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No 33, April 2004 |
Making Cycling Better
What's Happening Locally
HORNSBY
Things are certainly happening in Hornsby at the moment. Jenai Davies, the new bicycling and pedestrian safety officer, is settling in well at council and is very keen to move cycling forward in Hornsby. Jenai also rides a bike to work so she is certainly setting a good example. Our members living in Hornsby would have received a letter from the Hornsby Working group asking for input in to a cycling map for Hornsby. There were a number of ways to have your say. Unfortunately very few people responded by filling in the forms and even fewer people took up the offer to attend a meeting where we could draw up a cycling map for the area. This is a pity as for the first time in Hornsby we have a council officer that is responsible for making cycling better. Jenai is keen to get things moving but she needs our help. What does she need? Jenai needs our input, she needs to know:
- where the problem areas are for cyclists,
- where the missing links are,
- where the safe cycling routes are,
- where a shared path will make all the difference.
Jenai will be attending the next meeting of the Hornsby working group, which will be held on 10th May 2004 at 7:30pm. So please come along to the meeting and tell her what you need in person or fill in the form before the meeting and send it in.You are the one that rides around your local street, you are the one that knows the best way from your place to the shops, or the park.We want to hear what you have to say. Graeme Edwards can be contacted on 9476 3624 for details of the venue for the meeting.
RYDE
During the first week of March, Ryde Council commenced construction of a bicycle path near Ryde Hospital, between Florence Street and Terry Road. The new path will replace an old broken-up asphalt footpath and will be of concrete, 2.5 metres wide with a painted centre line. Total budgeted cost is $100,000. Meanwhile the Ryde working group is continuing to assist Ryde Council with its review of the Bike Plan.We are hoping to conduct a review of bicycle parking requirements at the Macquarie Shopping Centre in the near future. Also in the pipeline is a mailout to prospective councillors at the upcoming local government elections.
Central Sydney Bike Plan 2003 Ð 2006
Sydney CBD is constrained by narrow streets where competing needs for road and street space is balanced between the needs of pedestrians, buses, taxis etc etc. During the day, the city population swells to 600,000 people, twenty times the resident population of 30,000. So what does this mean if you are a city bike commuter?
It means, make your concerns known to the City of Sydney Council now. The draft Central Sydney Bike Plan developed by the City of Sydney is currently on display.The Plan is designed to link Central Sydney with existing bike paths in the former South Sydney and Leichhardt council areas.
The 2001 Journey to Work data showed that on an average weekday, there were about 1,200 commuter cyclist trips to the City. This figure has doubled from 600 commuter cyclist trips to the City in 1996. Council has adopted a 10km radius as a realisc catchment area for bike commutes to the city. The Plan includes a listing of works to be undertaken over the next two years. There is $300,000 for cycling in the council's capital works budget for 2003 – 2004. The Council shows its support for cyclists by marking bike lanes and providing bike parking.
When I first learnt about this plan I was curious to see how the City of Sydney Council was going to make my work commute safer and easier. The council has identified the major entry points to the city and budget/ works to improve these access points. Bike parking is also built into this plan. A highlight of the Plan is the exclusive bicycle-only lanes in each direction along Oxford Street between Whitlam Square and Taylor Square.
What does this plan need?
Your input!
The council needs our input to make cycle commuting to the City safer and easier. If you have any experience in dealing with councils and planning, give the City of Sydney Council your views either directly or via Bicycle NSW before 4 July 2004.
http://www.bicyclensw.org.au For the full details of the bike plan and to have your say, go to http://www.cityo fsydney.nsw.gov.au/catz_cp_draft_bike_ plan.asp PS. Both City of Sydney and South Sydney Councils have been sacked so progress on the plan may change after council election on 27 March.
Getting Your Facts about the Road Right
Ever felt like reading the riot act to whoever was responsible for that silly bit of road engineering? Get more details at the NSW BUGs Workshop on April 24th where the main topic is the newly released NSW Bicycle Guidelines. The RTA has developed the Guidelines to "assist road designers, engineers and planners to design and construct high quality bicycle transport facilities for the people of New South Wales". The workshop will have a guest speaker from the RTA who will:
- present the NSW Guidelines
- show how to apply the NSW Guidelines
- present two case studies using the guidelines to plan/design a bike facilities.
A ride around the area, at the end of the workshop, will be used to discuss how the guidelines can be used. Details for the workshop are:
| Date | Saturday 24 April, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Time | 8:30 – 5:30 |
| Venue | Eastwood Womens' Rest Centre, Hillview Road Eastwood (behind library) http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/services/ ewrestcnt.htm |
| Access | Train (near Eastwood Station), Bicycle (situated in park, plentiful outside parking), Car (parking close by if you must drive) |
Contacts for more info: Carolyn New (phone 9438 1903) or Doug Stewart (email speedwell74@yahoo.com) The NSW Bicycle Guidelines are on the RTA web site at http: //www.rta.nsw.gov.au under the Traffic Information section (beware though, it's a slow download).
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