No 33, April 2004

Contents
Lane Cove Tunnel Gets Going 1
Making Cycling Better 2
Getting Your Facts about the Road Right 2
The Unbearable Lightness pf Being 3
Lighter-Than-Air Bikes 3
Pump-it-up 3
The 3rd Bike North Century Challenge 4
Vale William (Bill) Brewer. 5
What to eat when the pickins are thin. 5
Can you go the distance? 6
Endurance Cycling 7
All out for Audax 8
Calendar
Other Editions

Editor: Catherine Stuart
Production: Keith Griffin

The views expressed in Chain Mail articles are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent either the common views shared by a majority of Bike North members, or Bike North policy as formulated by the Bike North Executive Committee.

Lane Cove Tunnel Gets Going

Carolyn New

Finally! Design and construction work on the Lane Cove Tunnel project is due to start. The project includes a continuous cycleway from Wicks Road, North Ryde to Naremburn Shops. This route forms part of the Harbour Bridge to Chatswood, Lane Cove and North Ryde regional cycle routes using land alongside the Gore Hill Freeway and a reconfiguration of Epping Road.

New cycling facility at Silverwater
completed in 2003

The construction work will effect the existing road system and cycle access. For example the underpass of Epping Road at the Lane Cove River which many cyclists already use from Magdala Rd, North Ryde to Mowbray Rd will be eliminated due to tunnelling.The Athletics Field at Mowbray Park will be a Work Site and work is already underway to provide car parking, bus turnaround and a shared pathway alongside Mowbray Road.The bike lanes along the Gore Hill Freeway will be eliminated as part of the road widening. While the type of cycleway proposed in the EIS is not exactly what Bike North hoped for, it will still be a far better cycle facility for most people who cycle to, from or through the area.

Bike North will continue to be involved in the project. It has cycling representatives on two of the three Construction Community Liaison Groups (CCLG). In addition, BNSW has a representative on the Traffic and Transport Liaison Group (TTLG) and is seeking to set up a special interest Cycling Group. Bike North's involvement will focus on making sure:

  • there is suitable access through the area for cyclists during the construction period
  • the plans for the cycling facilities don't get downgraded
  • opportunities for improving on the plans are seized, when they arise.

It's still too early to know the full project details but stay tuned for updates in future issues of Chain Mail. Anyone interested in the history can check out http://www.bikenorth.org.au/advocacy/ lanecovetunnel.html or chat to Carolyn New (phone 9438 1903).

Consultation with the community is a major part of this project.The project Consortium will be providing information through bimonthly newsletters, quarterly ads in local newspapers, web site and a display centre in Lane Cove (details still to come). The cycling representatives involved in the liaison groups need your feedback on cycling issues relating to the construction work. Please ring and report any issues you may notice to the project's hotline number – 1800 009 280.

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