal injury cover should something occur, they sounded concerned as the injurys like getting staked by a fence after ya get dragged up the beach weren't even considered when the fence was erected.
I despise local Govt. Managed by Nannies controlled by old fossil Councilors. This tier of Govt needs to be scrapped.
Unfortunately you have to spend time and money and suck arse to avoid unilateral decisions by Council and Govt these days.
Council a problem then lobby Councilors. This no work then lobby State Govt and State MP's....boring as bat **** but some people love doing it.
Who is gonna do this in a professional way?
Is there money in the Kitesurf Industry?
Is the industry pulling its weight and providing resources in this area?
A industry funded and driven body is the best way to get the best results. This is proven everywhere you look.
The way Australia has headed in relation to our attitude to rules and regs is pretty sad. The average Aussie likes the Govt telling them what they can and cant do and they love to complain, dob, sue, bludge..... If you cant beat them then make a brief stand on principle, tell em what they wanna hear and get your pound of flesh along the way.
no chance of us winning, best we can hope for is a understanding between us an the council. just back now from there was 22kts and no one out but me. but i noticed they've set up a person just to watch these birds. the ranger has agreed to move the fence back 6m from water edge today which is a help, and any of the warning signs which are outside the fence we can move while we kite as long as we put them back when we finish. it's a start i suppose. could be worse, we could have people, swimmers etc to worry about like you lads over there in the west.
Imagine the council turning around and going Yeah you guys can kite here just not during the months from october to march between the hours of 6am to 7pm like at city beach groyne when you cant surf there in summer.
The other thing you have to ask is - Aren't there any members of the SLSCs that are also kiters? Wouldn't it be great if they could help you guys out from the inside, get a safe system down that protects other beach users and gives access to kiters? I think printed PVC banners that the SLSC can put out at the start of the day to designate the kite zone would be brilliant. Its not hard for them to do. WAKSA could provide them and the kiters in the SLSC could help out too when they are on shift.
Basically we need less talk and more action, especially at Melville. We have the rules setup for melville to work effectiviely, however nobody follows them.
Your down there and see someone inside the markers kooking around, let them know the rules and the reasoning. You see them again, unleash on them. Even if you see a 'hotshot' give them a drilling, they should know better.
self policing is the only way!
